If you're cleaning in nooks and crannies or up and down stairs, you'll appreciate a lightweight vacuum that's easy to maneuver. I'm TechRadar's Homes Editor for floorcare, and I've tested vacuum cleaners of all shapes, sizes, and weights, including a recent mega group test to find the best cordless vacuum on the market.
Based on my experiences, my #1 lightweight vacuum recommendation is the Shark Detect Pro. This vac is almost absurdly light and very compact – in handheld mode it's teeny-tiny. Unfortunately, Shark rather unhelpfully seems to be discontinuing it, so it's hard to get hold of, although I have found one listing in the US. (Note, too: Shark has lots of similarly-named vacuums, so beware impostors.)
Which brings me to my second lightweight recommendation: Dreame R20. It's a smidge heavier than the Detect Pro but still impressively light – thanks in part to a featherweight carbon fiber wand. It's also extremely nimble and easy to maneuver, and delivers better cleaning than the Detect Pro, too.
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Shark Detect Pro and Dreame R20: what you need to know
The Detect Pro is extremely lightweight and svelte, even for a cordless stick vacuum. It's also very comfortable to use, thanks to a rubberized grip and shaping on the handle. With the wands and main floorheads attached, the Detect Pro and R20 are a very similar weight, but in handheld mode the Detect Pro is much lighter. That's partly due to a smaller dust cup (beware: it really is rather small, and will need regular emptying).
You'll switch the Shark Detect Pro on and off using a one-press button on the main part of the machine – it's not reachable from the handle, so you'll have to have your other hand free at all times, which can be a little annoying.
This vacuum achieved decent scores in my cleaning tests on medium-pile carpet and hard floors, although it struggled with pet hair and deep-pile carpet. As a very general rule of thumb, the heavier the vacuum, the more suction it tends to have, and I wouldn't recommend either of these lightweight vacs to homes with tough cleaning challenges – my best vacuum ranking has plenty of alternatives.
Moving on to the Dreame R20. This vacuum earned the best overall score in my group test, and is a very strong all-rounder. It lacks the padding and shaping that made the Detect Pro such a dream (no pun intended) to use, but on the plus side you won't need to keep a hand free to turn it on and off, because there's a trigger. Dreame has also added a button to lock the machine for continual running when needed.
The cleaning performance was good too, earning decent scores across the board in my suction tests. I was especially impressed with how well the mini motorized tool cleared pet hair from a velvet cushion. A potential bonus is the addition of a second, soft head that'll buff and clean hard flooring without risking potential scratches.
| Header Cell - Column 0 | Shark Detect Pro | Dreame R20 |
|---|---|---|
Weight (w/ wand and main floorhead): | 6 lbs / 2.72kg | 6.04 lbs / 2.74kg |
Weight (no attachments): | 2.82 lbs / 1.28kg | 3.84 lbs / 1.74kg |
Main floorhead width: | 10.43 in / 26.5cm | 10.16 in / 25.8cm |
Bin capacity: | 0.4L | 0.6 L |
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