Black+Decker BPACT05SM Review

Initial Analysis

The BPACT05SM is an 8,500 BTU portable air conditioner according to older ASHRAE guidelines for measuring cooling capacity.

It only has 5,100 BTUs of cooling capacity according to newer stricter DOE guidelines for measuring cooling capacity.

We see the same type of delta between ASHRAE and DOE cooling capacity with competitors.

DOE or seasonally adjusted cooling capacity (SACC) is much more indicative of actual cooling performance. We see this demonstrated in our tests.

Generally, the higher the SACC BTUs, the better the performance of the AC unit in our tests.

We conduct three different cooling tests. Each test is the same except for the outdoor temperature. The first test is conducted in the morning at an outdoor temperature of 83° F, the second test in the early afternoon at 89° F, and the third test in the late afternoon at 91° F.

In each test we measure how long it takes the portable AC unit to lower the temperature in a 100 sq. ft. room from 86° F down to 72° F.

It took the BPACT05SM 43 minutes to do so in the first test (outdoor temp. of 83° F). This was the best result of the four small portable AC units we tested. The Dreo AC318S took 46 minutes and the Shinco SPF1-08C and SereneLife SLPAC8 couldn’t even lower room temperature to 72° F in any amount of time in this test.

All four small units couldn’t lower temperature to 72° F in the second test (outdoor temp. of 89° F). The BPACT05SM was the fastest reaching 76.1° F though. It took 18 minutes to do so. The Dreo took 19 minutes, the Shinco took 28 minutes, and the SereneLife couldn’t complete the test.

All four small units also couldn’t lower temperature in the room to 72° F in the third test (outdoor temp. of 91° F). The BPACT05SM was the fastest reaching 78.1° F in this test though. It took 16 minutes to do so. The Dreo took 22 minutes, the Shinco took 30 minutes, and the SereneLife again could not complete the test.

So, overall, results were exactly as we would expect them to be considering each model’s seasonally adjusted cooling capacity.

The BPACT05SM has the highest SACC BTUs (5,100) and cooled the fastest. The Dreo has the second highest SACC BTUs (5,000) and cooled the second fastest, and so on and so forth.

All four small portable AC units we tested had very similar power draw in our tests:

We can say that the Black+Decker and Dreo were definitely more energy efficient though than the Shinco and SereneLife, because they cooled much faster in our tests.

The BPACT05SM was the second quietest small portable AC unit we tested. It was measured at 57.2 dB on low and 60.2 dB on high fan speed. The Dreo was slightly quieter (53.9 dB on low and 58.8 dB on high) but the Shinco and SereneLife were significantly louder (63.2 dB on low and 65.0 dB on high for the Shinco, for example).

The BPACT05SM is very easy to move around. It comes equipped with casters and it’s light for a portable AC unit, weighing in at just over 42 lb. Top rated full size units, like the Midea Duo for example, weigh over 70 lb.

The BPACT05SM is also small. It’s slightly taller than other small portable units we’ve tested but it’s much more narrow – it’s the most “compact” portable AC unit we’ve tested.

The biggest factor, though, impacting our recommendation of this unit is its price. The BPACT05SM is usually priced in the high $200s, though it sometimes goes on sale in the low $200s. This is a very good price relative to its SACC BTUs.

Some competitors are cheaper. The Shinco SPF1-08C, for example, frequently retails for about $210. But, it has much less SACC BTUs and it performed significantly worse in our cooling test.

Models that offer similar performance, like the Dreo AC318S, are much more expensive (the Dreo retails for at least $390).

Pros and Cons

The unit's evaporator is visible with both top filters removed (1/3). Scroll to the right to see more.

The back filter is put back into place (2/3)

The side filter is also now put back into place (3/3)

Conclusion

The BPACT05SM is the best small portable air conditioner we’ve tested so far.

The Dreo AC318S has a better window kit and more features (remote app control, for example) but it’s usually more than $100 more expensive than the BPACT05SM with very similar cooling performance and energy efficiency.

The Shinco SPF1-08C and SereneLife SLPAC8 are cheaper but performed significantly worse in our cooling test and are much less energy efficient.

The BPACT05SM offers the best combination of performance and price among all of the small portable AC units we’ve tested.

That being said, the BPACT05SM is only recommended if you have a very small room to cool and you don’t have to cool it in very challenging conditions (at high outdoor temperatures).

If you need to cool a larger room or you need to cool at high outdoor temperatures, we highly recommend stepping up to a higher SACC BTU air conditioner.

The cheapest such option is the Frigidaire FHPC142AA1. The Frigidaire has almost double the cooling capacity (10,000 SACC BTUs) of the BPACT05SM (5,100 SACC BTUs). It does have a significantly higher price – it usually retails for about $400 – but this is a very cheap price for 10,000 SACC BTUs.  We recommend the Frigidaire if you have a larger more challenging room to cool and you’re on a limited budget.

If you can afford it, the very best portable AC unit we tested is the Midea Duo (12,000 SACC BTUs). You can read our Duo review here.

Additional specifications and notes

The window panels included with the BPACT05SM (1/4). Scroll to the right to see more.

What it looks like when the extension panel is connected to the primary window panel (2/4)

An included plastic pin inserts into one of these holes to secure the extension panel to the primary panel (3/4)

Included weather stripping (4/4)

Number of Window Panels – 2 (primary panel with hose cutout + one extension)
Minimum Window Width (one panel) – 20 1/2” (length of primary panel)
Minimum Window Width (two panels) – 28 5/8” (primary panel + extension)
Maximum Window Width (two panels) – 39 1/2” (primary panel + extension)
Weather stripping included – 2x adhesive hard foam (long), 1x soft foam

Notes

Like most other budget priced portable air conditioners, the BPACT05SM only comes with two window panels. This can make installation difficult, depending on the width of your window.

If your window’s width is between 28 5/8” and 39 1/2” you’re in the clear.

If it’s under 20 1/2” wide, you’ll have to cut the primary panel. If it’s between 20 1/2” and 28 5/8” you’ll have to cut the extension panel. And if it’s wider than 39 1/2” you’ll have to DIY your own extension.

More expensive competitors come with a shorter primary panel and three or more extension panels all of different lengths so that you can fit them into a wide variety of different size windows without needing to cut any panels or DIY any extension panels.

The exhaust hose attached to the back of the BPACT05SM (1/6). Scroll to the right to see more.

The back of the BPACT05SM with no hose attached (2/6)

The exhaust hose standing up next to the AC unit (3/6)

The end of the exhaust hose that attaches to the AC unit (4/6)

The end of the hose that inserts into the window kit (5/6)

A demonstration of what it looks like when the exhaust hose is inserted into the included window kit (6/6)

End Adapters – pre-installed? – no, have to be installed manually (twisted on during initial installation)
AC Side Hose Connection – drop into place
Window Kit Side Hose Connection – push into place
Hose Length Min/Max – 13.5 to 60.5"
Hose Diameter – inner diameter was measured at 5.25”

Notes

Many cheaper portable ACs require you to manually twist the end caps onto the included exhaust hose during initial installation. The same is the case with the BPACT05SM. More expensive options come with the end caps pre-installed.

Otherwise, installation of the hose into the AC unit and into the window kit follows standard procedures.

The exhaust hose is also of a fairly average length and diameter.

The BPACT05SM's control panel (1/3). Scroll to the right to see more.

The included remote control (2/3)

Modes – cool, dry (dehumidify), fan
Set temp range - 64 to 90° F
Fan speeds - low ("F1"), high ("F2")
Swing – no
Smart – no

Notes

Here we see more evidence of the BPACT05SM’s budget price. It only comes with two fan speeds, its louvers don’t automatically “swing” up and down, and it cannot be controlled remotely via an app.

The BPACT05SM also cannot be set to as low of a temperature as many competitor models – even the Shinco, for example, can be set to as low as 60° F. This doesn’t really matter though. As we showed in our cooling test, it’s unlikely the unit will even be able to cool down to 72° F even at moderate outdoor temperatures.

The unit's drain outlet (1/2). Scroll to the right to see more.

The drain hose included with the BPACT05SM (2/2)

Dehumidifier mode pints/day – NA
Drainage options – one drain outlet at the bottom of the back of the unit. This one outlet is used for two purposes: (1) the BPACT05SM self-evaporates but when cooling in especially humid environments condensate may build up in the moisture collection pan at the bottom of the unit. In this scenario you may have to drain the unit to continue cooling. (2) Otherwise, you can connect the included drain hose to drain the unit continuously on dry (dehumidify) mode.

Drain hose – included

Notes

Here you get much the same functionality as that of more expensive options. Just like more expensive models, the BPACT05SM features a “dry” mode on which it can dehumidify the air. Black+Decker doesn’t publish how quickly this model can dehumidify but we expect the rate to be similar to that of other small portable AC units – between 40 and 60 pints per day.

Top filters (over evaporator) - very easy to remove – slide in and out
Bottom filter (over condenser) – none to remove