The best handheld vacuums for tackling pet hair

Lightweight, cordless, and compact, the Black+Decker Max Flex vacuum is the perfect size for your car. Especially if your dog comes along for the ride.

It comes equipped with a 2-in-1 nozzle, which includes a standard head with an optional flip-out brush. If you're doubting its pet credentials, fear not: There's also a dedicated pet hair brush, designed to removed embedded pet hair from furniture and upholstery — or in this case, car seats.

An extendable 4ft hose will help you snag pesky hairs from every corner and crevice. What makes it especially handy for the car is its shape and size. It fits into the car boot easily, sitting alongside that old jerry can and picnic basket.

Shark is coming fast behind the likes of Dyson as one of the best, most reliable brands in vacuum tech. And it often delivers the goods for a fraction of what the top brands cost. You could say that Shark takes a bite from the price...

While its cordless stick vacuums match bigger brands for features, the Shark WandVac 2.0 is reassuringly basic. It's a handheld vacuum that's built primarily for convenience but with a touch style. Equipped with a charging station, it sits on charge, waiting for the moment it needs to whirr into action. It's particularly good for dealing with small and frequent messes, which will suit anyone with a small and frequently messy pet.

It has power and comes with a multi-surface pet tool, plus a crevice tool for getting into tight spaces — anywhere that hair might lurk. The downside is the limited battery life, but that's exactly why the charging station is included. It has a small bin capacity too, but emptying this vac is quick and simple.

The WORX WX030 Cubevac looks like a workman's option. Which it sort of is: It's made by a well-regarded DIY and tools manufacturer, so has an industrial feel and a workman-like performance to match. Beneath the hardy exterior there's a high-powered motor that delivers strong suction. It's more than enough to handle your pet hair problems.

It has a useful two-speed switch and comes with several attachments and a robust and flexible hose for tackling tough to reach spots. The fastest speed will eat up battery, however. And while it's on the heavier side, it's fairly quiet.

One touch-emptying makes it convenient at both sucking up and dispensing of dirt. And the toolbox-style design makes it good for storing in the car boot.

The Black+Decker Powerseries Extreme isn’t a traditional handheld vacuum: It’s both a handheld and a stick vacuum at the same time. In other words, it can replace your regular household vacuum and serve all your cleaning needs.

The Powerseries Extreme is actually a 4-in-1 model because it has the option of a crevice tool and low-profile pet brush that connect to the body of the vac, waiting for you to attach when needed.

When used in handheld mode, the Black+Decker Powerseries Extreme performs far better than most pet hair vacuums, because it has the more powerful suction of a more traditional, upright vacuum cleaner.

It has three speed settings, an anti-tangle beater bar on the main floor-head to prevent hairs getting clogged, and a "twist and clean" filter that ensures it's always clear of dirt and hair and performs at its absolute best.

If you want the best of the best, it has to be Dyson. And while the handheld trigger Dyson seems like the obvious choice here, we think you're better off with the Dyson V8 Animal. It's a stick vacuum that converts down into a handheld so you the best of both worlds for a little more money.

Not only that, the "Animal" suffix means that it's made to tackle pet hair, and it comes with all the accessories you need for shifting hair: A direct drive cleaner head, a mini motorised tool, a combination tool, and a rigid crevice tool.

And this being Dyson, you can also rely on the cyclone technology for impressive power, along with an easy-empty bin system. That trade off is that it's the most expensive option on this list — but that's the cost of Dyson vacuum technology. And as with all cyclone-powered Dysons, it really is a breeze to use.

Henry — with his distinctive smile and bright colours — is well known as a reliable name in vacuums. But you might not have seen the Henry Quick Pet, which is essentially Henry's attempt doing a Dyson-type stick vac.

Actually, the Henry Quick Pet has some advantages over the pricier Dyson models, with a larger capacity of 1 litre — the biggest capacity on this list, in fact — plus ten "scent pods", which you pop into the vac to release a fragrance (vanilla, rose, or passionfruit) as you clean. If your pets are on the smelly side – let's be honest, most of them are — it's perfect.

It also uses filter pods, which trap dirt and prevent dust spilling out when you empty the bin. The downside is the ongoing cost of replacing both pods.

The vac comes with a selection of tools, included a dedicated pet tool, and coverts down from stick to handheld for spot cleaning and extra oomph.