The Best Hand Held Vacuums

It's small, but has a powerful suction, with a spin speed of 110,000 RPM (comparable to other bigger, more expensive Dyson models) and a crevice tool that made it easy to suck up crumbs in hard-to-reach places like in between seats and in upholstery crevices.

Our tester also used this Dyson to clean up foam from a bean bag chair, debris from their high-pile rug and carpeted steps, and even things that their upright vacuum can't handle, like a dental floss pick.

It's a steal at less than $100, it's lightweight; I like that the battery pack on its own needs to be charged (helps conserve space) and easily snaps (and unsnaps) to the device with latches; and it's compatible with other Ryobi tools.

The dust brush worked well for cleaning fabrics and effectively brushed up pet hair, and the crevice tool was small enough to fit between upholstery and hard-to-reach places in my car.

A motorized self-cleaning power brush sucks the hair back so it doesn't get wrapped around the brush (my biggest complaint with vacuuming pet hair).

It also has an extra-large capacity for pet hair, dander, and dust, and it has a button to easily (and cleanly) dispense the hair and debris from the XL dust cup.

Its trim design also makes it easier to tuck into a car's trunk to handle messes on the go, and it recharges via USB, so there's no need to find an outlet.

We were also impressed with this unit's suction, and with 15 minutes of run time, you should be able to do the whole car.

Weighing in at just over one pound, it's extremely lightweight and portable. And because it stands upright in its charging caddy (that also has a spot to stash its brush/crevice tool), storage is simple, too.

I loved this for easy clean-up in the kitchen while cooking!