Washing Machines · Product analysis
BLACK+DECKER 1.7 cu ft Portable (BPWM16W)
The BLACK+DECKER BPWM16W is a 1.7 cu ft portable washing machine that hooks up to a kitchen or bathroom sink and needs no plumbing, no freight, and no installation. It runs 8 wash cycles, shows them on an LED display under a transparent lid, and handles about an 11 lb load - enough for a couple, not a family. It sells for around $330, with street pricing from $290 to $390. Our engine scores it 6 for capacity, 6 for features, and 9 for practicality, an overall 7. The one thing that decides it: you do not have a laundry hookup. If you do, a full-size machine washes far more. If you don't, this is a solid name-brand portable - just not the highest-scored one at the price.
BLACK+DECKER
1.7 cu ft Portable (BPWM16W)
Mid-size portable with 8 cycles and LED display
Typical price
$330
Strengths
- excellent Practical (9/10) — portable
Worth considering
- Capacity could be better (6/10) — 1.7 cu ft
- Features could be better (6/10) — 8 cycles
Habilytics Score
1.7 cu ft and an 11 lb load - roomy for a portable, small beside full-size.
Eight cycles and an LED display, but no Wi-Fi and no steam.
Rolls to a sink hookup with no plumbing, freight, or installation - the top practical score.
Key specs
| Capacity | 1.7 cu ft |
| Type | portable |
| Wash cycles | 8 |
| Wi-Fi | No |
| Steam | No |
| Street price | $330 |
| Typical price | $330 |
Prices are typical US street prices (approximate) and move often — check Amazon for the live price.
What the BPWM16W actually is
The BLACK+DECKER BPWM16W is a portable washing machine built for homes without a laundry hookup. It connects to a kitchen or bathroom faucet, drains into the same sink, and rolls out of the way when the wash is done. The drum is 1.7 cu ft and takes roughly an 11 lb load. It runs 8 wash cycles, has a transparent lid so you can watch the wash, and shows the cycle on an LED display. There is no Wi-Fi and no steam. Our engine scores it 6 for capacity, 6 for features, and 9 for practicality, for an overall 7. Read that 7 plainly. It is a solid portable but not a standout machine. In the 1.7 cu ft, 8-cycle portable class it is the runner-up: the Panda 1.70, same size and same cycle count, scores 7.3. Two of its three dimensions sit at a flat 6, and only practicality reaches the top of the scale. This is a machine that does one specific thing - washing without plumbing - well, and little beyond it. At around $330, that is exactly what you are paying for.
Why it earns a 9 on practicality
Practicality is where this machine reaches the top of the scale, and the reason is simple: it needs no plumbing. A portable fills from any faucet, drains into a sink, and rolls into a closet when it is done. There is no freight delivery, no professional installation, and no permanent water line to add. That is the whole appeal, and our engine rewards it with a 9 - the highest practical score in the washing machine catalog we track. Contrast that with a full-size front-loader. The entry LG WM3400CW washes 4.5 cu ft, far more than this, but its listing notes that freight delivery and installation apply, and the engine scores every full-size machine here a 5 on practicality. That is not a knock on those machines; it reflects the reality that they need a dedicated hookup and a delivery crew. A portable trades capacity for the freedom to skip all of it. The transparent lid and LED display add to the day-to-day ease: you can see the wash and read the cycle without guesswork, and each load takes roughly 11 lb of laundry. If your bottleneck is that your home simply has no laundry connection, this is the dimension that matters, and it is a genuine 9.
Where it is only average: capacity and features
Two of the three scores are a flat 6, and that is the honest ceiling on this machine. Start with capacity. At 1.7 cu ft and about an 11 lb load, the drum suits one or two people and a normal week of laundry. It is roomier than the 0.9 cu ft portables that score a 4, but it is a fraction of a full-size 4.5 cu ft washer, which scores a 9. A family will run it constantly; a couple will find it about right. The engine calls that a 6, and that is fair. Features are the softer spot. Eight cycles is a reasonable spread of programs, and the LED display and transparent lid are genuine conveniences. But there is no Wi-Fi and no steam - the things that lift the full-size Samsung and LG machines to feature scores of 9 and 10. Among portables, the engine still places this one a notch below the Panda 1.70, which earns a 7 on features to this unit's 6. So on two of three axes, this is an average machine. It washes clothes without a hookup competently, and it does not pretend to do more. If you were hoping a name brand buys extra capability here, it does not.
The Panda 1.70 question
The uncomfortable fact about this washer is that a near-identical machine scores higher for about the same money. The Panda 1.70 is also 1.7 cu ft, also runs 8 cycles, also handles an 11 lb load, and also skips Wi-Fi and steam. It lists for around $340, roughly $10 more than this one. Our engine scores it 7 on features to this unit's 6, which lifts its overall to 7.3 against this machine's 7. On the numbers, the Panda is the better-scored portable in this size class. So when is the BLACK+DECKER still the right call? Two honest reasons. First, brand: this is a recognized name in a category otherwise dominated by Panda and COMFEE, and some buyers weigh that. Second, price within the range - this unit's street price runs $290 to $390, and if you catch it near the bottom while the Panda sits at the top of its own $310 to $400 band, the gap can flip in this machine's favor. It also carries the LED display and transparent lid, which are real if minor conveniences. But if the two sit side by side at list price, the Panda is the higher-scored buy, and this page will not pretend otherwise.
Price, and when to spend less - or nothing
At around $330, with street pricing from $290 to $390, this sits in the middle of the portable field. Before you buy it, two cheaper calls are worth naming. If you wash single-person loads in a studio or an RV, the BLACK+DECKER 0.9 cu ft portable does the same no-plumbing job at 0.9 cu ft and 5 cycles for about $220 - roughly $110 less. You give up drum size and a few programs, but for small loads you will not miss them. And if your problem is draining up into a raised sink rather than by gravity, the Panda 1.34 lists a built-in drain pump for about $260, a real feature this machine's listing does not claim. Then the case for spending nothing here: if your home has actual water hookups and a drain, do not buy a portable at all. A full-size front-loader washes 4.5 cu ft against this 1.7, and the extra capacity and features are worth the freight and installation once you have the connection for them. This machine earns its 7 by solving one problem - washing without plumbing - and it solves it well. Buy it for that. If that is not your problem, your money goes further elsewhere.
Who it's for / who it's not
Who it's for
- Couples or singles in an apartment with no laundry hookup, washing about 11 lb per load.
- Renters who want a recognized name brand instead of a Panda or COMFEE portable.
- Buyers who value zero installation and rolling the washer out of sight between loads.
- Anyone who wants to watch the wash through a transparent lid and set 8 cycles by LED.
Who it's not for
- You have water hookups and a drain - a 4.5 cu ft full-size machine washes far more.
- You want the highest-scored portable at this price; the Panda 1.70 edges it for about $10.
- You only wash small single-person loads; the 0.9 cu ft portables cost about $110 less.
Alternatives in our catalog
Panda 1.70 cu ft Portable (PAN50SWF2) — $340
Take the Panda 1.70 for the higher-scored twin: the same 1.7 cu ft and 8 cycles at about $340, scoring 7.3 overall on a features 7 against this unit's 6.
Head-to-head comparisonBLACK+DECKER 2.0 cu ft Portable (BPWM20W) — $380
Choose the BLACK+DECKER 2.0 if you want a bigger 2.0 cu ft drum in the same brand, accepting only 6 cycles and a lower 6.7 overall for about $380.
See how it ranks against the rest
We score every washing machine in our catalog on the specs that matter.
Best washing machines of 2026This 7 comes from the BPWM16W's published Amazon specifications, not hands-on testing - Habilytics scores specs, it does not test. The engine weighs capacity, features, and practicality across the portable and full-size washing machines we track. The 1.7 cu ft drum sets capacity at 6, the sink hookup earns practicality a 9, and affiliate links never move a score.
Amazon links are affiliate links (tag: habilytics-20). As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. This never influences our scores or picks.