What Type Is The Best Vacuum Cleaner, Bag Or Bagless?
Article by Robin OBrien
Over the last few years bagless vacuum cleaners have become more popular with manufacturers of bagless models touting their benefits. However, some manufacturers have refused to make a bagless version and argue that these types of vacuum are a passing fad. So, who’s right and is a bag or bagless the best vacuum cleaner?
The Dyson vacuum cleaner was the first bagless vacuum cleaner on the market. It operated differently to then current machines in that it used ‘cyclonic’ technology to suck up dirt and remove it from the air flow. Basically, you can think of it a mini cyclone; air is spun at high velocity, which in turn creates g-forces to expel the particles of debris from the air.
The rapid growth of popularity of the Dyson vacuum cleaner led some manufacturers to make their own version; Shark and the Hoover WindTunnel bagless vacuum cleaner to name just two.
The argument for bagless vacuums is that you don’t ever need to buy bags, thus saving you money. Also, cyclonic vacuums don’t loose power as the dust cup fills, unlike traditional bag vacuum cleaner that do loose power as the bag fills. These two reasons seem very compelling to many customers.
However, some manufacturers (like Simplicity and Oreck vacuum cleaners) have refused to produce their own versions, believing that bagless vacuums won’t last the course as more and more people will buy them, try them and then change them for a bag version. These manufacturers (and consumers) have some compelling arguments why bagless vacuums are flawed and why bag versions are the best vacuum cleaner.
First off, they point out that cyclonic vacuums only expel the larger dust particles from the air, leaving the smaller ones to exhaust back out into the room. Cyclonic manufacturers have fitted filters to fix this problem but, they point out, the argument about saving money on bags in kind of mute when you have to buy a replacement filter twice a year.
Also, when emptying the dust cup, dust is released back into the room; removing a bag and putting it in the trash is much cleaner. And, some cyclonic manufacturers recommend that the dust cup should be washed, the cyclonic cup cleaned and even the filter cleaned too, which makes emptying the dust cup anything but easy.
However, cyclonic manufacturers have hit back. Many customers prefer vacuums fitted with a HEPA filter which is what is fitted in many cyclonic vacuums. But, they would also point out that bag vacuums are also fitted with HEPA filters. So, both types of vacuums remove 99.97% of particles and both types of vacuum require the customer to replace the filters at some point. They also point out that bag vacuum cleaners require some sort of cleaning every once in a while.
As with most things in life, there are two entrenched views. One camp is for bagless whereas the other is adamant that bags are the best solution.
As to what I think is the best vacuum cleaner, I would suggest that bag vacuums are certainly cleaner when it comes time to emptying the bag but bagless are better at holding their suction power as they fill up. Therefore, if suction is more important to you then consider a bagless model like the Hoover WindTunnel vacuum cleaner or else stick to a traditional bag version like an Oreck vacuum cleaner.
About the Author
Follow the links for the Hoover WindTunnel vacuum cleaner and the Oreck vacuum cleaner and decide for yourself which is the best vacuum cleaner.
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