An Oreck moves the pad the same way as an orbital sander works (turns in an eliptical movement, so you get rotational and side to side movement) It is however a lightweight peice of kit, great for agitating small areas or stairs, but I would not want to try and do a LM clean of a substantial area with one. As was said early, you can virtually pick up an Oreck with one finger (if you've got strong fingers)