Vacuum Cleaners Discussions

Regardless of what any of us may think about bagless vacuums, it looks like they are here to stay.
I just gave a cursory glance to the Hoover, Dirt Devil, Bissell, and Eureka websites. None of the four brands has even 20% of their model offerings as bagged units.
Canisters are different. Eureka and Bissell have over 50% of their canister offerings as bagged units, Hoover less than 50%, and Dirt Devil, none. None offer a bagged stick vac, and only Dirt Devil offers a bagged hand vac. But uprights are the lion's share of the market.

The bagless units at the top of their price points are under the entry level Dysons.  Panasonic has almost left the bagless category.  So, it would seem, with the exception of Dyson, that the buying public has rejected all bagless vacuums above 300.00 with the noted exception of Dyson.  Are the BB manufacturers afraid to produce bagged units again for fear they will not sell?  Essentially we have a split in the market: low end = bagless, high end = bagged.  In terms of the respective consumer markets the only vacuum to be represented in both the specialty retailers and the BB superstores is Dyson. Not bad marketing.

Speaking as a consumer and user, I have owned both bagged and bagless machines and, as well the alternatives -- either vacs with permanent bags or water-type machines. My first preference is a machine with a decently sized, high-filtration disposable bag. You put one in use it until it's full then remove it without a lot of dust exposure or fuss and insert a new one. The best in show allow little to escape them. Pre-filters are replaced only every four or five bag changes and that's all you need to bother yourself about. Second choice would have to be a permanent-bag machine. I am used to them its even though an old-fashioned filtration medium, I find them easier and simpler to empty. Though I much like the performance of my Sears Iridium bagless canister, which I consider a benchmark, I found I could live without the bother of washing the pre-filter and collection bin to satisfy performance requirements and my eye. (Nothing looks nastier when all the little cyclonic tubes start to collect dirt.) That all reminded me too much of working with Rexair and Rainbow. I crazy about vacuums but am not at all interested or inclined toward involvement in complex maintenance regimens. Good bagged machines with the right kind of filtering medium fit the bill for me. At one point in time I swore that Filter Queen was the ultimate for finite air filtration but have found in recent times that Miele, Nilfisk and even some less expensive non-niche brands are equal matches. Venson

Venson wrote:

Hello Venson:

I highlighted the part in parens to make it stand out.  I and every bagged vacuum consumer I talk with wholeheartedly agrees with you.  Looking at the bagless vacuum's dirt and/or dirty bin [even after dumping], whether it's stored away, and/or in use around the house is a huge eye sore.

Carmine D.

Well Trebor the story is different in the UK. Currently most high street shops are all selling bagless uprights, cylinders and hand helds whilst bagged models are being limited in the availability. Panasonic in the UK still sell bagless and bagged models but it seems to be bagless which is cheaper to buy (Hoover UK produce the dreadful DustManager series to rip off consumers, evident on both consumer sites and Which? for example). At the end of the day given that hospitals still use bagged vacuums I'd go for what they are using in a healthy environment and that's one reason alone to why I prefer bagged vacuums. I have cheap bagged vacs that do a good job just as well as premium brands and as Carmine says, the bagless idea has been around far longer than Dyson.