cheesewonton
Well-known member
I fill a bag in two weeks or less with our abundant pet hair and desert dust. It's raining tonight and the dogs have tracked in all kinds of dirt already. I will be busy tomorrow though it promises to rain more.
Cut-and-Paste Budget Bagless Vacuum Design
- Thread starter niclonnic
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centralsweeper63
Well-known member
I take 1-2 months to fill a bag, dependant on model. My family has 2 dogs and live rurally, though our house is just not big enough to fill bags.
panasonicvac
Well-known member
Yeah if I had pets running around the house, I'd have a bagless as my daily driver preferably a true cyclonic Vacuflo where there's no filters to mess with and not have to smell anything as I'm vacuuming. Unless if I can have a bagged central vac connected with a cyclonic seperator because I can have the best of both worlds where I can save money on buying bags from all the pet hair I'd suck up but also have great protection for the motor. Otherwise I can get away with washing out the primary filter on the Sanitaire for a while before ever buying a replacement. But I'm a type of person where I'd rather have a vacuum where I can simply unwind the cord, flip the switch on and off, wrap the cord back up and be done. That's one of the reasons why I favor a bagged upright but it just gets challenging with having pets around since I don't want to spend alot on bags.
centralsweeper63
Well-known member
I would take that bagged and seperator setup.
My pets (3 small dogs and 1 cat) are the main reason I've been such a strong supporter of bagless. Having a Shark robot that runs downstairs is incredibly convenient, since it saves me the labor of using a regular vacuum all the time. This Shark automatically evacuates the dirt into a larger bin on the base; it only needs to be emptied every month or so. I have another, less expensive Shark robot upstairs, but I've stopped letting it run earlier this year. This one has an annoying issue where it skips on the laundry room floor.
As I've stated before, I'd much rather have a vacuum that is always ready to go without any additional costs. There's a reason I prefer Dyson over the aforementioned budget machines: no loss of suction and a filter that hardly gets soiled. In fact, I don't even need to wash the pre-motor filter every 6 months, despite what the company suggests. I've found that it's absolutely fine to go longer in between washes. I no longer follow a strict washing schedule like I did with our DC07 Animal when I was younger.
centralsweeper63
Well-known member
You can get a robot vacuum that auto empties into a central vacuum. You could also get a hid-a-hose. That is if a central vac install is possibly.
panasonicvac
Well-known member
I'm not into cordless machines especially robots. Once my cordless machines die, I won't be getting anymore of them in my house unless if it's for collecting purposes. Unfortunately for me, I'm very picky when it comes to selecting a bagless vacuum for myself especially in today's market since there's not very many that I like. That's why for my ideal pick that I'd have a bagged central vacuum connected to a cyclonic seperator. Less costs of replacing any filters, the motors would last longer, I don't have to empty them out as much, and I don't have to smell anything as I'm vacuuming. Not to mention central vacs are the most powerful vacuums I've ever used by far, the most maneuverable, and the most quietest. If I'm unable to get a two piece unit, that's where I'd get a Vacuflo since they do a better job at keeping the debris away from the screens unlike VacuMaid. I would've preferred a Aqua-Air over a Vacuflo but those are so expensive. Otherwise if central vacs are out of the picture for me, that's where I'd get a Rainbow or at least a Filter Queen. They can reach areas that an upright can't do. I also appreciate the simpleness and the reliability of those two, I don't have to mess with any cyclones that can clog from build up and cause an odor. Unlike Filter Queen, I can suck up wet things with a Rainbow and their motors are serviceable like I can completely take them apart. Other than that, there's really no budget bagless vacuum on the market today that I'd buy. Gone are the days where you could buy a Eureka Maxima or a Dirt Devil Breeze because those are example budget bagless machines that I really liked.
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cheesewonton
Well-known member
Water filtration vacuums like Rainbow, Sirena, Big Power and the like require a lot of detailed cleaning after use and even with great care they suffer from corrosion and damp moldy exhaust filters. They are not something you can use for a quick clean up either. Also they don't have the kind of cleaning power a high quality modern canister vacuum has. I found a nice clean Rainbow E in the electronic waste at a local thrift shop. Everything was there, both hoses, wands and power nozzle. It was missing only the attachments. I took it home since I couldn't see tossing it out. But it is truly the weakest modern vacuum I have. 51 inches of sealed suction. I have 50 year old vacuums that do better than that. I asked a local vac shop where I am friends with the owner and asked him if there was something wrong with the vacuum. Nope, "just how they are".
I'm not a big fan of bagless vacuums but have you considered a clean used Amway Cleartrak? New ones are still made in Michigan under the Workhorse brand name and the company also sells refurbished used ones. The company supports them with every part you could ever need and all the accessories. They are built on a steel sub frame and are designed for hard commercial service. Not the most modern design with the very first dual cyclone and meh filtration but if you don't over fill them they just run and run.
I don't know if you would consider a power nozzle canister vacuum but the Kenmore 600 Series, particularly the blue BC4026 and its purple twin the 81614 are probably the best value in a new vacuum there is, and the vacuum itself is darned good by any standard. I have an example of almost every Kenmore canister vacuum going back to the late 1940s and the 600 is the best Kenmore ever sold. Yeah it's now made in China but the Chinese company that took over Kenmore's vacuum business from Panasonic has improved their products in many ways. Better materials and build quality, lots of thoughtful touches that make it easy to use. Kenmore really hit a home run with the 600 Series.
I'm not a big fan of bagless vacuums but have you considered a clean used Amway Cleartrak? New ones are still made in Michigan under the Workhorse brand name and the company also sells refurbished used ones. The company supports them with every part you could ever need and all the accessories. They are built on a steel sub frame and are designed for hard commercial service. Not the most modern design with the very first dual cyclone and meh filtration but if you don't over fill them they just run and run.
I don't know if you would consider a power nozzle canister vacuum but the Kenmore 600 Series, particularly the blue BC4026 and its purple twin the 81614 are probably the best value in a new vacuum there is, and the vacuum itself is darned good by any standard. I have an example of almost every Kenmore canister vacuum going back to the late 1940s and the 600 is the best Kenmore ever sold. Yeah it's now made in China but the Chinese company that took over Kenmore's vacuum business from Panasonic has improved their products in many ways. Better materials and build quality, lots of thoughtful touches that make it easy to use. Kenmore really hit a home run with the 600 Series.
centralsweeper63
Well-known member
I love my central vacuum. Dual 7.2 inch motors in an old MD SV body hooked up to a cyclone seperator.
panasonicvac
Well-known member
I don't really thoroughly clean my Rainbows out after each use unlike my other bagless vacuums. I just rinse out the water basin like I'm about to put my dishes in the dishwasher. Actually, once in a while I'd put the basin and separator in my dishwasher without any issues. You're right they're not the most easiest machines to use and they're not the most powerful either. But what I really appreciate about them is they're the cleanest bagless machines to empty out, not wet dust can fly is true on that part. And, I like they don't have any nasty odors as I'm vacuuming unlike other portable bagless or bagged vacuums that I've used. Actually, it's that time of the year again where I'd pull my Rainbow E2 out during the holidays because I like adding pine scent in the basin and have that pine smell coming out as I'm vacuuming around my Christmas trees. I don't have a problem with my filters getting wet nor do they have any mold inside mine.
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centralsweeper63
Well-known member
Pine scent at christmas is a good idea!
cheesewonton
Well-known member
Rainbow says the separator is supposed to be removed and cleaned after each use. They get pretty grody from what I have seen.
centralsweeper63
Well-known member
I would think that is pretty easy.
cheesewonton
Well-known member
There is a special tool to remove it that stows on the vacuum. You have around 10 minutes of clean up after using a Rainbow, Sirena, Hyla, Big Power or similar water vac if you want them to last.
centralsweeper63
Well-known member
Ah, a special tool, I would think it is just hand screw. If I made Rainbow vacuums, I would make it a hand screw and include a few extras incase one or two get lost. I would also include a spare HEPA filter, full refurbishment instructions and all the tools needed.
How bad is the Amway filtration? Is it like ShopVac level bad? I've considered buying one but don't wanna use it if all the finer dust just comes back out the other end anyway.
I know the later DC01 had a hepa filter. Too bad that design isn't the one used.
Could you like modify a hepa filter into it maybe?
According to this video the filtration is really bad. Said it's questionable if you should ever use the machine at all because of it. That's a shame. I'd love one otherwise.
I know the later DC01 had a hepa filter. Too bad that design isn't the one used.
Could you like modify a hepa filter into it maybe?
According to this video the filtration is really bad. Said it's questionable if you should ever use the machine at all because of it. That's a shame. I'd love one otherwise.
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centralsweeper63
Well-known member
I don't mind it too much, it is like using a hoover paper bag convertible or something like that with a single or double layer paper bag. It is good enough for most people but if you have allergies you might notice.
huskyvacs
Well-known member
Don't use his videos for facts, hes just as bad as the other pro-Dyson kids on here. What you have to understand is the ClearTrak was THE first bagless vacuum to the US market. They have a single cyclone air chamber, large filter boxes that feel like something out of a 1960s mechanical contraption, really loud motors, and are extremely clunky. It will not be perfect by a long shot by any means compared to some German job you can buy today that costs 5 figures. They also never caught on to domestic buyers and became rare as a result, not withstanding the lawsuits from Sir James Dyson.
But where they flopped in the home market, they still make these today for the commercial market under the Workhorse name, where they do really well for those that use them. I am not sure if the Workhorse filter mediums are upgraded over the original 1990 OEM filters from Amway, but you can still get every single part pretty much for the ClearTrak still to this day, which is pretty remarkable. Yes they are clunky and obtuse and might not suit everyone's house for getting through furniture and into the nitty gritty, but they do a really good job considering the technology of the time period. This vacuum stood uncontested in the bagless market until Fantom came out with the Thunder. It's pretty fascinating what was going on with vacuum cleaner technology in the late 80s/early 90s.
I do not think the filtration is bad. It may miss some particulates or blow them around from the motor exhaust port, which might not be best if you are deathly allergic, but for the casual everyman, this vacuum is no worse off than any other bagless vacuum you can buy today.
centralsweeper63
Well-known member
It is like bagless Kirby.
cheesewonton
Well-known member
Nope. The ClearTrak / Workhorse is the first dual cyclone machine. But yes, P-R is highly biased and while I often learn how to take different machines apart by watching his videos his opinions and some of his demonstrations are bs.
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