Let's face it: meal times with toddlers are frequently messy occasions. Our daughter is particularly skilled at generating incredible amounts of crumbs, especially when she attacks her meals with techniques borrowed from the Cookie Monster school of table manners. Ah well, at least it's cute to watch. It does, however, leave an aftermath of crumbs and culinary debris that need to be dealt with.You could, of course, use a whisk broom and dustpan, paper towels, or other tools for the task, or you could use a vacuum cleaner and just get it done. The problem with most vacuum cleaners is that you have to haul the large unit out of the cleaning closet, plug it in, and re-wind the cord afterwards. That's a lot of effort just to clean up some crumbs.Enter the Shark Ion W1: a handheld, cordless, incredibly easy-to-use vacuum cleaner for small jobs. And just like that, the annoyance of having to drag out the "big" tool just to clean up my daughter's post-meal rubble is gone.Here's why I really like this vacuum cleaner:1) It's extremely easy to use. It has two buttons. Yes, TWO. One of them is the power button, which you press to turn the device on and off. The other is the button that opens the canister so you can empty it. The two buttons look a lot alike and are right next to each other, so fortunately the canister-emptying one is more of a "slide" than a button, which prevents you from opening the canister when you don't intend to.2) It's very lightweight, which makes it super easy to wield. I find it to be the perfect overall length; it's long enough to grab some crumbs off the floor without too much exertion, but still short enough to feel like a compact unit.3) It has two useful attachments. One is an upholstery-type tool, and the other is a narrow-opening "crevice" tool. The latter has a really neat little brush that flips down when you need it - a great way of getting two tools in one.4) It has a very convenient charging station with a small footprint. Just drop the vacuum into the slot in the charger and it will be ready for the next mess.5) It's easy to empty: Just hold it over a trash can, press the release button, and the canister opens up to empty its contents.6) The filter is easy to clean: just pop it out and shake it over a trash can.7) "Reminder" instructions on how to do things like open the filter cover, remove the filter, and clean the filter are printed right on the device. Very handy!Anything I don't like about this vacuum cleaner? A few small picky things:1) It's not a loud device, but its noise can be a little annoying; it's surprisingly high pitched and kind of "whiny."2) I wish there was a way to mount it on the wall! I would love to have this thing on the wall of our laundry room instead of having to find a small shelf space for it.-----------------------------------------------------------A FEW TIPS FOR USING THIS VACUUM CLEANER------------------------------------------------------------ When using the brush attachment, if you hold the unit too vertically the suction won't be effective because the suction opening will be too far above the surface you are cleaning (see my photo which demonstrates this). If you have it angled more than about 45 degrees you'll lose suction power. Unfortunately this means you may have to bend over quite a bit to vacuum things off the floor.- There is a hinged flap inside the vacuum which you can see when you open the filter cover (show in one of my photos). I found that debris tends to accumulate around this hinge, so you may want to check it and clean it out periodically.Overall I'm very pleased with this little cleaner. It's not something you would use as your primary vacuum cleaner, but for small messes it is absolutely fantastic.

This thing is absolutely fabulous! It’s always ready, and the design is exceptional. Very easy to use and dump and clean. Develops substantial suction for what it is. Quiet. Can fit into tight areas.

Completely beat Dyson! Highly recommended!

My husband loves this vacuum and uses it everyday.

I don't write reviews about products unless I like them or really hate them. I have never had a rechargeable hand vacuum that I liked enough to write a review about, but this one. I needed it because I take care of my 95 year-old mother who is bed-bound. She eats in her bed, and everyday I find her bed covered in crumbs (see photo). This vacuum and its attachments are perfect for the needs I have, and as a bonus it does an excellent job of collecting and sucking up hair! I know it seems expensive for what it is to some, but having purchased a half a dozen hand vacs in my lifetime, I can honestly say this one seems worth the price. It also has a very small footprint (see photo), and the charger is stabile and stores the attachments securely.

I used this at my friends house and loved it so I bought it. My mom came to my house and used it and bought it. My sister in law went to my parents house and used it and bought it.

If you have pets or pets you need this! I have gifted this to other family members they love it!

No it doesn't hold a charge forever but it is so convenient and it works. It sucks up all the dirt. It's fairly powerful. It meets expectations when a lot of products do not. The only thing that could be improved is holding a full charge longer.

I use this for my elderly mother who is unable to eat at the dining room table. When she drop food crumbs on the floor it’s all in one step clean up. I love it

Still running well after 18 months. No battery issues like others seem to have. Good suction. I’ve been very happy with it.