Historically, hoovers, or vacuum cleaners have been built to endure.
But they have always been hard to manoeuvre, inconvenient to store, heavy, and difficult to use.
The area that they were able to cover without a break in cleaning was always limited by the extension cord to which they were attached to your plug socket.
In addition, to maximise performance (and to get a decent finish), you were required to attach a variety of tools to the machine proper in order to clean those hard to reach places, like behind your furniture, or around your skirting boards.
And what were you supposed to do if you wanted to vacuum the inside of your vehicle? Carry the heavy machine thirty yards across your lawn? All this, and for a hefty price.
So what was the answer? For those not strong enough to carry a large vacuum around the house every other day, without the space to store a bulky hoover, or rich enough to pay for a more mobile top of the range brand, the industry came up with the hand hoover.
Hand hoovers were designed to clean up spills around the house, workplace, garage or car with the absolute minimum of fuss.
They are lightweight, hand held appliances that often clip onto a small wall mount or pack away in to a cupboard draw or closet.
They remove the need to plug in and assemble a full size vacuum cleaner every time a child knocks over a drink, or you spill a plate of food.
They are good for cleaning up after animals, and so are popular with pet owners, whether for sucking up discarded fur or for other accidents.
Most units are designed to be held in one hand, much like the suction handle on a traditional full size hoover, just without the bulky body to drag around with you.
Some larger, more high end models are perhaps better controlled with two hands, but by and large the majority of the market leading designs are sufficiently light and comfortable to operate with just one hand.
The flexibility that you get with a hand hoover allows you to jump between rooms and tasks, house and vehicle, or vehicle and garage, fairly seamlessly, meaning that you can tackle small spills or patches of dirt in different areas without having to reconnect at the power supply in every location.
This should reduce the amount of time spent vacuuming, and the efforts involved in doing so.
Most hand vacuums weigh approximately one or two kilogram's, and have a potential dust capacity of up to 500 milliliters.
On average a hand hoover will run without the need to re-charge for up to 15 minutes on full power, although all models do vary.
This should be enough time to sufficiently clear small and medium sized spills.
Other hand hoover quirks include flip-open mouths to allow for efficient disposal of dust and dirt without the need to change bags, extendable noses to reach under or over obstacles, and built in germ killing agents or UV light technology to kill bacteria during dust extraction.
In addition, a new hybrid model has recently been developed incorporating a steaming function to allow for both wet and dry cleaning and pick up.
In terms of power, a hand hoover's motor output can vary from about 2.
5V for a fairly basic unit to about 23V for a much more robust model designed to tackle strong stains and removal of pet fur from upholstery.
The price of a hand hoover can be as little as $20 for an entry level model from a leading brand which should be capable of dealing with everyday spills.
Prices can range up to about $200 for some top of the range hand hoovers which may seem a little expensive so the pros and cons of having a hand hoover over a conventional vacuum cleaner should be weighed up carefully, and the unit itself properly researched before purchase.
In terms of negatives, you can point to the reduced capacity of these handheld appliances and the relatively short run time when compared to a traditional hoover plugged into the mains.
These are fair points and if you have a particularly large area to clean, or particularly stubborn patch of dirt to tackle, a hand hoover may indeed make cleaning harder and life less convenient.
That said hand hoovers have received a good reception since their launch and with technology in this area continually advancing there is no clear reason why their popularity should not continue to grow.
The leading vacuum manufacturers generally offer several choices, from budget lines to high end models, so there are plenty of options out there to suit your needs and wallet.
But they have always been hard to manoeuvre, inconvenient to store, heavy, and difficult to use.
The area that they were able to cover without a break in cleaning was always limited by the extension cord to which they were attached to your plug socket.
In addition, to maximise performance (and to get a decent finish), you were required to attach a variety of tools to the machine proper in order to clean those hard to reach places, like behind your furniture, or around your skirting boards.
And what were you supposed to do if you wanted to vacuum the inside of your vehicle? Carry the heavy machine thirty yards across your lawn? All this, and for a hefty price.
So what was the answer? For those not strong enough to carry a large vacuum around the house every other day, without the space to store a bulky hoover, or rich enough to pay for a more mobile top of the range brand, the industry came up with the hand hoover.
Hand hoovers were designed to clean up spills around the house, workplace, garage or car with the absolute minimum of fuss.
They are lightweight, hand held appliances that often clip onto a small wall mount or pack away in to a cupboard draw or closet.
They remove the need to plug in and assemble a full size vacuum cleaner every time a child knocks over a drink, or you spill a plate of food.
They are good for cleaning up after animals, and so are popular with pet owners, whether for sucking up discarded fur or for other accidents.
Most units are designed to be held in one hand, much like the suction handle on a traditional full size hoover, just without the bulky body to drag around with you.
Some larger, more high end models are perhaps better controlled with two hands, but by and large the majority of the market leading designs are sufficiently light and comfortable to operate with just one hand.
The flexibility that you get with a hand hoover allows you to jump between rooms and tasks, house and vehicle, or vehicle and garage, fairly seamlessly, meaning that you can tackle small spills or patches of dirt in different areas without having to reconnect at the power supply in every location.
This should reduce the amount of time spent vacuuming, and the efforts involved in doing so.
Most hand vacuums weigh approximately one or two kilogram's, and have a potential dust capacity of up to 500 milliliters.
On average a hand hoover will run without the need to re-charge for up to 15 minutes on full power, although all models do vary.
This should be enough time to sufficiently clear small and medium sized spills.
Other hand hoover quirks include flip-open mouths to allow for efficient disposal of dust and dirt without the need to change bags, extendable noses to reach under or over obstacles, and built in germ killing agents or UV light technology to kill bacteria during dust extraction.
In addition, a new hybrid model has recently been developed incorporating a steaming function to allow for both wet and dry cleaning and pick up.
In terms of power, a hand hoover's motor output can vary from about 2.
5V for a fairly basic unit to about 23V for a much more robust model designed to tackle strong stains and removal of pet fur from upholstery.
The price of a hand hoover can be as little as $20 for an entry level model from a leading brand which should be capable of dealing with everyday spills.
Prices can range up to about $200 for some top of the range hand hoovers which may seem a little expensive so the pros and cons of having a hand hoover over a conventional vacuum cleaner should be weighed up carefully, and the unit itself properly researched before purchase.
In terms of negatives, you can point to the reduced capacity of these handheld appliances and the relatively short run time when compared to a traditional hoover plugged into the mains.
These are fair points and if you have a particularly large area to clean, or particularly stubborn patch of dirt to tackle, a hand hoover may indeed make cleaning harder and life less convenient.
That said hand hoovers have received a good reception since their launch and with technology in this area continually advancing there is no clear reason why their popularity should not continue to grow.
The leading vacuum manufacturers generally offer several choices, from budget lines to high end models, so there are plenty of options out there to suit your needs and wallet.