The Best Lightweight Vacuum Cleaners of 2024

The Dyson V8 Absolute is a former top pick and still a fantastic choice. The weight to power ratio here is almost unbelievable. This vacuum is only 5.6 pounds, but strong enough to truly replace a corded model for most household cleaning.

This cordless vacuum’s battery lasted for 40 minutes, wildly outclassing most of the competition. But it also picked up 88% of the dirt we laid out in our floor cleaning tests. That puts it above every cordless except the newest Dyson, and even puts it in the upper ranks of heavy, corded vacuums.

The V8 does have some downsides. While it has a ton of attachments—including a powered brush roll head that's designed for hardwood floors, a motorized mini brush for cleaning upholstery, a soft brush for hardwood, a combination upholstery/bare floor tool, a crevice tool, and a soft dusting brush for computers and delicate items—they all have to be stored separately. If you've got limited space, they might be a pain to keep track of and swap.

The V8 is also quite expensive, retailing for around $600. However, if you want an ultra-lightweight vacuum that you can take out to clean your car, then come inside to get tracked-in dirt off the stairs and the dog hair off your drapes, this is the one to get.

To get the real skinny on lightweight vacuums you need to ask professional cleaners, who tend to use vacuums that are very similar to the Oreck Elevate Conquer. At just 11 pounds, this is the lightest full-sized vacuum we have ever tested.

In terms of dirt pickup, the Elevate does well enough for its size to earn a place on this list. It cleaned as well as other vacuums on short-pile carpet, but struggled when we switched to deep-pile carpet.

Still, it’s a strong choice for anyone with mobility issues, and not just because it’s lightweight. When the motor is engaged, the Conquer glides across the floors, pulling itself forward under the power of its own brushes.

Oreck also has the advantage of a seven-year warranty that's backed by service locations all across the country. The only downside from all that weight cutting is that the Conquer has no attachments beyond its HEPA filter. If you want a crevice tool or dusting brush, you'll need to buy a separate handheld unit.

We weren’t sure what to make of the Dyson Omni-Glide when we first unpacked it in our labs. The design of the body suggests that it’s a hand vacuum, but it can also clean the floor like a regular cordless vacuum. This Dyson is somewhere in between and does an equally good job at cleaning floors and countertops.

Even with its heaviest attachments on, the Omni-Glide tips the scales at just around four pounds. This means you don’t break a sweat lugging it up the stairs or cleaning your car. And with a battery that runs 18 minutes on regular power and 9 minutes at max, you may be able to do it all in one charge.

After spending a few days cleaning with this Dyson, we think that it’s perfect for small apartments. The titular Omni-Glide brush head is just eight inches wide, with a swivel joint that’s limber enough to twist around chair and table legs.

Its unique flexibility isn’t its only strength. During testing, it picked up 70% of the dirt we laid out for it. That’s below average for the Dysons we’ve tested (87%), but solidly above the average of 57% across all the vacuums we’ve tested.

The Omni-Glide is pretty expensive, but since it cleans floors and furniture equally well, it’s like getting two vacuums for the price of one.