The Best Handheld Vacuums of 2020

Do you ever have spills at your home that are too small for a mop, but too big for a paper towel? Well, that's where the Black+Decker HNV215BW52 comes in.

Retailing for around $40, this mini wet-dry vac mastered both. During our dirt pickup test, it captured 60 percent of the dirt, placing it in the top half of our roundup. And it picked up water, too, so you won't have to go through a roll of paper towels. This was the lightest handheld we tested, tipping the scales at only 1.5 pounds.

So, why didn't it win? Well, its battery life was weak. It only ran for a total of 10 minutes, and we noticed a decline in suction at around the 8 minute mark. That might be fine for a small spill, but that's not nearly long enough for cleaning a car or any of the other more involved uses for a compact vacuum.

The Black+Decker CHV1410L is a great kitchen cleaner. Like the Pivot, its crevice tool and dusting brush are attached at the tip.

It only weighs 2.8 pounds, and can stand up while charging on your countertop. During our testing, the CHV1410L picked up 62 percent of the debris we left out for it—8 percent less than the Pivot. We say this model is good for light dusting and crumb cleanup, but it can't handle any heavy-duty work.

Like the Dyson V7, the Bissell MultiReach is based on a stick vacuum design. It also costs as much as the D7. While the D7 has 16 minutes of continuous maximum power and onboard lights to illuminate dark spaces, it also weighs more than the Dyson, and didn't clean as well in our tests.

We were able to fit the Dyson V7 in more places, too. For the same price, we think the V7 is a better handheld vacuum.

The pricey cordless Shark IonFlex 2X DuoClean converts from a stick vacuum. It can clean for up to 26 minutes with all the bells and whistles engaged, and comes with two removable, rechargeable batteries.

Unfortunately, as a hand vacuum, the IonFlex isn't very good. With a motorized brush head attached, it tips the scales at 7.7 pounds—so your hand will get tired long before the batteries run out. It also costs more than most stick vacuums we've tested, and its Pet Multi Tool doesn't have spinning brushes, powered or otherwise.

The IonFlex also comes with a large brush head that's normally found on full-sized vacuums—good for big messes, but not for the sort of spills you'll pick up with a hand vac.

The Bissell Pet Hair Eraser sits in the middle of all the performance rankings, and only costs $50. Its battery only lasted 14 minutes, and the motor started to fade at the 11-minute mark. With that power, the spinning brushes did fine with fur—but only picked up around 52 percent of all the dirt we laid out for it.

With a maximum weight of 3.3 pounds, you'll be able to tote the Pet Hair Easer around without fear of fatigue. Plus, every purchase means a donation to Bissell's pet rescue foundation.

The Shark Pet Perfect II has a lot in common with the Bissell Pet Hair Eraser. It has the same basic shape and tools. However it couldn't match its performance, picking up only 43 percent of the testing dirt. Its battery only lasted 11 minutes, and it also weighed 0.3 lbs. more than the Bissell.

Its major advantage is that it's a tad more compact, taking up two inches less space than the Pet Hair Eraser. Both are around $50, so it's a choice between more power or better maneuverability.

The Dirt Devil SD12000 is the only corded hand vacuum on our list. It retails for under $25, so we're willing to cut it some slack (pardon the pun). With its 20-foot cord, this Dirt Devil weighs in at 3.5 pounds. It picked up only 54 percent of the test dirt we put down, and it floundered when it came to getting crumbs off our test carpet.

Instead of picking up large debris, the whirling brushes flicked them aside. With no variable settings, there's no way to slow it down or turn off the brush—which is why we don't recommend it.