Black + Decker Platinum BDH2000FL 20-Volt Review: Most Versatile Handheld

Upholstery is one of the hardest things to reach with a canister vacuum because it is usually bundled together with other furniture.

It’s virtually impossible with an upright (unless you have a hose attachment).

Let’s be honest here. How many of you vacuum your upholstery at least once every week?

I didn’t raise my hands because frankly, I don’t want to bring out a large vacuum just for that. Imagine unwrapping a long cord just for that.

Related: You can also find the best vacuum cleaner deals in this page.

It just takes too much time.

The Black + Decker BDH2000FL`makes this possible because it is lightweight and doesn’t have a cord. It also has a flexible 4-foot hose that allows you to dig in and work on embedded dirt.

It is the upgraded version of the Flex FHV1200 that used a Nickel Cadmium battery. And had a notoriously short battery life and very long charging time.

Black and Decker claim that this will charge six times faster than older nicads and will give more power and run time and it’ll be fade free for up to 18 months.

Features at a glance

• Powered by a 20-volt lithium ion battery that’ll take 5 hours to recharge and last anywhere between 15 to 30 minutes.
• 4-foot flexible detachable hose
• Comes with a 2 in 1 brush and crevice tool as well as a pet hair tool
• Has a 3 stage filtration system and a washable cone type filter in the middle
• The bagless canister is transparent so you can see the contents inside and it will hold up to 17 ounces of dirt
• Claims to use 25% less energy
• At the center, it has a knob that brushes all the dirt away from the openings on the filter to maintain performance even as the canister fills up
• Has an LED light that blinks to let you know if it’s still charging
• Included in the package is an extra washable filter

Pros

• Weighs only 3.8 pounds
• Short charge time
• The 4-foot flexible hose is long enough that you’ll be able to place the vacuum on the floor and use the hose to reach sofas or chairs to apply more pressure.
• It comes with two attachments (combination brush/crevice and pet hair tool) that allow you to clean different types of surfaces and pickup stubborn pet hair
• The dirt container has windows on it so you can see how much dirt is in there
• Filter is washable
• It has a filter knob that brushes the dirt away from the filter opening so that it’ll maintain suction power even if the canister has contents in it
• A single charge will give you at least 15 minutes of run time – more than enough time for spot cleanups
• Not as noisy as other cordless vacuums

Cons

• Minimal dirt capacity at only 17 ounces
• Because of its narrow pathway, the canister is difficult to empty, often requiring folks to use their fingers to dislodge the contents
• No replacement battery currently available
• Suction isn’t as strong as cheaper options like the PHV1810 and FHV1200
• Charger doesn’t have a wall mounting option which increases the footprint when storing this

What to expect from the Black + Decker BDH2000FL?

The newer B&D BDH2000FL has a similar design to the older FHV1200. The difference is the motor and the battery.

It has the same 4-foot flexible hose, crevice and pet hair tool that works well on areas like ceiling vents, keyboards, and other above eye-level areas.

This handheld has a 20-volt lithium-ion battery that needs 5 hours to charge. And it’ll last for about 15 to 30 minutes.

Bare Floor Performance

All tools that come along with this handheld make this a great spot cleaner.

Because it has a flexible hose, it does a good job picking up dirt in corners, crevices, cracks, cushions and areas around appliances and furniture.

It is strong enough to pick up loose dirt and debris off the floor that’ll fit in the attachments. But don’t expect it to pick up more substantial stuff like marbles.

You cannot use this as a stick vacuum and clean a large floor area.

If you want a dedicated cordless bare floor cleaner, consider a stick vacuum that has a wide cleaning path.

Carpet Performance

Like what I’ve said in the bare floor performance section, this will do an excellent job for spot cleanups because it doesn’t have a wide floor tool found in a stick vacuum.

The bristles on the brush tool aren’t stiff enough to deep clean carpet. Spot cleaning dirt on the surface shouldn’t be a problem though.

If you’re having trouble taking out dirt with either the crevice or brush tool, use the pet hair tool instead.

You’ll have to get on all fours to clean floors because there isn’t a wand tool available to extend the reach and allow you to clean floors standing up.

It will work best on chairs, tables, walls, windows, and areas that are hard to reach.

Pet Hair Removal

Even though it has an odd design, a lot of consumers liked the pet hair attachment, often using it to remove pet hair from chairs, sofas, and carpet.

Attachments and Accessories

You’ll get two attachments – a combination brush/crevice and a pet hair tool.

It also comes with an extra filter.

Charging Time

If you are using it for the 1^st time, you’ll need to charge it for at least 20 hours then subsequent charges will only take roughly 5 hours.

Filter Clean up

Cleaning up this one can be a little bit tricky, even though B&D claims it’s easy to clean. Reviews reveal that you might need to use your fingers to manually dislodge dirt like hair that can’t freefall on its own.

One neat feature this has is the knob on the center that you can turn to move dirt away from the filter so that it doesn’t clog up and hurt the suction power of the unit.

The filter is in the middle. It can be loosened with a turn of a knob.

Manual states that it is washable and dishwasher safe.

Battery Life

Based on online reviews you’ll get roughly 15 to 30 minutes on a single charge. Thirty minutes is the max.

Replacement batteries aren’t available for sale, so if it gets shot, you will have to send it back to Black & Decker for repairs.

Warranty

Black & Decker gives a 3-year limited warranty on the whole unit.

See it in Action

Here’s a promotional video from Black and Decker.

A video review from Tools in Action…

Product Specifications

Customer Reviews

There weren’t a whole lot of reviews online. Currently, there is stick vacuum and close to 30 gave it the full 5-star rating, a lot of them liked the portability and attachments.

One of their favorite features was the flexible hose that allowed them to reach a lot of areas by hand that a big vacuum could not.

Some pet owners also chimed in on how this product did a good job of cleaning up pet hair on their couches and chairs.

The main complaints were the lack of power and the price (which I can understand but since this is a new product – the prices of modern appliances are high).

There was a number comparing this to its predecessor the Flex FHV1200 and the PHV 1810 saying that this one didn’t match up to those two in terms of suction power.

Where can I buy this?

You can buy the latest version which is BDH2020FLFH from Amazon for less than $110. There’s free 2-day shipping available if you enroll in Prime. The handheld only option will cost less than $80. If you don’t need the floor cleaning capabilities, this is a good alternative.

Another reason to buy in Amazon would be the extended warranty available of up to 3 years.

Conclusion

This product is excellent forspot clean-ups around your home and inside your vehicle. It has the attachments that clean up hard to reach spots and also pet hair if you have them at home.

It is best utilized as a supplementary cleaner to a corded vac for homes with wall to wall carpet or a cordless stick vac if your home doesn’t have too much carpet in it.

Better hope that Black and Decker will come up with a replacement battery for this one soon or else it’ll end up as a disposable unit.