Her work has previously been published by The New York Times, The Guardian, Psychology Today, and many other publications. When she is not following her dream of an immaculate home and a flood-proof basement, she is taking care of her menagerie and creating magical animal quilts. The stylish charging base provides ultimate convenience for quick access, fast charging, and onboard accessory storage.
While it offers an easier way to mop floors, keep in mind that you’ll need to hold the power button down to trigger the vacuum function of this wet-dry vac. It’s also easy to spray cleaning solution onto your floor, thanks to a well-placed button on the handle, but you may also need to refill the solution often if you’re cleaning a larger space frequently. However, the light on the floor head allows you to see into the nooks and crannies of your home and catch debris hiding under furniture. Overall, this vacuum mop combination is an affordable and easy-to-use option for apartment dwellers or busy households that need a quick cleaning tool for daily use. We’ve tested over 130 vacuum cleaners, and below are our recommendations for the best portable vacuums with a handheld design to buy. These picks are selected based on their performance on different surfaces and their feature set, battery life, and price.
The only area where this model struggles is in removing fur clinging to car floor and trunk upholstery. Instead, we recommend the Uproot Cleaner Pro Reusable Cat Hair Remover for car trunks and floors. To test pet-hair pickup, we spread a handful of fur (from a local groomer) into a rug and then try to pick it up with each vacuum. If a model comes with an attachment that may improve pet-hair pickup, such as rubber nubs, or better yet, a motorized brush, we use it. If you need something simple for quick cleanups, this affordable cordless handheld vacuum will get the job done.
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 shark robotic vacuums 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.
The exhaust blows out a lot of air, too, which can dislodge some lighter debris. Handheld vacs lack the long battery life and large dust capacity of upright and cylinder vacuums, but they’re a top choice for smaller homes with pesky nooks and crannies aplenty. I will probably get one some day, but at the moment I haven’t felt the need. I have all wood floors in my house, so a broom and dustpan have been enough. I use my Shark to spot vacuum rugs, corners of rooms, furniture, counter and tabletops, and lots of other little random nooks that seem to collect dust now and again.
However, this compact size comes at the cost of a much smaller dirt compartment, and it lacks a miniature turbo brush tool. The Shark WANDVAC is decent for clearing away debris on high-pile carpet. While it struggles somewhat to clear fine and large debris, it can easily suck up pet hair.
Many also lack accessories, such as crevice tools and dust brushes. “Mini” handheld vacuums that weigh 2 pounds or less have recently emerged as a new category. Such models are smaller and lighter than all of our current picks and not as powerful.
It took a little over two hours before the LED indicator showed that it was charged fully. Over the next two weeks, we used it for various jobs around the house to understand its capabilities. We shark dustbuster paid close attention to its battery life and performance on both small and large debris. We also analyzed how easy it was to use in small spaces and attach and remove its various accessories.
If you’re shopping for a vacuum for pet hair, you’ve likely seen several options from Shark. Shark pet vacuums are popular thanks to their affordable prices and innovative features aimed at sucking up every single piece of fur in your home. We put those features to the test ourselves to find the best Shark vacuums for pet hair. If you don’t mind dancing around a cord, a plug-in option—which typically has more suction power—may be a good fit.