5 Best Handheld Vacuums

If you are a happy owner of a home full of kids and pets and are running here and there to clean up unexpected small messes, a hand vac will be a superb alternative to your full-sized regular vacuum. These simple, lightweight, and portable units allow you to maintain the order in the house several times a day. They are intended for a quick and easy cleanup of insignificant messes on various surfaces.Bagless and cordless vacs with many special attachments can cope with any corners, window sills, door frames, stairs, curtains, etc. Extension hoses and crevice tools let you reach all uncomfortable zones above your head and under the furniture. Car interior vacuuming won’t be a problem any more too.

For your assistance, below in the Comparison table, there are 5 Best hand vacuum models chosen by the experts and the ordinary users according to characteristics that matter. Additional recommendations and useful tips in the Buyer’s guide will help you analyze your needs and make the right choice.

BLACK+DECKER Dustbuster Flexi Blue– the best value for money

BLACK+DECKER dusbuster Handheld Vacuum, CordlessThis Dustbuster model is a pretty little but powerful unit with an extended working time enough to take care of any mess on the floor, upholstery, or do a car vacuuming.

Being lightweight and portable it’s perfect for small cleaning tasks when you don’t want to pull your full-size heavy regular vacuum. It is cordless and bagless, but with a huge dustbowl, so you won’t have to empty it until you finish.

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Pros

Pros
  • A big washable dustbowl to absorb more
  • Heavy suction
  • Lithium-Ion battery
  • Working time – 1 hour and a half
  • Reusable washable filter
  • Reaches uncomfortable zones with a crevice tool
  • Great for upholstery
  • The mouth is wide to scoop up even big particles of debris
  • Can be wall-mounted
  • Works well with kitty litter
  • Inexpensive
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Cons

Cons
  • You have to charge the battery for 16 hours before the first use
  • No battery indicator
  • Incorrect charging damages the battery and performance

This Dustbuster has enough suction power to cope with kitty litter around the kitty’s box. You will not have to recharge it during the day, even for taking away your kitty messes several times daily.


BISSELL Pet Hair Eraser Pink – the best for pet owners

Bissell Pet Hair Eraser Handheld Vacuum, CordedBissell designed a special model to support and help pet lovers to take care of their lovely pets and keep the home clean.

This Pet Hair Eraser is incredible on different surfaces and cleans up all the hair easy to make the life of pet owners simple due to the special construction of a rubber pet hair nozzle. It is small, lightweight, easy to use and clean, and never loses suction as it is corded, which may seem a disadvantage for somebody. However, those people who deal with dog or kitty messes daily appreciate the steady suction it produces and there is no need to bother about charging.

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Pros

Pros
  • Effective for various purposes such as upholstery, stairs, car interior
  • Several layers of filtration
  • Long power cord
  • A special rubber nozzle for easy hair removal
  • A special hard nozzle for messes
  • Steady suction as it is corded
  • Picks up pet hair on all surfaces
  • Lightweight and portable
  • Ergo design of the handle
  • Bagless
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Cons

Cons
  • It blows away litter on the floor due to the location of vents on the sides of the unit
  • Not effective with dust and debris

Bissell Pet Hair Eraser is an excellent device to get rid of the hair from the bed, any fabric, upholstery, furniture, rugs, and even clothes in several minutes. No need to use sticky lint rollers anymore.


DIRT DEVIL Scorpion Red– the best for compactness and ergo design

Dirt Devil Scorpion Handheld Vacuum CleanerThis pretty small but very powerful Dirt Devil is great for cleaning light messes at home or in the car. The unit is corded, so you don’t have to worry about charging the battery or losing suction during the cleaning process.

The ergonomic and user-friendly design of this Scorpion model makes it functional, effective, and convenient in use.

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Pros

Pros
  • Compact and lightweight
  • Effective on upholstery
  • Easily switchable integrated crevice tool
  • Long power cord
  • Bagless
  • Comfortable detachable hose
  • Suitable for big messes, stairs, and car interiors
  • Fingertip control settings
  • Heavy suction
  • Easy to use and clean
  • Copes with pet messes
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Cons

Cons
  • Side vents blow out the dirt
  • Noisy

There’s a built-in crevice tool that simplifies the cleaning of hard to reach areas as you can focus the suction of your vac. There is no need to store a separate part somewhere and to put it on and off every time you need it. With an easy flip, the job is done.


BLACK+DECKER Max Flex Grey– the best mini replacement for a full-size vac

BLACK+DECKER 20V Max Flex Handheld Vacuum with Pet Hair Brush, CordlessOf course, a heavy-duty full-size vacuum cleaner intended for regular, thorough cleaning can’t be fully replaced by a handheld vac.

Though Max Flex was designed as a mini version to perform similar functions all around the house or in the car but for small messes. The extension hose and several attachments make it very useful for easy and quick cleanup. The cordless ergonomic design makes it stand out from the competition.

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Pros

Pros
  • Cordless and portable but with strong suction without fading over time
  • Replaces a full-size regular vac for versatile cleaning with an extension hose and many attachments
  • Special rubber bristle brush for easy removal of pet hair
  • Simple to use and empty washable dustbowl
  • A reusable washable filter
  • Filtration with three stages of cleaning from dust and debris
  • Bagless
  • Lithium battery
  • The battery runtime after a full charge is more than 30 min
  • Very lightweight and small
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Cons

Cons
  • The first charge takes 12 hours before you start to work with a vac
  • Small particles of debris contaminate the filter and it loses suction and requires cleaning and washing. It is simple but requires time when your cleaning job is still not finished.

The suction drops after a dozen times of using it, it’s connected with the filter which needs to be cleaned. Clean the filter regularly, once in 1-2 months to have powerful suction. When using the attachment for the floor, the level of suction goes down due to the increased distance, but still, it’s enough to manage small messes on the floor.


VACLIFE Hand Vacuum Silver– the best for high performance and elegant design

VacLife Handheld Vacuum, Hand Vacuum CordlessThis Vaclife hand vac looks really sleek, lightweight, and extremely portable as it is wireless, though it produces excellent cleaning results.

Strong suction in combination with several useful nozzles and attachments help this tiny cleaning unit to win the first prizes in different categories. It is ideal for those who are looking for something powerful but convenient for the car interiors.

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Pros

Pros
  • Cordless with a rechargeable battery
  • Recharges quickly
  • Ideal for daily quick cleaning home and car interiors
  • Works great with hair and dust
  • Has three different nozzles for hard to reach areas without blind corners
  • Washable HEPA filters
  • The runtime is around half an hour after a full charge for about 3-4 hours
  • LED light for better vision
  • Strong suction
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Cons

Cons
  • Only dry cleaning is possible
  • It doesn’t have a stand or can’t be wall-mounted

LED lights are very helpful to see all the dust and debris. They also allow you to vacuum the car or your home small messes at night. The three bars indicator shows when it’s time to recharge the unit.


The Buyer’s Guide

Features of handheld vacuums that matter

Corded versus cordless

Hand vacs were designed to deal with small messes on different surfaces in your house, in your car and, of course, to reach the most uncomfortable areas, which seem impossible to cover by a regular full-size vac. Cordless items are lightweight and portable and the runtime is usually 20-30 minutes. After use, it takes several hours to recharge the battery. With a corded version, you don’t have to bother with charging though you are not absolutely free to move around due to the length of the cord. One more advantage of corded vacs is the powerful suction that won’t fade.

Dustbowl and filters

Most modern models of handheld vacuum cleaners are bagless and feature a dust cup that is big enough to cope with light messes. They are usually easy to empty and wash. Filters are also reusable and washable and require regular cleaning once every 1-2 months, depending on the frequency of use and the amount of work the unit is performing.

Intended surfaces and tasks

Before purchasing a handheld vacuum think carefully about the future job you intend to use the unit for. Pay attention that it won’t substitute the regular vacuum completely. Hand vacs easily cope with small debris on different floors and carpets, upholstery, stairs, car interiors, and furniture. Most models tackle pet hair, dust, and debris with various nozzles and attachments. They make life easier for those who have pets and small kids to do the daily cleanup of kitty litter and pet hair or food crumbs after feeding your baby.

 Other useful tips for handheld vacuums buyers 

  • Some models can be wall-mounted or placed at special stands to charge the battery. It’s more typical for cordless devices. If you don’t have extra space to store the vac and the attachments the idea of hanging it on the wall seems very convenient.
  • The majority of hand vacs are designed for dry cleaning though several models are suitable for wet cleaning as well. Read the characteristics and choose the right for you.
  • The filters are usually reusable. Wash them manually with a dish detergent and only after they are completely dry put them back. The frequency is normally once in several months, but everything is individual.

Video Tutorial: Cordless Vacuum Unboxing and Review – dirt devil quick flip pro 16v

Conclusion 

All the models presented above will help you a lot with your daily spot cleaning or as a supplement to your heavy-duty device for the most uncomfortable zones with many useful and effective accessories. There are both corded and cordless models, they have their upsides and downsides, so choose the most preferable for you. Consider the recommendations and your needs to pick up the best one.


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