• Hand vacuums are great for detailed cleaning in corners, on upholstery, and for small spaces.
• The Shark Wandvac offers powerful suction, useful attachments, and a sleek design that set it above others I’ve used in the past.
• I tested it out on every part of my apartment and ended up impressed and living in a cleaner home.

To clean your home properly, you need the right tools. The most versatile tool in the cleaning arsenal for me is the hand vacuum. While a traditional vacuum is great for spacious carpets and open rooms, hand vacuums take on the corners, creases, and upholstery that require a bit more elbow grease. The Shark Wandvac is the hand vacuum I’ve been waiting for.

Costing the same as our pick for Best Overall hand vacuum, the Black+Decker Dustbuster, I found myself drawn to the Shark due to the versatility of its attachments and the slimmer, low-profile design. Especially for hand vacuums, where maneuverability and versatility are the name of the game, the Wandvac made a case for itself just by being a compact model with attachments that add to its cleaning range.

After testing it out, I like the Wandvac for, yes, the versatility and maneuverability, and also for its ergonomic handle, powerful suction, and its ability to make big cleaning jobs feel small.

Design and Size

The Wandvac is remarkably modern looking and quite compact.

The first thing I noticed as soon as I opened the box was how modern the vacuum looks. While I don’t think I have an interior designer’s eye, I’ve got enough taste to notice an ugly appliance.

The Wandvac is clean, minimalist, and can comfortably blend into the background of your home. At the same time, it can serve as a minor accent piece with a bit of pop if you choose one with a brighter color. I was testing out the Marilyn Monroe collaboration model, so it came in a French Gold that was honestly pretty beautiful.

Beyond this, the hand vacuum is compact. Even on the charging stand, the whole device takes up less space than a kitchen blender. In comparison to other handheld vacuums, the Wandvac is also slimmer. Most handheld vacuums have wide bottoms or bodies to house the dustbin, battery, and motor, but the Wandvac houses all of these components without bulking up its frame.

On the inside, the empty dustbin compartment has a built-in air filter that captures particles that would otherwise pass through the entire chamber and back out of the vacuum, re-entering the air. The filter is also removable and washable, so you don’t have to keep buying new ones once it fills with dust.

The Attachments

Both the Crevice tool and Pet Multi-Tool radically expand the vacuum’s capabilities.

Alongside the main body, the Wandvac comes with two different tools: the Crevice tool and the Pet Multi-tool. Each of these open up the capabilities of the vacuum in different directions.

The crevice tool is more straightforward and falls in line with options provided by most major hand vacuums. The elongated, thin neck allows for vacuuming in tight spaces like underneath the fridge or in pesky corners of the room where dirt and dust accumulate. This particular version comes with a fold-out brush as well for disrupting dust, cobwebs, or dirt particles.

The Pet Multi-tool has textured fabric on each side of the opening that is great for pulling up and holding on to hair on rugs and furniture. If you have a pet that sheds, or simply a lot of humans that shed, the tool helps a lot.

The Testing

My apartment is cleaner now than it’s been since I moved in.

Listen. I am not a messy person. I clean my space regularly, never leave dirty dishes out, and take my shoes off the second I get home. The horrifying volume of dirt, dander, hair, and dust that was collected off the rug in my room after one solid pass over with the Pet Multi-tool attachment ruined my day. How could there possibly be this much accumulated filth?

The same thing happened after breaking out the Crevice tool and getting it into all the hard to reach places around the apartment. The dustbin contents were astounding.

Without the tools, I liked the Wandvac as a way to clean up general spills and overt messes. Drop your cereal bowl on the ground? The Wandvac can clean it up in half the time of a broom and dustpan.

My only real issue with the hand vacuum is the size of the dustbin. In order to build such a compact vacuum, it appears the dustbin was the first sacrifice. While it isn’t so small that it disrupted my cleaning, expect to empty it more frequently than you would a larger hand vacuum.

Is it Worth It?

I don’t need to spell it out any more clearly: this hand vacuum is worth it. The design is clean and minimalist. The light frame and ergonomic handle make it easy to use for long stretches of time without straining my wrist. The attachments improve the overall utility for new, specialized cleaning situations. The suction is powerful enough to pull up large messes without slowing down or clogging. My apartment is much cleaner and I didn’t have to sacrifice a ton of precious floor space or cash to do it.

Shop the Shark Wandvac Hand Vacuum