Best Buy Lightweight Vacuum Cleaner
This vac learns as it goes, mapping out the best way to navigate your home while it cleans. It also returns to the docking station to empty itself mid-clean before continuing vacuuming. It picked up dirt outstandingly and had no trouble with pet hair either. It's expensive but effective.
best buy lightweight vacuum cleaner
The V15 converts to a handheld, and the included brushes and tools let you get into tight corners above and below, between cushions, and on top of draperies. With the mini torque head, the V15 is great for vacuuming the car, particularly the seats and floor mats. Depending on the size of your home, you could vacuum every surface and then have enough charge to do the car. The Dyson V15 Detect is not for the budget-conscious, but if you can afford to upgrade, then this is the lightweight vacuum you should consider buying.
If you want a powerhouse vacuum and your main reason for choosing a lightweight vacuum is the ability to carry it upstairs easily, the Oreck is a good choice. However, if you have allergies or asthma, the trail of dust it leaves behind may make the Oreck a poor choice for you.
Since a vacuum weighing more than 15 pounds can cause arm fatigue when pushed around large spaces or carried upstairs, we limited our scope to vacuums weighing 15 pounds and under. Corded vacuums tend to be more powerful, while cordless ones are more convenient. Keeping this in mind, we searched for the best options in each category.
We looked at reputable sources such as Consumer Reports and Wirecutter to gather information about the top lightweight vacuums on the market. Once we narrowed down a list of finalists that had the features we deemed most important, we culled the list further based on Amazon reviews and reports from the Laundry Love & Cleaning Science Facebook group.
Thanks to innovations in design and build materials, vacuum cleaners have become lighter over time. A lightweight machine can help reduce the strain on your body as you clean, and it can be easier to take with you up and down a flight of stairs. It should have both a low total weight as well as a manageable weight in your hand. However, to improve their portability while lowering their weight, many of these vacuums tend to be very plasticky, and their build quality can suffer as a result.
We've tested over 130 vacuum cleaners, and below are our recommendations for the best vacuum cleaners with a lightweight design to buy. These picks were selected not only based on their weight but also their performance on different types of surfaces, feature set, battery life, and price. If you're looking for more vacuums, check out our recommendations for the best cordless vacuums, the best cordless stick vacuums, and the best cordless vacuums for pet hair.
The best lightweight vacuum we've tested is the Dyson V12 Detect Slim. It can automatically increase its suction power on carpet or whenever it passes over an area with a large concentration of debris and has a built-in particle sensor to inform you of allergen quantities inside your home. In addition to its primary multi-surface floorhead, it also comes with a floorhead with a soft roller and a laser light to help identify fine debris and pet hair on hard floors. It can run for up to an hour on a charge, which is pretty lengthy by the standards of this type of vacuum.
The Samsung Jet 60 is the best mid-range lightweight vacuum we've tested. Compared to the outwardly similar Samsung Jet 75, this cordless stick vacuum has a weaker 150 AW suction motor and a smaller-capacity battery. However, it's otherwise pretty similar in design, with an even lighter weight of slightly over five pounds, making it remarkably easy to pick up and carry from room to room. Despite this lightweight construction, it still feels reasonably sturdy and has a relatively high-capacity dustbin that won't need emptying too often.
If you want to spend as little as possible on a cordless, lightweight vacuum, check out the Xiaomi Mi Vacuum Cleaner Light. At a little over four pounds, this cordless stick weighs even less than other lightweight cordless stick vacuums like the Samsung Jet 60. However, the flip side of this highly compact, lightweight design is a relatively small, weak suction motor that struggles with lifting debris from carpets and crevices, as well as a tiny dirt compartment that'll need frequent emptying. Still, this vacuum is highly maneuverable, and despite its affordable price point, feels decently well-built. Its max battery life of about 50 minutes is fairly impressive.
If you prefer the all-in-one design of an upright vacuum but want something lightweight and easy to maneuver, the Hoover ONEPWR Evolve Pet is a good option. While it's heavier than most stick vacuums like the Samsung Jet 60, it's still a good compromise if you prioritize the larger debris capacity that comes with an upright model. Besides, it still weighs much less than most other conventionally-designed corded uprights. Its cordless design also ensures you don't have to stay close to an electrical outlet while vacuuming far-away areas. It runs off a 4.0 Ah battery pack that yields up to 40 minutes of runtime on a single charge. While its battery life does drop to a little over 20 minutes in its most powerful mode, that's still longer than most cordless stick vacuums.
The Eureka Mighty Mite is a good choice if you're looking for a lightweight corded canister vacuum. While it doesn't have the grab-and-go convenience of a cordless stick vacuum like the Xiaomi Mi Vacuum Cleaner Light, it's a better fit for longer cleaning sessions since you won't need to worry about running out of charge. It's also considerably lighter and smaller than most other canister vacuums, meaning you can pull it around with minimal effort. Its overall design isn't too complicated either, so you can swap out its filters or put in a new dirtbag once it's been filled up. Its power cord is short, so you'll probably need to swap outlets when cleaning larger areas.
Our recommendations above are based on what we think are currently the best lightweight vacuum cleaners. We don't just base our results on overall performance, but also factors like availability, price, and reader feedback.
If you would like to do the work of choosing yourself, here is the list of all lightweight vacuum reviews. Be careful not to get too caught up in the details. While no vacuum is perfect for every use, most are good enough to please almost everyone, and the differences are often not noticeable unless you really look for them.
Generally, you can expect a vacuum to last for about eight years. Several factors can affect its lifespan, including how much you use it, what you do to maintain it, and what style of vacuum it is. (A sturdy upright vacuum may last longer than a robotic model.) If your vacuum is on the less expensive side, that may also come at the cost of a few additional years of functionality.Katie Berry, The Spruce's Cleaning Review Board member, also notes that your vacuum's lifespan can be affected by the battery if you opt for a cordless pick. "With cordless vacuums, batteries often give out long before the vacuum does," she notes. "To get the longest life out of a cordless vacuum, look for models with replaceable batteries.""}},"@type": "Question","name": "How do I clean a vacuum?","acceptedAnswer": "@type": "Answer","text": "When it comes to cleaning a vacuum, your first step should always be to empty your vacuum, either by throwing away its dust bag or releasing the dust bin contents into the trash. Next, use a microfiber cloth to wipe any remaining fine debris from the vacuum's interior. Depending on your model, you may be able to wash out the inside with soap and water, and even rinse out the filter. However, some vacuums have replaceable filters or can't get wet at all, so make sure to refer to your vacuum's manual before starting to clean it. Your last step should be checking the wheels and cleaner head for tangled hair. If you do use water to clean your vacuum, be sure to let everything air-dry before reassembling.","@type": "Question","name": "What should I expect from a budget vacuum?","acceptedAnswer": "@type": "Answer","text": "Vacuums that have a lower price tag may lack some of the bells and whistles you'd find on high-end models, like a wide array of attachments, powerful suction, and a spacious dust bin. There are plenty of vacuums that'll cover your cleaning needs at an affordable price, but if you're looking for a more specialized machine that'll recognize the layout of your home or do deeper cleaning, you may need to adjust your desired price point."]}]}] .icon-garden-review-1fill:#b1dede.icon-garden-review-2fill:none;stroke:#01727a;stroke-linecap:round;stroke-linejoin:round > buttonbuttonThe Spruce The Spruce's Instagram The Spruce's TikTok The Spruce's Pinterest The Spruce's Facebook NewslettersClose search formOpen search formSearch DecorRoom Design
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