This is the only attractive canister vacuum I've found — it looks like a piece of carry-on luggage and is lightweight and powerful

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• At $300, the Airsign HEPA Vacuum is an effective, affordable alternative to higher-priced canister vacuums.
• With its sleek, compact design, it could easily be mistaken for a piece of carry-on luggage and is similarly easy to store.
• I like that it's so light I can carry it in one hand as I clean the stairs in my four-story home.

As a reporter who has road-tested more than 25 vacuums from uprights to sticks to robots, I've given the cold shoulder to many of the vacuums gathering dust in my basement. Many machines are either too heavy to lug up and down the stairs in my four-story home, not powerful enough to clean up after three kids and a dog, or too complicated with countless moving parts and pieces.

I didn't expect much from the Airsign HEPA Vacuum, a modest canister-style vacuum I was recently gifted. But I quickly realized I'd discovered a vacuum that's easy to transport from room to room and from floor to floor. Created by a design school graduate, this minimalist-style vacuum is the antithesis of heavy and clunky and could easily be mistaken for a piece of carry-on luggage. (No surprise, its inventor, Joseph Guerra, used to design for Away, the travel accessory company.)

Below, read more on why this affordable vacuum didn't end up in the graveyard of vacuums in my basement.

I can easily carry the vacuum up and down my stairs in one hand — it's that lightweight.

At 10.8 pounds, the 1,200-watt Airsign weighs less than my Shih Tzu puppy, is quieter than most standard vacuums, and at 40" x 10" x 15.75" is small enough to fit into my tiny hall closet.

The vacuum sells for $275 if you buy into the bag subscription plan (where four bags and one HEPA filter are sent to you every six months for $35) or $295 if you don't. There's a two-year warranty on the motor, hose, floorhead, power cord, wheels, wand, and aluminum built-in handle. 

The unit comes with three tools: a flat head, a bristle brush, and a crevice tool. The tools are easy to put on and take off. 

The manufacturer has stripped away all the unnecessary attachments that make vacuums confusing and often expensive. There's a head attachment that I use on my floors and stair landings; a nylon brush that's great for curtains, lampshades, and stair treads and risers; and a crevice device, which works in small, tight spaces. The tools attach to a lightweight expandable aluminum wand, which makes it easy to clean a stairwell without even having to climb the stairs.

It's simple to operate with only 3 buttons to run the unit, including a suction-control button.

I particularly appreciate the suction button, which has three power-level settings. I set it on high when attacking larger volumes of dirt, use the middle setting for basic cleaning, and dial it back to the lowest setting for delicate tasks like vacuuming lampshades or books.  

With the vacuum head attached, the Airsign HEPA Vacuum excels on hardwood and tile floors thanks to its powerful suction and the extra-long bristles make it ideal for low-pile carpets. Hair, dust, fuzz balls, sand, and cat litter are all easily captured whether they're lingering on the floor, walls, baseboards, curtains, or upholstery.

This vacuum has a 4-layer filtration system that includes a HEPA filter to capture airborne particles.

The system is sealed to prevent particles from escaping and incorporates a four-layer filtration system that includes a dust bag, a medical grade HEPA-14 filter, a pre-motor filter (as a second line of defense to prevent dust from getting into the motor), and a charcoal filter to clean the air while you vacuum.

The unit is so small it can be stored under a bed or in a tiny closet. 

Plus, the winding cord lives inside the unit, making this machine even more compact and reducing the likelihood of kinks in the cord over time.

This vacuum's commitment to the environment is really impressive. 

The Airsign HEPA Vacuum has 20% recycled plastic in the injection molding, recycled aluminum on all the metal parts, and compostable and biodegradable bags. It is manufactured with very little glue or paint. There's no overmolding (with the wheels being the exception), and almost all the packaging is made of recyclable cardboard and molded wood pulp, the exception being one foam bag to prevent scratching during shipment.

No vacuum is perfect, and this one has some minor cons to consider. 

Airsign may have trimmed back on the vacuum attachments a bit too heavily, especially for pet owners with couches full of hair or people with plush carpets, as it doesn't come with a spin brush head. Luckily, compatible spin brush attachments are easy to order online (Splinova Miele Turbo Head Cleaner, $29.99).

My other minor concerns are being addressed by the company — I noticed a strong chemical smell when I opened my box and was told by the manufacturer they're considering building in extra time so the materials can better air out during production. I also wish it came in a hue other than black and was told there would be a color announcement in the near future.   

The bottom line

If you're looking for an attractive, lightweight vacuum cleaner that's easy to store and operate, this is it.  Because of its size, this vacuum is ideal for people living in tight spaces like apartments, dorms, or small homes where there's not a lot of storage. It wouldn't even be an eyesore if you had to leave it out in a corner. But those who live in large homes will benefit, too, since it's lightweight and portable, making it easy to move around from room to room.