Cordless Hand Vacs

Battery-powered handheld vacuums are convenient

Cordless handheld vacuums are more popular with consumers and get top-rated more often than their corded counterparts. Reviewers say these hand vacs are powerful enough for quick spills, vehicle interiors and hard-to-reach spots, as well as fully portable and easy to use. The downside is that, in order to be lightweight enough, the batteries have fairly short run times: usually around 10 minutes, but in some cases even less. Still, most owners say cordless hand vacuums are a convenient choice and that they do well enough on the small jobs they're designed for.

Probably the most talked-about cordless hand vac comes from Dyson, a brand known primarily for its high-end bagless uprights. The Dyson DC16 range of handheld vacuums includes a basic cordless hand vac (*Est. $150) and the DC16 Animal (*Est. $200), which comes with a motorized brush for pet hair.

Professional reviews for the Dyson DC16 cordless hand vac are generally positive. But interestingly, the Dyson cordless vacuum's performance didn't get the very top marks in the test-based comparison reviews we found. Popular Mechanics' tests of the DC16 against the Dirt Devil KONE (*Est. $40) and the Black & Decker 18 Volt Pivot Vac (*Est. $70) rank its performance in between the two less expensive models. Testers say that while the Dyson hand vac did a great job in the sifted flour test, picking up the wet kitty litter was difficult and time-consuming. Other reviewers agree the Black & Decker 18 Volt Pivot Vac is the superior performer, as well.

The Dyson DC16's short battery life is the most common complaint in owner-written reviews. Users posting to Amazon.com say that the six-minute maximum run time is inadequate. Complaints about the Dyson DC16 hand vac aren't limited to battery issues. A number of owners find the 3.26-pound unit too heavy or say they find it tiring to have to hold down the power button during use (a complaint echoed in Wired magazine's test of the Dyson DC16). Wired.com and Amazon.com owners also report that if you are vacuuming at an angle, exhaust air blows right in your face.

Fans of the Dyson DC16 handheld vacuum say it's powerful and ergonomic and point out that a six-minute charge should be adequate since handheld cordless vacuums aren't intended for large clean-up jobs. Others say that the DC16 Animal does an excellent job of picking up even ground-in pet hair, something that few handhelds can manage. Still, at three times the price of most hand vacuums, many say the Dyson isn't worth the extra cost.

Black & Decker's PHV1800 18 Volt Pivot Vac (*Est. $70) is a more moderately priced vacuum that outperforms the Dyson DC16 in comparison reviews of cordless handheld vacuums. Testers for Popular Mechanics say that although the Pivot Vac was a few seconds slower than the DC16 to pick up the 32 ounces of flour, it was much more effective in the wet kitty litter test. That fact, combined with the lower price and longer battery life, convinced Popular Mechanics testers that the Pivot Vac deserves the top spot. User reviews of the PHV1800 are also excellent. Owners posting to Epinions.com, where the Black & Decker hand vacuum has a perfect overall score, say it's powerful, quick to empty and easy to use. A few users say it's a bit louder and heavier than they'd like. Nearly 200 owners posting to Amazon.com give the PHV1800 a high average rating of 4.5 out of five stars, with most of the reviews giving the handheld vacuum perfect scores. Owners report good suction and excellent all-around design. The Pivot Vac has a 10-postion pivoting nozzle and comes with an upholstery brush, a small crevice tool and a wall-mountable charging base.

Black & Decker also makes Dustbuster vacuums, which pretty much started the trend in handheld vacuums. However, the Dustbuster lineup has now changed, and we did not find reviews for the latest models. Good Housekeeping says they liked a Dustbuster model, but that review isn't dated, and editors don't say exactly which version of the Dustbuster they tested.

The Shark Cordless Hand Vac SV736 (*Est. $40) costs less than most cordless hand vacuums. This model is the top choice in The Wall Street Journal's hand vac review by Charles Passy, beating Dirt Devil's KURV, Dyson's DC16 and even Black & Decker's 18 Volt Pivot Vac. Besides its overall good performance, what wins it top placement is its motorized brush head, which Passy says does an excellent job on carpet. Owner reviews of the Shark don't match those of Black & Decker's top models, but they're still very good overall. Reviewers on Amazon.com, where the Shark vac gets four out of five stars in over 100 reviews, say it has a good battery run time and works well for small clean-up tasks, stairs and furniture as well as daily pet hair removal. Besides a handful of complaints about the Shark's durability, the only real gripe is that it doesn't slide into the charger as smoothly as a hand vac should.

The vase-shaped Dirt Devil KURV (*Est. $50) is a newer sculptural hand vac by the KONE's designer, Karim Rashid. Like the KONE, the KURV handheld vacuum comes in a range of metallic colors and does fairly well in a handful of owner-written reviews at Amazon.com. Here again, praise is mostly for its design and the fact that it's presentable enough to keep out of the broom closet; downsides include what some users say is mediocre power. At least one reviewer, though, says the KURV's design prevents it from blowing dust around rather than sucking it up, making it a significant improvement over the KONE. Other reviews are limited in number, however, leaving conclusions about the KURV's performance weak.

The FilterStream DirtTamer Supreme V2400 Wet/Dry Vac (*Est. $60) gets a rave review at HousekeepingChannel.com by Theresa Peterson, who cleans houses professionally. Peterson likes its long battery life, powerful suction and overall durability. The DirtTamer comes with a crevice tool, an upholstery tool and a squeegee attachment for wet pickups. It also features a HEPA filtration system. We found only a handful of owner reviews for this hand vac at Amazon.com, but most were positive. A few complained of short battery life after some months of owning the vac. The DirtTamer also gets the nod from Good Housekeeping, where it's plugged for its included HEPA filter, which should cut down on emissions. Despite some good consumer feedback on these FilterStream hand vacs, there are also some complaints about battery life over time. Still, if you suffer from allergies, the HEPA filter could help limit your exposure, and the ability to pick up wet debris could be a plus.

Stick/hand-vac combo

The Electrolux Ergorapido 2-in-1 Stick and Hand Vac (*Est. $100) is a unique combination vacuum well worth a mention here. It's a cordless stick vac with a hand vac embedded in the "stick" part, so that owners can use the hand vac by itself, or in the middle of a session of vacuuming with the stick vac, to get in tight spots.

The online magazine ApartmentTherapy.com recommends the Ergorapido in its review and testing. It works best on hard floors and low-pile carpeting, they say, but excels at picking up cat hair. The reviewer appreciates the niftiness of the onboard hand vac, and says the entire unit is well-built and rugged. Reviewer Gregory Han is careful to note that it's not a replacement for a full-sized vacuum, but a helpful addition, especially for households with pets. In about a dozen reviews at Amazon.com, owners concur, giving the Ergorapido a rating of 4.5 stars out of a possible five. Almost all the ratings are perfect, and the main complaint is from someone who had the hand vac break twice.

At Target.com, however, there are a bunch of one-star reviews for the Ergorapido. Although some mention product failure, most complain that it doesn't roll on carpet very well. The Ergorapido is included in one large comparison review, where testers agree that performance of the stick vac is poor on carpet and only marginally good on bare floors. The hand-vac part of this model, however, gets good scores, equaling the Black & Decker Pivot Vac. Although it's a neat concept, the reviews for the Electrolux Ergorapido are inconsistent; the hand vac gets much better reviews than the stick vac portion, and since reviewers say the stick vac doesn't work well on carpet, you might ultimately be better off buying a hand vacuum and a separate small upright.