You'd expect any vacuum cleaner with the word pet in its model name to ace Consumer Reports' tough pet fur test in which cat hair is embedded into carpet piles. And most of the pet vacuums in our current Ratings did just that. Unfortunately, some of those that excelled at pet hair removal were lackluster at other tasks. In fact, only one of the full-size pet vacuums made our recommended list, the bagged upright Hoover WindTunnel T-Series Pet UH30310, $150. It was excellent at pet hair removal and cleaning bare floors and very good at cleaning carpet. If you want an all-around top performer, don't be swayed by pet hair names and claims. The Miele Complete C3 Marin, $1,100, and the Kenmore Progressive 21714, $400, are at the top of our list of canister vacuums and both are excellent at pet hair removal. Our top upright, the Kenmore Elite 31150, $350, was very good on that task but two of its brandmates, the Kenmore 31140 and the Kenmore Progressive 31069, aced it. They both cost $200 and are CR Best Buys.

Of the pet models we tested, we found eight that were excellent at pet hair removal but had subpar performance on other tasks. Unfortunately, we also found some real dogs among the pet models. The canister Dyson Cinetic Animal, $550, was only fair at removing pet hair and was also mediocre at cleaning carpet although it did well on the bare floors test. The canister Dyson Ball Compact Animal, $450, scored only 34 out of a possible 100, but did a decent job at picking up pet hair. Two hand vacuums in our tests also make pet hair claims. The Shark Pet Perfect II SV780, $60, our top hand vacuum was very good at picking up pet hair but the Bissell Pet Hair Eraser 33A1, $35, got our poorest marks for pet hair. Judging vacuums at Consumer Reports continues all year long and we're always looking for a champ among the vacuums we test. Luckily, we usually discover a few top dogs. To see how other vacuums fared see our full vacuum Ratings and recommendations.Need a great hand vacuum to clean up pet hair?

Even if you don't allow your pets on your furniture, pet fur and feathers find a way to fly around your rooms until they land on something nice and soft, like your furniture fabric, with great sticktoitiveness. And what about their pet beds and your carpeted stairs?  It's a lot easier and more efficient to use a lightweight handheld vacuum cleaner to suck up these pet hairs than an upright vacuum (even upright vacuums designed to be great for pet hair). Having a lightweight yet powerful hand vacuum to clean up after your dogs and cats can be a life changer for pet owners. And if you have a handheld vacuum that is really great at sucking up pet hair and dander, it will make keeping your home clean so much easier. Here are five of the best handheld vacuums that get rave reviews from pet owners.... The Black + Decker MAX Lithium Vacuum has a high performance motor with cyclonic action to provide really strong suction. It has a cool pivoting head feature which makes it really easy to clean different surfaces easily.

It has a handy pivot tool and brush set which is really great for grabbing pet hair from  furniture and other upholstery. It is cordless and bagless. With its lithium battery, you will have enough of a charge to actually clean without worrying about losing suction before you are done cleaning. Of all the handheld Black + Decker small vacuums, I think this one offers the strongest suction in the smallest package. The Dyson V6 Motorhead Cord Free Vacuum is a hand vacuum with a telescope wand, immensely convenient for going from sofas to (bare) floors to cat trees!, and this vac's extension really gets into corners where pet hairs gather.  best leather cleaner and conditioner for lexusIt's also conveniently cordless, with a 20 minute power last and bagless. best cleaner for a hardwood floor

You have to hold the power button down if you want continuous vacuuming, but if you're just doing spots, this should not be a problem. As you might expect, the Dyson V6 Motorhead Cord Free is more expensive than the other highly rated hand-held vacuums, but most owners say it is well worth it because of its power.  If you have only bare floors and you can afford the Dyson, you might not need another vacuum!  I splurged and bought this vacuum and I can't recommend it highly enough. air duct cleaning preparationIt has wonderful suction and it is so light and easy to use. I use this vacuum for all of my daily needs and  pull out the upright when I really want to do a really thorough complete house cleaning.  I can't recommend the Dyson V6 highly enough, it is one of the favorite things in my house. I use it daily and believe it is worth every penny I spent on it. VonHaus 2-in-1 Corded Upright Stick & Handheld Vacuum Cleaner is a thin and lightweight but very powerful machine.

It is a 2-in-1 vacuum that converts from a stick to a handheld machine quickly and easily with its telescopic handle. It is corded (almost 20 feet of cord), has an easily removable dust container and HEPA filtration.  What I love about this vacuum is that it is light (weighing only about 3 pounds) but it has enough power to handle pet hair and debris easily. I love the flexibility of this machine. While it works really great as a handheld vacuum, when you want to do a quick pickup on floors or stairs, it easily converts to a stick vacuum.  Although I think the Dyson is a better vacuum (and well worth the extra money with its rotating brush head which the VonHaus does not have), the VonHaus gives you much of the same suction power and hand to stick flexibility at a fraction of the price. VanHaus Handheld to Stick Pet Vacuum The Shark Rocket Corded Hand Vacuum is based on the technology behind the very popular Shark Rocket Upright (one of our picks for top 5 best upright vacuums for pet hair.)

This hand vacuum is great for handling pet hair on carpets and furniture. It is surprisingly light and very powerful. It has what they call their TruPet motorized spinning brush head designed to capture even small pet hairs.  It is not cordless and has 15 feet of cord so you will need to deal with having a cord, but it will never run out of battery and you don't ever need to wait while it recharges. There is no place to store the cord so I just attached some velcro to the machine and to the head of the cord and made my own holder.  It also has a dust cup and a washable filter so no need to pay for filters or bags. It's not as great on carpeted floors or large floor spaces as my Dyson but it does a terrific job with furniture and for spot cleaning and it is stronger than some of the lighter and smaller handhelds. With the words 'Pet Hair Eraser' in its name, the Bissell better be good!  Well, according to pet owners, it rocks!   The Bissell comes with two nozzles, one rubber for cleaning upholstery, one hard plastic for sucking up messes, like when there's kitty litter all over the floor.

It's a great vacuum for cleaning furniture. The Bissell is bag-free and its container is easily removable as is its HEPA filter; It is not cordless and comes with 16 feet of cord.  A powerful little vacuum, a sucker for pet hair, you can find the Bissell Pet Hair Eraser Hand Vac 33A1 here. If you are looking for something really affordable that still does a great job, consider the Dirt Devil. Customers who swore they would never buy another Dirt Devil have bought the new Dirt Devil Scorpion Quick Flick, and most love it.  With 7 AMPs of power and its Quick Flick crevice tool, I can see why. But there are other advantages to the Dust Buster. First, it's very light weight - only 3.5 pounds.  And it has a 3 year warranty, longer than most handheld vacuums.  And, even though the Dust Buster has the Quick Flip crevice tool, the vacuum comes with another, more narrow, crevice tool as an attachment, along with two sizes of hoses, and a pet hair brush. This vacuum is great for cleaning furniture and handling small tight spaces.