Black+Decker BPACT08WT Review

Performance Comparison

Cooling Power

Responsible for 40% of the total score, our cooling capabilities assessment was the most important out of them all.

We superheated a room with space heaters in the middle of summer at the warmest time of the day, then ran each air conditioner for an hour and measured the temperature drop. The Black+Decker did quite poorly, meriting a low score for its disappointing performance. This unit only caused a temperature drop of 6.4°F after 60 minutes, which is thoroughly unimpressive. It's rated for rooms up to 300 square feet, so we would have expected it to do a little better in a 161 square foot room, even if it was excessively warm inside at the start of the test.

Portability

The Black+Decker did a bit better in our portability tests with an above average showing. We based this score on how easy it is to carry the A/C, roll it around, and set up the exhaust ducting. Combined, this trio of tests account for 20% of the final score. This unit isn't too difficult to carry, with handles that are decently comfortable to grab.

There is enough contouring to make them relatively ergonomic, though we wish they were just a tiny bit bigger. The Black+Decker is one of the lighter products, weighing in at 51.3 pounds. This also makes it very easy to roll around, offering only the slightest amount of resistance to rolling. It also maneuvers very easily, tracking straight while pushing, without any pull to one side or the other.

The exhaust duct installation does require a screwdriver to complete, but it isn't overly difficult. There are pre-drilled holes that you use to screw the pieces together, so you don't have total adjustability in its 20.5" to 59" range, but you can always drill your own if you need to make it fit better in your window.

Noise

Moving on to evaluating how loud each air conditioner is while running, we used an SPL meter and a panel of judges to rate the level and tone of the noise of each A/C for this metric. The Black+Decker delivered another slightly better than average showing. These two tests account for 20% of the total score for each A/C. This model of portable air conditioner registered a level of 58.4 dBa on the SPL meter, which you can compare with the rest of the products below. Our judges also did not identify any tones that would be especially irritating.

Energy Cost

For our final test, we projected the additional cost incurred on your power bill to run the Black+Decker for an entire summer, then scored based on the results. This product actually did quite well in this metric, which represents 15% of the score. The Black+Decker would add approximately $113.62 to your power bill over this period, based on our model, which compares quite favorably to the rest of the group.

We went under the assumption that you would use the A/C for 12 hours a day, two on high and 10 on low — to come to this number, using the power draw for each of those modes that we measured. We also used a national average for the cost of a kilowatt-hour, so the additional cost for you can vary depending on your utility rate and your usage, but this number should at least give you a ballpark estimate of the cost of running these.

Value

While this is an inexpensive model, you would get much more bang for your buck by saving up for a higher-performing model.

Conclusion

This appliance finished close to the back of the group, only outperforming the LG LP0817WSR. The LG does do a better job at cooling — the Black+Decker pretty much did the worst of the group in our tests — but it uses more energy and is a bit louder. When it comes down to it, this model had poor cooling abilities, and its main redeeming quality is its low price. However, considering what you can get for just a little bit more money, the low cost hardly feels worth it.