Are there any good bagless vacs?

[Chris F.]

I was thinking of getting my mom a bagless vac for cmas, as she;s tired of struggling with her cheap Shark canister. Bags keep clogging, hose keeps clogging (espeically with pet hair), NOISY, etc. Are there any good bagless vacs you can recommend, or should I look for a traditional machine? I want something low-maintenance, easy to use, and effective on bare floors. Good price would be nice also Thanks

[Gary V. Deutschmann, Sr.]

Hi Chris

The term bagless is really a misnomer!

The BAG is a FILTER, that doubles as the holding vessel. Bagless vacuums still use a FILTER, only it does not double as the holding vessel.

The FILTER in Bagless vacuums is usually better than the media used in Bag type machines, however, this often means they clog up much faster making the vacuum much more inefficient when it comes to cleaning.

There are a few Bagless vacuums on the market that are designed such that very little dust makes it to the final filtering stage, and even a couple that have no filters at all and trap the dust in other methods. But these types are very expensive!

In the home I moved from, I had installed a central vacuum system, but not the normal type that is readilly available. I chose a commercial blower type system with twin traps, one was a wet screen trap, very light filtering actually and it was exhausted to outside the home so any microfine particulates would be out of the home completely.

It is NOT hard to install a central vac if you are at all handy at doing things or know someone who is who will install it for you.

TTUL Gary

[Lloyd Randall]

Do you know Jack Smith? He says there are no good bagless vacuums, and his mother's old Hoover cannister is the best.

I like my Dirt Devil Vision bagless. It's easy to use and good on carpets. It also works well on my porch. It's plastic, but it's durable and easy to maintain. I clean the filter by tapping against a brick wall outdoors.