The 3 Best Handheld Vacuums of 2023

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 Black+Decker Dustbuster AdvancedClean CHV1410L is our budget pick.

Handheld vacuums can go where bigger vacuums can't.

They make it easy to ferret out crumbs between cushions, dirt from car seats, and fur from couches.

Since 2013, we’ve looked at 180 hand vacuums and conducted hundreds of hours of research and testing. We’ve concluded that the Ryobi 18V One+ Performance Hand Vacuum Kit is the best for most jobs.

If you regularly contend with a lot of pet fur, consider the Black+Decker Dustbuster AdvancedClean+ HHVK515JP07, and if you need a machine for occasional cleanups, try the inexpensive Black+Decker Dustbuster AdvancedClean CHV1410L.

We wanted to find hand vacs that picked up not only visible crumbs and dirt but also fine dust and pet hair.

We looked for vacs that we could comfortably hold for 10 to 20 minutes without straining our wrists and forearms.

We tested hand vacs on car seats and floors, in a multiple-pet household, and in our office.

Several Wirecutter staff members tried the vacuums, and they let us know what they liked and disliked about the various designs.

This cordless handheld vacuum's powerful suction, long battery life, and large bin make short work of tidying up around the home and in the car.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $90.

The Ryobi 18V One+ Performance Hand Vacuum Kit offers powerful suction, long battery life, and a larger bin than almost any other cordless handheld vacuum we’ve tested. It easily picks up dust, cereal, and other common household messes. It runs for a respectable 18 minutes and recharges in under an hour—faster than any of the other handheld vacs we tried. Many of its parts, including its filters and battery, are easily replaceable, and its battery is compatible with all One+ Ryobi tools. The pivoting dust brush and crevice tool make getting into corners and crevices simple. Its three-year warranty is one of the strongest among the vacuums we tested.

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This handheld vacuum's motorized brush makes cleaning up pet fur a breeze, especially on upholstery. Its extendable crevice tool allows you to reach into nooks and crannies.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $85.

The Black+Decker Dustbuster AdvancedClean+ HHVK515JP07 cleans up pet fur better than any other handheld model we’ve tried. It has great suction, which is enhanced by a motorized brush that agitates debris and dislodges stubborn fur from grippy upholstery. It charges in under three hours and runs for up to 25 minutes (one of the longest run times among the models in our test group), and it has a built-in extendable crevice tool. Its filters are washable and replaceable, too, and its bin volume is the largest of the handheld vacs we’ve tested. Black+Decker covers it with a two-year warranty.

If you need something simple for quick cleanups, this affordable cordless handheld vacuum will get the job done.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $49.

For occasional tidy-ups, the Black+Decker Dustbuster AdvancedClean CHV1410L, with its built-in tools, is a simpler and cheaper alternative to our main picks. It can't reach many awkward spots or get much hair off upholstery, but it still manages to capture most common household debris. It beat many competitors in picking up fine dust. It charges in around three hours but runs for only about nine minutes, a much shorter span than our top picks offer. Black+Decker covers it with a two-year warranty.

This cordless handheld vacuum's powerful suction, long battery life, and large bin make short work of tidying up around the home and in the car.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $90.

This handheld vacuum's motorized brush makes cleaning up pet fur a breeze, especially on upholstery. Its extendable crevice tool allows you to reach into nooks and crannies.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $85.

If you need something simple for quick cleanups, this affordable cordless handheld vacuum will get the job done.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $49.

Staff writer Sabine Heinlein has been a journalist for over two decades. Her desire to spoil her menagerie of rabbits and cats continuously challenges her ambition to maintain a spotless house. She obsesses over how different types of fur adhere to upholstery and how best to remove hairballs from heirloom Persian rugs.

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. For our most recent round of research and testing, in 2023, we spoke to former and current engineers at Dyson, Lupe, and Shark; two vacuum salespeople and repair specialists; and numerous company representatives and product managers.

We combed through thousands of customer reviews on retail sites while keeping track of specific complaints. We also supplemented our reporting by employing FindOurView, which uses AI to identify important themes and issues in thousands of customer reviews.

Handheld vacuums are battery powered and convenient for quick cleanups around the house because they’re compact enough to sit on a shelf or countertop between uses. They are particularly helpful for people who share a home with kids, pets, or anyone else who produces frequent, small messes. A handheld can clean up a pile of spilled coffee grounds in the time it would take you to dig your main vacuum out of the closet and unwrap its cord.

Other options to consider: Most of the best cordless stick vacuums pull double duty as handheld vacuums. The best plug-in vacuums have hoses and attachments that let them clean most of the same spots as the best handheld vacuums can reach—you just need to be near an outlet.

Handheld vacuums are a diverse group, with some models designed for the awkward angles of a car's interior and others purpose-built for pulling pet hair off carpeted stairs or upholstery. Others serve as "snack vacs," allowing for the quick pickup of spilled cereals and countertop crumbs.

We’ve looked at more than 180 handheld vacuums, aiming to test at least a couple of models designed for each of those jobs and, ideally, to find some that work well for any task. Our testing boils down to assessing four traits:

Suction and cleaning ability: Almost any handheld vacuum can pick up visible crumbs and dirt. Especially strong handhelds can also suck up some fine dust, as well as larger, heavier pebbles or chunks of food. Though wattage and battery strength are not always an accurate gauge of cleaning ability, a vacuum offering 15 air watts and 16 volts should be enough for cleaning up small messes.

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.

Attachments or extensions can focus the vacuum's suction for better cleaning or to help get debris off clingy surfaces. Special tools, such as a motorized brush, help a handheld vac work even better—even if a vacuum cleaner has mediocre suction, a brush loosens up dirt and hair, making it easier for the vacuum to lift up and swallow the debris. Pet-hair tools are particularly useful for getting fur off upholstery.

In our most basic cleaning test, we make small piles of different types of debris, such as baking soda, mixed birdseed, Cheerios, and glitter. We test on bare floors as well as on low- and medium-pile rugs. We then spread 30 grams of baking soda on a medium-pile rug and vacuum it for 20 seconds, after which we use a kitchen scale to measure how much of the baking soda the vacuum collected. (Note: We don't recommend that you vacuum up large amounts of baking soda or super-fine dust with your handheld. "One of the biggest killers of bagless machines is fine dust, plaster dust, brick dust, talcum powder," said James Brown, who runs a vacuum cleaner museum and repair shop in Heanor, Derbyshire, England. Brown explained that fine dust can bypass the vacuum's filter and build up inside the machine, causing clogs and damage.)

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. Others had crevice tools that were too narrow to take in Cheerios.

To test pet-hair pickup, we spread a handful of fur (from a local groomer) into a rug and then try to pick it up with each vacuum. If a model comes with an attachment that may improve pet-hair pickup, such as rubber nubs, or better yet, a motorized brush, we use it.

In our most recent round, to get a sense of how comfortable it was to use each vacuum at awkward angles and in tight spaces, we tested them in a Honda Fit. All the nooks in the ridged floor mats and the crevices between seats gave us additional insight into each vacuum's cleaning ability. We also tried to vacuum fur off the car's clingy trunk upholstery. (Spoiler alert: Only the Black+Decker Dustbuster AdvancedClean+ HHVK515JP07 managed to get some fur off; all the other vacuums failed this test.)

Battery life and charge time: A good handheld vacuum should be ready when you need it, and it should last long enough to tackle at least a few messes before it has to recharge. We test each vacuum's battery life to make sure it matches up with or, in the case of our picks, exceeds the manufacturers’ advertised claims. We pay special attention to vacuums with batteries that can last for at least 15 minutes on regular mode and recharge within 60 minutes. (We’ve also tested plug-in handheld vacuums, including those that plug into a car, but we don't recommend any. Such models are no more powerful or durable than our picks, and they’re significantly less convenient.)

Comfort and quietness: You should be able to hold the vacuum for 10 to 20 minutes without straining your wrists and forearms. Weight is not the only consideration—how the weight is distributed matters, too. An extendable hose can take some of the weight off at least part of the time. The vacuum should reach awkward spots without effort; hoses, pivoting nozzles, and some attachments can help. (Note that while an extension tube can help with handling, the resulting longer airflow pathway reduces suction.) Using a decibel meter, we measure how noisy each vacuum is. We’ve found that most hover in the same range—around 80 dB—with few exceptions that are quieter or noisier.

Warranty and repairability: We specifically look for handheld vacuums with warranties of at least two years. Damian Lee, a former engineer at Dyson and Shark, said that a long warranty is meaningful when someone is making a buying decision: "Being able to claim a nice big warranty that lasts a long time and covers a lot of cases and conditions gives you confidence that a company is standing behind their product." According to our FindOurView analysis of customer reviews, battery failure is the second most common complaint in reviews of handheld vacuums, so we consider it a significant plus if a model has a replaceable battery.

This cordless handheld vacuum's powerful suction, long battery life, and large bin make short work of tidying up around the home and in the car.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $90.

What the Ryobi 18V One+ Performance Hand Vacuum Kit lacks in appearance it makes up for in suction power, bin size, and versatility. In suction and airflow, this model is on a par with or better than its most powerful competitors. Its dustbin holds 2.8 cups of debris, double that of most other handheld vacuums we tested. We tried it on rugs, bare floors, car seats, and upholstery, and it did an excellent job of picking up all kinds of debris, including Cheerios, glitter, birdseed, and baking soda.

Although this Ryobi model features only a single suction mode, its power comes close to or matches that of other hand vacs on their highest setting, typically called "boost mode." Most vacuums we tested ran out of juice within just a few minutes in boost mode; this Ryobi model, in contrast, ran for 18 minutes. (The battery has an indicator that, when pressed, shows the charge level—a helpful perk that's missing from most other handhelds we tested.) Its noise level was about average, measuring around 80 dB depending on the attachment we used.

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. The brush pivots 360 degrees, which makes it perfect for awkward angles, such as when you’re getting into car cup holders and other interior storage compartments. At 2.3 pounds, this Ryobi model is one of the lightest high-performing vacuums we’ve tested. And it charges in under an hour, whereas other handheld models commonly take three to four hours.

The casing, made from thick plastic, withstood at least two (accidental) drops on cement floors during our tests. Its dust-bin opening mechanism is straightforward—some other vacuums we tested required us to perform complicated manipulations to open the bin—and its filter is washable. With a three-year warranty from Ryobi, this model is covered for a longer stretch than most other handheld vacuums.

The Ryobi 18V One+ Performance Hand Vacuum Kit's battery is replaceable, as are most of the parts and accessories; Ryobi sells them through its website. This means you don't have to toss the whole vacuum just because the battery goes bad or the bin cracks. The battery is compatible with many other cordless Ryobi tools, so if you own several such tools, this may be an added perk—with a push and a click, you can put your 18 V battery into your Ryobi Pruning Shear or Ryobi Hedge Trimmer Kit. If you already own a Ryobi 18 V One+ 2 Ah battery and charger, you may consider buying a barebones handheld vacuum that has the same specs as that of the kit but costs less than half the price. (The barebones vacuum doesn't come with any attachments, though.)

Although the Ryobi 18V One+ Performance Hand Vacuum Kit is lightweight, it might not be ideal for people with hand or arm issues; the battery, which is positioned right below the hand, makes up a large part of the vacuum's weight and may put strain on the hand and wrist.

This vacuum can't stand upright, and its clunky body and neon green color might make it more aesthetically suited for a workshop than a stylish home. (Maybe asking for a vacuum that is both powerful and chic is too much?) Thankfully, since the battery is removable, you can charge it while the vacuum is stored out of sight.

While it's a plus that the battery is replaceable, Ryobi charges almost as much for a battery as it does for the entire vacuum. (You might consider buying third-party batteries with high ratings for a quarter of the price. We haven't tested them, but several Amazon reviewers say that the knockoffs are even better than the original battery.)

We ran into problems when calling Ryobi's swift and friendly customer service about replacement parts. The Ryobi representative referred us to Gardener's General Contractor, which sells Ryobi parts. But Gardener's couldn't locate the part, and it took an email to Ryobi's marketing department for us to find out that parts are actually sold directly via Ryobi's website. (Confusingly, the replacement parts order form isn't linked on the Ryobi homepage.)

This handheld vacuum's motorized brush makes cleaning up pet fur a breeze, especially on upholstery. Its extendable crevice tool allows you to reach into nooks and crannies.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $85.

If you regularly clean up after fur-shedding pets, the Black+Decker Dustbuster AdvancedClean+ HHVK515JP07 is uniquely designed to help you fight that battle. In our tests, it picked up fur better than any model we tried, especially on upholstery, thanks in part to its motorized brush, which is equipped with fur-grabbing bristles. The AdvancedClean+ HHVK515JP07 has an intuitive emptying mechanism and the largest dustbin of any handheld vacuum we evaluated in our most recent round (models with smaller bins got quickly clogged with fur). At 75 dB, it is also quieter than the majority of the vacuums we assessed.

We tested the AdvancedClean+ HHVK515JP07 on different surfaces and with various types of debris, and it proved to be a great all-purpose cleaner. Its built-in, extendable crevice tool sucked up baking soda, glitter, birdseed, Cheerios, and cat litter from both carpets and bare floors with ease. Fur clung to its flexible, rubbery bristles, while its rotating brush and suction ferreted dog, cat, and rabbit hair from rugs and couches into its bin. The only time we ran into trouble was when we tried to vacuum dog fur from the clingy upholstery of a car trunk, yet even then the AdvancedClean+ HHVK515JP07 still got more fur off than any of the other models we tested. (More on that below.)

It has a run time of 24 minutes on low suction mode, which is sufficient for most furry situations, and a battery indicator shows you the charge level. Its airflow is above average on regular mode and excellent on high mode.

The vacuum stands up on its own and is compact enough to tuck away between furniture. While the battery unfortunately isn't replaceable, the filters, the belt, beater bar, and charger are. (The filters are also both washable.) Black+Decker's customer service is excellent, often requiring zero minutes wait time, and you can order parts via eReplacementParts.com.

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. In fact, guide author Sabine Heinlein has used her own AdvancedClean+ HHVK515JP07 daily for almost four years to clean cat and rabbit fur from her furniture and cat beds. The suction hasn't diminished over time, and the vacuum has withstood being dropped and knocked over.

The only area where this model struggles is in removing fur clinging to car floor and trunk upholstery. But all the vacuums we tested performed poorly in this regard. Instead, we recommend the Uproot Cleaner Pro Reusable Cat Hair Remover for car trunks and floors.

In our tests, the extended crevice tool sometimes slid back when we were vacuuming tight, deep spaces; you may need to hold it in place when you’re slipping it between couch cushions.

Perhaps the biggest design flaw of the AdvancedClean+ HHVK515JP07 is the looseness of its filters. Although that doesn't impact the vacuum's performance, it can be a pain when you’re emptying the dustbin—as you tap the bin against a trash can to empty it, the filters can sometimes slip out and fall into the trash. Finally, like the Ryobi vacuum, pretty it is not: Next to some of its newer, less-powerful cousins, the AdvancedClean+ HHVK515JP07 looks clunky with its clashing purple, orange, and gray hues.

If you need something simple for quick cleanups, this affordable cordless handheld vacuum will get the job done.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $49.

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. It's a perennial best seller with strong reviews from owners, and in our testing we’ve found it comfortable and effective. We’ve recommended the CHV1410L since 2017, and in our most recent round of testing, in 2023, it proved once again to be one of the best basic handheld vacuums available. But it has a shorter run time than our top picks, and it isn't great at cleaning upholstery.

In our testing, the CHV1410L had no trouble sucking up crumbs and dirt off bare surfaces like countertops and windowsills. 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.

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. 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.

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.

One downside is that the CHV1410L is fairly noisy. Whereas a Black+Decker spokesperson told us that the vacuum has a decibel level of 81 dB, we recorded it at 86 dB. (In comparison, the Ryobi model measured around 81 dB and the AdvancedClean+ HHVK515JP07 measured around 75 dB.) The CHV1410L also can't clean upholstery all that effectively, as debris, especially hair, tends to cling to fabric, and this model has neither the suction nor the right tools to offset that clinginess. Finally, because this model has no hose or pivoting nozzle, using it to clean at odd angles—the kinds that our main picks excel at—is a hassle.

If you want a snazzy vac that folds into a snail shape for storage: We still like the Black+Decker 20V Max Lithium Pivot BDH2000PL, our previous top pick. It's a strong cleaner, and its pivoting nozzle turns it into a small and easily storable snail shape when you fold it up. This model is no longer a main pick because of its relatively short, 11-minute battery life and because we found it noisy (86 dB, according to our measurements). Though it was great at picking up larger debris, it was less than mediocre at picking up baking soda from a medium-pile carpet (possibly because the filter got clogged). Otherwise, it continues to perform better than many competitors. This vacuum does not come with a purpose-built pet-hair tool, but in our tests, its wiry brush tool did the job just fine without such an accessory. Two Wirecutter staffers use the BDH2000PL as their sole vacuum in their studio apartments; one noted that it works well in getting hair off her velvet sofa and footrest.

If you want a super-strong vacuum that's compatible with other power tools: Black+Decker makes a few other 20-volt, lithium-powered handheld vacuums, including the Dustbuster 20V Max PowerConnect BCHV001C1. The BCHV001C1 has great suction and the most airflow of any handheld vacuum we tested. (Its suction is lauded by countless Amazon customers, too.) We noticed that it did an excellent job of sucking up birdseed and Cheerios but lagged behind our picks in extracting fine dust from medium-pile carpet. One drawback is that it comes with only one clip-on crevice tool, which makes it useless on fur; in our tests, it picked up clumps but left all other fur stuck to the carpet. If you don't have pets and own other Black+Decker 20V Max PowerConnect tools, this vacuum is worth considering, as its battery and charger are interchangeable with all other PowerConnect tools. You have the option to buy the vacuum alone for $35 or in a kit with a charger and battery for $70 at this writing.

Our picks all work well as car vacuums. 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 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.

The Worx WX030L is beautifully designed and compact, with onboard tool storage. It runs for up to 25 minutes and recharges in just one hour. (The battery is replaceable and can work in other Worx tools, as well.) Though it excelled in picking up dust in eco mode, it struggled with larger debris and was ineffective on pet fur.

The Black+Decker BDH2020FL was a top pick in previous versions of this guide. In our tests, it had more suction than the WX030L, but it still struggled with large debris like chips and Cheerios. On top of that, it ran for only 12 minutes and was a bit noisier than the WX030L. The dirt canister was easy enough to empty, but we found that wrapping the hose back around the machine after usage required a bit of fiddling.

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.

As for the hand vacuums that plug into the AC port in a car, note that a car battery supplies only 12 volts, and such vacs are much, much weaker than any of the models we recommend in this guide.

"Mini" handheld vacuums that weigh 2 pounds or less have recently emerged as a new category. Such models are smaller and lighter than all of our current picks and not as powerful. They’re good as desk or snack vacs for midsize debris such as cookie crumbs, and they’re easy to store on countertops or desks and convenient for quick cleanups. But they can't easily pick up and properly filter dust and other fine particles, and bigger debris fills up the small dustbin too quickly. In addition, these models are really effective only on hard surfaces.

We don't recommend any mini handheld vacs because our picks are better performers, similarly priced (or less expensive), and more versatile. However, if you have hand or wrist issues, one of these lighter hand vacs might be a good alternative.

Of the mini vacuums we tested, we liked the Eufy HomeVac H30 Venture the best. It looks appealing, and it has good suction power and a comparably large bin for a lightweight vac. In our tests, it did well in picking up both light and heavier debris. At more than $100, however, it is pricey for what it is: Its construction seemed flimsy to us, and we had to be especially careful when reattaching the bin after cleaning it. At some point during our testing, a dust deposit had created a tiny gap between the main body and bin, and one of our testers was sprayed with an explosion of baking soda.

We also tested the Shark Wandvac Cordless Handheld Vacuum and the Shark Wandvac Power Pet. Though they look snazzy and have decent suction for such light, little machines, we found their tiny bins frustrating. Adding to that frustration was the positioning of each model's power button right below the bin-emptying button, which led to more than one instance of our testers accidentally emptying the bin.

The Black+Decker Dustbuster Reviva 8V Max Cordless Hand Vacuum REVHV8J40, released in September 2022, is part of Black+Decker's series of more environmentally friendly products. Its tool casing is made from "50% certified recycled material and contains the amount of recycled material equivalent to the weight of 15 16.9 fl-oz single-use plastic bottles," according to Black+Decker. But apart from the filter, none of the REVHV8J40's parts are replaceable, which means the vacuum will end up in the landfill as soon as its battery dies. Like the Shark Wandvac models, this vacuum is a great little machine for sucking up coffee-ground spills on a counter, but in our testing it was mediocre at best when confronted with heavy debris and with fur on upholstery.

The Black+Decker Dustbuster AdvancedClean Slim HLVC320J01 seemed promising at first because of its decent suction, but it had an especially slow charge time of 10 hours and an extremely narrow crevice tool. We also had difficulties opening the dustbin during our testing and ended up showered with glitter.

The iRobot H1 is a good handheld vacuum, but we don't think it's worth its full price of $150 at this writing. In our tests, it cleaned fine but felt bulky and heavy, and it started to bother our wrists after a few minutes of light cleaning. 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.

We considered the Shark UltraCyclone Pet Pro+ but were put off by its poor airflow and suction, as well as its six-hour charge time. To top things off, its crevice tool was too narrow to pick up larger debris, and its motorized brush was significantly inferior to that of our also-great pick, the Black+Decker Dustbuster AdvancedClean+ HHVK515JP07.

Some readers have asked us about handheld wet-dry vacs from DeWalt, Milwaukee, and Ryobi. We have not tested them, but they appear to be well suited for cleaning up the type of metal debris that you’d find near a workbench and that wrecks some regular hand vacs. In our guide to shop vacs, we do recommend two full-size models, which are a better fit for more heavy-duty jobs. We may test handheld wet-dry vacs in the future.

We don't recommend any plug-in or corded handheld vacuums. After researching and testing a variety of corded handhelds, including the Dirt Devil Scorpion Quick Flip and the Bissell Pet Hair Eraser 33A1B, we’ve concluded that there aren't any great options in this category. We didn't find corded models to be better cleaners than our picks in our tests, there's no guarantee they’ll last longer, and they’re much less convenient.

Too often, vacuum owners decide that their machine is broken when in reality a simple cleaning can get it back in working order. The makers of bagless vacuums, including handheld vacs, sell their models based on the convenience of not needing bags, but the appliances still require regular cleaning and maintenance, said James Brown, a vacuum service specialist and collector: "Realistically, the average person won't clean it out as often as they should, which will go on to cause issues."

Our full article on how to clean a vacuum cleaner has information for cleaning all types of vacuums, but here are four main tasks that will get your handheld clean and keep it maintained:

This guide was edited by Courtney Schley and Ingrid Skjong.

Damian Lee, engineer at Ember and former engineer at Dyson and Shark, Zoom interview, January 31, 2023

Tom Gasko, vacuum cleaner collector and repair specialist and owner of Mid Missouri Vacuum, Zoom interview, February 1, 2023

James Brown, service specialist and museum curator at Mr. Vacuum Cleaner, Zoom interview, December 30, 2022

Sabine Heinlein

Sabine Heinlein is a staff writer at Wirecutter. Her work has previously been published by The New York Times, The Guardian, Psychology Today, and many other publications. When she is not following her dream of an immaculate home and a flood-proof basement, she is taking care of her menagerie and creating magical animal quilts.

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