Top 10: Best handheld vacuum cleaners 2020

Your mother probably never trusted the idea of a handheld vacuum, instead preferring the solidity and faff of a wheeled monster that could never stray more than 30 feet from your front room. But modern motor and battery tech means at 21st Century handheld goes a lot further – here’s ten for a range of budgets.

1

Dirt Devil HandiMate 6V - £16.99

For a very modest £17 you can get this handheld from Dirt Devil, who know a thing or two about small vacuum cleaners. There’s a 400ml bin for your dust and a 10-minute run time from a charge for the 6V version, but there’s also a 7.2V wet/dry and 9.6V version for a few quid more that run for a little longer too.

2

Hoover Jive SJ72WD6A - £26.49

Unsurprisingly Hoover offer a stack of handheld vacuums, but one of the least expensive is this Jive model that’s currently on sale for £26. There’s a 7.2V motor for strong suction, ten minutes of running time and usefully both wet and dry abilities. It stores upright and has a flip-out nozzle for fine detail cleaning.

3

Russell Hobbs RHCHS1001 Turbo - £32.00

This Russell Hobbs vac is one of the cheapest we could find that is designed to work both as a compact handheld but also replace your old-school upright or pull-along vacuum. It does that by skipping the battery bit – this is a corded vacuum – but at 2.82kg it’s not so heavy that you couldn’t use it for both. Telescopic tubes and three head attachments mean it's equipped for all circumstances.

4

Vax H85-GA-B10 Gator - £39.99

Currently offered at a reduced price of £40, this Vax model has a 10V rating to give a slightly longer run time of 15 minutes, with a 300ml capacity and a modest weight of 1.24kg should make it easy to handle. It’s also another brand with plenty of experience in the field, which probably explains the two-year UK guarantee too.

Buy it now

Vax Gator Cordless Handheld Vacuum Cleaner | Lightweight, Quick Cleaning | Built-in Crevice Tool - H85-GA-B10, 0.3 Litre

£39.54
5

Bosch PAS 18 LI Cordless Handheld - £47.54

As wonderful as this Bosch handheld is, it comes with a fairly significant proviso – namely that it doesn’t come with a battery or charger. That’s because it’s part of Bosch’s ‘Power-4-All’ range that uses interchangeable batteries, so if you have another power tool from the same range you’ve already got everything you need. If you don’t, other options might be better unless you’re planning a Bosch splurge.

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6

Black & Decker 18V 2-in-1 Dustbuster - £69.99

Currently wearing a significant discount that drops it below the £70 mark, Black & Decker’s Dustbusters are well-known in the handheld segment to the point of almost being a generic term. This one ticks the handheld plus floor-use box thanks to the clip-on extension and it automatically adjusts the settings when you do so. 16 minutes runtime should also get you round a good chunk of the house.

7

Dyson V6TRIGGER - £156.99

Dyson’s first appearance here is with its V6 model which we tested late last year. You get lots of kit as standard, with the Dyson V6 supplied with a hard tool for cleaning floors, a brush for cleaning upholstery and a long plastic tube attachment for those harder to reach places. 20 minutes of cleaning time is promised, and the V6 motor is impressively powerful.

8

Gtech Multi MK2 K9 - £169.99

Gtech offers a range of handheld and upright vacuum cleaners al featuring cordless power, while this MK2 K9 model is designed specifically to deal with the challenge of pet hair. The key advantage amongst its rivals here is the running time, with Gtech claiming a mighty 40 minutes, by which time most users will need a sit down. An added bonus is that all the attachments are fitted to the body, so they are always with the main unit.

Buy it now

Gtech Multi MK2 K9 | Cordless Handheld Vacuum Cleaner | Reinforced with Aluminium | 22V Li-ion Battery | Powered Brush Bar

£199.99
9

Shark HV390UKT DuoClean - £195.00

Unlike most of the others here the Shark uses twin rotating brushes to lift dirt and debris rather than relying solely on suction, which should mean strong performance. It is a corded device that can operate either with a long extension for floors or without for close-up work, and there’s a Pet Power Brush designed specifically to lift pet hair.

10

Dyson V8 Absolute - £369.99

It’s not the most expensive handheld you can buy, but it is close enough. The Dyson V8 Absolute uses a more spunky motor compared to the less price V6 model, and the two power modes allow you to switch between 40 minutes of cleaning and 7 minutes of MAX cleaning, which should probably be used with caution. As well as a toolset designed for all occasions, the V8 switches to its full length for floor cleaning with a couple of clicks.

Buy it now

Dyson 214744-01 V8 Absolute Cordless Vacuum

£389.00

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