COMFEE’ 1.6 vs BLACK+DECKER 1.7 Portable Washer: 11 Pounds, 10 Decibels Apart

Two fully automatic portable washers that state the same 11-pound load. They part on noise, 62 dB against 72, and on weight, and the noise figure is shared by five other machines.

The two listings at a glance

These two portable washers are close on paper. Each is a fully automatic top loader that rolls to a sink, each states an 11-pound capacity, each states a drum of 1.6 or 1.7 cubic feet, each lists six programs and a child lock, and both sit in the $200-500 band. That makes the points where they part more useful than usual, because there are few of them and each is a number.

Ten decibels apart, from two stated figures

The COMFEE’ lists 62 dB and the BLACK+DECKER lists 72. A ten-decibel gap is a large one: on the usual rule of thumb that ten decibels is heard as roughly twice as loud, the listings are claiming two quite different machines. But look at where the BLACK+DECKER’s figure sits in the class. Of 15 portable washers that state a noise level, 6 state exactly 72 dB, and they are not one brand: they are BLACK+DECKER’s 1.7, 2.0 and 3.0 cubic foot machines, two HAMILTON BEACH machines and a 1.8 cubic foot washer from another seller. The COMFEE’ states 62 on its 1.6 cubic foot machine and the same figure on its 0.9 and 2.4 cubic foot machines. A figure that repeats across machines of different sizes is more likely a value copied within a product family than a measurement of each, which is the pattern a copied figure produces.

So the honest reading is that the listings say these two machines differ in noise and give you no reason to believe the size of the difference. Neither says whether the figure is for washing or spinning, which matters on a portable: the Auertech washer in the twin tub and fully automatic pair states its two figures separately, 60 dB for washing and 70 for the spin, which is the form a useful figure takes.

Weight: 4 kilograms the COMFEE’ carries more

The COMFEE’ is listed at 79.4 pounds and the BLACK+DECKER at 70.5, so 4 kilograms, about 9 pounds, separates them. The BLACK+DECKER’s bullet text repeats its 70.5 pounds, so that figure is consistent within its own listing. Expressed against what each is rated to wash, the COMFEE’ is 7.2 times its stated load and the BLACK+DECKER 6.4 times. Neither number says anything about quality, but both say that a machine that holds 11 pounds of laundry weighs six to seven times as much empty, and that a portable washer rated to be wheeled to a sink is not something you would carry.

Against the 12 fully automatic portables that state a weight, whose median is 26.5 kilograms, the COMFEE’ is above the median and the BLACK+DECKER is above it. The lightest portables of all are the twin tubs, which are not in this comparison because they are not fully automatic.

Size, speed and what the listing gives you to plan with

The footprints are close: 20.3″ W x 20.7″ D x 37″ H for the COMFEE’ and 21.3″ W x 21.7″ D x 36.6″ H for the BLACK+DECKER, 420 and 462 square inches of floor. The COMFEE’s own bullet text swaps its width and depth against the specification table, a small thing, but it is the kind of inconsistency to be aware of if you are measuring a closet. The spin speeds, 840 and 850 rpm, are within 10 rpm of each other, at or just above the median of 840 for fully automatic portables, so neither stands out. What the listings give you to plan around differs in kind. The BLACK+DECKER lists a delay start of up to 24 hours, three water levels, hot, warm and cold temperatures, two rollers and side handles, and a quick-connect sink adapter. The COMFEE’ lists a delay start with a reloading feature, an extra rinse, a drain pump and an energy claim of “as much as 84 percent” saving compared with similar models. The 84 percent has no stated comparison and cannot be checked, so we report it and set it aside.

For capacity, both listings state the same 11 pounds, and they state it in the way that lets you convert: the volume and the load are both on the page. That gives about 6.9 pounds per cubic foot for the COMFEE’ and 6.5 for the BLACK+DECKER. The portable washer report finds 6 listings that give both numbers, with ratios from 6.5 to 28 pounds per cubic foot, so these two sit at the low end of a range that has no standard conversion in it.

Which suits which

What this comparison cannot tell you

Nothing here was tested. We did not run a load through either machine, so we cannot say which gets clothes cleaner, how much water either uses or how loud either is at the spin. Both of our reviews quote the same 11-pound load and describe the machine for a small household. For each in full, read our review of the COMFEE’ 1.6 and our review of the BLACK+DECKER 1.7, and see the portable washer class report for the rest of the class.

Figures are the manufacturers’, as published on each listing and quoted in our reviews; none was measured by us. How we work · Affiliate disclosure