I know it's been talked about here before, but the Electrolux Ergo line is pretty great. It's a mini stick vacuum with a detachable handheld dust-buster style vacuum too. It looks good on its own and can fit easily into a closet as long as you can plug it in to charge.

I had that Black & Decker one - whatever went in came out again out of that rotating nozzle. Replaced it with a Hoover Platinum Linx one, which is much better (though much more expensive). One of the few cordless vacuums with a powered brush: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002TXWNIS/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00

My Pet Hair Eraser saved my sanity. I have a dog that loses half her body weight in fur on a bi-weekly basis. This thing works! My trusty old Bissel Featherweight (which is a handheld vacuum on a removable handle) is also surprisingly good at getting the dog hair off my flat weave rug.

I have the Electrolux Ergo stick vac / dust buster combo for everyday messes - cheerios, cat hair tumbleweeds, etc - and we also have the Pet Hair Eraser. I recommend the Pet Hair Eraser to everyone I know with pets. He have 2 cats and a velvet couch (I know, I know, we're asking for headache with that combo) but the Eraser does a great job of quickly de-furring the couch.

The new Darth Vader looking Dust Buster isn't bad. Forty bucks, you sacrifice a little battery time. If you can afford $200 for a handheld Dyson for a little mess you might as well just put your feet up and call the maid.

I own the Black & Decker one. Never had Weatherman's problem. Also, it's almost 4 years old and the battery is still going strong. Noisy as all get out, but I guess that's true of most (all?) handhelds.

I have the Bissell Pet Hair Eraser and it works very well! It has a good amount of suction and picks up cat litter and pet hair better than most of the vacuums that I've used in the past.
It is also available in a cordless version (http://www.bissell.com/pet-hair-eraser-cordless-hand/), but I have no experience with it to say if it is as good as the corded.

@GOOG, I'm considering the Dyson, not because I can afford a maid, but because I have pets and carpeted stairs. Hauling around the very heavy hose to my central vac for these is a (literal) pain. Same with my old but trusty Dyson Animal upright. (It works great, but weighs a ton.) I never want to go back to bags again, and the Dust Buster is ok for little messes, but again, insufficient for furry steps.

When we had our house built and central vac installed (sort of affordable at the time) I had delusions that this would be the one and only system I'd need, but alas, not the case. 25 feet of wired hose weighs at least as much to drag around as the Dyson did, and is way more cumbersome for 5' tall, 120 pound me!

I'm with @Carrotsticks and @allisonharris, the Electrolux stick vac with the pop of dust buster is great. It's a powerful slim stick vaccum that is small space friendly. I've had mine for over 2 years and it still works great.

The Black & Decker Pivoting Hand Vac is great if you want to vaccuum for five seconds and then charge for 12 hours just to vaccuum for five more seconds. And dont forget then you have to empty and wash a whole bunch of compartments...waste of money.

Eons ago, Makita used to make a very handy cordless vac but they discontinued making it. Now I see that they've come out with one again. Yay!

I've got the Shark pictured here, and it works great. My only complaint is that it's really loud. If anyone decides to get this vac, be aware that they have a 15 volt model and an 18 volt model that look almost identical, so make sure you double-check which one you're getting -- I highly recommend going for the 18v.

I got the Black & Decker from Walmart but for about $30 about a year ago. It works great for picking up kitty litter bits my furry friend trails out of her litter box and for picking up hair in the bathroom. Only flaw is that it doesn't hold a charge for very long, but it's definitely one of my favorite things in my bathroom.

Yup, the Electrolux Ergo is da bomb. Holds a charge for a long time, has good suction, and is so versatile with the handheld and the stick vac in one. So much easier than pulling out the central vac hose for small messes.

I was given a Dirt Devil handheld years ago. I hate it, doesn't pick up anything, I never use it. I'd rather put the attachments on my full-size upright.

I had a Dyson handheld for three years and loved it-- until the day it flat-out just died. I think the battery gave out and no longer could hold a charge. Instead of trying to order s replacement part, I bought the Black and Decker pivoting handheld for $40 at Target. I've had it for a month and so far, so good. Mine holds a charge for two days without plugging in. Then again, I only use it in 5 minute spurts twice a day.