Vacuum Cleaners Discussions

I note that the American Medical Association published results of a health study finding. In short, it reports that patients who used placebo drugs that cost more stated that their pain was lessened and their relief increased. Patients who used the same drugs but told the cost was less reported the opposite. Not effective for pain relief. Indicating that the more people thought the drugs cost, the more they thought they worked. Contrast this with the Japanese buying mentality. They believe the more the product costs the better it is. Americans are not much different it seems. Could this mentality affect vacuum buyer use and satisfaction? Especially with a certain high price bagless?

Several years ago I was visiting vacuum shops and testing various vacuums with a suction guage and airflow meter. I even had a home made adapter so I could get a good seal on the end of a modern Kenmore hose. My last stop was a Sears store. I was laughing when a lady customer saw me taking a vacuum off the display shelf to plug in. She clasped her hands in front of her and said "oh good, I want to see how a man shops for a vacuum". I laid out my test equipment and got to work testing the several canisters on display from the big burly 21814 Elite down to the humble budget Lime Green canister. The Elite was a real powerhouse with the most suction and airflow I had ever measured, and more than the Miele vacuums I had tested a half hour previously. But the surprise was that lowly little Lime Green canister had better airflow and suction than the Progressives or the then new 600 Series 81614. Not a match for the Elite but equal to the Miele. $149 list for the Lime Green (but selling for much less on clearance) vs over a grand for the Miele. By the end of my session I had a little crowd including the vacuum sales people all watching intently. I eventually took a Lime Green canister home for $75 from the clearance section. Miele power and filtration (if you use the Kenmore synthetic Q bag) and arguably a better power nozzle and hose for $75! But even paying list price, that big burly Elite was more vacuum and a better value than the Miele. Yep, people definitely overpay for a fancy name. You see it with cars too.