The 5 Very Best Handheld Vacuum Cleaners

115AW | 40-minute run time | 5 detachable heads

We recently named the Dyson V8 the best cordless vacuum, so it’s perhaps no surprise that we consider it the best handheld vacuum, too. Compared with the upright Dysons, the V range is light enough to hold with one hand, but the detachable telescoping attachment makes it easy to get under cabinets and scooch the nozzle across skirting boards without having to bend down. It comes recommended by experts including professional organizer Sarah Dunn and Ann Lightfoot, co-founder of Done & Done Home, who said it easily hoovered up the baby powder her 5-year-old son enthusiastically scattered across the kitchen floor. Our U.K. sister site spoke highly of the less expensive V7, recommended by Swedish pop star Zara Larsson and Spice Girl Melanie C, but a side-by-side comparison convinced us the V8 is the best option. It’s better in the two areas we think are important for a handheld: suction power and battery life. The V8’s suction is 115AW, compared with the V7’s 100AW, and the battery is 30 percent longer, running for 40 minutes instead of the V7’s 30.

The V8 comes with five attachments, including a motorized brush bar to unearth dirt from carpets and rugs and a nylon-bristle soft brush head to dust surfaces. It’s one of the best-rated models on Dyson’s website, too — 91 percent of customers say they would recommend this to others, and it has an average rating of 4.6 out of five stars.

35AW | No run time listed 

While the Dyson was overwhelmingly the most popular handheld vacuum, it’s not cheap. We heard about Black + Decker’s handheld vacuums from several Strategist staffers and two cleaning professionals: Abe Navas, general manager of Emily’s Maids, and Max Appel, founder of Powerizer. It came so highly recommended that we included it here even though we couldn’t find a run time for it online.

Former Strategist writers Hilary Reid and Nikita Richardson vouched for the 16-volt version, a must-have for Richardson to tackle her cat’s hair. Both Navas and Strategist writer Lauren Ro use the 20-volt model at home. Since it’s a handheld, it has a lower air-watt number, yet it lives up to being small but mighty; Navas is drawn to its power and durability. Like other models listed here, it uses cyclone technology to spin dirt and debris away from the filter for long-lasting, strong suction, and the swivel head burrows into hard-to-reach spots.

No suction power listed | 12-minute run time

All the handheld vacuum cleaners are light enough to pick up with one hand, but you wouldn’t necessarily describe them as “slick.” This Bissell vacuum is notable for its compact, sleek shape — over 7,000 five-star reviewers appreciate the design. But it’s not a matter of style over substance: Reviewers say it “packs a punch” and has “great suction power.” Although it may not have the same capacity as a larger vacuum, this unit has the perfect amount of power to “pick up every particle,” according to another reviewer, who prefers it to a standard vacuum because it charges in less than three hours and doesn’t “pull up the whole pad or get corners caught in the open end.”

150AW | 60-minute run time | 6 detachable heads

The V11 Animal was named best overall on our list of vacuums for pet owners, but it’s frequently out of stock so we’ve chosen the cheaper V10 here (it still features the V11’s suction power and run time). This vacuum cleaner comes with six heads, including a tool meant for upholstery and a cleaner head that automatically clears the brush bar of fur. Rebecca Fadden, founder of dog-accessories brand Finn + Me, uses it to pick up after her hypoallergenic goldendoodle, which sheds clumps of hair; she alternates between attachments to move over carpets and couches. It’s also a favorite at the start-up clinic Bond Vet, where staff members rely on the vacuum for quick cleanups, according to co-founder and chief veterinary officer Zay Satchu. Beauty influencer Michaela Podolsky told us she uses her V10 to tidy up after her two shed-happy Rottweilers. With its soft brush head, the V10 keeps her hard floors in tip-top shape, she says.