Black & Decker CHV1400 Review

What the reviewers like:
Owners say the Black & Decker CHV1400 cordless handheld vacuum is powerful, light, and easy to use and clean. It also gets good marks for its longer-than-average battery runtime and its an unusual two-year warranty.

What the reviewers don't like:
The most frequent complaints about the Black & Decker 14.4 Volt Dustbuster have to do with durability. Some users say the plastic parts break too easily and others warn that replacement batteries can be hard to find.

Black & Decker CHV1400 review highlights

Black & Decker's lightweight CHV1400 hand vacuum gets a very high average user rating and a large percentage of perfect scores. The similar Black & Decker CHV1500 (*est. $50), however, has the advantage of being top-rated in professional reviews, as does the Black & Decker PHV1800 Pivot Vac (*est. $65). The Shark Cordless Hand Vac SV736 (*est. $40), with a detachable motorized brush, is also highly regarded among cordless vacuums. So while the Black & Decker DHV1400 looks like a decent pick, the Shark model is an alternative.

Owner-written reviews at consumer sites are the best source of information and ratings for the Black & Decker CHV1400 cordless handheld vacuum, which hasn't yet been tested by Consumer Reports, Good Housekeeping or other magazines. Still, more than 400 Amazon.com users have posted their assessments of how the CHV1400 performs in daily use, and some of the reviews include detailed descriptions of its strengths and weaknesses.

Also see full report: Handheld Vacuums

*In order of credibility (see our Ratings Criteria).

1. Amazon.com
Black & Decker CHV1400 14.4-Volt Cyclonic DustBuster Reviews
Contributors to Amazon.com

Amazon.com is an excellent source of information and ratings for the Black & Decker CHV1400. Over 400 owners give it a very high average rating, saying it's powerful, light and easy to clean. Sprinkled among the high ratings are some complaints about durability -- typical for a vacuum in this price range.

2. Epinions
Black & Decker CHV1400 Bagless Handheld Cyclonic Vacuum Reviews
Contributors to Epinions

With only a dozen owner-written reviews of the Black & Decker CHV1400, Epinions doesn't provide as complete a picture as users posting to Amazon.com. User reviews here echo those on Amazon.com, however, with a very high average rating and good marks for power and ease of use.

3. Consumer Guide.com
Black and Decker Cordless Dustbuster CHV1400 hand vacuum
Editors of ConsumerGuide.com
Jun. 17, 2005

ConsumerGuide.com's "Expert Review" of the CHV1400 reads more like a description of features than a true expert assessment. The Black & Decker does very well here, earning a "CG Best Buy" designation and a perfect rating, but several other hand vacs do just as well.

4. PriceGrabber.com
Black & Decker Cyclonic DustBuster CHV1400 Vacuum Reviews
Contributors to PriceGrabber.com

PriceGrabber has several owner-written reviews of the CHV1400, but overall they're shorter and less informative than those on other user review sites. A few owners cite battery life as a weakness of this Black & Decker hand vac.

Also see full report: Handheld Vacuums

Black & Decker CHV1400 Review