BLACK+DECKER dustbuster 20V Hand Vacuum Cordless Rechargeable, Car Vacuum Portable, Powerful Suction AdvancedClean Hand Vac with Extendible Crevice Tool, Flip-Up Brush and Charging Base (BDH2000L)

Why it's worth it

The dustbuster is a straightforward suction handheld with a nozzle that rotates and a crevice tool that extends, so it reaches door pockets and the space under a seat. There's no powered brush, which caps what it does on fabric, but it's the one you'll actually pick up for a two-minute pass.

This is the vacuum for the mess that isn't fur. Beach sand, crushed crackers wedged in a car seat, the grit that collects in a door pocket — it handles all of it without fuss. The nozzle rotates and locks at an angle, so you can run it along a door sill or under a seat without bending your wrist into a shape it doesn't like.

The charging base matters more than it sounds like it should. A handheld you have to dig out and plug in gets used once a month. One that sits on a dock by the garage door gets used the moment you notice something. The 20V battery holds a charge on the base, and the flip-up brush and extendable crevice tool stay attached, so there's nothing to hunt for first.

From our review of 5 handheld vacuums for car and pet hair, by David Sinclair, Managing Editor

What we like

• +This is the vacuum for the mess that isn't fur
• +The charging base matters more than it sounds like it should
• +People tend to buy these more than once, often keeping one in the garage and another in the house, and the theme in their…

What to know

• –There's no motorized brush roll, and that ceiling is hard
• –It's loud even by vacuum standards, and owners of older units describe the motor picking up a squeal over time