Vacuum Cleaners Discussions

Isn't that just absolutely nuts the way people moan about the cost of vac bags? I have gotten to the point where I actually ask people if they ration toilet paper or paper towels. When I point out that they spend way more on those items which make their lives more snaitary and convenient, they usually nod and say, "You're right"

I also point out that the cost of motor oil is the cost of prolonging the useful life of their vehicle. The cost of bags is the cost of prolonging the useful life of their carpet, and reducing the frequency of professional cleaning. It's not a big deal. And if they talk about landfill, etc. Gotcha! disposable vacs pile up faster than full dustbags. Bags are the safe,clean, sanitary way to go

I appreciate everything in your response, and yet I cannot concur with your rather generous view of CR ratings (BTW, you did not like your Bosch dishwasher? I replaced my broke 12 yr old  K/A with one and LOVE it! I cannot find a single fault with it.) Look at the highly rated kenmore canisters that need frequent hose replacments. CR has been way off the mark too many times for me to have much faith in them. If you can, get copies of all their vac ratings over the last 5 yrs. Compare then and watch how the ratings of the same machines change.

If the dear woman who is sheltering these strays has allergies severe enough to use medications and/or inhalers she should keep the Miele and buy the bags, maybe shop around for the best price. If she is using the above mentioned items, perhaps the saleperson did not consider the cost of bags would be an issue for her, food, vet bills, allergy meds, what's the cost of a few dustbags? Miele bags come 5 to a pack, and it is possible to buy them in generic hi-filtration by Envirocare from www.allergybags.com   20 bags and 8 pre-motor filters for either 55.00 or 69.00 (depending on which style) no tax and free shipping. Naturally the vac shop which sold it to her is not going to suggest it. From the picture, the bags look like the same material. I checked Ineedbags, allbags, and gottahavebags. allergybags has the best price.They may actually be the same manufacturer Miele has make the bags under their label. That breaks down to 2.75 or 3.50/bag. Hoover and D/D bags routinely run 9.99 for a 3pack, so the cost is very competitive.

An absolutely brilliant ad campaign for Miele would be to offer a 50.00 coupon off the price of a new Miele with a proof of adoption of a dog from a rescue organization, along with the first pack of bags free!

I'm jealous, I have always thought the Nilfisk G80 was a cool vac,

James Dyson is a brillant conceptual engineer, but he is not a design engineer to nearly the same degree. He designed a new concept around a vacuum cleaner. What his imitators are doing now is designing their vacuum cleaners around what is now a commonplace concept.  Mr. Dyson made vacuums that are novel, and admittedly fuctional in that they maintain their cleaning power much longer than vacuums equipped with the paper bags of approximately 20 years ago. However, by no stretch of the imagination did he build vacuum cleaners which are attractive (downright fanny ugly) nor convenient, not compared to many he had to compete against. To avoid having a height adjustment he designed a failure-prone clutch assembly which is not inexpensive to repair. (Oh ye who dibelieve, talk to the vac shops waiting on repair parts on back order from Dyson) The hose/wand is inconvenient (Actually his imitator, Amway, had the optimum solution, a lever to switch suction from floor to hose, and a short stetch hose with a crevice tool on board. The addition of a telescopic wand, dust brush, and upholstery tool on board would have allowed the operator to vacuum with the vacuum handle in one hand, and the hose/wand in the other and switch from one to the other with the flick of a toe. The Sharp bagless had this arrangement, and it is the most convenient upright to use simultaneuoslty with OBT of any that have ever been manufactured. Eureka/Lux has a few BUT, the switch from floor to above-the-floor is acheived with a dial which must be operated by hand.

The important issue to remember is that the bagless concept has now been rendered obsolete by the new bags made from 3M Filtrete paper/cloth. They have been proved in Miele, Sanitaire, Kirby and other brands to maintain nealy 100% of their initial cleaning power as they fill with dirt. The dirt in these bags is compacted as the bag fills, in the bagless machines it is fluffed and looks like more than it really is. If you don't have to change the bags as often as you would have to empty a dirt container, and if the bags are more sanitary and convenient, what are the advantages of a bagless unit, even a Dyson? Cost? It is just paper, not hide flayed from anyone's back. Does anyone track how much bathroom tissue, facial tissue, paper plates and paper towels they use annually? If not, what is all the fuss and to-do about the cost of 6 to 8 bags a year? Nothing but hype, and it is ludicrous. James Dyson you have had your 15min of fame, is that all you've got?