I like that it hinges in the middle, which makes cleaning under furniture and other hard-to-reach places easier. It picked fur up from corners, baseboards, the carpet, and the couch. You’ll often find that you need to operate it with only one hand, particularly if you’re getting into tight crevices or cleaning your car. Also, make sure the handle is designed in a way that will make it easy to hold with only one hand. Designed with pet owners in mind, this well-priced Shark gobbled up pet hair in one swift sweep thanks to its dedicated tool.
She obsesses over how different types of fur adhere to upholstery and how best to remove hairballs from heirloom Persian rugs. After a fresh round of testing, we recommend the Ryobi 18V One+ Performance Hand Vacuum Kit for most jobs and the Black+Decker Dustbuster AdvancedClean+ HHVK515JP07 for cleaning lots of pet fur. Always at your fingertips, store this streamlined design right on the countertop. Once you’re done handling above-floor cleans, connect the wand and nozzle to take on floors and carpets. ◊Pricing, selection, and availability of store clearance items are determined by each store. Items may be display models or not exactly as shown and may not be available in all stores.
They’re good as desk or snack vacs for midsize debris such as cookie crumbs, and they’re easy to store on countertops or desks and convenient for quick cleanups. But they can’t easily pick up and properly filter dust and other fine particles, and bigger debris fills up the small dustbin too quickly. In addition, these models are really effective only on hard surfaces. We’ve put dozens of handheld vacuums to the test in The Lab by using them to suction up cereal, crumbs, raisins, and hair on carpeted surfaces and hard floors.
The Shark Wandvac isn’t explicitly marketed for pet hair, but that doesn’t mean it can’t vacuum up a mean furball. This vacuum stood head-to-head with the Dyson V8 in our tests, performing just as well as the more expensive model for nearly half the price. The bin is small, so it’s better for daily cleans than deep cleaning, but since it comes in various colors, including rose gold and mint green, it makes everyday cleaning a little bit more bearable.
Compare the nozzles, cleaning heads, brushes and other accessories are included with each handheld vacuum. Three’s no crowd with the sturdy multi-purpose tool that comes with this vac – it features a crevice tool, an upholstery tool and a dusting brush. It also comes with a motorised pet tool, but the vacuum must be held at a low angle for this to sit properly on the floor.
It’s cordless design and light weight make it super portable, while the removable dust cup lets you empty trapped dirt in seconds. Some handheld vacuums contain additional tools like brush rolls and extensions to help you get into hard-to-reach places. If you plan to use your handheld vacuum to get between couch cushions and tackle upholstery or carpet, these shark robotic vacuums are must-haves. The Shark CH951 is a general-purpose hand vacuum, but its design seems ideal for cleaning staircases. That’s because it’s lightweight at under 3 pounds and it has an easy-grip shape that’s comfortable to hold as you make your ascent. Since it’s cordless, you won’t have to drag a cord up and down your steps, making it easy to maneuver.
All cordless handheld vacuum reviews on Modern Castle are put through a standard assessment of battery size, run time, life, and replacement cost. After testing the Pet Perfect 2 on the low pile carpet, I expected the high carpet to show a drop in results. This handheld vacuum was able to remove rice and cereal completely (100%), kitty litter was lifted from the carpet at 99%, and sugar was cleaned up to a level of 91%. But if you have hand or wrist issues, or if you’re planning to spend a lot of time cleaning your car, you may prefer a hand vacuum with an extendable hose and useful attachments. The Worx 20V Power Share Cordless Cube Vac WX030L and the Black+Decker 20V Max Lithium Flex BDH2020FL are the best examples of this type, with slightly different strengths and weaknesses.
The Shark UltraCyclone™ Pet Pro+ is a cordless handheld vacuum designed for powerful suction and lasting motor life. It includes a self-cleaning Pet Power Brush that eliminates hair wrap on the brushroll, an XL dust cup, and shark canister vacuum more, all at only 2.8 lbs. Similar to the Rocket Pro, the yellow-finned brush roll sucked up all our testing pet and long hair without tangling. It’s ultra-durable, and at less than 3 pounds, it’s a great portable option.
If you don’t own pets and need a hand vac only for the occasional spilled Cheerios or coffee grounds, buy the Black+Decker Dustbuster AdvancedClean CHV1410L. It’s a perennial best seller with strong reviews from owners, and in our testing we’ve found it comfortable and effective. We’ve recommended the CHV1410L since 2017, and in our most recent round of testing, in 2023, it proved once again to be one of the best basic handheld vacuums available. But it has a shorter run time than our top picks, and it isn’t great at cleaning upholstery.