Black & Decker 20V Max Platinum Cordless Vac

Black & Decker 20V Max Platinum Cordless Hand Vac (BDH2000L) Review

Last year, Black & Decker announced the launch of 20V Max Platinum Series of vacuums.  At first, their stylish, sleek design made me think they may not be the best fit for Tool Skool.  After all, we review tools and other products and gadgets to use on the jobsite or in the workshop for the most part.  Upon further examination, I decided this cordless hand vac is a perfect fit for Tool Skool readers and definitely something you should know about.

It’s true that this small, lightweight cordless vac is stylish enough to keep in a kitchen or any other room in your home, but I think you’ll also find it’s usefulness extends to the workshop or even the jobsite.  This is especially true if you are doing small remodeling jobs and want to keep things neat and tidy as you go without pulling out a large wet/dry vac.

Lithium Ion Battery Power:

The internal lithium ion battery is charged by placing the vac on the round charging base.  Once fully charged, Black & Decker claims the vacuum will hold a charge up to 18 months.  I haven’t had this unit 18 months to confirm their claim, but I doubt that it will ever go un-used for 18 months anyway.  I have found a reason to use this tool almost daily, and generally several times a day.  The vac will run for about 15 minutes continuously before it loses power and needs to be charged again.  For most jobs where you’ll need this vac, that’s more than enough runtime.   The charger is a smart charger, so it only charges the battery when needed.

Use at home, in the workshop, or on the jobsite

I put the Cordless Hand Vac on the workbench in the shop.  It easily sucks up sawdust.  And because it’s so lightweight, (weighing in at under 3 pounds according to my handheld luggage scale), it’s much easier to clean up the shop stairs with this vac than with my bigger shop-vac.

It is also great for picking up bugs.  I know, I can be a bit “girly” because I’m not thrilled about spiders and other creepy crawlers, but this vac picks ‘em up dead or alive and holds them in the container until I decide to empty it out.  And the on-board extendable crevice makes it easy to reach them without having to get too close. 

Other Features:

 

Addressing consumer complaints

With all the tools I’ve tested and reviewed over the years, I still have not found one that is absolutely perfect, although this one is kind of close.  I do want to address some of the complaints that were listed in various reviews by people who bought this tool.  Across the board, half of the people who used this tool thought the suction was great, and half thought it wasn’t strong enough.  I suspect that the people who think it’s not strong enough are comparing it to corded vacs.  In my experience, the suction is pretty good for a cordless vac and I’ve had luck on shop surfaces, carpet, tile, and hardwood floors.  I haven’t tried in on the mats in my car, and I can see where it might not be strong enough to pull out ground in dirt, but for the quick clean up, it would be fine.

The REALLY bright blue light.  That’s another complaint in some online reviews.  I must say, I wouldn’t want this charging in my bedroom.  It is a very, bright charging light, but since mine is in my shop, the light doesn’t bother me.

Finally, the bowl is easily removed, but the curved neck does mean you have to shake the bowl a bit to get all the dirt out.  Not a big deal, just something to note.

Overall, I give this cordless hand vac two thumbs up.  It’s a great little tool for the shop or the home. Oh, and did I mention that Black & Decker offers a 3 year guarantee?  Click HERE for the details.

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