If you check the forums you'll find that all bagless vacs are messy when dumping the contents. Depending on the seal, even a bagged vac might be a problem.

Although my daughter loves her Oreck, online forums consistantly bash them as junk.

If you like the idea of disposable vacs, then continue to look at Dyson, Hoover, Eureka, Oreck and etc. Not much middle ground. At the high end Miehle, Sebo, Simplicity, Riccar are all wonderful vacs desigend to give you years and years of service, 20+ if you take care of them. But they cost considerably more than the disposable ones.

If you haven't visited a specialty vacuum cleaner store, please do. You'll find the same vacs as the big box stores at the same prices + you'll find several that you have probably never heard of. They are experts that can give recommendations on the basis of your needs and budget. Like all dealers, you'll find good ones and bad ones, but you'll learn alot either way.

Since I like uprights, and like things that last a long time, I replaced my old Royal (no longer a top brand) with a Simplicity. Liked the features and it was American made.

Good luck!

Another vote for the Simplicty, I have a 6 Series and think its great. The only gripe I have about it is that I can't run the vac without the brush spinning. You need to step up to the 7 Series for that which will cost you another $100.

Just noticed you can't get a price online for Simplicity
vacuums. Also Simplicity vacuum site does not say "Made in USA".

Accessories are priced online but the vacuum isn't. I just lost interest.
----------------------------------------------------

Also, Simplicity snowblowers are Made in USA, but I don't think it is the same company.

Go to the House /Home section and look under Appliances.
But a vacuum cleaner can be used by a man in his workshop. I use an Electrolux shop vauuum which is very rugged and reliable, and much , much quieter than the disposable ones (Dirt Devil,Hoover, Eureka - all junk).

The Dyson has been an excellent performer at my house over the past three years.

My son has acute asthma and the dyson does a great job of keeping the air clean. It is bagless, too. We love the design.

We also use a Dyson. I just take it outside, well away from the door, to empty it. Dyson makes a handheld cordless model that I have had my eye on.

I guess we live in an age when lots of things are "disposable".

MM

Ever tried a Rainbow? It uses water to hold the dirt and dust. No bags, filters, or any of that junk. Empty it in the toilet, flush, all your worries go down the drain, unless it clogs.....

Miele seems to be liked by a lot of people. Not cheap. It also got some good online ratings. Vacuums are like some tools I have seen tested by C.R. The results are not consistent with what the general public likes.

I saw a post by one woman who felt that C.R. weights their appliance ratings too much as to "ease of use" rather than on reliability.

Snuffy,

"Empty it in the toilet, flush, all your worries go down the drain, unless it clogs....."

Considering all the weird stuff that winds up in our vacuum cleaner, the toilet almost certainly would clog. Sometimes stuff that shouldn't be disposed of, like an earring, gets sucked up.

That's why I like the Dyson's visible collection chamber. You can see what has been sucked up. And when you empty it, you have the opportunity to retrieve stuff.

When you have a small kid around the house, stuff winds up on the floor and in the vacuum that shouldn't. (I don't mean the kid).

MM

I have a dyson and a septic tank. Both work great as long as you don't dump the vacuum in the toilet.

newjerseybt,

simplicity & riccar vacs are made in St James, MO.

simplicity tractors are made in Wisconsin.

not the same company.

Someone offered to sell me a Rainbow vacumn cleaner for $100. I think it's a good deal but I just don't know much about a water filled vacumn cleaner. Can someone give me some advice?
Thanks.

I have one, and love it. You can see what is in the water before you empty it. What I like is it doesn't spray dust out the back like a lot of conventional vacuum cleaners do. My wife and I both have asthma and the Rainbow has really made a difference. 100 dollars is a heck of a good price if it is in good shape. Do you know which model it is? A new Rainbow is outrageously high, around 2 grand. I gave $650. for a 2 year old one that had been very lightly used.

I have a Hoover Windtunnel Bag vacuum. This machine really does the job. To me, bagless cleaners are a joke. The capacity is small, the performance doesn't match a good bag machine, they are messy, they kick way more dust back into the air, and many bagless still have a filter that needs to be replaced every so often that usually costs more than a supply of bags. It is much cleaner and easier to just replace the bag.

Hoover Windtunnel Bag vacuums are top-rated. You can buy over-priced, over-hyped bagless units, or get something really good at a reasonable price :) The Hoovers are a little louder than I'd prefer, but my wife deals with it nicely... I rely heavily on CR ratings. Chances are if you bought any new vacuum it would seem great compared to what you were replacing (which may or may not even be working).

We're on our second Oreck vaccuum. Still not worth the price, even at our yardsale purchase price. Our latest yardsale purchase was a nearly new Hoover, $5.00, which cleans far better than the Orecks, also nearly new.
Perhaps our greatest disappointment vaccuum cleaner wise was a Sears Kenmore, which petered out fairly early in its life, maybe 2 years of light use.
I haven't tried picking up small children in any of these machines as that would void any warrentee, I'm sure.
Norm

I have a Sears Kenmore canister that is a 1986. I had to replace the rubber belt and hose so far.

The best built vacuum that I still have is my Dad's old vacuum. It looks like a steel torpedo and it says "LifeTime" on a metal plate on the sides. This vac is used to clean the basement and cars. This vac was bought over 50 years ago. Only the hose has been replaced. Nothing like Made in USA.

Dyson vacuum cleaners.... That TV commercial...what a joke!
That actor saying, "I just like for things to work properly." "Never ever loses suction." Yea, right. So why ever empty it? The Dyson is total TV info-mercial style hype....
Bagless?? What a mess. Don't even consider bagless models for a second. Get a Hoover Windtunnel bag type and be done with it.

We mock what we don't understand...

Vacuuming is my job to do around the house. I use to have a Hoover Wintunnel (actually i still own it) that did a pretty good job. I wanted something a little handier though and did ton of research on vacuums a couple years back. I then bought a Miele canister. It is super quite. Has a built in Hepa Filter so it filters down to super small particle size. The bag has a cover that closes the hole opening once you remove it to change, which keeps all dirt and dust in the bag. I can go from a Rug to a hardwood floor with a press of a button to turn the power head rotation off and it is then just a suction head perfect for the hard floors. I can also drop the power head and get cob webs off the ceiling with another press of a button. Besides my tractors, this is one of my favorite tools. Yes it was very expensive compared to many vacuums, but I think it is one of the best investments I have ever made. It's design is top notch.

machiem, No mocking here, I understand perfectly how a Dyson works. Tractor companies have used that technology for a pre-filter in their tractors for decades. Eventually they will either stop working or blow debris on through. Also what happens if you suck up some nasty stuff?? The stuff (whatever it is) gets smeared around here and there in the bagless type. On a bag type just throw the bag away. Dyson is a gimmick. Vacuum cleaner companies have been selling gimmicks since the beginning of time and finding people to believe them.

I'm just giving you a hard time.

As with most things in life, there are choices.

Is a Dyson better than a Hoover? Is a John Deere better than an MTD? Is DeWalt better than Skil? Is a Lawnboy better than a Craftsman? Is lobster better than crab? Is platinum better than gold?

Nobody really knows because everyone has a different experience and opinion.

John Deere is definately better han MTD. No futher discussion needed on that subject.

We have a Miele and its the best vaccum I have ever used hands down. My wife wanted one for the longest time so I surprised her one day with the meile. We have a cat, so we must vaccum quite often. The previous day, I vaccumed my entire house with a dirt devil. The day I bought home the Miele, my wife vaccumed the whole house again. The bag was full of dirt, cat hair etc. Not even a two hours old and the bag was full. Didn't take long to find out what a piece of junk the dirt devil was.

I'd agree that Miele's are top of the line. Not at all cheap, but you get what you pay for with these machines.

I read the latest CR review of vacuum cleaners and could not find any at the store, maybe they change models quickly. There is a specielty store close where one can find bags and belts from most any machine.

They recommended a commercial carpet/bare floor model called the San?????, which was $320. This was mostly metal, the stuff at the discount stores sells for $30 to $550 and is all plastic. Like dog treats, vacuums seem designed to appeal to the eye. Lots of stickers promoting Amps, HEPA filters, huge filters, etc. The guy at the vac store made the point that a HEPA filter does no good if the rest of the machine is poorly designed and leaks.

We have a Sears Kenmore bagless Hepa upright.Has a clear container that catches everything.I live in the country and just take it out side and push a button and the bottom opens and out fall dirt, dog hair.Its also direct drive no belts to worry about.

One night i saw a nice looking Dirt Devil setting beside a garbage can, night before next day pickup. So i grabbed it and took it home. Next day, i plugged it. It made the usual sounds, but didn't suck anything in. Now, it had the Hepa filter. So i removed the clear plastic container that held the hepa filter, and there, stuffed up in the tube that the dirt comes thru into the filter, was a rolled up piece of heavy cloth, which blocked the filter inlet.
So, i sat and pondered that for a while. Then, it dawned on me. Housewife probably hated that machine, hubby wouldn't go for a new different one, so wife stuffed the rag in there so it wouldn't work! And, behind the rag was a whole mess of dog hair, trapped in there! Housewife probably demonstrated how it didn't suck, and got a new, different type to replace it.
Another one, a sears, that i picked up, the belt was broken, and the brush wouldn't turn, even by hand. So, out it went! And i got it! Further inspection found a dark blue kids sock, wrapped around the brush, which snapped the belt! Out it went, more money spent! I use it upstairs, in my music room! My wife bought a Hepa type! It lasted 3 months--out it went.
The sweeper makers know how to make money-show how great they are on TV, ladies buy them, are soon disillusioned, give them to the G-man, and buy another, different, make machine-on & on!

I purchased a Eureka 4870 or something like that (it was rated a "best buy" by Consumer Reports) a few years ago.
In spite of the CR recommendation, I picked one up.
PROS:It has a bag, holds a lot, easy change over to the on-board "wand" for getting cobwebs, etc., you can shut off the beater bars when doing smooth floors, pretty long cord, has a HEPA filter (whatever benefit that might be). It does seem to pick up a lot. I do like it.
CONS: It's heavier than most, stepping on the mechanism to engage the beater bar (transitioning from upright to operation) takes practice, if necessary, you have to manually adjust the height of operation (easily done, but my stepkids don't bother to change it).
My comments are pretty much the same comments I read about before buying it.
I have recommended this model to friends, and I would buy another one. It was less than $150- I think I paid about $129 on sale.
Good Luck
Ralph

I bought a Dyson bagless five years ago when they first came out. It worked beautifully for a few years, but slowly declined. It turned out the Hepa filter which supposedly "never needs changing" was completely clogged. It was very difficult to change and Dyson would not provide a replacement filter to support their heavily advertised assertion. The phone agent told me it was impossible for this to happen. I sent photographs of the ruined filter, but eventually gave up on reimbursement for the filter. Several months later, the belt broke. We had this fixed, but there was another problem. The vacuum was becoming intolerably loud. The repairman said that the power supply would soon break down, and that just happened. Five years of normal use is not very long for a machine that cost around $500.

Hoover Windtunnels with bag are the best for the money. They are also very easy to get parts for if needed and easy to fix.

We have had several uprights and they either had a short life.Or went through way to many belts or started loosing suction power.

Until we bought this one about 3 years ago.Works like a dream and picks up our pets long haired Sheltie hair very well.

You dump the container very easily.Remove the filter inside the container and blow it out after about 3 dumpings.I have not had to change the hepa filter and it still looks very good after over 3 years use.

No belt to break or slip its direct drive.Works well on bear floors also.

Here is a link that might be useful: Kenmore

No matter what, any dry machine uses a bag or filter will eventually clog and you'll lose air flow. Even those cyclonic types have to use a filter. The very light and microscopic particles would get though otherwise. You never lose suction on any machine as long as the motor runs but when the air cannot pass through freely you lose air flow, which is what really picks up the dirt, etc. The only kind of machine really capable of trapping all of the filth, especially those microscopic things, are water based filters, like a Rainbow. I've yet to see anything match them.

Here is some help for those who don't know which way to go, Bags, bag-less or HEPA vacuums. Tip of the year!

I have a Hoover Empower upright, works great. It's great all except for the price of the Hepa filter, $29. I soon realized that the filter became extremely dirty after it's first cleaning and saw that replacing this Hepa filter will be soon and often. Built almost like automobile filters, as well as other paper filters. How I solved the replacement, cost problem. Go buy a roll of Bounty paper towels- 2 ply . Take one sheet, (not the half sheet) and separate the ply sheets. You end up with 2 separate sheets of ply. You will notice how the one ply is constructed of many small fine holes, enough for air to pass through, just like a filter. Wrap one sheet around the round, approx. 12 inch Hoover Hepa filter. There will be an overlap. To secure it tape it in 3 spots. You are only adding a paper filter as an added last step prior to the to the filtering action of the HEPA filter. Save the other ply for your next vacuuming. You will find the paper ply sheet will stop much of the real dirt from reaching your filter, but it will suck dirt just fine, and will prevent replacing this Hoover Hepa filter as often, as it gets dirty real fast. Empty dirt cup more frequently, perhaps after each room. After each vacuuming, tap the Hoover filter to clean out any other small dirt it many have accumulated, and replace the paper ply filter. This may work with other filters. Try it, youÂll like it!

To give you an idea of the filtering action of Bounty paper towels, I found this on the website for Trawlers and Trawlering. "http://www.trawlersandtrawlering.com/howto/captnwil.html";
2. Gulf Coast Filters F-1 fuel filter and water separator. The phone number is (800) 398-8114. This filter is recommended to be the main fuel filter if it can be fitted in the space. It uses a roll of Bounty paper towels. The element replacement cost of this filter is always attractive, but if you have a very dirty system to clean up, you will appreciate it even more. In addition, it filters in the sub-micron range and will add life to your injection pump and injectors.

We have his and hers vacuums, and obviously had a little too much money for blowing on two vacuums. One is a bag Sears Progressive canister (recommended by CR) and an upright bagless Dyson 18. Both seem to do a good job, it depends on choice of cannister or upright. Empty the dirt outside into a container. The Sears bag lasts for a spell and the bags are not expensive if you get the generic Sears bags.

After a lot of research and comments from this thread I wound up buying a Miele s5280 canister with their full sized power head. The price was high $900 but my thinking was "why shouldn't I spend the money on something I use a few times a week all year". I have power equipment that cost just if much if not more (snow blower) that I use maybe 5 times a year. Anyway I've had it now for about 4 months and like it. It is very quiet, you can adjust the suction, it cleans bare floors and carpets very well, it's light, the bag lasts a long time. They do recommend changing the hepa once a year and I think it's about $50. It's easy to change. You also don't have to use a hepa. They have another less expensive filter you can use if you don't need the full blown hepa. I'm hoping this thing lasts for awhile. When I use an upright now you can feel the difference in weight you have to push around. Of course with the canister you always have to keep pulling it around and watch that you don't trip over the thing but I'm glad I got the canister.

I'm glad you finally found the right vacuum cleaner. I too decided that it was worth it pay more and have a vacuum that worked great and lasted a long time. However, I wasn't going to spend that kind of money without some serious research and reading all the big review sites like the one below. In the end, my wife and I chose the dyson dc18 slim. With that one, we got the quality of a dyson without the weight.

Here is a link that might be useful: dyson vacuum cleaners

I like my Dyson as well as my Miele(s). Both clean well and are easy to use. Only difference, after cleaning, the Dyson is empty before being put away. The Mieles are not. They start to have an odor from the collected dust well before the bag is ever full, and at 4 bags for $20, that's alot of money to throw away, as compared to emptying the Dyson.

Put me in the bagger group too. Had a Sears upright for 20 years that did well. Got old like me, so I also got the new Eureka upright bagger. Not bad and lots of suction. If it lasts 10-20 years that'll be fine, but I doubt it. If not, I'll get another.

At my age, life is too short to worry about friggin' vacuums when I'm trying to find ways to keep whatever I've been been able to accumulate my whole working life. Times are getting a lot tougher.

My parents have an old Sebo X1 /Windsor Ensign (if you're in the U.S) of which they've owned now for the past 14 years. Its a great upright vacuum cleaner and has caps you fit into the bags once they are filled up. I have two uprights in my big home, the larger Dyson DC14 and a Sebo Felix (compact stick vac type) which I use solely for pet hair pick up as the hair really makes me sneeze and cough. Id say for pet hair pick up/allergies with traffic dust bagged is the way to go even though you have to keep buying bags.

My sister has a cheap budget upright vacuum she bought many years ago and it came with a reuseable dust bag. It works in theory but when it comes to emptying it, it really does make a mess everywhere. At least the bag is washable but it defeats the purpose of safe and healthy dust disposal.