Well, you said .44 cal, and don't want heavy, so I'd go with a Taurus or Charter Arms snubby in .44 Special.
While a little 2" bbl can be a bit of a handful even with Special loads, you can easily get used to it with practice.
I'd agree that the 629 is too heavy for a carry gun, unless you mean trails and such, where you can carry in the open.
I wouldn't want to try to conceal one of those in me waistband.
You could get a little Taurus snubby for around $300 I should think, less if used, and even the titanium ones are only $440 or so.
Myself, one of those little titaniums in .45" would be sweet.