'Bagless' Vacuum Cleaners Are (For The Most Part) A Scam
I have to admit, the first time I heard of a bagless vacuum cleaner I was very interested. Anyone who has ever gone to a Wal-Mart at 11pm in search of an elusive vacuum cleaner bag gets a warm feeling when thinking of the self-sufficiency of a bagless vacuum cleaner. Before buying my first bagless vacuum, I remember seeing TV adds for the super lightweight Orick with David Oreck making a huge mess while trying to clean out a competitor's bagless vacuum. "Look at the mess!" he would say. I remember thinking, "this poor old fool...trying to cling to the past with his 'bag' vacuum cleaner. . His days are SO numbered" Then one day, after purchasing my 2nd bagless, I caught onto the scam.
It turns out, David Orick was right. What they don't tell you about bagless vacuum cleaners is that while it's true there are no bags, there are plenty of (more expensive) filters to wash, and you can only do that for so long. And it really is filthy.
Take for example, my second bagless, the Eureka Optima 431A. No bags. But wait! It has a filter that can be washed "up to 6-times". The truth is, you will need to wash that filter after just about every whole-house vacuum (or equivalent) that you do, Then what? You guessed it. Then it's off to Wal-Mart at 11pm to try to find an elusive vacuum FILTER. In this case, it's the Eureka DCF-10. Amazon has it for $19.94. If you get 6 washes out of it, you're paying about $3.32 per vacuum. That makes the 'old fashioned' bags look cheap, and that's not even counting the work you put in cleaning the filthy dust cup.
And what about the self-sufficiency aspect? Well, it's all an illusion. Just how long will Eureka make this very unique filter? No one knows, but one thing is for sure, it's a lot more complicated than a paper bag. That fact alone is going to make it unlikely that some other company will begin manufacturing it. And who wants to bet the filter is patented anyway?
My advice to you. Stay away from the 'bagless' vacuum cleaners until they are truly free of the filter/bag money pit.
It turns out, David Orick was right. What they don't tell you about bagless vacuum cleaners is that while it's true there are no bags, there are plenty of (more expensive) filters to wash, and you can only do that for so long. And it really is filthy.
Take for example, my second bagless, the Eureka Optima 431A. No bags. But wait! It has a filter that can be washed "up to 6-times". The truth is, you will need to wash that filter after just about every whole-house vacuum (or equivalent) that you do, Then what? You guessed it. Then it's off to Wal-Mart at 11pm to try to find an elusive vacuum FILTER. In this case, it's the Eureka DCF-10. Amazon has it for $19.94. If you get 6 washes out of it, you're paying about $3.32 per vacuum. That makes the 'old fashioned' bags look cheap, and that's not even counting the work you put in cleaning the filthy dust cup.
And what about the self-sufficiency aspect? Well, it's all an illusion. Just how long will Eureka make this very unique filter? No one knows, but one thing is for sure, it's a lot more complicated than a paper bag. That fact alone is going to make it unlikely that some other company will begin manufacturing it. And who wants to bet the filter is patented anyway?
My advice to you. Stay away from the 'bagless' vacuum cleaners until they are truly free of the filter/bag money pit.
Comments