Simplicity Flash Micro Handheld Vacuum F16

The Simplicity Flash Micro F16 is a lightweight corded handheld vacuum, built for the quick jobs a full-size machine is overkill for: crumbs off a car seat, a spill on a stair tread, sawdust in a workshop corner. Because it plugs in rather than running on a battery, there is no charge to manage and no runtime to watch, which is the real advantage a corded handheld holds over a cordless one for anyone who reaches for it several times a day rather than once a week.

Simplicity builds the Flash Micro as a bagless design, so emptying it is a matter of releasing the dust cup rather than buying and stocking replacement bags. A 600 watt motor drives it, the whole machine weighs about 3 pounds, and a 14 foot cord gives a working radius that covers a car interior or a flight of stairs from one outlet. An attachable hose and the included upholstery brush, crevice tool, and dusting brush extend its reach into tighter spots, behind cushions or along a dashboard where the body of the vacuum will not fit directly. The tradeoff worth knowing going in is that a bagless cup needs to be emptied and its filter cleaned more often than a bagged unit of similar size, particularly with fine dust like drywall or sawdust that a paper bag would otherwise trap.

As with any small handheld, the practical limits are suction path length and dust cup capacity rather than motor power alone, so it earns its keep on frequent small pickups rather than as a substitute for a full vacuum on carpeted rooms. Rinse or tap out the filter regularly, since a clogged filter is the most common reason a handheld's suction seems to fade over time even though the motor is fine.

We sell the F16 as an authorized Simplicity dealer, which means the manufacturer's standard warranty coverage applies through us rather than through a secondary reseller.

• Model: F16
• Type: corded handheld vacuum
• Motor: 600 watts
• Weight: about 3 pounds
• Cord: 14 feet
• Collection: bagless, washable dust cup
• Best for: frequent small pickups in cars, stairs, workshops