It’s key to consider the different types of vacuums and attachments that’ll enhance usability when shopping. Dr. Karen Jacobs, occupational therapist and professor at Boston University, notes how different settings are also important: “Vacuuming carpet takes a lot more force than a tile or wood floor. Setting the height of the floor head of the vacuum can lower the force required when pushing the vacuum.” If you have multiple flooring types in your home, you won’t want to skip on a vac that’s able to be adjusted this way. “Always choose the right height setting for the floor,” Dr. Jacobs adds. The Shark Vertex DuoClean PowerFins Cordless Stick Vacuum stood out in our testing thanks to its outstanding suction, multiple settings, and long battery life. It was also easy to push and store. Here are the best lightweight vacuums on the market, backed by our testing. Even in real world situations, you can expect this lightweight vacuum to be nimble and flexible when reaching under furniture. In our lab’s living room obstacle course, the Shark Vertex DuoClean PowerFins Cordless Stick Vacuum was easy to slip under a coffee table and couch. A unique pivot point gives it better reach than most other stick vacuums (and also means it folds in half for compact storage). It would be great if it was also self-standing, but that is one feature that is missing from the design. Even still, it’s hard to beat the capable and convenient performance of this option. While it doesn’t operate solo, our product tester says, “It basically vacuums for you, so you put in very little effort.” Plus, with an impressive battery life of 60 minutes, this stick vacuum cleaner isn’t likely to quit before you do. Price at time of publish: $430 Aside from its powerful suction, this vacuum has an EasyReach wand that can bend to clean under furniture, and also a lightweight swivel head for navigating turns. “The Kenmore was lightweight and even though it was top-heavy, the weight distribution still allowed me to vacuum continuously without arm fatigue,” said our in-lab tester. They also noted that assembly instructions were thorough, but the process of ensuring all of the parts were in place was challenging because it needed to be upright the entire time. We recommend having another person nearby to help with the assembly process. All in all, our tester said they were shocked at this vacuum’s affordable price tag given its strong performance, and they were even considering purchasing one for themselves. Price at time of publish: $180 In our testing, the eufy H30 Venture excelled on both hard and soft surfaces, earning a flawless 5-star rating for effectiveness. Large debris (like cereal) easily passes into the dust bin, whether you’re using the nozzle or one of the two included attachments. For fine debris (like hair), this vac provides enough suction to capture it effectively, even from soft surfaces. Keep in mind that all this suction power comes at a cost. Our tester’s only complaint about this vacuum is its noise level. On max mode, it was impossible to talk over. However, the 0.26-quart dust bin is sized right for the design of the vacuum and is easy to empty. It may not be as large as the dust bin of a stick vacuum, but it had more than enough capacity during testing. All in all, everything feels intuitive about using the eufy H30 Venture, and in real-world testing, our tester consistently reached for it over a full-size, upright vacuum whenever possible. You can also purchase an extension kit to use with the H30 Venture, making it a stick vacuum. Price at time of publish: $160 The motor head is also designed with TINECO’s signature ZeroWrap Technology, which prevents hair from becoming tangled and clogging the brushes. Our tester noted that they appreciated the lever on the dust bin, which makes it easy to scrape dirt off the sides of the container, but they still had to reach in to remove some hair. This vacuum also comes with a charging dock that houses all of the attachments, so you don’t have to worry about losing pieces or keeping everything organized. Although this model is certainly more expensive than its PET counterpart, we found the addition of the mini motor brush head to be a great cleaning tool for upholstery and smaller jobs that can traditionally be completed by a hand vacuum. This vacuum’s ability to transition from carpet to hard flooring and its quiet operation also set it apart from other stick models. Price at time of publish: $400 This corded stick vacuum weighs about 8 pounds. The handle height is taller than expected, which was the biggest surprise to our testing team when assembling the vacuum. However, it didn’t hold our product tester back from being able to easily navigate the vacuum under and around furniture, earning it 4 stars for this attribute. “It moves with me,” said our product tester. Surprisingly, this vacuum was harder to use effectively on hardwood surfaces, despite the fingertip controls that allow you to toggle between floor settings. Even still, it was able to pick up all debris once we kicked into a higher suction setting. With no battery life to worry about, you can use increased suction power as needed without draining your power supply. For above-floor cleaning tasks, you can use the handheld portion of the vacuum, but you’ll still have to keep within 25 feet of an outlet based on the vacuum’s cord length. Price at time of publish: $200 Like other stick vacuums, this vacuum’s dust bin is relatively easy to empty, and our tester only had to manually remove some hair caught at the top of the bin. Other intuitive features include: LED headlights that illuminate messes on the floor and show your cleaning path, and separate floor cleaning modes that can be adjusted via the control panel, which also displays the battery level. Our tester ran this vacuum for over 17 minutes and noticed no change in suction, which makes us confident that it could easily clean an average-sized apartment effectively during its 30-minute run time. Overall this vacuum may not have all the bells and whistles of other higher-end models, but we appreciate its straightforward design and convenient assembly process. Price at time of publish: $220 In our tests, the Shark VACMOP was praised for its slim, cordless design and easy gliding motion. Even among a field of lightweight vac-mops, this one stood out to our tester as being noticeably light and easy to maneuver, making it a good choice if you have restricted mobility or need an ultra-light vacuum for quick cleaning sessions. The tank with cleaning solution is integrated into the body of the vacuum and the cleaning pad has a chamber for dirt collection, while a light on the floor head illuminates areas in need of attention. Our tester’s one point of criticism for the usability of the Shark VACMOP is that you have to continuously hold the power button during operation. However, it has exceptionally quiet noise levels that increase user comfort while the vacuum is on. Price at time of publish: $100 While our tester said the dust canister was easy to remove from this vacuum, she struggled to dump all of the hair that had been collected while cleaning. She had to pull some hair out with her hands, which is neither pleasant nor efficient. Despite the amount of hair caught at the top of the canister, she said no hair was wrapped around the motorized brush head, which is a huge plus for homes with long-haired pets. This vacuum clips into its charging station, which doubles as a storage dock and only requires four hours to charge. It also has an average run time of about 20 minutes when used on the lowest setting and a 10-minute run time on the highest setting. While we wish the canister was slightly easier to empty—plus, this vacuum could better handle large debris on carpet—our testers were still, overall, very impressed by its performance and ease of use. Price at time of publish: $130 From there, we gather insights on how well each pick transitions from smooth floors to a carpet and navigates our living room-inspired obstacle course, complete with a low-sitting couch and a coffee table. This makes up our maneuverability test. We note how long cordless models stay charged or how heavy cords are to carry around. Our testers then test the ease of emptying the dust bins and note if it was a messy, as expected, or thrillingly simple process. They use their entire experience to judge the overall value of the product and decide if it’s worth the money you’d spend on it. Additional vacuums are rated on the same attributes by our at-home testers. They bring the models through real-world environments and situations and note whether they would continuously reach for the vacuum or another cleaning tool in their closet. Our editors take all of the consistently applied testing data and boil it down to the lightweight vacuums we believe are the very best.
What to Look for in a Lightweight Vacuum
Type
There are several “types” to choose from when picking out a lightweight vacuum. Stick vacuums are perhaps the most common and popular type, since they have a slim and trim profile. Many of these are also multi-purpose models that can convert into handheld ones for above-floor cleaning tasks, though their dust bin capacity may be small. Our “best overall” pick, the Shark Vertex DuoClean PowerFins Cordless Stick Vacuum is a stick model. Another option to consider is canister vacuums. Instead of supporting the vacuum’s weight as you clean, you’ll only need to hold onto the wand while the vacuum itself follows behind you on wheels. Upright vacuums are usually heavier by design, but some more slimmed-down versions exist, such as the Shark Navigator Freestyle Upright Bagless Cordless Stick Vacuum. If you are shopping for this type of lightweight vacuum for whole-house cleaning, you should look for an ergonomic design to offset the increased weight that comes with this design. The lightest of all types, handheld vacuums are designed for smaller messes or light cleaning tasks, but the right one can still feature serious suction power. Handheld vacuums are particularly handy for cleaning your car, as well. Lastly, there are also wet-dry vacuums on the market that are capable of vacuuming and mopping your floors, like the Shark VACMOP. This is particularly handy if you want to condense your tasks, but these models can often only be used on hard surfaces.
Corded vs. Cordless Design
Another factor to consider is a vacuum’s corded versus cordless design. Corded vacs offer unfading suction power, but they also have limitations on reach based on cord length. You’ll need to manage the cord while maneuvering the vacuum around the room. A cordless vacuum, on the contrary, gives you ultimate flexibility, but only for as long as the battery lasts. You can expect anywhere from 20 to 60 minutes of runtime with a cordless vacuum before needing to pause your cleaning session for a recharge—which can take multiple hours.
Maneuverability
Choosing the right lightweight vacuum also means considering its maneuverability. You want to find a vacuum that gives you plenty of reach for accessing space-restricted areas, like under furniture or in corners. Lightweight stick vacuums are known for being nimble and flexible enough to clean tight spots. Features that can improve maneuverability on any lightweight vacuum include a flexible hose, a wand that reaches nearly to the floor, or a lift-away handheld vacuum for above-floor cleaning. In addition, some models glide across the floor since they’re self-propelled. This can help reduce strain from pushing and pulling a vacuum. Dr. Karen Jacobs, occupational therapist and professor at Boston University, additionally suggests alternating hands to avoid muscle strain. “Vacuuming is usually one-handed," she says. “One thing you can do is use your dominant hand for a while and then switch. The hand you are not using put it on your thigh, and it will sometimes take some pressure off your back.” If the body of the vacuum can adjust to accommodate user height, that’s even better and a feature to look out for, according to Dr. Jacobs. “Everyone’s arm length or height is different, so if there are multiple people in a home using a vacuum, make sure that it will fit them all,” says Dr. Jacobs. “A multiple height adjustment feature may be important. The lightest vacuum may not be not the right one for them.” Underscoring why maneuverability is so important, Dr. Jacobs points out that forceful exertion while using a vacuum cleaner can cause you to over-extend the body, too, particularly the spine. Swivel steering is another great attribute, but make sure you’re rotating the vacuum and not your body to avoid injury, she says.
Included Attachments
Attachments add versatility to your lightweight vacuum without drastically increasing the weight. Some of the most common (and helpful) attachments include upholstery brushes, crevice tools, extension wands, and motorized pet brushes. These tools can make your vacuum more effective at specific cleaning tasks. Keep in mind that some vacuums offer onboard attachment storage while others don’t.
Why Trust The Spruce?
Erica Puisis is a product tester and research writer specializing in home and lifestyle topics. She has extensive experience with small appliances, including vacuum cleaners. For this roundup, she utilized extensive testing data from The Lab and our home testers. By comparing the cleaning effectiveness, maneuverability, portability, ease of emptying, and noise levels of each model, she narrowed down more than 50 models to find the best options. For advice on selecting a vacuum with ergonomics and mobility adaptations in mind, she spoke with Dr. Karen Jacobs, an occupational therapist and professor at Boston University. Emma Phelps, an updates writer for The Spruce, also assisted in updating this roundup to include the latest models we tested and loved.
What Is Spruce Approved?
Here at The Spruce we want to ensure we fully stand behind every product we recommend, and that when we say something is the best, we mean it. You might have noticed The Spruce Approved badge next to the products on this list. Every product with this badge has been rigorously tested in person and carefully selected by our expert team of lab testers and editors. In most cases, we buy all these products ourselves, though occasionally we get samples provided to us directly by companies. No matter how we procure products, they all go through the same tests and must meet the same strict criteria to make the best-of cut. We also pride ourselves on transparency and will always let you know if we received a product for free.
