Handheld Vacuum Review

Expert reviews focus on cordless handheld vacs

Handheld vacuums (which are currently available in cordless or corded varieties) can be handy for cleaning small messes and tight corners. Cordless hand vacs in particular can be extremely convenient for cleaning the interior of cars, but if you don't mind dealing with a cord, corded vacs are less expensive.

We found the most comprehensive review of hand vacs in ConsumerReports.org. Here, editors compare 12 hand vacuums. Tests are conducted on both carpet and hard floors. After evaluating ease-of-use, run time, recharge time, emissions, noise level and ability to clean along edges and pick up pet hair, editors recommend five models.

We also found excellent testing-based reviews from three publications outside of the United States: Australia's Choice magazine, New Zealand's Consumer magazine and Which? Magazine from the U.K. All three offer excellent reviews, but most of the tested models aren't available in the U.S., making these sources less helpful than the review in Consumer Reports.

Some older reviews are of mixed value. Popular Mechanics magazine editors compare three handheld vacuums (one product is now discontinued). We found the video format of this review to be very informative as it shows each vacuum sucking up 32 ounces of presifted flour and 12 ounces of wet kitty litter. An older review from The Wall Street Journal includes a less formal test of five hand vacs (two of which are now discontinued) using a "holiday dirt mix" of wrapping paper bits, potato chip crumbs and other debris. ConsumerGuide.com offers detailed reviews of eight handheld vacuums, but they aren't side-by-side comparisons and all are dated 2007 or older.

Numerous handheld vacs are also sold at Amazon.com, Walmart.com and Target.com, and owners have written insightful reviews about models they have purchased. Additionally, some owner-written reviews can be found at Epinions.com and Viewpoints.com; however, there are far fewer reviews per model at these websites.

Cordless vacuums with reported problems

Some products, while initially popular, have now been shown to be somewhat problematic. For example, the Dirt Devil Kone (*Est. $40) is a stylish, cone-shaped hand vac that has experienced problems in some expert reviews. A hand-vac test video from Popular Mechanics magazine shows the Kone blowing around more flour than it picks up and struggling to pick up any kitty litter at all. Another review reported problems with emissions and with the Kone blowing debris around rather than picking it up. Based on its tests of the Kone, ConsumerReports.org reported some of these problems to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. As a result, some models were found to have an undersized filter. The manufacturer now says this issue has been fixed.

We initially read positive reviews for the Electrolux Ergorapido 2-in-1 Stick and Hand Vac EL 1005, a unique cordless stick vac with a hand vac embedded in the stick part, but this model is currently not available due to a recall announced in March 2009. Electrolux voluntarily recalled 320,000 units of the Electrolux Ergorapido, Pronto and Precision 2-in-1 Stick and Hand Vacs. As of the recall date, there were 34 reported incidents of the battery expanding and bursting, which can cause injury or property damage.