Best Lightweight Vacuums 2023

Regular-sized vacuum cleaners can be difficult to push or lug around if you have dexterity issues or arthritis, which is where lightweight vacuums come in. The best lightweight vacuums still pack a powerful punch while being relatively easy to use. Our top choice is the Eureka Airspeed Ultra-Lightweight for its under-8 pound weight, high portability and impressive suction power.

The best lightweight vacuums still pack a powerful punch while being relatively easy to use. BLDC Controller For Automatic Robot

At a basic level, “a lightweight vacuum is easier to maneuver and carry around,” says Donna Dougherty, founder and CEO of Go Green Cleaning Experts, a cleaning service that caters to the Greater Philadelphia area. But they can also be a good option if you clean frequently, giving you a quick and convenient solution, says Katie Dills, senior vice president of The Cleaning Authority, a cleaning service with centers around the country. “They are easy to use, portable and their cleaning capabilities are versatile,” she says. “You can easily carry your vacuum up and down stairs, clean under and behind hard-to-reach places and more.” The lightness also makes them a great option for older adults and those with back pain, Dills points out.

To choose the best lightweight vacuum for you, it’s important to consider factors like overall weight, what type of flooring you’ll primarily use your vacuum on, how much space you have to clean, whether you prefer corded or cordless and your budget. These are the best lightweight vacuums on the market to help make your cleaning experience a little easier. (While you’re at it, consider our lists of the best canister vacuums and best vacuums for pet hair.)

There’s a range with lightweight vacuums, and the Eureka Airspeed is definitely on the smaller side. This vacuum is just shy of 8 pounds but offers an impressive suction level beyond what you would expect from a device of this size. It tackles pet hair, dust and dirt from carpets and hard floors, and features a washable filter that can be reused. The vacuum is made to be incredibly portable, with an oversized grab handle that makes it easy to transport up and down stairs. Enjoy a detachable handle to reach spots up high, along with popular attachments like a crevice tool and dusting brush. At just $63, this vacuum is a steal.

This Eureka vacuum is packed with elements that make it a good choice for older adults to operate. The vacuum features a large LED display that clearly indicates floor type, mode and battery life. It’s also at your fingertips, so there’s no bending required to switch cleaning modes. There’s also no plug to dance around, eliminating a tripping hazard in the process. This tool can run anywhere from 60 minutes to seven minutes depending on the level of suction you choose. It’s also versatile enough to tackle everything from hard floors to carpets, and includes attachments like a motorized pet tool to clean cat and dog hair off of upholstery. The 1 liter dust cup is easy to empty—just press a button on the front of the canister—while the vacuum uses a HEPA filter to capture and trap dust, dander and whatever else is lurking on your floors.

Shark has a certain following, and with good reason—the company makes quality vacuums. The Shark Vertex is one of the lighter vacuums the brand sells, clocking in at just shy of 12.5 pounds. The vacuum uses a proprietary DuoClean PowerFins technology, which is a dual brushroll system that really aims to get a deep clean with each pass. There’s no cord to worry about and the machine offers a large IQ display to give you data like remaining runtime and cleaning mode. Enjoy a slew of attachments, including a crevice tool and upholstery brush. This vacuum converts to a handheld for even more portable cleaning.

Dyson vacuums are arguably the best in their class, and they have a price tag to match. If it’s in your budget, the incredibly powerful Dyson V15 is at least worth considering. The vacuum offers three cleaning modes—eco, auto and boost—to help meet your needs in any given moment. The auto mode is particularly impressive: It monitors the vacuum’s brush bar resistance and adapts power across a range of floor types so you don’t have to. An angled laser helps illuminate dirt and dust in your path, while seven attachments give you options for cleaning. This vacuum even comes with a wall dock and charger for easy storage.

At a mere 7 pounds, the Shark Rocket is one of the lightest vacuums for carpets you’ll find. It boasts strong suction power and seamlessly switches from hard floors to carpet mode with the push of a button. Swivel steering also makes it simple to cruise around chairs, furniture and other obstacles. For those times when you need to target items up high, the vacuum converts into a handheld. There’s also an upholstery tool and anti-allergen brush for specialized cleaning modes. The vacuum’s cord ensures it won’t fade on suction or power while you’re hard at work.

Eureka’s WhirlWind can technically handle any type of flooring, but this vacuum really shines with hard floors. It has an airflow control at the handle to help you flip between modes and is just 8 pounds, making it easy to roll from place to place. Worth noting: Because this is a canister vacuum, users aren’t feeling the weight of all of those 8 pounds while pushing the device around. It boasts a generous 2.5 liter dust cup that can hold plenty of dirt and dust before it needs to be emptied. There’s also a telescoping wand for tackling hard-to-reach spots, along with a crevice tool and brush for spot cleaning. Enjoy the canister’s oversized handle to help you travel up and down stairs. The filter and dust cup are washable for easy cleaning. At $72, this vacuum is affordable for most.

The Prolux TerraVac is impressively lightweight at just 6 pounds. With the canister design, users feel like they’re pushing around a fraction of that. The corded vacuum features a 12 amp motor that can be adjusted from 400 to 1,200 watts for maximum suction power. The machine’s HEPA filter traps and holds onto dust, so you don’t need to stress about scattering it while you clean. The vacuum features a height-adjustable powerhead for customized cleanings, while attachments like a crevice tool, brush and upholstery head help tackle specific jobs.

It can be tough to create a large vacuum that’s also lightweight, but Oreck answered the call. The Elevate Conquer has a unique design with a body that’s long and slender, saving weight and creating more space for the dust bag in the process. A HEPA filter captures and traps up to 99.97% of particles, making this a good choice for people with allergies. The Elevate Conquer features swivel steering to pivot around obstacles, along with two-speed control at your fingertips for quick adjustments. The slim design also makes it easy for this machine to get under low areas. Thanks to its plug, this vacuum never runs low on suction power while you’re cleaning.

The Dyson Cyclone V10 Animal packs a lot of impressive power into a lightweight package. The stick vacuum boasts 1,400 watts of suction and can run for up to 60 minutes on a single charge, tackling plenty of pet hair in the process. The main brush head features special vanes that prevent hair from tangling around it, whether it’s from a pet or human. The 0.2 gallon dust cup isn’t the largest one you’ll fine, but it’s roomy enough to have a good pass at your floors before needing to be emptied. The vacuum features multiple attachments, including a mini motorized tool for removing pet hair from upholstery, a crevice tool and soft dusting brush. At 5.7 pounds, it’s lightweight enough to please even the most picky shoppers.

The Kenmore DS4095 has unique features that make it a great option for people with arthritis. This vacuum weighs just 6 pounds, making it a breeze to push around. It also boasts an EasyReach wand that flexes to clean under furniture with the push of a button—no bending required. The vacuum offers up to 40 minutes of runtime on a single charge and converts into a hand vacuum—which weighs a mere 3 pounds—as needed. The large handle is easy to grip, too. When the work is done, just place the vacuum on its wall-mounted base for a recharge.

To choose the best lightweight vacuums, we consulted with two cleaning experts and a physiatrist to learn more about the important features the best lightweight vacuums possess, as well as what makes some models stand out from others. We then looked at bestsellers on the market and scrutinized each for elements like weight, ease of use, capacity and value. Reviews from real owners were also analyzed to see how well these machines perform across a range of households and flooring types.

A lightweight vacuum is an investment, and it’s important to get it right from the start. Consider these elements as you shop.

Vacuums have come a long way in the past decade, and there are now lightweight options for every type of the machines. Stick vacuums are known for being lightweight, but even some uprights fit the bill. Our top choice, the Eureka Airspeed Ultra-Lightweight, is under 8 pounds, for example. If you’re concerned about the ability to push a vacuum around, consider a canister version like the Prolux White TerraVac. It’s just 6 pounds, and the canister design makes it feel even lighter while you vacuum.

Vacuums come in corded or cordless versions. The right choice for you comes down to personal preference, as well as how much floor space you need to cover. “Cordless vacuums are more convenient because you can freely clean around your home without being plugged into an outlet,” Dills says. “However, cordless vacuum batteries do need to be recharged or replaced.” Corded lightweight vacuums have perks, too. “Corded lightweight vacuums tend to offer more consistent suction power and do not require recharging,” Doherty points out. “It ultimately depends on your cleaning needs and preferences.”

There is no official designation for what classifies as a lightweight vacuum. However, these tools generally fall within the range of 6 to 13 pounds. Some vacuums, like the Dyson Cyclone V10 Animal, are even lighter than that, but it’s not typical. Weight is distributed differently depending on which style of vacuum you choose. Stick vacuums tend to carry most of the weight up high, while it’s more evenly distributed in upright vacuums. Canister vacuums involve towing weight behind you and can feel more lightweight to operate.

A vacuum needs to be easy to use or it will rarely make it out of the closet. At baseline, many lightweight vacuums are simple to operate—they don’t have lot of fancy bells and whistles and aren’t difficult to pull in and out of wherever you store them. They’re also simpler to tote up and down stairs than their regular-weight counterparts. Because of this, you may be more likely to tackle small vacuuming needs after investing in a lightweight vacuum, or even to just cruise around your floors whenever you have a spare moment.

Not everyone uses or needs attachments, but experts say they can be a nice feature to have in a machine. “Attachments are an important aspect of using a vacuum as they allow you to clean different surfaces and areas more effectively,” Doherty says. Like many aspects of selecting a vacuum, the right attachments tends to be a personal choice. “The type and quantity of attachments you need will depend on your cleaning needs and the type of vacuum you have,” Doherty says. If you’re really into attachments, consider the Dyson V15 Cordless Stick Vacuum—it offers seven different choices for you to flip through when the need strikes.

It depends on your individual needs. If you’re struggling with back issues, Mara Vucich, D.O., a physiatrist with The Maryland Spine Center at Mercy Medical Center, suggests considering an upright-style vacuum. “When we vacuum, it causes us to flex through the spine as we're reaching out—that’s hard on the tissues and muscles in the back,” she says. “An upright would reduce that bending in the spine.” You can also consider a model like the Kenmore DS4095 Brushless Cordless Stick Vacuum—it bends for you to get under tight spaces. Most lightweight vacuums will be a good fit for seniors, though, because it’s less weight to push or pull around, as well as carry up stairs, Vucich says.

Arthritis can surface in different areas of the body, and the right vacuum for you depends on where you have the disease. People with arthritis in their hands can benefit from a canister vacuum, like the Eureka WhirlWind or Prolux White TerraVac. Both aren’t top heavy and feel particularly lightweight to push around. The Kenmore DS4095 Brushless Cordless Stick Vacuum bends with the push of a button to get under tight spaces, making it a good choice for people with knee arthritis. Ultimately, it’s best to think about the type of arthritis you have and choose a vacuum from there.

The ideal weight of a lightweight vacuum cleaner has a lot to do with the person who will be using it—what feels lightweight to one person may feel heavy to another. “Lightweight vacuums can range in weight, with the average weighing around eight to twelve pounds,” Dills says. “Although they weigh less than full-size vacuums, the ideal weight ultimately depends on personal preference.” For many people, the right weight falls between 5 and 10 pounds, Doherty says. “However, the weight can vary depending on the model and features,” she says. “While personal preference can play a role in choosing a vacuum, the weight itself is not person-dependent.”

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Best Lightweight Vacuums 2023 - Forbes Vetted