Corded Handheld Vacuums

Corded hand vacuums have unlimited run time and cost less

Although reviewers tend to give cordless hand vacs top billing, experts say corded hand vacs have some advantages. For one thing, they don't run out of power. There's also the issue of durability; the battery itself tends to be the shortest-lived component of cordless hand vacs, accounting for more negative comments than any other feature. Finally, without the power limitations of battery-driven hand vacs, corded models often have a motorized brush that can be more effective at loosening dirt in carpet fibers or pet hair on upholstery.

The Bissell Pet Hair Eraser Corded Hand Vacuum (*Est. $30) is recommended by one consumer testing organization. Testers say it's easy to use and a top performer on carpet, bare floors and along floorboards. However, despite its name, it receives the lowest rating for removing pet hair on medium-pile carpet. Still, it receives mostly 4 and 5 stars from more than 100 reviewers at both Amazon.com and Walmart.com, who seem to mostly be using it to remove pet hair from upholstery. Owners say its included rubber tip has bristles that work well to get hair off of couches and other products like pet beds. This hand vac comes with a one-year warranty.

Although the Eureka Easy Clean Hand Vac 71B (*Est. $40), formerly named the Quick-Up, is not covered in expert reviews, it is another corded hand vac that receives many positive owner reviews. Like the Bissell Pet Hair Eraser, it has a stretch hose and crevice tool attachment that stores in the vacuum's base. The clear waste container makes it easy to see when the vacuum needs to be emptied, but the manufacturer says the reusable filter is not intended to be washed. Eureka backs this vacuum with a one-year limited warranty.

The Eureka Easy Clean Hand Vac 71B is also named the best overall handheld vacuum at Bestcovery.com, where writer Mariette Mifflin selects four handheld vacuums as best picks. Her choices appear to be based solely on owner-written reviews at sites like Amazon.com, rather than her own testing. The Eureka Easy Clean is top-rated by more than 400 owners at Amazon.com and another 65 at Walmart.com. Reviewers say the motorized brush does a great job of sucking up pet hair and the flip-up guard on the roller makes it easy to clean the vertical rise on stairs. However, a few owners note downsides saying it's too heavy, noisy and doesn't work well on curvy car seats.

Dirt Devil also makes several models of corded hand vacs with a stretch hose. But the Dirt Devil Power Reach (*Est. $45) receives poor reviews at Amazon.com and is probably one model you want to avoid. More than 40 owners give it only 1 star out of 5 because it lacks power and its revolving brush stops turning as soon as it touches carpet.

If cleaning waste containers and filters aren't your thing, the Dirt Devil Ultra Hand Vac (*Est. $30) is one of the few hand vacs that uses a bag. The brush on this model is motorized, rather than simply powered by air like the Ultra. It gets slightly better reviews at Amazon.com, but more than 20 owners complain of excessive noise and premature breakdown. Both models of Dirt Devil come with a three-year warranty on parts and motor.