We’re here to entertain, pet-ucate and offer the very best pet product recommendations to keep your furry family member healthy, happy and, dare we say, spoiled? Find us here on Reader’s Digest and follow us on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. I’m Nigel Russco, a 50 year old professional engineer who loves to review vacuums, and I’ve been doing just that since 2008. Good Housekeeping participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. Get hilarious videos, heartwarming stories and editor-vetted product recommendations for every type of pet delivered right to your inbox. We’ve done the research on products designed to save you time and money.
Wirecutter software engineer Jasmine Khoury, who owns this vacuum, complained that the extension crevice tool doesn’t stay put, retracting with pressure, but we haven’t encountered this problem during testing. A Black+Decker spokesperson told us via email that this model fully charges in four hours, but in our testing it took less than three hours. It comes with a two-year warranty, which exceeds the coverage of many other handheld vacuum cleaners.
Using an anemometer (a tool that measures wind speed), we calculate the raw airflow of each vacuum. Suction is what allows a vacuum cleaner to lift debris off the ground, while airflow helps ferry the debris to the dustbin. The Black+Decker 20V Max Flex Handheld Vacuum amazed us with its suction power, clever design, and versatility.
The four foot hose made it easy to reach into tight spaces, and it ran for 23 minutes at standard power on one charge. Our tester called this hand vac “very comfortable to use,” giving it perfect scores in six of our seven ease of use evaluations, including for handle comfort and for quality of the owner’s manual. Although it fell from its previous spot as our best overall handheld vacuum, we still love the Black+Decker Cordless Lithium Hand Vacuum—it’s also one of our top-rated inexpensive vacuum cleaners. We found that it effectively captures large and small debris, such as kibble and kitty litter.
In our battery tests, the CHV1410L ran for about nine minutes, so it’s best suited for quick tidying rather than deep cleaning. (In contrast, the Ryobi vacuum, our top pick, ran for 18 minutes, and the AdvancedClean+ HHVK515JP07 ran for 25 minutes.) It recharged in about three hours, which is typical for handheld vacuums at this price. The CHV1410L also comes with a convenient charging base that allows the vac to stand upright in storage; we found, however, that it tends to wobble when bumped. Although the CHV1410L suffers from the same hand-heaviness as most handheld vacuums do, we’ve found it comfortable enough to maneuver. At 2.6 pounds, it is comparably light, and its curved, closed handle allows for an easy grip. The slide-out crevice tool and swing-out combo brush, both built into the tip of the vacuum, have limited reach but may come in handy.
Several handheld vacuums also come with warranties, which helps extend the lifespan of your purchase. And rather than replacing an entire machine, you also have the option to replace things like blocked filters, jammed brush rolls, frayed hoses and broken accessories yourself. On an average, a well maintained handheld vacuum from a quality brand should last you a minimum of 6 years.
Since then, we’ve done additional testing, including evaluations for our annual Cleaning and Organizing Awards. During our testing of these handheld vacuums, we found that motorized brush tools are the only attachments that can truly pick up deep-seated pet hair, and the Multi Auto comes with one included. We used this vac to clean up debris the other vacs left behind during our tests. It also has an extending hose nozzle—and other helpful included attachments—that helps it maneuver in, under, and around seats to find runaway dirt and debris. It also has a user-friendly handle and flashlight to make it even better for using in the car. High powered cordless cleaning in a lightweight design with a wide variety of tools makes the Multi Cordless Hand Vac one of the best from BISSELL®!
This handheld vacuum is designed to “clean wherever your pet goes,” whether it’s on the sofa, in the bathroom, or even in the car. Bissell’s AeroSlim is marked down to just $30 at Walmart, saving you $26 on the usual list price. We don’t know how long this offer will last, so we recommend making your purchase sooner rather than later. Carolyn Forté has tested and reviewed hundreds of vacuum cleaners, carpet cleaners, mops and other major (and minor) home appliances as executive director of the Home Care Lab. She oversees all testing done in the Cleaning Lab and recently tested all of the handheld, stick, upright and canister vacuums that were submitted for consideration in the most recent Cleaning and Organizing Awards. She is an active member of the ASTM Committee on vacuum cleaners and chairman of the consumer information sub-committee.
I got excited and started using my Pet Hair Eraser right out of the box instead of letting the battery fully charge, so it’s no surprise that it died after just a few minutes of use (whoops!). After reading the instructions and letting it charge for eight hours, I was able to start testing in earnest. Our recommendations are based on what we think are currently the best bissell handheld vacuum portable vacuums to buy. We don’t just base our results on overall performance, but also factors like availability, price, and reader feedback. Check out our Top-To-Bottom Spring Cleaning Toolkit to shop everything you’ll need to get your home sparkling for the season. Since 1876, our family-owned corporation has developed and created the world’s best cleaning tools.
You seem to always drop french fries and other small snacks in between the seat and center console, right? You’ll have to scrub a bit to root out the dirt and debris from the carpet, too, and pet owners should not buy this DustBuster. However, there are models available that come included with a powered pet attachment. The crevice tools on both models are too narrow for Cheerios, so if large cereals are a favorite car snack for your household, these vacuums might not be for you. The only area where this model struggles is in removing fur clinging to car floor and trunk upholstery. Instead, we recommend the Uproot Cleaner Pro Reusable Cat Hair Remover for car trunks and floors.