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Sometimes the portability of a handheld vacuum is better suited for the job than a full-size vacuum cleaner — whether you just need a spot clean, your upright won’t fit where you need it to go, or you’re working in an area without an outlet. To find the best hand vacuums out there, I tested dozens of models, including each one listed here. Additionally, I spoke with a number of experts who deal with messes daily — such as an interior designer, an organizing pro, a pet owner, and a chef — to find out what their favorite hand vacs were.
Two things to note: As with every handheld I’ve come across, all of these vacuums are cordless (taking care of that outlet problem). None of these are full-size models that can transform into a handheld. However, if that’s what you’re looking for, you’ll find top-notch two-in-one options in our roundup of the best vacuums. And if you’re wary that their size is somehow indicative of their suction power, read on to see how these small but mighty vacuums take on kid messes, pet hair, and cooking cleanups.
Update on July 8, 2024: Updated prices and checked stock for all products.
What we’re looking for
Run time
For a handheld to be useful, it should have enough battery power to run at least ten minutes on a full charge. The vacuums we’ve included here have a run time of between 11 and 25 minutes, though they may run for longer or shorter, depending on the level of suction you’re using.
Weight
Generally, the lighter the vacuum, the easier it is to use — and the more likely you are to clean with it. For handhelds, where mobility is key, the weight should ideally be less than four pounds.
Tools
Most handhelds come with at least one additional attachment (the best come with two or three) for different use cases, such as cleaning upholstery or nabbing crumbs from hard-to-reach corners. Common attachments include an anti-tangle brush for pet hair, a crevice tool (which has an angled nozzle for narrow spaces), and a combination tool (usually a hard nozzle and brush for quick switches between surfaces and cleaning needs). We’ve listed the attachments included with each model.
Best handheld vacuum overall
Type: Cordless handheld, bagless | Run time: 25 minutes | Weight: 2.2 lbs. | Attachments: Hair screw (anti-tangle) tool, combination tool, worktop tool
I found myself getting carried away while testing the Dyson Humdinger, and with a run time of 25 minutes — longer than any other handheld I tested — I had the time to do it. I started in my car, where the Humdinger dutifully sucked up the whole spectrum of kid-created messes: food crumbs, sand, and grass. Inspired by the vacuum’s suction power, I then moved inside to my living room, where I cleaned an entire high-pile area rug. If you don’t mind the stooping, the Humdinger is powerful enough to take on an entire room and could serve as a sole vacuum for small apartments.
While most handhelds include a basic crevice tool and brush attachment, the Humdinger also has a mini motorized brush bar, which sets it apart from other models. This attachment has an anti-tangle design for picking up hair, making the Humdinger also ideal for pet parents. Plus, it has a large dust cup with an ejection mechanism that hygienically propels debris from the machine into your garbage can — no more reaching in to pull gunk out.
In addition to the cleaning heads and tools that come with the Gen5detect, you can purchase additional specialized tools, such as adaptors for cleaning under low furniture or high-up places.
Best (less expensive) handheld vacuum overall
Run time: 17 minutes | Weight: 1.5 lbs. | Tools: duster crevice tool, multi-surface pet tool
For me, accessibility is a top priority for handhelds because I have a toddler who makes fast and furious messes. Not only do I need a vacuum that I can easily maneuver (often with one arm as I hold the kiddo in the other), but one that’s ready to go at a moment’s notice. The Shark Wandvac meets both of those requirements. It comes with a sleek charging dock that I’m happy to leave out on my kitchen counter for easy access and a perpetually charged battery. The back of the dock has designated slots for the two attachments: a pet tool that I also found useful on upholstery and carpets, and a crevice tool that made cleaning every nook and cranny in my car a breeze.
Emily Ranager, director of business operations at home-organization service Shelfie, has relied on the Shark Wandvac for years thanks to its maneuverability and suction. “It’s incredibly light at just 1.5 pounds, so it’s easy to pull out to quickly tidy up messes,” she says. Ranager also raves about the suction power. The Wandvac’s only con? Ranager says “the dust cup is rather small, so it can fill up with debris quickly.” However, she points out, “it’s easy to empty with the touch of a button.” She also wishes it came with a wall mount to free up counter space.
Best compact handheld vacuum
Run time: 11 minutes | Weight: 2.2 lbs. | Attachments: crevice tool brush
The Black+Decker Dustbuster, considered a revolutionary piece of cleaning equipment when it debuted in 1979, is one of the original handhelds. Not only did it make an appearance in Back to the Future Part II, it’s also in the Smithsonian. But that doesn’t mean the Dustbuster’s day has passed. I found this compact cleaner especially useful to pick up dust around my multitude of modern-day electronics. The nozzle extends width-wise, which makes running it over console tables and around TVs even faster. Then, simply retract the nozzle for narrow jobs, like around computers, display monitors, and speakers or HomePods. I even cleaned out the keys on my laptop by adding the brush attachment.
Marina Frances, who works in tech, also raves about the Dustbuster’s suction power. She uses it daily, sometimes even hourly, to clean up after her long-haired Persian cat. “My fur baby, the Great Catsby, sheds everywhere — on my couch, my bed, my clothes,” she says. “So I need a small vacuum to keep on hand, especially if I’m having someone over spur of the moment.” Frances also has a full-size Dyson Ball Animal 2 for deep cleaning, but because the Dustbuster is a diminutive three inches wide, she keeps it nearby all the time. “It’s so tiny, I usually just tuck it under my coffee table,” she says. “But don’t be fooled by the size — it still sucks up hair.”
Best handheld vacuum for pet hair
Run time: 15 minutes | Weight: 3 lbs. | Attachments: crevice tool, upholstery tool, motorized brush
I tested the Pet Hair Eraser at my parents’ house, where they’ve had three cats over the past decade, and their furniture has the fur remnants to prove it. Suction was no problem, and I appreciated the variety of included tools. I used the motorized brush on the couch seat, then switched to the crevice tool to dig in along the cushion piping. Their current cat, Paz, loves to scratch her back by rubbing against a wall in the kitchen, which has now turned black from fur. My mom has never cleaned it because she’s worried that scrubbing would harm the wallpaper, so I tackled it with the Pet Hair Eraser’s gentle upholstery tool. Success.
Best handheld vacuum for kitchens
Run time: 15 minutes | Weight: 3.92 lbs. | Attachments: crevice nozzle, round brush, brush nozzle
Eggs, spaghetti, cereal, flour — the Shop-Vac Cordless Handheld sucked them all up when I tested it in my kitchen. I wasn’t surprised, as the brand is known for its wet-dry and industrial cleaning capabilities, with many users putting their Shop-Vacs to work in the garage. If it can take on wood scraps and garden debris, then food morsels are no match for this powerful handheld. But I was surprised by its extra-large collection cup, or tank, as the brand fittingly calls it. At 1.4 liters, it’s the largest tank of any model here; by comparison, the Bissell Pet Hair Eraser’s dirty tank capacity is only 0.7 liters. In a perfect world, the tank would have an ejection mechanism, similar to the Dyson Humdinger, to push out slimy scraps, but as long as it can handle picking up my large-particle kitchen messes, I can take it from there.
Executive chef Trish Horton, who works at the Pensacola Beach Resort, knows a thing or two about kitchen messes. And she’s a tough judge of vacuums because, of all the household chores, she says vacuuming is her least favorite. So it’s saying a lot that when she picks a praiseworthy model — one that gets the job done efficiently so she can spend as little time with it as possible — she chooses the Shop-Vac Cordless. “It’s durable and capable of handling dust, debris, and heavy particles,” she says. “It has powerful suction and doesn’t throw dust and other irritants into the air the way other vacuums or sweeping might.”
Our experts
• Marina Frances, Persian-cat owner
• Trish Horton, executive chef at the Pensacola Beach Resort
• Emily Ranager, director of business operations at Shelfie
• Kellie Sirna, founder and principal of Studio 11 Design
Additional reporting by Chris Mandle, Ambar Pardilla, and Karen Iorio Adelson.
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