Consumer Reports' Highest-Rated Handheld Vacuum Is Inexpensive And Powerful

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If you're constantly dragging your vacuum out of the closet to clean up small spills or remove piles of pet hair from your furniture, it might be time to invest in a handheld model. Although these compact appliances aren't as powerful as regular vacuums, they come in handy for quick jobs around the house, in the car, and in tight spaces. That said, there are quite a few on the market these days — so if you need help picking the right one, you might want to check out Consumer Reports' ranking of the five best handheld vacuums. Among almost 30 products, one came out on top: the Shark WandVac WV201, which costs $130.

To determine its rankings, Consumer Reports looks at how well each vacuum performs in different scenarios. For example, in one of its tests, the team scatters Cheerios around and calculates how long it takes the vacuum to suck them up. Evaluators also consider factors like the vacuum's noise level, battery life, and how well it picks up pet hair. Aside from the Shark product, two other brands had vacuums in the top five. Three were made by Black+Decker, while the other one is sold by Dyson.

So, what helped the Shark WandVac WV201 take the top spot? According to Consumer Reports, it's excellent at picking up pet hair and performs well on bare floors and hard-to-reach areas. It does a good job at cleaning carpet, too. In addition, this Shark product is one of the lightest handheld vacuums the team tested, which makes it easy to use and move around.

On Amazon, most shoppers seem to be happy with this product, based on its average rating of 4.2 out of 5 stars (from more than 20,000 reviews). One person said, "The WandVac is so handy for small messes. It sits on its dock within easy reach, so instead of pulling out the full-size vacuum for crumbs or a little spill, I just grab it, clean up, and put it back." Other reviewers appreciated its compact size and liked that it was easy to use. Whether you're hoping to keep your car tidy or say goodbye to dust with one of these highly rated tools, you should be able to get the job done with this handy little appliance.

Interestingly, on Shark's website, the vacuum only has a 3.7-star rating out of almost 500 reviews. One common theme among the negative reviews is complaints about how quickly the battery dies. Others also noted that the vacuum quit working not long after they bought it.

In its review, Consumer Reports pointed out that you can't swap out the battery on this model. That means if the battery dies, you'll have to buy an entirely new vacuum. So, if you want to extend your vacuum cleaner's lifespan, it might be better to invest in a model with a replaceable battery. In that case, per Consumer Reports, the Shark PowerBoost BH102 would be a decent option; like the WV201, it works well on pet hair, and it has a longer runtime. On the flip side, it's louder than the WV201.