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Which Handheld Vacuum Brand Wins?
A head-to-head test of 14 handheld vacuum options with the measured results for each. See how they ranked and watch the full test video.
Ranked first
Black & Decker Dustbuster Quick Clean
Price shown in test: $29
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The measured results
Every number below is read straight from the test. Scroll sideways to see all measurements. Products are listed in the order they finished.
| Product | Weight | Noise_d B | Suction_in Water | Air Speed | Nut Test | Sand Crevice | Sand Retention | Flour Mat Test | Made In | Air Watts | Run Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Black & Decker Dustbuster Quick Clean$29 | 1.45 lb | 90.1 dB | 14 in of water (3.5 kPa) | 15.62 mph, 31.01 CFM | struggled to pick up smallest nut, finally lifted it but could not lift the second nut (4.7 g) | 2 g of sand left in crevice after 2 minute test (very good) | performed very well, did not give up any of its contents | really struggled | Vietnam | not tested | not tested |
| 2Ryobi One+ (18-V, less expensive at Home Depot)$35 | 3.67 lb with 4 amp hour battery | 93.4 dB | 24 in of water (6 kPa) | 19.09 mph, just over 36.5 CFM | consumed first five nuts with very little effort; lifted last two but too large for the inlet | finished in very close to 35 seconds | started off well, but after a few twists and turns began regurgitating a little sand | almost perfect job, small amount of flour left in mat | Vietnam | not tested | not tested |
| 3Vaclife$36 | 1.49 lb | 84.9 dB | 24 in of water (about the same as Ryobi) | 10.36 mph, 19.86 CFM | easy work of 6mm and 8mm nuts, struggled with 10mm, could not lift 12mm nut | 13 g of sand left behind after 2 minute test | struggled, left 87 g of sand inside the dust bin | performed better than Black & Decker Quick Clean but not as well as Ryobi | China | not tested | not tested |
| 4KMM$40 | 3/4 lb (lightest in lineup) | 83.7 dB | 16 in of water | 6.65 mph, 12.74 CFM | unable to lift and consume the smallest nut | dust bin weighed 55 g empty and 92 g after test; 62 g of sand still left in the crevice | leaking sand as soon as the vacuum was powered down | did better than Black & Decker Quick Clean but not as well as Ryobi or Vaclife | China | 12.7 | not tested |
| 5Knockoff Milwaukee$47 | 3.28 lb with battery | 86.3 dB | 42 in of water, described as 'almost twice as much lift as the competition'; finished 1st overall in the suction leaderboard (Milwaukee 2nd at 36, DeWalt 3rd at 34) | 17.13 mph, 33.74 CFM | easy work of first five nuts, sixth nut almost too large but lifted and consumed it, had strength for the seventh nut | cleared all sand in 26 seconds | doing a great job of holding on to the sand | makes the most suction in the lineup; 'amazing job,' described as 'definitely the best yet' at that point in testing, later tied for first place overall with genuine Milwaukee and DeWalt | China | 167 (3rd place overall in the air watts leaderboard) | not tested |
| 6Black & Decker Dustbuster Advanced Clean$50 | 2.57 lb | 94.5 dB | 17 in of water, a little better than KMM | 19.63 mph, 37.27 CFM | easy work of first four nuts, strength for fifth and sixth, seventh too heavy | 45 seconds to pick up the sand | struggling to hold sand; 'leaking pretty badly' with an up and down shake | better than Quick Clean but 'didn't exactly bust the dust this time', large inlet holding back potential, no crevice attachment included | Vietnam | about 75 | not tested |
| 7Knockoff DeWalt$55 | 3.25 lb with 4 amp hour battery | 88.1 dB | 23 in of water | 12.9 mph, just under 25 CFM | easy work of first three nuts, fourth nut 'danced around' before finally finishing, struggled with fifth but finished it, had strength to lift 16mm and 20mm nuts | 49 seconds, 4 seconds longer than Black & Decker Dustbuster | dust bin did a great job of holding on to the sand | performed better than both Black & Decker units but not as well as Ryobi or knockoff Milwaukee | China | 68 | not tested |
| 8Ridgid$60 | 3.98 lb (heaviest yet at that point in testing) | 96.4 dB (loudest yet at that point in testing) | 23 in of water, same as knockoff DeWalt | 19.27 mph, 37.43 CFM | packing away nuts as quickly as the Ryobi; 16mm nut too large for inlet, had strength for the final two nuts | very close to 25 seconds, with a small amount of sand missed at the end | gave up a little sand facing downward, and a little more with an up and down shake | about the same air watts as Ryobi and performed about the same as Ryobi; well, but not quite as well as knockoff Milwaukee | Vietnam | very close to 101 | not tested |
| 9Shark Cyclone$60 | 1.52 lb | 86.7 dB | 17 in of water, about the same as the Dustbuster | 15.18 mph, 29.11 CFM | not able to lift the smallest nut | empty dust bin weighed 152 g, weighed 241 g after test, leaving behind 11 g of sand | held on to sand with inlet facing downward but leaked a little with an up and down shake | does not offer enough suction or airflow to compete with Ryobi, knockoff Milwaukee, and Ridgid | China | not tested | not tested |
| 10Bissell$64 | 2.61 lb | 82.4 dB (least noisy yet at that point in testing) | 27 in of water, moved into second place behind knockoff Milwaukee at that point in testing | 13.58 mph, 26.88 CFM | successfully packed away three nuts, that's it | 23 seconds, fastest at that point in testing | quick at 23 seconds but lost sand once the inlet faced downward, continued losing sand with a shake | about 30 more air watts than Shark; did better than Shark but not as well as the more powerful vacuums | Vietnam | 85 | not tested |
| 11Black & Decker 20-V (cyclonic)$70 | 2.935 lb | 87.7 dB | around 23 in of water | 21.11 mph, 40.73 CFM | easy work of first five nuts, sixth a little too large, strength for final two | around 26 seconds | great job of holding on to all the sand | performed just as well as Ryobi and Ridgid despite a large inlet | Vietnam, assembled in China | around 110 | not tested |
| 12Milwaukee genuine (M18)$129 | 5.89 lb (by far the heaviest yet at that point in testing) | 85.2 dB (relatively quiet) | 36 in of water, 2nd place overall in the suction leaderboard (knockoff Milwaukee 1st at 42, DeWalt 3rd at 34) | 23.04 mph, just over 45 CFM; leaderboard recap lists Milwaukee at 45.09 CFM (3rd place) | lifted the 16mm nut but it became stuck inside the inlet; devoured nuts quickly | 11 seconds, very fast | held on to all the sand with the inlet facing downward | tied for first place overall with knockoff Milwaukee and DeWalt | Vietnam | 191, 1st place overall in the air watts leaderboard | not tested |
| 13Makita$129 | 3.47 lb | 84.8 dB | 20 in of water (only, struggled) | 23.47 mph, about 47.5 CFM; leaderboard recap lists Makita 1st overall at 47.47 CFM | quickly packed away first six nuts, seventh too large for the inlet | 23 seconds, tied for third place with Bissell | great job of holding on to all the sand | moves a lot of air but doesn't make much lift; really struggled compared to Milwaukee and 20-V Black & Decker | Romania | 112 | 50 minutes with a 4 amp hour battery, longest run time in the lineup |
| 14DeWalt genuine (20-V system)$148 | very close to 4.6 lb | 93.9 dB | 34 in of water, 3rd place overall in the suction leaderboard | leaderboard recap lists DeWalt at 45.22 CFM, 2nd place overall | quick work of first five nuts, strength for final two but too large for the inlet | 10 seconds, 1st place overall, beat the Milwaukee | performed just as well as Milwaukee and Makita | tied for first place overall with knockoff Milwaukee and genuine Milwaukee | Vietnam | around 181, 2nd place overall in the air watts leaderboard | not tested |
How it was tested
- air speed and suction test (mph/CFM in sealed test box)
- suction lift test (inches of water column)
- air watts calculation (inches of water x CFM / 8.5)
- nut lifting test (6mm to 20mm nuts)
- sand removal from crevice (2 minute timed test, residue weighed)
- sand retention test (holding contents when powered down and shaken)
- flour removal from carpet mat (three passes)
- noise level (dB measured at 18 in)
- weight
- run time (stated for Makita only)
- dust bin emptying steps