Saturday 16 January 2016

Where And How To Buy The Best Handheld Vacuum Cleaner

Over the years, sales of handheld vacuums have drastically increased as more and more people are not only becoming aware of their convenience, but also impressed with the improvement in technology.
However, there are still too many people who still don’t know how to buy the best handheld vacuum cleaner due to being uninformed of the various aspects of a handheld vacuum.
With the rising amount of different brands and models available, it’s easy to be misled into buying something that doesn’t meet your standards. We’re here to keep you well informed so that you end up getting the best handheld vacuum cleaner for your needs.
You can see what we consider to be the best in Our Top 10 Best Handheld Vacuum Cleaners Comparison Chart.

How To Buy The Best Handheld Vacuum Cleaner


What is the main reason why you’re getting a handheld vacuum cleaner? Do you have pets that shed a lot of hair and need something does will do an effective job of cleaning it up? Do you want a vacuum that does a good job of cleaning inside of a vehicle? Or do you need a device that can easily clean stairs, carpet and upholstery?
Perhaps it’s all of them. Your reason will ultimately determine which handheld vacuum cleaner will fit your purpose. Though you have to bear in mind that many handheld vacuum cleaners are not designed to replace a full sized vacuum, but rather as an addition to it. Some of the most important factors you must take into consideration are stated below.

Design & Technology

Every handheld vacuum cleaner will offer something different than the next. Certain models are designed more for cleaning carpets and upholstery while others are more suited to hard floors.
There are some simple yet effective models, and there are models that incorporate sophisticated technology, as seen in many Dyson vacuums.
Think about whether the handheld vacuum is designed for your needs and if it’s worth paying the extra price for the additional technology.

Corded Or Cordless

Most people prefer the convenience of a cordless handheld vacuum cleaner, but are unaware of the benefits a corded one can provide. Although a cordless model is easier to take around, allowing you to clean anywhere without having to worry about kids tripping over a wire, there are certain weak points that may affect your decision.
Such factors include limited cleaning time, the suction power is sometimes not as strong as corded models and they’re often more expensive too.
On the other hand, a corded handheld vacuum cleaner can be used however long you want, great if you have long cleaning tasks, and they will provide you with consistent suction power to do a good cleaning job, not to mention the fact that they’re usually cheaper.
Decide a corded or cordless handheld vacuum cleaner will benefit you the most. You can read more in-depth about this in our articles on Corded VS Cordless Handheld Vacuum Cleaners.

What Battery To Get

If you’ve chosen a cordless handheld vacuum cleaner, then the next step is to make sure that you’re getting one that has a decent battery. A weak battery will seriously hinder the vacuums suction power, charge and run time, as well as lifespan.
It’s advisable that you go for cordless vacuums that adopt a Lithium Ion battery, since they’ve been proven to hold a charge for longer, they can hold more energy per volume and they do not lose energy memory during or after a charge.

What Attachments Are Included

Most handheld vacuum cleaners have attachments included and some models even have them built-in, while other models don’t have anything included at all.
If you want to thoroughly clean your home or vehicle, then you will need the right tools that will get into confined areas, corners and edges.
Commonly used tools are the crevice tool, brush, upholstery and pet cleaning tool and a stretch hose.

Where To Buy The Best Handheld Vacuum 

Cleaners

The cheapest option is often not the best option. Ideally, you would want a handheld vacuum cleaner that provides you with the best value for your money. Certain products have great features and benefits, but appear to be overpriced. Are you willing to pay more for something you will make use of?
You just have to make sure that when you make your purchase, the online or offline seller that you purchase from will honor the warranty period set out by the manufacturers.

Buying Direct From Manufacturers

One way of getting a handheld vacuum cleaner from a reliable source is to purchase directly from the manufacturer’s website. Many of the major brands such as Black & Decker and Dyson have an online presence these days, and they usually provided demo videos and FAQs on their websites.
Buying directly from manufacturers give consumers a sense of security that many chain stores and second hand stores cannot. However, manufacturers usually sell their products at the MSRP, meaning that you won’t get the best price.
More often than not, online retailers such as Amazon have better prices due to their great offers and discounts.

Buying From Reputed Retailers

Since the big retailers buy stock in huge bulk quantities, they’re able to provide discounts and good deals, thus passing their savings onto their customers.
Amazon is the largest and most well-known online retailer, and one of the largest retailers in the world. They constantly have excellent promotional deals and offer a huge product selection from a large number of third-party retailers, as well as their own store.
In our opinion, Amazon.com offers the most competitive prices, has superb customer service and provides the best online shopping experience.
Remember that it’s always a good idea to check online reviews and feedback from real life customers before you make your purchase. Their shared experiences can also help you decide on what the best handheld vacuum cleaner is for you.

What Is The Best Handheld Vacuum For A Car?

There are certain handheld vacuums that are specifically designed to clean the interior of a car effectively. While you can indeed use any handheld vacuum, these incorporate the right tools and suction power to do a good job.
Before you make you make your decision, we explain to you below the things you need to take into consideration when choosing the best handheld vacuum for a car.

What You Need To Consider
How Powerful Is It?
The handheld vacuum you will be using to clean your car needs to be powerful enough to be able to easily pick up debris and get rid of ground-in tough dirt.
The amps or voltage has no bearing on how powerful the handheld vacuum is. Instead, you can determine its effectiveness by its suction power combined with the type of tools it uses.
You should also look out for a model that provides consistent suction power without fading. Many cordless handheld vacuums suction power begins to fade when the battery level is declining. You won’t have this problem with corded models since they are being powered constantly.
How Is It Powered?
Another important factor is how is the handheld vacuum powered. Is it corded or cordless? Does it have a car charger?
It the event that it’s cordless, you need to ensure that it has a good running time to do a proper job and is powerful enough at the same time. A cordless handheld vacuum that excels in both are usually more expensive than similar specs corded models.
A corded model powered by AC holds more advantages as they tend to provide better and more consistent suction power, and also there’s no time limit on your cleaning time. Although they do need to be plugged in, the power cord is usually long enough (between 16-25 feet) to reach from inside your home to your car.
If it’s powered directly by the car by using the cigarette input, you’ll find that it’s not as powerful as an AC powered model, but provides more convenience as you can clean however long you want. These models are usually ideal just for doing small tasks such as picking up small debris.
Does It Come With The Right Attachments?
Many handheld vacuums that are designed for car use include attachments that will make cleaning a car more effective, such as getting into confined areas.
These attachments typically consists of a stretch hose, a crevice tool and a brush. They will all come in handy one time or another, so it’s a good idea to have a variety of different attachments.

What We Recommend

There are several handheld vacuum cleaners for cars that do a better job than others. We’ve chosen two, a corded and cordless model that we and many other users, believe to provide the best value to car owners.
Most Versatile Corded Handheld Vacuum For Car


In terms of versatility and effectiveness, the Carrand 94005AS Auto-Vac  is the highest on our list and one of the highest rated handheld vacuums for cars onAmazon. It has an impressive 550 watts of cleaning power which is more than enough to suck up large debris.
However, it wouldn’t be so good without the multiple attachments it comes with. These include a dash and console brush, a carpet and upholstery tool, a squeegee and a 40 inch hose that can be rotated 360 degrees at its elbow.
All attachments can be neatly stored at the back of the unit so you won’t mistakenly misplace anything. We and many other users believe the Carrand 94005AS Auto-Vac to currently be one of the best, if not the best vacuum to clean your car.

Best Value Cordless Handheld Vacuum For Car


One of the more recent models of Black & Decker’s DustBuster range is the CWV1408 which is compact, lightweight and can vacuum both wet and dry waste. It’s powered by a 14.4 volt NiCad battery which provides good suction power that has proven to be consistent and efficient in vacuuming.
To help with your cleaning, it includes two good quality attachments – An upholstery brush and a squeegee tool that helps to clean up liquids. What’s even better is that it also comes with a wall mountable charging station that gives you that added convenience.

Lowest Priced Corded Handheld Vacuum For Car


Our next choice is the Dirt Devil Scorpion  simply because it’s a simple, clever and effective design. It’s very compact and lightweight at 3.45lbs, which makes it easy to be maneuvered around in your vehicle.
It has an adequate 16 foot long cord which powers a powerful 7 amp motor. It includes a host of attachments including a 2.5 foot hose, a dusting and upholstery brush, and an ingenious built-in quick-flip crevice tool which channels the suction to tight corners and edges.

Eureka RapidClean 41A Corded Handheld Vacuum Review

Consumer Reports have voted it as being the best in its class (corded vs. battery powered), but does the Eureka 41A RapidClean improve on its older highly rated model the 71B EasyClean?
Both share strikingly similar designs, with the main noticeable difference being the front head and color. The RapidClean 41A is the newer and slightly more powerful model. Like the 71B, the 41A is being marketed as a step vacuum for staircases, with the ability to also clean hard floors.
Released only earlier this year of 2013, it has already become another favorite for consumers of corded handheld vacuums, and one that is highly rated on Amazon.

Highlight Benefits

tickDeep Clean Carpets & Stairs: Incorporates a motorized brushroll powered by 6 amps, which proves to be very effective on carpets and area rugs.
tick
Switch Between Soft & Hard Surfaces: The on/off brushroll switch allows you to effortlessly switch between deep cleaning carpets and stairs, to cleaning hard surfaces.
tick
Easily Clean Hard Floors & Non-Carpeted Stairs: The bare floor brush can be flipped down to effectively clean a variety of hard surfaces.
tickWill Not Damage Hard Surfaces: Its easy roll wheels are soft, therefore they will not scratch or nick hard floors.
tickVery Long Reach: A 25 foot long cord with an attached 3 foot hose gives a combined 28 foot total reach, the longest for handheld vacuums.
tickNeat Storage: The hose and cord neatly wraps around the base, while the crevice tool is stored at the back.

User Experiences

The people that know best about the product are those who have actually purchased and tested it out over a period of time. We have researched over 50 positive and negative user reviews from early 2013 on Amazon to provide you with a general consensus of their experiences with the Eureka RapidClean 41A.

Design & Attachments


The RapidClean 41A sports a black design with an on/off brushroll and barefloor brush, in comparison with the EasyClean 71B’s revolving brush. Both are effective at what they do, but some users have pointed out a minor flaw in the 41A (read below).When you compare both the 71B and 41A side-by-side, the most obvious differences are the color and the front head. The body, dirt container and stretch hose with the crevice tool holder remain the same.
Less visibly noticeable differences are the two rolling wheels incorporated beneath the 41A to make it easier to drive the device around. The cord is longer at 25 feet (instead of 20 feet), enabling you to clean an entire staircase or your car interior in the driveway, without unplugging. There’s also a specific area at the back for the cord to wrap around (providing just enough space).
Weighing in at 6lbs, it’s around 1.2lbs heavier than the 71B, and the added weight seems to be the biggest complaint, as some users find it the device to strain their arms after a while of cleaning. Most users find this to be a minor issue because the weight is justified by its sturdiness and extra power.
The Front Head
The 41A RapidClean incorporates a bare floor brush which is designed for cleaning hard floors, and users have found it to be extremely effective, especially on hardwood floors since the bristles uproot ground-in dirt and the powerful suction sucks it up. It will pick up hair which can get stuck between the bristles (not uncommon for vacuums) so it should be cleaned regularly.

However, several users have pointed out a minor flaw when using the brushroll. When it’s being using on horizontal surfaces, the bristles on the beater brush stick out about one inch to the front. This means that when you get to the wall of each stair step, or a chair, there’s a small amount of area that cannot be cleaned if you were to roll forward. You would have to turn the vacuum sideways in order to cover that particular area. This wasn’t pointed out as a major issue, but rather a small inconvenience for some users.When it’s time to clean soft surfaces, the bare floor brush can be flipped up and locked into place to reveal the motorized brush roll which can be turned on or off. Once again, users have had great success cleaning the stairs, couches and chairs. It also does a great job of removing pet hair off carpets and upholstery.

Suction Power

Nearly all users expressed their amazement at how powerful the 41A RapidClean is. Though it’s noisier, with a number of users finding it far too loud, it packs more suction power than the 71B, which can be attributed to the extra 0.5 amps of power added on.
One user was able to suck out dust from his car vents, and also dust from computer components within the base unit. And the double filtration system prevents any smell of dust from escaping during vacuuming.

Ease Of Cleaning

With not much space within the dirt container, it has to be emptied regularly. Fortunately, the clear cover shows how much dirt and dust has been gathered. Most users have not experienced any problems with the taking out and emptying the dirt container.
However, there have been some confusion with whether the filter is washable or not. Amazon’s website states that it is, but the response from Eureka Customer Services is that they do not recommend allowing the filter to get wet. This is a bit inconvenient as the filters for most other handheld vacuums can be rinsed under water.
It shares a very similar filter to the previous model 71B, and uses the same fitting (so essentially they both can use same replacement filter). That filter can be washed so it’s a bit strange that the 41A’s filter cannot. Nevertheless, one user has insisted that you can and should wash the filter as long as it’s dried out properly. She had been doing it for years with no problems.

Dirt Devil Scorpion Corded Handheld Vacuum Review

Many users consider it to be simply brilliant because the Dirt Devil Scorpion adopts a basic yet very clever mechanism called the Quick-Flip crevice tool. With this feature, cleaning dirt, debris and spills in corners, edges and small openings has never been easier.
It’s designed for quick clean ups, and quick it is indeed thanks to its lightweight and convenient design. It’s also very inexpensive and provides much value for money. That’s why many consumers have chosen this device for a variety of minor cleaning tasks.
Average User Rating

Carrand 94005AS Auto-Vac Corded Handheld Vacuum Review

If you want to give your vehicle interior a thorough clean without too much stress, the Carrand 94005AS Auto-Vac Handheld Vacuum is a glaringly obvious choice. Unlike most handheld vacuums for cars, this device has a variety of tools to help you access all areas, clean the dash, blow dirt and liquid away and get rid of pet hair.
Its ability to make a multitude of cleaning tasks easy is the driving factor in its high ratings among consumers who are fortunate enough to find out about this product before purchasing a less capable model. Those who do own it have unanimously said that it’s one of their best purchases.

Highlight Benefits

tickConsistent Suction Power: Provides a powerful 550 watts of consistent cleaning power via a corded AC.
tickAbility To Blow: It has an extremely useful blow feature to move liquid and debris out of areas that are difficult to reach.
tickFlexible Hose For Easy Reach: You can easily clean any area of your vehicle with the 40 inch hose that can also rotate 360 degrees at the elbow, providing you with maximum flexibility.
tickWill Not Damage Surface: The hose crevice attachment and squeegee tool have rubber ends so you won’t accidentally scratch the surface.
tickEasy Storage: All attachments can easily be stored at the back of the unit, so they’re not easily misplaced.

What Customers Are Saying



The large majority of reviews on Amazon for the Carrand 94005AS Auto-Vac is positive.

Video Demo

Watch the quick video demonstration of the Carrand 94005AS Auto-Vac below.

Specifications


Carrand 94005AS
Average User Rating
Cleaning Power
550 watts
Cord Length
12 ft.
Car Charger
Filter Type
Standard
Washable Filter
Accessories 
Attachments
+ 40" Hose
+ Crevice Tool
+ Carpet / Upholstery Tool
+ Console Brush
+ Dash Brush
Bagless
Dimensions 
(inches)
15.1 x 10.4 x 8.1
Weight 
(pounds)
5.9
Warranty
1 Year

Perfect Match For You If…

  • You want a handheld vacuum specifically designed for thoroughly cleaning a vehicle’s interior.
You’ll be hard pressed to hard to find another handheld vacuum that can do a cleaning job of a car interior more effectively than the Carrand 94005AS Auto-Vac. That’s ultimately its main purpose and nothing else, plus it offers what we believe to be a very reasonable price, which is why many consumers have made it their number one and often only choice when it comes to cleaning inside a vehicle.

Black & Decker Pivot PHV1810 Review

Thanks to it being one of the bestselling and most popular handheld vacuums, the Black and Decker Pivot PHV1810 has become a permanent fixture in Black & Decker’s range of hand vacs.
This means that the PHV1810 is continually updated and in my review, I’ll be looking in-depth on just how good the latest model is compared to some of the more recent handheld vacuums.

Benefits Highlights

tickExcellent Suction Power – From the original right through to the latest model, the PHV1810 has always maintained great suction power at 35 air watts, which is much better than the majority of other hand vacs around its price range.
tickInnovative Pivot Movement – If you hadn’t already noticed, it has a front nozzle which pivots just over 180 degrees which allows you to conveniently reach awkward places such as above wardrobes, and it also folds in half for compact storage.
tickLarge Dirt Canister – It has a 0.5 liter translucent dirt canister which is larger than many other hand vacs. This means that you can see when it needs emptying but you also don’t have to empty it as often.
tickExcellent Value For Money – The reason why the Pivot PHV1810 is such a good seller is because it has great specifications relative to its price point. It’s very difficult for other handheld vacuums to compete.
tick2 Year Warranty – Another reason to be impressed is the fact that there’s a two year warranty on it which covers manufacturing faults.

User Reviews

The Black & Decker Pivot PHV1810 is a very popular handheld cordless vacuum with over 1500 user reviews. It’s safe to say that it has been thoroughly tested by people that matter the most, real life customers. We have researched over 50 positive and negative user reviews on Amazon to provide you with the good and bad points of their experiences with this hand vac.

Suction Power

I’ve got to admit, it’s surprising to see a low priced handheld vacuum with as much power as the Pivot PHV1810. Its 35 air watts is equal to that of its premium counterpart, the Pivot BDH2000PL, but this is appears to be a bit quieter. They both have the Cyclonic Action Technology integrated which makes dirt spin away from the filter in order to maintain the suction power of the vacuum.
However, the difference between this and the BDH2000PL is that although the suction power is more or less the same for both models, the suction power for the PHV1810 fades away as the battery begins to drain.

Battery Performance

The Pivot PHV1810 houses an 18 volt NiCad battery which is largely responsible for its impressive suction power. Run time is around 15 minutes on average. Not amazing but quite typical for most hand vacs.
But the disappointing aspect of this is that most users have found that its suction power fades around the half way mark and continues to slowly diminish until the battery is completely drained.
On a side note, if you want a NiCad battery to last longer, it may help to fully discharge the battery once every 1-3 months and as a result, it should last around 3 times longer on average.


Design & Attachments
Being such a clever and convenient design has made quick vacuuming tasks much easier. The nozzle rotates around the center point allows it to be maneuvered into a position where cleaning the tops of high furniture is easy, as well as folding it and storing it away.
For a further reach, it has a slide-out crevice tool built into the front of the nozzle which extends out at around 4 inches. This is real handy for smaller object in tight areas. Also integrated underneath the nozzle is a flip-up brush designed for dusting, though many users don’t find much use for this brush.
It would’ve been much better if there was a charging dock included, but at this price point, certain sacrifices have to be made. Some users have complained about dirt occasionally falling out of the chute when the vac is turned off. This can be annoying but it’s a problem that Black & Decker noticed and rectified in the Pivot BDH2000PL model. Of course, this wouldn’t be a problem if you emptied the canister after each use.

Ease Of Cleaning

The good news is that the dirt canister is 0.5 liters, a good size which is better than most other handheld vacuums. The cover is also translucent so you can see when it needs emptying. There are some issues however when it comes to cleaning the unit.
Firstly, the hinge for the canister is plastic and can break if too much force is exerted when opening the cover. This is a minor problem but something to bear in mind. Secondly, in order to remove the filter to clean, you need to remove the entire chute to get to it. It’s a bit more work but not exactly rocket science.