The best handheld vacuum for you is one that’s not only high-quality, but also fits your specific needs. Before making your selection, here are some key points to consider. Check out our Top-To-Bottom Spring Cleaning Toolkit to shop everything you’ll need to get your home sparkling for the season. This is the Roborock Q5 packaged with a charging dock that sucks all the debris out of the robot after a cleaning session.
You hate cutting hair from the brush roller
If you think there’s nothing more annoying than spending hours cutting hair from the brush roller of a vacuum, then this is the model for you. The Anti Hair Wrap technology ensures hair is whisked straight into the canister without becoming caught around the brush roll. Shark claims the battery lasts up to 60 minutes between charges; however, this is on the lowest powerful power setting. In our tests, when used on the most powerful setting, the cleaner managed only 11 minutes of vacuuming before the battery required recharging. On the main unit you’ll also find a 2.5-inch LCD screen that displays the remaining runtime, along with the power button, suction level control, and the carpet or hard floor selector.
However – we highly recommend then you clean the roller regularly. The nature of it means that it can quickly get dirty, and while that’s sort of its job, you should clean it as regularly as you can. Item prices do not include fees for pickup, shipping or delivery (if applicable) unless noted in the item description. Item prices may vary between online (for pickup, shipping or delivery) and in club.
You can also notify the robot for spot cleanings, which is great if a sudden mess occurs or if you have a high-traffic area in your home that you’d like to pay special attention to. Despite the low price, this model brings a lot to the table, including a pull out crevice tool and flip-up brush for all-purpose dusting and upholstery cleaning. The nozzle rotates to any angle, making it easier to clean around obstacles and in tight spaces and the dirt receptacle is easy to empty and can be washed out at the sink. Black+Decker claims the vacuum can hold a charge for up to 18 months, so it will always be ready to go, even if you don’t leave it plugged in when it’s not in use.
Specifically, we run a rigorous slate of tests to determine each cleaner’s capabilities when it comes to picking up a variety of messes on a variety of different floor types. The Shark® Pet Cordless Stick Vacuum features deep-cleaning irobot vacuum cleaner suction, powered by HyperVelocity, that makes it ideal for homes with pets. Nozzle technology includes a self-cleaning brushroll and PowerFins engineered to pick up more hair with no hair wrap (vs. Shark bristle nozzles).
Its extendable crevice tool allows you to reach into nooks and crannies. For most people, great cordless vacuum cleaners are now strong enough to replace plug-in vacuums. But cordless vacs cost more, they don’t last as long, and unless you spring for a really high-end model, they may not have enough bissell crosswave cordless run time to clean big homes in a single pass. There’s a 1-quart / 0.7-liter dust canister and two attachments for when the vacuum cleaner is being used in handheld mode. All of the cordless vacuums we tested were between 4 and 7 pounds, but none was so heavy that it affected our recommendation.
Our team of CNET experts, editors and lab technicians has been testing vacuums in a smart home and testing warehouse located in Louisville, for over 10 years. In that time, we’ve refined our testing methods and assessments in a controlled environment to measure the proficiency of robot vacuums, full-sized models and cordless stick vacuums alike. For more check out this detailed article on how we test vacuums at CNET. For the allergy-conscious, the ION P50 model comes with a HEPA filter.
We have a mixture of hard floors, carpeted rooms and high pile rugs, so we spent a lot of time in the ‘Carpet’ setting. This had a noticeable impact on battery life, but also led to cleaner floors. The Shark cordless stick vacuum is Shark’s offering to the handheld-upright-hybrid of vacuum cleaner than so many people think of when they think cordless.
If it weren’t for its power cord, the Ultralight would have competed for Best Overall on our list. It is fun to play with, however, which might inspire the kids to help out when it comes time to clean the minivan. The DeWalt’s crevice tool also struggled against large chunks, and emptying the vac was a tad trickier. However, the DeWalt is lighter, and more of the weight is over the middle of the machine—which helped with wrist fatigue. Despite its unique design and around-home functionality, when it comes to cleaning up floorboards the Dyson V8 doesn’t quite live up to the hype surrounding the brand. The Dyson V8 gets brownie points for also being usable in the home; only needing one vacuum to clean everything is a plus in our book.
You can handily empty its contents into the accompanying 2L docking station at the push of a button and its thin extension nozzle is long, reaching awkward spots easily. In terms of noise, this vacuum is relatively quiet but produces a high frequency sound, which makes it seem louder than it actually is. Therefore, they should not be used by those who have a strong sensitivity to dust, allergies, or any upper-respiratory issues like asthma. Grab the popcorn and prepare for movie night with a Samsung 65-inch Class 4K Crystal UHD (2160P) LED Smart TV. The Crystal Processor 4K automatically upscales movies, TV shows, and sports events to 4K.