The best lightweight upright on the market these days is the Hoover Platinum Lightweight Bagged upright. It deep cleans carpets with excellence, is very easy and light to use, has a really large bag that is easy to change, and is less expensive and quieter than similar lightweight upright by Oreck and Riccar and Simplicity. It indeed is a classic Fan-First configuration - which means the dirt goes thru the fan before being blown into the bag. But the brilliant headlight should help you avoid sucking up coins and anything that could potentially damage the motor. This vac only costs around $300.
If you prefer a bag-first configuration, I highly recommend the white Miele Cat and Dog S7 upright. It is an excellent carpet cleaner and offers you the option of shutting off the brush roll to vacuum bare floors without damaging them. It comes with a nice long 39 foot cord, ergonomic handle, on-board stretch hose and tools, and is very quiet. Though it's heavier than the Hoover, it features a swivel head that makes it very easy to manoeuver. It also has excellent filtration to keep emissions very low.
Here's a nice little video about the Cat and Dog:
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