Lightweight affordable vacuum

• What's the best lightweight-but-still-cleans-well vacuum out there? Besides Oreck, I mean. Here's the situation: About ten years ago, I splurged on an Oreck upright (even though I am not a neat freak by anyone's stretch of the imagination). It has performed wonderfully, and I'm glad I purchased it. My mother has occasional bouts of polymyalgia, which is nonspecific inflammation of the joints. When she gets these flareups, it becomes difficult to do many household tasks, including vacuuming. The last time she had a flareup, she lived rather close by, so I let her borrow my Oreck. She raved about how easy it was to use (only 8 lbs., according to the ads), and thought it was just the greatest thing. She's since moved 80 miles away, and so my visits are more infrequent. She recently had a flareup of her polymyalgia, and lamented that the clunky Panasonic upright vacuum is so heavy, she can't vacuum any more. I do the vacuuming for her when I visit, but I can't always make it out there every week. She'd love to find a new vacuum that's as lightweight as an Oreck, but doesn't cost the proverbial arm and a leg. I've read some of the other threads that tout other vacuums (Miele, etc., though they seem pricey, too), but can't seem to find any that are feather-light that she can use easily. Anyone have any ideas? Thanks. :-)

• Answer:

  Have you thought about giving your mom the Oreck and then getting something for you that maybe doesn't have to be as light?