The Best Handheld Vacuums

This lightweight, 3-pound hand vacuum is specially designed to target pet hair and does exactly that. A powerful motorized brush attachment lifts pet hair from a myriad of surfaces, including fur embedded in fabric and carpet; a super-skinny crevice tool sucks debris from in between cushions; and a flat, wide attachment works well for surface upholstery vacuuming. Like most other handheld vacs, you press a button on the top to disconnect the bin, and the filter sits on top to easily lift out and clean.

In the first go, which lasted about 15 minutes before running out of juice, I was able to pick up over three canisters filled with just dust and hair. The only issue I have with this is that the crevice tool would often get stuck in the vacuum attachment connector, and it took a lot of muscle to pull it out to change attachments.

Though it's very similar to our other Ryobi pick, this model has a mini motorized beater bar that’s excellent for hair, a crevice tool, a dust brush, and LEDs for increased visibility while cleaning. (See? Powerhorse.) Like the other Ryobi model, it sits on a rechargeable 18-volt battery with a charging indicator light and easily attaches and detaches to the end for less bulky charging. As an added bonus, the battery is compatible with other Ryobi tools.

The crevice tool worked great for hard-to-reach places and the brush was gentle enough to brush and vac debris (it worked excellently on my air vents). The mini motorized beater bar packs a lot of power and the head pivots to keep extra close to various surfaces and angles. The cover of the beater bar can be opened with a small slotted tool (I used a coin), and the brush slips out for even easier cleaning. I used the vacuum on concrete to suck up cat litter, fabrics with pet hair, carpet with pine needles, and even tough items like wood chips were sucked up without issue.

The Worx 20V Cordless Cube Vac is my favorite vacuum I’ve tried for cleaning the car. The handle and hose design make it easy to hold the body of the vacuum in one hand, with your thumb over the power button to control it, while using the hose in your other hand to reach all the tiny crevices in the car. For me, that’s every crevice around my son’s car seat and the ground of the seat in front of it. You could also easily place it inside the car and vacuum around with the hose, too, which can extend up to three feet. The base of the vacuum also has two spots for its two attachments, a crevice nozzle and brush attachment, so you can easily add on an attachment and then store it away without having to walk away from your car cleaning session.

While it has a fun square base, it doesn’t have a massive dustbin, though I found it plenty to vacuum a sedan car full of sand. The battery life also promises only 10 to 25 minutes of range, depending on whether you’re using the high or low-speed setting, but again, I found this more than enough for two car vacuuming sessions in a sedan. —Nena Farrell

Basically a Swiss Army knife, this vac can deflate and inflate, and it has an air duster to tackle dust and debris (on top of its vacuuming power). The nearly dozen included attachments simply stick into the opening. The small vacuum is insanely light at 0.85 pounds, has two modes (eco and turbo) controlled by pressing a button, and comes in a compact carrying case for its attachments (including two different chargers and replacement filters). As another bonus, it was surprisingly simple to twist out the filter to empty and clean.

I liked the air dust feature, and the inflate/deflate would be very convenient for something like a camping trip because the device is so small and lightweight, but it generally was not super quick to inflate or deflate. For the vacuum, it has a wider floor and carpet attachment and a long suction crevice tool with an attachable brush. I didn't think the carpet attachment was as powerful as some on the list, but the longer attachment has become my go-to for sucking up cat litter in crevices and cleaning fur and dust from blinds, fan slits, and the like.

Made for pets, the Shark is great to use for all kinds of things in a household with a cat and a toddler: spilled Cheerios or kibble, scattered litter, various dirt in the car, drywall dust after installing a new curtain rod; the list goes on. It’s powerful and works well for everything I’ve tried it for. The only downside is how short the battery life is, but I’ve still managed to vacuum small messes several times throughout the week before needing to charge it again. —Nena Farrell

I'm generally not a fan of corded vacs due to distance constraints, but this is one of the most powerful vacuums on our list. If mobility is not an issue and you want powerful suction, look no further. This handheld vacuum is a bit heavier and louder than our other picks, but it comes with tons of attachments, including a 24-foot hose for a further reach and multiple brush heads that really help to pick up hair and debris. Because it has the power of constant corded electricity, it packs a punch and was able to suck up embedded fur in the carpet that others I've tested struggled to. It also has two filters: a washable dust cup filter for larger debris, and a foam exhaust filter for finer particulates. This compact vacuum can hold a lot of debris and tackles multiple types of messes with ease.

This lightweight (1.77-pound) portable handheld vacuum has a grippy, luxe matte finish and comes in two colorways, emerald green and dark blue. It comes in a convenient zipped carrying case with a handle for easier carrying, inside cutouts for each attachment to fit snugly, and a stretchy mesh enclosure on the inside of the lid. It uses a 47,000-rpm motor for 6,000-Pa suction power and comes with a long, narrow nozzle attachment for crevices and a shorter brush for dust and debris.

To use, you just need to place the mini, washable HEPA cup filter in the dust bin and twist to lock into place. It works with a press of the single button. I really appreciated how light this handheld vacuum is, and the carrying case makes it convenient to tote around. Another huge plus is that it uses a USB-C charger instead of a proprietary model, so it'd be super convenient to keep the zipped carrying case in your car for spills and be able to recharge with the same charger you use for your phone while in the car. It worked well for its size, although the small dust cup needs to be emptied quite often. It also runs for only 15 minutes on a charge and takes over two hours to charge after use.

A lot of handheld vacuums I test are marketed for the car, and it's no surprise—this lightweight vac (less than a pound) has a convenient carrying case with a handle that can easily slide under a car seat or in the trunk. It has various attachments for vacuuming, including a 2-in-1 grooming brush that's ideal for pet hair and crumbs on soft surfaces (like car seats), a pointed crevice nozzle to get into cup holders and between cushions, and an angled, short dust cup nozzle for flat surfaces like a dash or floorboard. Plus, it has an air nozzle to blow dust from vents and a swim ring nozzle to inflate while on the go—ideal for inflating air mattresses or pool floaties on a camping trip.

It uses a 10.8-volt lithium battery and has just a power button and a boost mode button. It charges using a USB-C adapter (a universal charger often used with phones, making it ideal for the car), and fully charged for me in a little over an hour. The waste canister has two dust cups; the outside one is metal mesh, and the inside one is a folded, high-density paper filter (it also comes with an extra filter). Each part screws in place, including the nozzle attachments. I found that the waste dust cup section was a little difficult to unscrew at times, and I often accidentally hit the power button while trying to disengage the parts. Overall, though, this is a solid choice if you want a convenient multi-tool vacuum that's ideal for taking on the go.