Side by Side Comparison of: Black & Decker vs BLACK+DECKER vs Carrand vs Armor All vs Sterling

This is an update to my intial review where I wasn't very satisfied with the suction of this vacuum. Black & Decker's customer service reached out to me to see how they can make out of me a happy customer. Through out the interaction with their customer service I was very impressed: I exchanged few emails with them and every time a response arrived very quickly, was detailed and to the point. B&D offered to replace my unit with another model. I opted to go with the cordless (recharable) 20V model, which btw is awesome..that model lasts a long period of time on one charge, more than enough to clean one car, which I did very slowly to see how long the battery would hold. I was impressed and a happy camper:)In summary, B&D has a fantastic customer service so I strongly recommend you reach out to them if you have an issue. They truly stand behind their product, which is good to know b/c I have bunch of their tools and lawn care tools.

I bought another one of these for my father because he liked mine so much! We've been moving to a new house and have been using my car a lot more transporting all of our belongings so this little vacuum has helped cleaning a lot. Our son is 5 months now but I know this will help out a ton once he gets a little bigger and start to make a mess in the back seat.The suction from this vacuum is good and can tackle most most vehicles. It comes with attachments if you need to use a brush or you can extract the front portion if you need more length and a narrower suction. You can also adjust the suction portion to various angles. Throwing away the dirt is simple but don't forget to clean the filter to get the most suction out of the vacuum. It folds down into a manageable size and comes with it's own pouch that holds all it's accessories too!One thing I would like to see is a built in adapter so you can plug into a wall in case you need to use it indoors

I've had this car vacuum for a couple months and wanted to wait until now so I could post a complete review.A few things I love about this vacuum: the cord is very long. I have a mini van and can reach the back to vacuum. I also love that the vacuum is adjustable. This comes with a bag to hold the vacuum and the adapters.This vacuum is great for us because we have 3 kids and are in the car a lot. When they make a mess, I can vacuum it up right away rather than having to get to a car wash to vacuum and pay money to use it each time. This is also great for vacuuming out carseats (which I get to do in a daily basis). This vacuum has a pretty good suction, but it's not as powerful as a shop vac or the car wash vacuums. I've used a few different car vacs and this one has the best auction I've been able to find. Also, you want to get a vacuum with a cord because the ones that are wireless die so fast.Overall, great vacuum and we have no complaints thus far. Still in love with it.

3 kids + lots of being in our van = me needing a dependable vacuum to clean those kid size messes. Or rather adult size messes made by kids! Anyway, this one is great! I love how I can position the nozzle with the press of a button. I love how easy it is to pop the filter out to clean it. I just tap it to get the dust to let loose and pop the filter back in. Very easy. It has a brush attachment making it great for doing the upholstery. I use it all the time using the plug in my van that runs/charges even when my van is powered off and I have never had any issues with it draining my batter even with using it for around an hour off and on. As well as the brush attachment there is a hose that attaches. I have used that a few times, but am able to reach everything I need to using just the nozzle and how it itself extends. Now this is not a vacuum that will DEEP clean your vehicle. But it is fantastic for keeping the surfaces vacuumed between those trips to the detailer or the carwash for a deeper and more through vacuum. For example, I didn't attempt to use this after the beach trip... no point in it! But for times when my kids drop food and there are crumbs around them and in their seats or the light dirt and dust that is trackced in from their getting in and out of the vehicle, this little vacuum is great for that. Definitely recommend to keep in the vehicle. It also fits great back into it's carrying bag that comes with it.I bought this product at full price, and was not offered any discount in exchange for this review.

What it is: a small, fairly quiet, portable car vacuum that plugs into your cigarette lighter port and is great at cleaning up minor amounts of dirt, leaves, small stones, and other bits of life that find their way into your car.What it isn't: a full sized vacuum with tons of suction that will suck up everything you can think of.If you have a car with a small amount of traffic going through it, then this is a great vacuum. This thing has no trouble picking up the dirt and junk that I track into my car during my week. Emptying it is a breeze, the power cord is more than long enough to reach all around my interior, and it even comes with an upholstery attachment. Keep in mind, though, that this is a portable, car-powered vacuum - that means this doesn't have the power to pick up every mess that you vehicle might see, especially if you have kids or a job that brings you into contact with a lot of grime. This is a light duty vacuum to pick up light messes. If you need more, you'll have to pay to use the big vacuums at the car wash or spend more money on a larger vacuum - you just aren't going to get $200 worth of vacuum for $25. But if you just need something that you can easily pull out and clean up a bit of tracked in dirt or some crumbs from lunch or what have you, then this is a great tool for that job at a great price.

Ive owned this 12 V dustbuster for a while now and have enough experience for a review. The only thing it didn't come with is a long and narrow suction tube to get down in deeper crevices, so picking one up at a home store would be smart if you dont have one (Ill be going out toget one to keep in the bag). As delivered with the flexible hose and long snout, it works great to get up at least 90% of the dirt that would be on a car floor. The wider nap that makes up cheaper car carpets might hold sand and dust down deeper, and if you lived in areas that primarily had brown silt type ultrafine clay soil, I can't say whether it would suck every last bit. To get deeper lodged particles or finer stuff, a more concentrated suction via an attachment would be best, but I leave the heavy vacuuming to my big units, because after all, this one is pulling down battery power.But it really does have good suction and is super easy to clean. It really works great for the sand and soil kind of dirt that typically ends up on my carpet. It was a bit pricier to buy, but I think it was worth it because it really works well. It packages up nicely into a small bag it is supplied with, and it has more than a long enough cord to reach where you need.The downsides are very few. Primarily just a lack of the long crevice type tool which is always a necessity in automotive vacuuming scenario; and the fact, (which was my fault, but because the cord is so long), I accidentally dropped the lighter plug end onto the pavement and it fractured the tip. Works just fine and a little bit of crazy glue fixed it right up, but for something that will be dropped I would have thought it would be a bit more compliant. The only other issue which is merely physics, is that the metal conductors on the cigarette lighter end, get REALLY hot under operation. In roughly 10 minutes that it takes to do both front positions, the metal conductors get hot enough that you cannot touch them without burning yourself. I believe the vacuum pulls around 12 A, and who knows what corrosion is in my 20-year-old socket.Overall though I highly recommend this. Only time will tell how well it lasts, and they do recommend to not operate with the car running, so the voltage that the vacuum is fed is obviously an issue. I'd say that in 10 to 15 minutes worth of vacuuming that I performed, my battery went from 12.72 to 12.45V, under load, and then recovered to around 12.65V. So practically speaking I say you lose about 10% battery state of charge for every 15 minutes of use.It's a good little machine and again I recommend it.

This is a very versatile vacuum that we use on a boat. The attachments are good for us getting at all the nooks and crannies. It empties easily and the screen cleans easily. The soft filter should be cleaned occasionally by another vacuum (e.g. shop vac) to keep the suction working. Nice long cord too.It has very good suction for a unit this size, but of course, it would nice if it had a little more :-)We have had it for a couple of years with no problems.

This is a very useful vacuum especially for cleaning my car. I have been comparing a lot of different vacuums out in the market and this seems to be the perfect fit. There were several Black & Decker vacuum’s which I compare and this seems to be the most powerful one. Just so you are aware, this vacuum is plugged into the car smoking port and you MUST turn on your in order to first power it on. Some friends have told me that there is a battery inside which can last for a while if you decide not to plug the vacuum into the power port. I have not yet to try this and personally I usually plug the vacuum in before using it. This is also due to more power if you plug it in to the electric port. Overall this is a great product and it’s doing what it does. Remember to clean the filter every 3-4 uses as it will keep the vacuum clean and better suction power.

This is an excellent portable vacuum cleaner. For 12 volts, it is quite powerful.Compared to my 120 volt Dyson it fails. Hey, it has 1/10th power, what do you expect? Also 1/10th the cost...Do I use it for major, at home clean up's? No.It has a relatively strong vacuum level (Picks up sand easily, heavier rocks require you to tilt it back once it has started picking up the rock.) It is amazingly adjustable, you can reach into tiny areas with the extensions. Quite easy to clean, and easy to pack in the included case.

I knew what I was getting into when I bought a 12 volt handheld vacuum. I understand the limitations of the form factor, and the power supply. To expect a 12 volt vacuum to work like an upright, or even a lithium-ion battery pack model, is a recipe for disappointment. Just a disclaimer for anyone expecting a powerful vacuum that plugs into your car's outlet.So all that aside, how does this product do? All things considered, it does alright. The pivot is nice to have, the extendable inner nozzle on mine broke after one use, so it retracts back in with very little pressure applied. Somewhat annoying, but not the end of the world. I like the ergonomics of this vacuum, it's versatile and easy to hold, and the pivot helps get into the sides of the seats, and other difficult areas. The extendable hose also helps, but you lose a lot of suction power when you use the hose, it seems. The brush attachment that comes with it is also rather lackluster, but I was able to find a Black & Decker detailing kit that had proper attachments with quality brushes, and fortunately they all fit into the handy bag that this vacuum comes with!Like all other 12 volt vacuums, this one struggles when introduced to small grit. You will have to make extensive use of the small brush attachment(located on the underside of the vacuum) to get any of this up. But in reality, you should only expect small touch-ups from this vacuum. This is not a professional's deep cleaning device. This is the vacuum you'll use to convince a date that you're not a complete slob, without coming across as trying too hard.Additionally, I also like the cord length, but I find it a bit hard to manage all the extra cord. Better to have too much than not enough though, I guess.So to recap:==PROS==--Ergonomically versatile, and comfortable to hold--Decent power from this form factor--Easy to empty--Plenty of cord--Decent value, carrying case is a bonus--Relatively quiet--Attractive, compact package==CONS==--Not great at picking up small dirt--Included hose brush is junk--Overall, the hose is of dubious quality--Inner nozzle seems fragile, broke almost instantlyOverall, I'd recommend this vacuum to anyone seeking a stylish, compact, relatively versatile car vacuum capable of handling small clean-up jobs.

The Black and Decker PAV1200W has the following attachments: crevice tool, hose, upholstery brush, and roomy storage bag. I've found that the upholstery brush can double as a great attachment for dashboard cleaning. The vac rotates well to get in a million crevices. My favorite feature is that *the filter is plastic*, so I can just pop it out on the side and run it under hot water to clean it-no dealing with replacement filters online which is such a pain.This vac charged from the cigarette lighter in your car, so your car needs to be running while you use this vac. It does not come with a wall charger for the home. It does come with a carrying case that easily fits all of the attachments, and what's nice is that they all fit easily back into the bag-unlike other vacs you don't have to find some way to magically fit them all back in there.My only complaint is that for the price, I would have liked something a little more substantial in size. Not that I want a huge car vac, but this is pretty small at 7-2/7 by 6-3/5 by 14-2/7 inches. I did purchase the optional Square Trade Protection Plan, which appears to extend your coverage beyond the warranty. I previously owned a more "starter car vac"-the ArmorAll Wet/Dry 12V Vacuum Cleaner, and was really unhappy with this cheap excuse of a vacuum (the one attachment to clean crevices broke off after a month and it could barely suck up any dirt to start with).

I like this vac, but I can't say I love it. If the suction were a bit stronger, I'd be giving it 5*. Although it doesn't have the more powerful suction that I'd hoped for, it is still strong, and certainly much, much better than my previous auto vac. I will also add that I would probably do a better job when not holding the pocket cam in my other hand, so take that into consideration as well. That said, I am pleased with the performance and the features.AIR WATTS= 11 Bowl Capacity= 11.8 oz.(350 ml)CORD LENGTH= 16 ft. Replacement filter= PVF100Volts= 12V 2 Year WarrantyThe pivoting arm also has a smaller arm that extends out from the end if you choose to use it for the extra reach. While I was able to get the arm down next to the seats, it couldn't go all the way down, which is what I will use the hose attatchment for. The arm did excel at getting in between the rear seats as I could hold the unit at such an agle as to easily reach deep in between the seat and back cushion to get all the crumbs that get pushed there over time.I haven't used the rounded brush yet, however the small brush that fits onto the very end of the pivot arm extender is very useful in that it helps agitate the debris in the carpet fibers giving a much better pick-up than using the arm alone. The hose I have used once, and it works fine, however I found that I lost a bit of suction with it attatched.Emptying the unit is a breeze. You just flip up the lid, and dump it right into say, a plastic bag that you keep nearby as I did. The cord which plugs into a cigarette lighter wraps around the unit and has a clip on the end to keep it inplace. The 16 ft cord length is actually a very beneficial feature as I was easily able to reach the back of the car to vacuum the trunk. I like the fact that it's corded also, because it seems to me that the cordless models would have less power to begin with, and that power would decrease as it's in use; as well as the fact that you can only use them for a limited time before the need to recharge them. No such issues with a corded vac such as this PAV.You also receive a neat carrying case that is roomy enough to fit the vac and all attatcments inside without having to cram them or figure out the secret to making them fit back in like some other items that come with cases often do.There is no way to plug it in the home, and though I do see adapters that are marketed to use with this, the reviews on many of them say that they are not strong enough to power the vac. Originally, that was my plan, but I've since decided to just buy something else small messes in the home, ie a mini 2hp shop-vac.I will also post some pictures of the unit/accessories above as well.**Update**7/27/11-- I found another way to clean deep along both sides of the bucket seats up front- I went to WalMart to purchase a micro tools kitSHOP VAC MICRO-CLEANING that is actually for a shop vac that Shop-Vac 5895100 2.0-Peak Horsepower AllAround EZ Series Wet/Dry Vacuum, 1.5-Gallon I also just purchased-and sure enough, the attatchments fit on the Black & Decker too, as they're for any 1.25in hose. I also used the mini brushes to get into the vents and other tight spaces throughout the car. This discovery makes the Auto Vac even more useful.The kit is available on Amazon, but I checked Walmart online first, and found them in stock, as another reviewer said they were cheaper there. (If you do go to get the micro tools- they're in the tools dept. by the shop vacs- not the vacuum aisle; or so they were in my area)

Yeah yeah, it sucks ... not too hard, not to soft, but not enough to get the white junk off the black carpet in the new car it was purchased for. It's " ok " for a quick spiff up but you're still gonna hafta go pump quarters into a machine at a car wash eventually

The Bad and Good..When I first felt the suction power it was horrible. The instructions state don't run it while the car engine is running or you will damage the vacuum. Well I tried that and like some of the other reviews said this wont suck up dust in the air let alone the carpet. While the car is running the suction power isn't too much better you can put the suction against your beard and you will just feel a soft breeze.The good...Given my horrible first impression I said let me just try it out on my car. I live close to the beach so I constantly have sand in places the car wash vacuum cant reach and even places the vacuum reaches still leaves a small portion of stubborn grains of sand. When I had the engine running this bad boy worked I was shocked. I had to go over a few spots twice but its nice to have for daily use.

It works ok. It sucks up stuff from the floor all right, but it's really BULKY to manipulate inside the cramped space of a car. Especially on the contours of upholstery. The plug-in power from the car power port means you have a power cord attached to the vacuum. The user is constantly having to manipulate the position and angle of the vacuum, which makes operating it very cumbersome. I dunno, really, about this vacuum. Would an AC powered vac be better? Maybe so. Or a battery powered unit?I think maybe the best all-around solution would be using a 155V canister unit that plugs into the wall, using the proper fittings and a good heavy duty extension cord. Yeah, it's cumbersome but no more than these other candidates. Just don't tell your wife you're using 'her' vacuum on the car.That reminds me of a true story about my sister, her cheapskate husband, and her dead vacuum. My sister's old vacuum cleaner was kaput, but her husband balked at buying a new one. Sister mentioned this to me in passing. I told her how to easily solve the problem.Husband liked to sleep late on Saturday mornings. I told my sister to get out the shop vacuum from the garage and use it in their bedroom early on a Saturday. The shop vac was effective but it was as loud as all Hell. So she went into their bedroom vacuuming up a storm. HA!Husband rolled over, reached for his wallet, pulled out a credit card, and told her to go buy a new vacuum. She did, and all was well. True story.

Doesn't suck as much as I thought it would. After all the reviews, I thought this vacuum would have a little more suction than a standard handheld with battery/charger. I've tried a few dust busters in my day and I am usually dissaponted. This one was slightly less dissapointing. Some reviews said it could suck up hair fairly well. I couldn't get it to pick up any hair. None. No hair, unless I picked it off the seats and fed it to this lazy device. Having family members that are usually coated in dog hair, I hoped to find a way to keep my car seats clean. No luck.Crevices, no problem, it comes with a hose and lots of confusing little attachments with brushes....but wait. There is absolutely no suction at the end of the hose. I mean none. I felt a breeze, but no suction. So throw the attachments way...there's no point. So how does it do in mud, sand, and rocks?It will not suck up anything from mud mats with deep grooves in them. If the sand falls into a crevice, this vac won't get it. On flat carpeted mats, it does ok. I could get most mud, grass, sand, and grit off of flat carpeted surfaces. That's about all this is good for. At a price over double that of a cheap battery vac, I was really hoping for more. I think the only reason I am not returning this is, the LONG cord and plug in attachment. Plug it in and it runs as long as your car battery does. Some reviewers said they got more power by turning the car engine on, but the user manual advises NOT to do this as it will shorten the life of the vac. At this point I wouldn't really care if I shortened it's lifespan if I could get my car seats clean.

Update: Sadly, after 3-4 cleaning jobs and a few months of trunk time, I was unable to remove the vacuum filter. In addition, the swiveling head began to jam and was difficult to adjust or close. It also tends to spill dust and small bits of debris if you don't empty it after every use. Handy, bit fragile and a little high maintenance.A very handy little vacuum! The biggest question is suction power, right? Well, it's no Car Wash vac. However, it works well enough for seats and such. At first, I was a little disappointed because it didn't have the raw power to get the car's carpets clean, but it comes with a handy hose and brush attachment which worked great to lift the dirt, pet hair, and such into the suction path. The adjustable, extendable bit does an alright job for getting between seats and into tight spots, but I'd honestly rather it be a fixed front bit just because moving parts will always break, eventually. Aside from that very small complaint, it's what I said when I started: A very handy little vacuum. ;)

had this unit for a bit over a week or so, it is border line in suction but expected from a 12V device, picks up dirt and twigs after a few passes, Light weight, easy to handle, attachment brush are to hard and stiff to be useful on carpet or car seats, has a very long cord for those who has a large car or van is ideal, even with a excessively long cord I was able to wrap around the cord holder and tie off the length I needed.Pro's: light weight, easy to handle, ease of discharge of canister, ease of filter removal, basic vac to get debris up to maintain a clean look.Con's: excessively long power cord = could use a automatic retract feature to desired length, or a shorter cord.and very hard stiff brush.overall I like this car vac.

I'll leave this short and sweet.They get two stars for build quality and convenience/design.But that's it. This basically has ZERO suction power. I'm astonished it's even offered as a vacuum since it doesn't seem to offer the primary function that vacuum's need: suction. It'll push some stuff around and maybe pick up the occasional-shorter-than-usual-blade-of-grass but that's about it. Avoid.

I was very disappointed. I always thought that "Black & Decker" stood for high quality powerful tools. This vacuum has extremely week suction, and I had to loosen up small particles on the floor mats with a brush to clean them properly. This tool doesn't do the job, and caused me to expend much time and energy. I do not at all recommend this vacuum, quite the opposite, don't get it, you'll save yourself lots of frustration. Also, it's not ergonomically constructed .... the switch that's used to swivel the head may be okay if you're left handed, but really should be positioned in the middle of the unit ... very awkward to use.

Great style. Love the cord has a place to wrap to and the storage bag. The vacuum can not pick up anything big and has trouble picking up small things also. Over all suction is bad. Great concept. I bought it to use in between detailings and it's takes more time and energy than going to the car wash vaccums. Seller was great and shipped fast and product was not damaged.

Sorry to say this Vac did not do the trick. I bought it for my boat, to clean up the sand my grandkids bring on board from the beach. It just would not pick up anything. I have a small rechargeable Eureka which works significantly better but will not do the entire boat on one charge. I was optimistic that this B&D might do the trick after reading other reviews, but sorry to say it did not. I am returning it as it is all but useless. Wish it had worked.

After reading the reviews about this handy little vacuum and knowing it was made by a decent brand, I ordered it right away! But when I finally tried t out is when I wanted to return it right away. I chose 2 stars because it does work, it's just not powerful enough for my liking. For instance, I had some loose sand on the carpets in my Hyundai Sonata just from going in and out during the week. I pulled out the vacuum from the neat bag it comes with and started it up. Regretfully, I had to go over, and over, the carpet just to try and get every little piece of sand off, but it did not pick it up at all. I was immediately disappointed. I am one who does not like to waste time on stupid things like this that should take no time or effort at all to complete. Again, 2 stars, because I just don't like it and I was not pleased.However, I did order the Carrand portable vacuum in replace of this Black and Decker and it works great! Just what I needed!

Uhhh... does not really work as advertised, nor as claimed by so many "satisfied" customers. I really wanted this to do a great job because it fit my storage compartment in the back of my new Dodge Durango. But the suction is poor under so many conditions. I think this movement toward "turbo / cyclone" designs leaves a LOT to be desired. NONE of them seem to work better (nor as good as) older vacuum designs... in my limited experience.I could not clean up simple debris from moving a few boxes a week ago, and had to break out my trusty Sears non-portable wet-dry vac. The design on this compact unit is good in the sense that the suction nozzle folds up under the unit. However, in tight places inside a vehicle, you really need a wand or narrow fitting on the end of a hose. This comes with one, but then that's another hassle to have to store and carry it. This unit, as a handheld -- as you see pictured here -- is just too bulky. The worst part is the suction is simply not that reliable.

It sucks, oh wait no it doesn't, there's hardly any suction at all. Mine was a used unit, arrived with dust, hair and dirt in the filters, filter compartment, on the brushes and there was dirt and grit all over the instruction manual. I can't believe this has over 2,000 reviews and four stars. Technically, this cannot be called a vacuum, more of a noise maker than anything.

Do not waste your money. Is thing has no power what so ever. It's not even strong enough to pick up dirt. You can find much better for cheaper. Black and decker in general is a terrible brand.

Plan on double the amount of time you would normally spend to clean your car. This is like filling up a gallon jug with a tablespoon at a time. The power suction is minimal when you add the brush attachment. The machine is awkward and bulky to drag around while you try to get under the floormats of your car.

Save your time and money. This vacuum has no suction power at all, without the hose attachment. Add the hose and I can not even feel the suction with my hand. It would not pick up any dirt larger than a speck, and forget dog hair! The attachment pieces are too big to get into the smaller crevices of the car where all the food and dirt seems to accumulate, so it was useless. I pulled out the old shop vac and got the performance I needed for my SUV..

This looks like a great vacuum but that's as far as it goes. As a vacuum is pretty useless. After using it you have to use another vacuum to get everything that this one didn't get so what's the point in using it. Just go for the better vacuum and do the job once. This had little to no suction. Its not a vacuum

Caused my car cigarette lighter to spark and catch on fire after just 2 uses. After that, all my power locks (four doors + hatch) do not work.STAY AWAY FROM THIS VACUUM CLEANER.