The 7 Best Handheld Vacuums of 2023, Tested and Reviewed

The AdvancedClean+ Hand Vac has an extra-long pullout crevice tool and extra-large bottom-emptying dust bin that makes cleaning up after pets even easier. The filter is washable, and we like that the vacuum stands upright for charging or storage, plus it got a 3-star rating from Quiet Mark meaning it’s the most quiet. The whole device must be plugged in for four hours as the battery is not removable, but in our Lab tests we found that it can run for up to 32 minutes. 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.

Although you can buy accessories to turn it into a stick vacuum, in that case we think you’re better off buying one of our cordless stick vacuum recommendations. 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 bissell vacuum cleaner the Black+Decker 20V Max Lithium Flex BDH2020FL are the best examples of this type, with slightly different strengths and weaknesses. They are similarly priced and have long, flexible hoses that you can use with one hand while setting the vacuum’s body on the ground. In our testing, the CHV1410L had no trouble sucking up crumbs and dirt off bare surfaces like countertops and windowsills.

bissell handheld vacuum

Even better, at 31.8 ounces, the vac has a sizable dust bin compared to some other compact picks, so you don’t have to pause your cleaning session to empty it out multiple times. The battery life may limit you; it took exactly 12 minutes for the vac to die in our tests, which isn’t ideal for deeper cleans. There is no battery life indicator on the vacuum itself, so it can be difficult to gauge how much power you have left when using the vacuum. Our editors are constantly swapping in and out of cars they’re evaluating, and sometimes, like most car owners, they leave messes behind. We’re on the hunt for the best way to clean up those messes, so we gathered up seven cordless handheld vacuums from popular brands to see which one we’re signing up for duty to get the job done. The Ryobi 18V One+ Performance Hand Vacuum Kit comes with a crevice tool and a brush tool; both do a decent job of picking up fur on rugs and home upholstery.

For easy jobs, it was just as effective as a more powerful model, such as the AdvancedClean+ HHVK515JP07. It wasn’t as capable of picking up fur and dusty debris like baking soda from furniture, but it did fine with glitter. In our latest tests, most models did well with medium-size particles, such as the birdseed, but weaker models struggled with dusty, clingy debris like baking soda. Some vacuums appeared to suck up debris only to let it drop back out of the intake after we turned off the power. The IRIS USA handheld vacuum is one of the lightest vacs on the market. To put its size in perspective, a quart of milk weighs two pounds, while this machine weighs just 1.1 pounds.

This guide builds on hundreds of hours of research and testing conducted by Wirecutter staff since 2013, including by Wirecutter’s Sarah Bogdan. Over the years, we’ve interviewed dozens of vacuum experts, including service technicians, air-quality specialists, product engineers, and brand representatives. 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.

The dust bin’s 2.6-ounce capacity is quite small so it’ll fill up quickly and often. It also runs for less than 10 minutes at a time, taking 2.5 hours to fully recharge between jobs. Ultimately, this machine is ideal for small, quick clean-ups that require a decent amount of power and/or anyone who’s short bissell vacuum cleaner on storage space. While not a main selling point, it’s nice to know that Bissell donates $5 from each Pet Hair Eraser to the Bissell Pet Foundation. The company claims it has saved over 180,000 pets, which is right on brand for a handheld vacuum that leans hard into cleaning up after furry creatures.