New to electric scooters - F(26), 95lbs. What are the best lightweight scooters in medium price ranges?

Hi reddit! Am very new to electric scooters as of this week. Was walking my dog at the park and saw a couple with scooters and decided to approach them and ask about their experiences. They had the $2500 Apollo ones, and they let me try riding it (sidenote: e-scooter people are so nice). This whole time I assumed e-scooters are hard to balance on, but it was so easy. So here I am!

I've done some research and examples of models I am thinking about: Apollo Air, Apollo City, Ninebot, Gotrax. But would definitely love some of your opinions! A few key considerations:

  • I weigh 95lbs soaking wet and I don't lift weights. I'm most concerned about how heavy some of these scooters are. I'm considering the Gotrax because another kind stranger let me both ride AND try to lift his Gotrax. I forget the model but it must have been around 40lbs. So I'm looking for something that is probably max 40-50lbs (which is already half my body weight).
  • I will mostly be using it to commute to work (about 5km both ways).
  • I live in Toronto so there are designated bike lanes, but will also probably spend some part of the commute on sidewalk. Suspension would be nice, but not a must-have feature if scooters with suspension tend to also be heavy.
  • My budget is generally around $500-$1000. But can go up to $1200 if you guys really like a specific model etc. Not sure about quality of scooters that are below $500 tbh... are they safe? This is my entry scooter, so I don't need something super high range as I can always upgrade after some use. But still looking for decent quality / reliable models.
  • It will mostly be me, my work bag, gym bag, and a helmet on the scooter.
  • Probably won't be needing to take public transport (subway, bus), but I'm thinking maybe it will be best to get a scooter that can fold in half, just in case? I have an elevator in my building and workplace also has an elevator.
  • Throwing this in here as well: there are probably lots of helmets out there, but any you guys like?

Would love your suggestions on both brand and model #.

Any other things I should consider? Thanks so much for taking the time to help.