REASONS TO BUY
Articulating nozzle
Great with dust
Powerful suction
REASONS TO AVOID
Poor in tight areas
So-so battery life
Few accessories
BLACK+DECKER 20V Max Pivot BDH2000PL Review
Powerful suction and an adjustable nozzle angle make this vacuum great for tough messes though it doesn't do well in narrow spaces
Credit: BLACK+DECKER
RELATED: Best Handheld Vacuum of 2024
Our Verdict
We like the Max Pivot for its integrated tools and articulating nozzle. The unit is particularly good at picking up course debris, including animal hair. However, we were disappointed with the vacuum's difficulty with narrow spaces. The unit is quite powerful, though, and may be worth it for those cleaning chunky debris. If you're looking for the best of the best, check out the top handheld vacuums in our lineup.
Editor's Note: This review was added to the lineup on September 21, 2022, to provide readers with a complete look at the handheld vacuum market.
Compare to Similar Products
 This Product BLACK+DECKER 20V Max Pivot BDH2000PL | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |  Best for Pet Hair |  Great Value for Spot Cleans | Best for On-the-Go | ||
| Price | $90 List $69.20 at Amazon | $80 List $72.09 at Amazon | $56 List $55.99 at Amazon | $50 List $49.99 at Amazon | $42 List $41.19 at Amazon |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Bottom Line | This vac has great airflow and adjustments but isn't a good fit for tight spots | If you don't want a product that is going to erase your savings, then we highly recommend this handheld vac | If you want a cheap handheld vac for light messes and don't expect too much, this one is a decent option | Cleans small messes for a small price, excelling at dust removal | If you are looking for a light-duty product that is very compact, then this is the one for you |
| Rating Categories | BLACK+DECKER 20V Ma... | Bissell Pet Hair Er... | Black+Decker HHVI32... | Black+Decker HHVI31... | Bissell AeroSlim |
| Dust & Dirt (20%) | |||||
| Tough Messes (20%) | |||||
| Hard-to-Reach Areas (20%) | |||||
| Battery Life (15%) | |||||
| Convenience (15%) | |||||
| Pet Hair (10%) | |||||
| Specs | BLACK+DECKER 20V Ma... | Bissell Pet Hair Er... | Black+Decker HHVI32... | Black+Decker HHVI31... | Bissell AeroSlim |
| Model Tested | BDH2000PL | 2390A | HHVI320JR02 | HHVI315JO42 | 29869 |
| Measured Weight (no tool) | 2.9 lbs | 2.6 lbs | 2.4 lbs | 2.1 lbs | 1.2 lbs |
| Measured Weight (with heaviest tool) | N/A | 3 lbs | N/A | 2.1 lbs | 1.3 lbs |
| Usage Type | Dry | Dry | Dry | Dry | Dry |
| Dust Capacity | 0.44 L | 0.73 L | 0.61 L | 0.94 L | 0.1 L |
| Wet Capacity | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Measured Runtime | 12 min 12 sec | Without motorized brush: 20 min 42 sec With motorized brush: 17 min |
15 min 24 sec | 12 min 20 sec | 15 min 23 sec |
| Charge Time | 2-4 hours | 8 hours | 13.5 hours | 10 hours | 2.75 hours |
| Charging Indicator | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Washable Filter | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Measured Noise (at arm's length) | 83 dBa | 71.4 dBa | 83 dBa | 81.5 dBa | 74 dBa |
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Our Analysis and Test Results
Our review of the BLACK+DECKER 20V Max Pivot covers every element of handheld vacuum performance, ease of use, and storage. The details of our testing will help you pick the best product for your household needs.
Performance Comparison
The Max Pivot has plenty of power and the pivoting nozzle helps add some reach, but the broad nozzle struggles to get into tight areas.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Dust and Dirt
The dust and dirt metric measures a vacuum's ability to pick up fine debris on various surfaces. The Max Pivot excelled in this category. The Max Pivot's success is largely attributed to its powerful motor, although its pivoting nozzle and stiff brush bristles helped give this unit an advantage, too. While the Max Pivot tackles dust and dirt efficiently, getting it to perform at a high level requires playing with the nozzle angle to pick up rather than push around debris.
The nozzle needs to be angled just right on the Max Pivot for the best performance.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
We use a variety of tests to evaluate the vacuums in our review. We start with a basic dust removal assessment and progress towards caked mud. Throughout these evaluations, testers noted they could feel the difference in power compared to the competition when using the Max Pivot. The vacuum also has stiff bristles. Despite wide spacing, these bristles effectively agitate flour and dried mud. The pivoting nozzle benefited the tester's posture and increased reach regardless of what we cleaned.
When reaching up to clean shelves, the articulating nozzle comes in handy.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Tough Messes
The Max Pivot excelled in the tough messes metric. The testing in this metric includes timed removal of course material like crushed oat and Mini-Wheats scattered on automotive mats and upholstery. We also test the airflow at the mouth of the nozzle using an anemometer. The Max Pivot delivered across the board in this metric.
The tests in this metric are timed, with the vacuums getting 20 seconds in each evaluation. Within the time limit, the Max Pivot did quite well, entirely removing the crushed oats from the mats. The vacuum did leave a bit of oat dust on the couch cushion; given a few more seconds, it would have had it all.
The oatmeal on couch cushion test did not go as well as the car mat test, but it was a respectable showing compared to the models in the class.
Credit: Jessica Riconscente
We also tested the Max Pivot with flour spread on the car mats and threw out some small and large Mini-Wheats cereal for good measure. The Max Pivot did reasonably well with the flour, though a residue remained. On the other hand, the vacuum did surprisingly well gobbling up the smaller of the two Mini-Wheats. Finally, the vacuum's airflow measures 1614 feet per minute which explains why it did well with large and small debris types.
Hard-to-Reach Areas
The hard-to-reach areas metric looks at all those nooks and crannies that a traditional vacuum struggles to access. Unfortunately, the Max Pivot's wide nozzle makes it a poor fit in tight spots. We tested the vacuums on window slides, in the car, and under a nightstand. While the Max Pivot did reasonably well under car seats with big gaps, it could not penetrate more than a few inches between the seats and console. The unit also struggled with cleaning under the nightstand. A bright spot was the window slides. However, we got the best results with the nozzle extender, which covers the brush and limits contact in corners.
The Max Pivot struggles with tight squeezes because of its broad nozzle and lack of attachments. Here we see the built-in extension, which is not a substitute for a crevice tool.
Credit: Jessica Riconscente
Battery Life
Battery life is fairly short with the handheld vacuums in the class. A long runtime is around 20 minutes. The Max Pivot clocked in at 12 minutes, 12 seconds, which is below average for the class. We also found that correctly placing the vacuum in the charging stand can be challenging.
The runtime on the Max Pivot is just so-so. We also found that the unit needs to be in the pictured configuration to seat correctly on the charge.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Convenience
The convenience metric looks at the factors such as weight, noise, bin capacity, and tool storage. At just under 3 pounds, the Max Pivot is among the heaviest unit in the class. It's also one of the noisier models --though the noise isn't unpleasant. More to our liking is the Max Pivot's integrated tools. And while the bin size is not the biggest, it is good for several uses before needing to be emptied.
While not the biggest dust bin, it is nonetheless good for prolonged or multiple uses before needing to be emptied.
Credit: Jessica Riconscente
Pet Hair
We tested the Max Pivot of pet hair on the couch and in the car. The results are good news for pet lovers because the vacuum ranks highly in both categories. Testers found that the Max Pivot worked best with the brush folded down as it collected a great deal of hair that was easy to remove while the suction picked up most of the remaining fibers.
One of the secrets to this unit's success with pet hair is its brush which collects the fibers ahead of the suction.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Should You Buy the Black+Decker Max Pivot?
The Max Pivot performed well in all metrics except hard-to-reach areas. Hard-to-reach areas are a leading reason that someone would buy a handheld vacuum in addition to an upright. For the price, there are better-performing vacuums. We recommend checking out the best vacuum cleaner review before settling on the Max Pivot.
What Other Handheld Vacuums Should You Consider?
Our research and testing proved that the Black+Decker Flex Vac BDH2020FL is the leading vacuum in the class. It is a little more expensive than the Max Pivot but its utility makes it worth the extra money. If the Flex vac is too expensive, consider the BISSELL Pet Hair Eraser.
—
Nick Miley and Jessica Riconscente
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