Black+Decker HSVJ520JMBF27 Review

This model is a little easier and more convenient to use than the average stick vacuum and is about average regarding cleaning power. It does an alright job on hard floors and carpets but definitely isn't a suitable replacement for a full-size upright or canister vacuum.

Performance Comparison

Convenience

These products are intended to be convenient ways to quickly and easily clean up messes, so this metric accounts for the biggest portion of the overall score at 35%. We evaluated each product on how well it could clean non-floor areas of the house, whether it was battery-powered or corded, the battery life or corded reach, whether or not it could stand upright without support, and its weight. The Black+Decker performed decently well, earning a slightly above average score.

This model can convert into a handheld vacuum for cleaning places that are slightly harder to reach, but it was a little more difficult to transition this vacuum than other models. The Black+Decker is about average in terms of weight, weighing in at 6.1 pounds and can stand on its own, something we appreciate. This model is also cordless and boasts a decent battery life, lasting for a little over 16 minutes on its max power mode. It took us about five hours to completely recharge.

Hard Surface Cleaning

Ranking behind convenience in terms of importance, this metric accounts for 30% of the total score for each vacuum. We used a section of hardwood floor as our test surface, basing the scores off how well each stick vacuum collected Cheerios, oats, pet hair, rice, and flour. The Black+Decker did an essentially average job at collecting all of this debris. It took about 1.5 passes to clean rice from our section of hard floor, putting it right in the middle of the group. We used the hard floor mode without a rotating brush roll, but rice would periodically become trapped on the non-spinning brush. However, this vacuum would fling some rice to the side, forcing us to execute a delicate balance of pulsing the brush head for brief moments to pick up all of the rice. The same happened when tasked with collecting flour, taking about four passes to clean the floor satisfactorily. All of the surface flour was removed and a tiny bit from the cracks in between the boards, though there was plenty of residual flour left in the cracks. This model tended to build up the flour in various places on its underside that would come loose when the vacuum was tapped on the ground, creating a miniature mess and causing some frustration.

The performance of the Black+Decker did improve in our next test, cereal. It did a fine job collecting Cheerios, as long as the rotating brush was on — something not typically done for hardwood floors. Unfortunately, this boost was not maintained for the final two tests, oat collection and pet hair pickup. This vacuum did a decent job at collecting pet hair but once again was only effective if the rotating brush was on. Otherwise, it didn't really do anything. This isn't a particular downside, though it runs a higher risk of damaging certain types of floors. It was a similar story with oats, with the Black+Decker performing identically to its rice test. We again had to walk the delicate balance between actually collecting the oats and flinging them everywhere by briefly pulsing the rotating brush.

Ease of Use

The Black+Decker earned a respectable score for this metric. This score was based on how well each model cleaned under furniture and in close to edges and tight corners, the different cleaning modes available, and manueverability. This metric accounts for 20% of the total score for each stick vacuum.

The Black+Decker has two cleaning modes available — high and low power — as well as the ability to turn the rotating brush off. Unfortunately, this model didn't do the best job at cleaning close to walls, leaving a small strip of rice behind.

However, this vacuum's performance turned around when it came to cleaning under furniture, reaching 18 inches under our simulated sofa. It could have reached further, but the handle from the handheld portion hit the sofa.

This model is one of the quieter ones of the group, only registering at 73 dBa on our SPL meter. It also has swivel steering, making it reasonably easy to maneuver and handle.

Carpet Cleaning

For the fourth and final metric in our test, we assessed how well each product could clean carpeted floors, testing on both low-pile and medium-pile carpet. We again used the same sample messes from the hard surface cleaning tests and judged performance in the same way.

This vacuum did a decent job at collecting rice on flatter, low-pile carpet, only taking two passes to collect the debris in its entirety. Performance dropped a little when it came to fluffy carpet, as the vacuum was a little harder to maneuver and would plow the rice around rather than collect it. Everything was usually collected in the end, but the Black+Decker doesn't do as well as an upright model.

The flour collection went well, as did picking up Cheerios when on low-pile carpet. However, this vacuum mostly failed at collecting cereal on fluffy carpet, continually piling them up no matter what combination of cleaning modes we used and whether or not the brush was on or off. However, this vacuum did well at picking up the pet hair we laid out, removing over 90% of it. That said, the Black+Decker finished out this metric with a rather mediocre showing when it came to collecting oats, taking two passes on the flat carpet and over ten on the fluffy carpet.

Should You Buy the Black+Decker Powerseries 2-in-1?

Scoring in the lower half of products overall we think there are better options in this review than the Black + Decker. While the brand might draw in some readers or the price may seem attractive, the disappointing performance during our testing makes it a no-go in our minds.

What Other Stick Vacuum Should You Consider?