Stairs are a difficult place to vacuum. Whether carpeted or not it’s nearly impossible to use an upright, and corded upright or canister vacuum cleaners with hoses are difficult to lift and maneuver when cleaning a long staircase. Handheld cordless vacuums are a great solution for vacuuming stairs, unlike the Bosch BCS122GB, which is a stick vacuum. The CHV1410L Hand Vac is a dustbuster cordless vacuum made by a well known manufacturer of power tools, and it will help keep your stairs clean and tidy. GR’s Best Vacuum for Stairs buyer’s guide is also a great resource when evaluating handheld vacuums such as the BLACK + DECKER CHV1410L Hand Vac. If you’re looking for floor vacuums, check out our best vacuum cleaner reviews.
Why We Like It – BLACK + DECKER CHV1410L Hand Vac
The BLACK + DECKER CHV1410L Hand Vac reflects the typical dustbuster hand style cordless handheld vacuum, and is effective at many cleaning chores, with notable value for vacuuming stairs. A multi stage filtration system with a washable filter eliminates virtually all dust.
- Well known manufacturer
- Lithium Ion battery
- Integrated crevice tool and brush
- Short battery life
- Battery not replaceable
Power
The BLACK + DECKER CHV1410L Hand Vac is powered by a 16V lithium ion battery that uses what Black+Decker calls Smart Charge Technology for charging, claiming a 50% energy savings, and that it results in their battery having no “memory effect” (an affliction usually associated with nickel batteries, currently debatable if lithium ion batteries are also prone to this problem). The charger is a circular base upon which the CHV1410L sits upright to charge –looking a bit like a coffee pot. User experience is that it takes 4 or 5 hours to fully charge, but the battery life is on the short side (some users reporting only about 10 minutes of continuous use, although granted that most people will run a dustbuster hand vac in shorter duration bursts). Suction power is reasonable by hand vacuum standards. B+D claims the CHV1410L has 15.2 AW suction power (AW or air watts, is one of the recognized ways to measure suction power). As a comparison, the Black+Decker Max Flex claims it produces 24 AW suction power using a 20V lithium ion battery.
Related: Check out the Bissell Zing Bagged Canister 4122 review
Speed / Efficiency
A distinctive feature of the BLACK + DECKER CHV1410L Hand Vac is that its nozzle has an integrated pull-out crevice tool and an integrated flip-up brush. These are handy and being integrated they can’t be misplaced. There are no other attachments included. The nozzle of the CHV1410L can also rotate to facilitate reaching tighter spaces. Black+Decker asserts that the surface on which the CHV1410L works best is carpet, although it doesn’t perform as well as others in picking up pet hair, even using the integrated brush (some others have specialized attachments). The CHV1410L is a true cordless handheld vacuum weighing in at under 3lbs, just like the Bissell pet hair eraser lithium-ion hand handheld cordless vacuum. Both are great for car interiors or other cleanup jobs.
Bin Capacity / Maintenance
The BLACK + DECKER CHV1410L Hand Vac has a bagless bin (a.k.a. dirt bowl) with a capacity of over 20 oz., which is fairly large for a dustbuster hand vac and sufficient for most cleaning uses. The bin is larger than the comparatively small bin of a Dirt Devil Quick Lite, but smaller than the roughly 32 oz bin of a Dyson V11. The bin is clear plastic and removable so it’s easy to see what’s inside, and to clean… it’s washable. Emptying the bin is easy, but just not as easy as other brands. The is also a washable filter. Black+Decker says that the “cyclonic action” of the CHV1410L keeps the filter clean and the suction strong, although customer ratings say suction diminishes as the bin becomes too full (a not uncommon in most dustbuster handhelds). The Black+Decker dustbuster is self-contained for storage, but the manufacturer warns against storing it on its charging base holder which is inconvenient.
Related: See our BlackDecker Max Flex review
Durability
The BLACK + DECKER CHV1410L Hand Vac is compact and well built. Customer reviews and videos elaborate on many use cases for this Black+Decker vacuum, some beyond home cleaning are a bit unusual –such as vacuuming up bugs in an organic garden. The CHV1410L should provide years of use, and comes with a 2-year manufacturer’s warranty. And as a power tool maker Black+Decker has virtually any replacement part for its products available online. Unfortunately the battery of the CHV1410L is not detachable or customer serviceable
Value
The BLACK + DECKER CHV1410L Hand Vac is a good choice as a cordless handheld vacuum, and way more reasonably priced than some alternatives such as the Tineco Pure ONE S12. The CHV2420L is perfect for spot cleaning, for keeping staircases tidy, and perfect in an RV. If you need to clean larger rooms or require longer run times, then you might consider a so-called “stick vacuum” such as the MOOSOO Cordless that works as both an upright vacuum and as a handheld vacuum.
BLACK + DECKER CHV1410L Hand Vac Wrap Up
The BLACK+DECKER Max Flex works great as a general purpose cordless handheld vacuum and it’s particularly handy for difficult to clean places like stairs. A tried and true product from a well known manufacturer.
