Black & Decker Cordless Hand Vacuum AdvancedClean Slim (with charger, filter and brush crevice tool)

A good handheld vac earns its keep near the kitchen counter. I parked the AdvancedClean Slim on its charging base under a cabinet and spent a couple of weeks throwing real-life messes at it—coffee grounds, cereal, potting soil, pet hair on upholstery, sand in the car. It’s a compact 12 V unit with a wide mouth and a couple of simple attachments, and it’s built for quick turnarounds, not whole-room cleaning.

Design and build

The AdvancedClean Slim lives up to its name in footprint. It’s a slender, modern-looking handheld that weighs about 3 lb, with a low-profile nose that fits in drawers or sits neatly on the included base. The extra-wide nozzle is part of the body, so you don’t have to snap on a separate “wide” tool when you’re chasing a big scatter of crumbs. For detail work, you get a crevice tool and a brush—both lightweight and easy to pop on and off.

The dustbin twists off with a quarter turn, and that mechanism is well-executed: positive, quick, and one-handed once you get the muscle memory. The bin itself holds just under half a liter (499 ml), which is plenty for spot jobs and a couple of rounds in the car before you need to empty it. Fit and finish are typical Black+Decker: nothing flashy, but no weak hinges or rattly parts either. It feels robust enough for daily use.

Suction and cleaning performance

Black+Decker claims a stronger motor than prior generations, and it does feel lively for a 12 V handheld. On hard surfaces and low-pile rugs, it handles crumbs, grit, and hair clippings without drama. The wide mouth helps on scattered dry goods—think rice or cereal—because you’re not trying to “aim” a tiny intake at a spread-out mess. On the other end of the spectrum, the crevice tool makes short work of window tracks, keyboard edges, and the seam between car seats and the center console.

Where performance starts to taper is on heavier debris and embedded hair. Sand in rubber car mats is fine; sand in deep floor mats or carpet requires some patience and passes with the brush to agitate. Embedded pet hair in upholstery takes some coaxing—the brush helps, but you’ll still need multiple passes. That’s normal for a compact handheld at this voltage; there’s only so much airflow you can expect without stepping up to larger, louder, pricier machines.

Airflow routing matters with any handheld. The exhaust on the AdvancedClean Slim exits to the side, and if you get too close to feather-light material—dust on a windowsill, say—you can occasionally puff debris away from the pickup. The workaround is simple: approach from a slight angle and keep the exhaust side pointed away from the debris field. After a day or two, the muscle memory kicks in.

Battery life and charging

This is a 12 V lithium-ion system rated at 24 Wh. In my use, run time landed between 11 and 14 minutes on a full charge, depending on the mix of open throttle and heavy loading with the brush. That’s enough for a post-dinner kitchen sweep, the stairs, or a quick car tidy—but it’s not a deep-clean session. The tradeoff for the compact size is a modest battery.

Charging happens on a small base that doubles as a stand. From empty, plan on an overnight charge; Black+Decker quotes 12–13 hours, which aligns with what I saw. That’s a long top-up relative to the run time, so it works best if you treat the vacuum like a “grab-and-go” tool that lives on the dock between short spurts. If you regularly need extended sessions, you’ll want either a second handheld or a different format tool.

A practical tip: check the filter and bin if your run time starts to slide. A clogged filter increases load on the motor and can knock several minutes off a cycle.

Filtration and maintenance

The washable filter (HLVCF10) is easy to pop out and rinse. I found a quick tap over the trash after each use, plus a proper water rinse every week or two, kept suction consistent. Let the filter dry fully before reassembling—overnight is safest. Consider buying a spare filter so you can rotate; it takes the pressure off waiting for a wet filter to dry.

Emptying the bin is clean and straightforward. Fine dust will cling to the filter pleats, as it does on nearly all compact handhelds. The twist-off design puts the mess end where it belongs—away from the motor—so you’re not showered in debris when you open it.

Ergonomics and usability

Three pounds is light in the hand, and the balance point sits just ahead of the grip, so the nose doesn’t dive or feel floaty. That makes a difference on stairs and in the car, where you’re constantly changing angles. The handle is comfortable for medium and large hands; smaller hands may find the grip a bit chunky, though the overall length gives plenty of leverage.

Controls are basic and intuitive. There’s a single power mode—no high/low toggling to think about—and the attachments slide on and off without fighting springs or tabs. I do wish the dock had a spot to park the two accessories; as is, you’ll need a drawer or hook nearby to keep them from wandering.

Noise is midpack: a steady whoosh without a piercing whine. You won’t wake a sleeping baby in the next room, but it’s not whisper quiet either. Compared with larger cordless vacuums, the tone is less shrill and more airflow-y, which is easier on the ears over a 10–15 minute session.

Where it excels

• Quick kitchen and dining cleanups: crumbs, flour dust, and coffee grounds.
• Stairs and baseboards, where a full-size vacuum feels clumsy.
• Car interiors for routine maintenance—door pockets, cupholders, console seams.
• Sheds with sawdust or potting benches where you want a nimble, wipe-and-go companion.

In all of these, the wide mouth saves time on scattered messes, and the crevice tool earns its keep in tight gaps.

Where it struggles

• Extended sessions: the battery is sized for short bursts.
• Embedded pet hair in upholstery or high-pile rugs: workable with the brush, but slow.
• Very light dust near the exhaust side: mind your approach to avoid puffing debris away.

Durability and warranty

Nothing in my testing raised red flags about build quality. The bin latch and twist collar feel solid, and the attachments don’t wobble when installed. With washable filtration and a simple airflow path, maintenance is easy and inexpensive. Black+Decker backs the unit with a 2-year limited warranty, which is reassuring for a tool you’ll grab daily.

The bottom line

The AdvancedClean Slim is the kind of handheld that earns a permanent spot on the counter: compact, uncomplicated, and capable of the everyday stuff that makes a home feel tidy. Its strengths are speed and convenience—wide mouth, quick-empty bin, simple attachments. Its limitations are the expected ones for a 12 V handheld: a single, roughly 12–14-minute run window and an overnight recharge.

Recommendation: I recommend the AdvancedClean Slim as a reliable, no-fuss spot-cleaning tool for kitchens, stairs, and cars. Choose it if you value a small footprint, straightforward maintenance with a washable filter, and enough suction to keep daily messes in check. Skip it if you need long runtimes for whole-room work or routinely battle embedded pet hair; in those cases, a higher-voltage handheld or a full-size vacuum will serve you better.