Black+Decker CHV1410L Review

Although the Black+Decker CHV1410L produces a decent amount of airflow, which we measured in our anemometer test, it didn't translate to an overall outstanding cleaning performance. While this vacuum looks almost identical to other models, something about the brush bristle seems to make it much less effective.

Performance Comparison

Likes

The Black+Decker CHV1410L is good at cleaning up more substantial messes, doing well at picking up crushed oats and Mini-Wheats in our tests. It only left traces of oats behind and sucked up all of the cereal without issue.

This handheld vacuum does a somewhat good job of getting into confined spaces, like a window sill or around a car seat, and has a maximum reach of just over 10" under a nightstand or similar piece of furniture. The brush and crevice tools let you get into lots of places, but you aren't necessarily going to be able to clean them with the lackluster cleaning performance offered by this model.

The CHV1410 is about average in weight and isn't fatiguing to carry around in a single hand for most people. We found its integrated tools to be very convenient, and it is easy to empty the 0.61-liter bin without making too much of a mess. It also registered more than 1700 feet per minute (fpm) of airflow on our anemometer, which is quite a bit more than the group average of 1300 fpm or so.

Dislikes

Unfortunately, our list of dislikes for the CHV1410L is rather expansive. This vacuum didn't get off to a great start in our dusting test, lacking the suction to pick up statically charged flour and instead moved it around. It took other products less than 20 seconds to clean up the same mess, while we ended up just giving up with this one after a minute with plenty of mess remaining.

You can loosen stuck-on dirt and mud with the brush, but the CHV1410L vacuum again fails to suck it up. It also performed below average at removing flour from some automotive interior carpet, so there are better options out there if you are searching for a vacuum to keep your car nice and clean. Additionally, you can pretty much give up on the idea of using this to clean up pet hair based on its performance in our pet hair tests, failing to clean both a couch cushion and the same automotive carpet after we covered them in pet hair. Therefore, if you're a pet owner, this is not the handheld vacuum for you.

The CHV1410L also did very poorly in our battery life test, only running for around 10 minutes before dying. Even worse, it takes roughly four hours to recharge. On top of all that, this handheld vac is particularly loud, registering 83.5 decibels on our sound meter from an arm's length away.

Should You Buy the Black+Decker CHV1410L?

Considering the lineup of handheld vacuums, it is hard for us to find a reason to recommend the Black+Decker CHV1410L, especially when there are so many other cleaning vacuums out there that are significantly better at efficiently cleaning.

What Other Handheld Vacuums Should You Consider?

The Black+Decker HHVI320JR02 might be an attractive alternative if your goal is to clean up occasional messes around your kitchen appliances. Plus, it doesn't break the bank. But, if you have money to spare, we suggest going with the Black+Decker Flex Vac BDH2020FL, which is a better all-around handheld vacuum that is high-ranking compared to others.