Black+Decker 20V Max Dustbuster AdvancedClean+ Pet Hand Vacuum vs Ryobi 18V ONE+ Performance Hand Vacuum Kit

Amazon's review summary says durability is concerning, with units stopping within a year, and battery-life feedback is mixed, with some owners reporting short battery life. Wirecutter notes the battery isn't replaceable, though filters, belt, beater bar and charger are.

Good Housekeeping weighed it at 4.2 pounds and says air from the side vents blew light debris out of the cleaning path, which testers found annoying.

Wirecutter says the pull-out crevice tool sometimes slid back in tight spaces and the filters tumbled out too easily when emptying. Amazon's summary says some owners describe it as abnormally loud, though both Wirecutter (75 dB) and Good Housekeeping (three-star Quiet Mark) found it quieter than most.

Wirecutter says the battery sits right under the handle and could strain hands or wrists, and that a replacement battery costs almost as much as the whole vacuum (third-party batteries void the warranty).

In Wirecutter's reader comments, owners of the top pick say it's very noisy and couldn't pick up cat litter, that it's heavy and its loose attachments get lost, and that one stopped working after two years with attachments that never fit properly. Wirecutter measured about 80 dB, which it calls fairly average.

Wirecutter calls it homely, with a clunky neon body more suited to a workshop, and says it has gone out of stock at Home Depot for weeks at a time. It didn't turn up in our Amazon search; Ryobi's site labels its tools 'Only At The Home Depot'.