Handheld Vacuums: Reviews

Updated February 2009

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Best cordless handheld vacuum

Black & Decker PHV1800 18 Volt Pivot Vac

The Black & Decker Pivot Vac is the top cordless vac in testing, and reviewers say it works well at picking up both fine and coarse debris. Owners say it's powerful and easy to use, and has enough battery runtime to clean… a set of stairs or the interior of a car. The Pivot Vac folds in half for storage and has a 10-position pivoting nozzle, an integrated extension nozzle and a three-stage filter. It also comes with an upholstery brush, a small crevice tool and a wall-mountable charging base. While it's on the pricey side for a hand vac, the two-year warranty is twice the industry standard.

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Expert & User Review Sources:

ConsumerReports.org: Consumer Reports recently updated the small vacuums ratings, comparing 11 hand vacuums, including the Black & Decker PHV1800. ...

Choice.com.au: Choice is the Australian counterpart of Consumer Reports. Its ratings are based on rigorous and consistent independent testing. ...

PopularMechanics.com: This short video by Popular Mechanics shows the Black & Decker 18 Volt Pivot Vac excelling at picking up both sifted flour and ...

Amazon.com: The Black & Decker 18 Volt Pivot Vac is a favorite on Amazon.com where it has nearly 200 owner-written reviews. The majority of ...

ConsumerGuide.com: The Black & Decker PHV1800 is one of five hand vacuums to get a "Best Buy" rating from ConsumerGuide.com's editors. Although this ...

Epinions.com: There aren't many reviews of the Black & Decker Pivot Vac on Epinions, but owners who have posted go into enough detail to make a ...

Target.com: Target has the fewest reviews of the Pivot Hand Vac. Here, too, owners are overwhelmingly positive in their assessments, calling ...

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Budget cordless vacuum

Shark Cordless Hand Vac SV736

*Est. $40 Compare Prices

At just over half the price of the Black & Decker Pivot Vac, the Shark SV736 beats it in one comparative test. While it doesn't get as many top ratings as the Pivot Vac, owners say the detachable motorized brush does a… good job on carpet and on digging up pet hair. Besides the motorized brush, the Shark handheld vacuum comes with a detachable and washable filter, an LED charging indicator and a crevice tool.

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Expert & User Review Sources:

The Wall Street Journal: In this informal review, five handheld vacuums are put to the test cleaning a "holiday" mixture of potato chip crumbs, wrapping ...

Amazon.com: With more than 100 owner-written reviews, there are enough ratings for the Shark SV736 to provide a good indication of how well ...

ConsumerGuide.com: ConsumerGuide.com's "Expert Review" goes into a fair amount of detail about the Shark SV736, giving it perfect scores across the ...

Epinions.com: Epinions has only a handful of reviews for the Shark SV736, but there's enough good information here to be worth a look. One long ...

Target.com: There are more reviews of the Shark SV736 on Target.com than on Epinions, but posts here are less detailed and not as informative.

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Corded hand vacuum

Bissell 33A1 Pet Hair Eraser

*Est. $35 Compare Prices

The Bissell Pet Hair Eraser gets mixed reviews for picking up pet hair. Owners say it's great, while one professional reviewer says removing pet hair is this unit's only downfall. While the Pet Hair Eraser isn't cordless,… it does have a 16-foot power cord, and you don't have to worry about a battery running down. The 4-pound Bissell hand vacuum is easy to use and does a great job picking up debris from carpet and hard surfaces, and reviews say it's also good at getting into corners and around edges. It comes with two nozzles and a washable HEPA filter that cuts down on emissions.

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Expert & User Review Sources:

ConsumerReports.org: Consumer Reports includes the Bissell Pet Hair Eraser in its testing of 11 hand vacs in this recent review. Consumer Reports ...

Amazon.com: More than 30 owners post reviews of their Bissell Pet Hair Eraser hand vacs here, the overwhelming majority praising it for its ...

Viewpoints.com: At Viewpoints.com, owners post reviews of products. There is only one review here for the Bissell Pet Hair Eraser, but it's a ...

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Dirt Devil KURV *Est. $50

2 picks including: Amazon.com, Target.com…

Dyson DC16 Root6 *Est. $150

2 picks including: Amazon.com, Apartment Therapy.com…

FilterStream DirtTamer Supreme V2400 *Est. $60

2 picks including: Amazon.com, Housekeeping Channel.com…


	Dirt Devil 0216CHL Kurv Cordless Handheld Vacuum Cleaner, Choco-Latte from Amazon.com New: $47.45 In Stock. Average Customer Review:


	Dyson DC16 Root 6 Handheld Vacuum Cleaner from Amazon.com New: $134.48 In Stock. Average Customer Review:


	FilterStream V2400 DirtTamer Supreme from Amazon.com New: $59.25 In Stock. Average Customer Review:

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