Tested: Bagged vacuums lost suction when bag fills

[n0oxy]

vacuum smells

I put laundry crystals in my bags, works great, freshens the air as I vacuum. I do think cloth bags filter much better than paper bags. I have a couple of canisters that only have paper bags available for them, and the bag compartment definitely gets dustier than the canisters where cloth bags is used.

 

[mark40511]

I don't have much experience

with bagged canisters other than Kenmore canisters and my epic 6500 Lux canister.

The bag chamber in the Kenmore would always be dust, no matter if I used a thick hepa cloth bag or a paper bag....but the bag chamber in my epic6500 lux doesn't get a speck of dust in it, and I've only used paper so far. So I have to wonder if it's the way the bag seals in as opposed to the bag itself. On the Kenmore, I don't think dust leaked from the bags, but from the area where the bag connected to the slot itself. The lux bag is much more sealed at the connection. I've taken a white damp cloth to my lux bag chamber, running it down the nooks and crannies, and it's always spotless, no matter how much crap I've sucked up in the old bag....So I don't know honestly, because the lux bags feel so cheap to me (even though they say 4 ply). If I had a dusty bag chamber I'd definitely be using the cloth bags, but so far I haven't, so I have yet to switch to them.

 

[n0oxy]

kenmore bags

I have a Panasonic mc-cg902 which uses the same bags that many Kenmore vacuums do. It came with a paper bag but I replaced that with a Kenmore Q bag, dust compartment is very clean, but you're right, this depends on a good seal between the bag holder and the bag itself. If it's a loose fit, the dust will bipass the bag.

 

[anthony]

i am reading through this post

chuckling to my self as i remember my mums used and abused Hoover senior in regular use for nigh on 40 years .it lived behind the front door permanently plugged in always ready for a quick clean up after meals Ect its bag so full it would be trailing on the floor the zipper long gone and the bag closed with a couple of safety pins and when it did get emptied the paper bag would be reused until it fell apart .every so often mum would say[ take a look at the hoover it getting a bit slow ] what she meant of course was it was not performing very well .Off it would go into the shed for what can only be described as a decoke new belt new brushes [both kinds ]a new bag and on occasion a new length of flex .The poor old thing lives with me now and has been fully restored and leads a much easier life

 

[sebo_fan]

My gran loved her Junior but not its bottom fill bag. Constant mess every time it came off the bottom fill tube. My parents has the top fill Junior U1104 for best part of 13 odd years. So much cleaner and easier.

 

[rvarley]

Well, I finally bit the bullet and bought a bagless, cordless Dyson V8 so the question of whether or not a well maintained bagless vacuum will smell after a lot of use in a 2 pet household will be objectively answered. None of the solutions I've every tried with the bagged have either lasted long or done much more than masked an unpleasant smell with a cloyingly sweet scent. I must admit to always having pre-judged Dysons without ever having used one. The space age looks annoy and I find the advertisements pedantic. And all that creaky plastic looks cheap and disposable. To be fair, I decided to try one and see for myself. This reminds me of the Mac vs. PC debate. There are haters on both sides and I was firmly in the PC camp. I've since tried all the Apple products and while not a convert, I can say that there are both advantages and disadvantages and can speak from experience. One thing I can say for Mac that I doubt I will be able to say about Dyson - Macs neither feel nor look cheap (and they aren't).

Sorry for the rant. I know this is sort of straying from the topic. When the V8 arrives and I've used it for a while, I'll post a review. My hope is that it is a) A convenient vac for quick cleanups before leaving for work and b) doesn't smell after it's been used for a while.

 

[sebo_fan]

I have also tried the Dyson and I find it impressive. However I have no need for it in my life and would just rely on cheaper to buy cordless dust busters. Either way its a heck of a lot faster and cleaner than using a dust pan and brush in my experience!

 

[rvarley]

@sebo_fan - have used cordless Swiffer stick vac. OK for a $40 dust buster on a stick, but it is meant for hard floors only. Of course this Dyson as expensive to the point of not being the most cost effective solution, but that's not the point. Were practicality and thrift my first priority, a second hand vacuum from Goodwill thrift store would be the way to go.