Others serve as “snack vacs,” allowing for the quick pickup of spilled cereals and countertop crumbs. The Shark NV360 Navigator Lift-Away Deluxe Upright Vacuum blew us away with its performance, earning it high marks and the upright spot among other models. While this pick still has fewer vacuum features than others from Shark, the lift-away pod is a favorite among our testers and powerful suction will make it a go-to in any home. We gave it the highest possible marks for its simple setup—assembled and ready for use in less than five minutes. We found it difficult to move around on high-pile carpets and slightly docked its maneuverability rating for this reason, but we did note that the vacuum is not too heavy overall. If you’re looking for the powerful suction of an upright vacuum but the convenience of a cordless stick vacuum, this is the one for you.
When it comes to cleaning awkward spaces, a trusty handheld vacuum is a must-have. These compact machines make light work of sofas and car interiors, while their cordless design makes them easy to grab for emergency pre-hosting touch-ups. Some even suck up liquid spills, meaning no more crying over spilt milk. But if you want the option of cleaning up wet spills as well as dry (we’re looking at you, parents), the Dirt Devil QuickFlip Wet/Dry Hand Vacuum is an excellent choice.
The large 15-ounce bowl empties easily and both the bowl and filter can be washed in the sink. All parts that you can clean with water should be left to dry for at least 24 hours before putting them back in the vacuum. Sign up here to receive the BestReviews weekly newsletter for useful advice on new products and noteworthy deals. Today, we have millions of users a month from around the world, and assess more than 1,000 products a year. Item prices do not include fees for pickup, shipping or delivery (if applicable) unless noted in the item description. Item prices may vary between online (for pickup, shipping or delivery) and in club.
The Wandvac is great for cleaning loose debris out of the narrow slot of a sliding window, quickly and easily sucking up all of the oats. It also has a decent reach, cleaning 13″ into a 3″ tall slot, which is quite far for these products, and 4″ into a 1.25″ space. It struggled a bit more at removing crushed-up oats from the same type of carpet or a couch cushion. The Wandvac kept sucking down to the couch cushion and left plenty of oat fragments and dust behind. It also left plenty of oats behind on the carpet, even flinging some to the side while cleaning, creating a bigger mess.
We were also disappointed at how pet hair gets stuck on the bottom of the pet tool and doesn’t get sucked up. It works well on every surface but runs out in 15 minutes – not quite enough time to clean a big car. The upholstery brush on the 2-in-1 nozzle needs clicking into place every now and again and the main handle vibrates a little uncomfortably. shark robotic vacuums Its useful accessories make vacuuming easy; there’s an extension hose for reaching into awkward spaces and a pet tool to make your fluffball’s fur disappear. Built-in LED lights make it easier to spot debris and dust in awkward spots and the battery lasted 20 minutes, even on max power, which was ample time to clean a car.
We can’t say if the WV200 series performs similarly due to its differently configured combination tool. Small, powerful and convenient, the Shark WV251UK is a useful grab-and-go cleaner. Thanks to its selection of attachments, it can clean up most spills with the ease and power of a larger vacuum cleaner. I measured the noise of the Shark Cordless Handheld Vacuum Cleaner (Twin Battery) WV251UK at 82.3dB, which is loud for a vacuum cleaner – but in line with other handheld models.