Posted by In this article we will cover the eternal debate about bagless canister vacuums against bagged ones. A lot of people will tell you that bagged models are the best especially if price isnt an issue for you.
However, in reality both model types have their upsides and downsides that we will go over in detail. After this, you will know the pros and cons and select an appropriate cleaner for your cleaning needs.
Bagged Vacuums Collect More Dust
Dust Storage
In general, the bagless models are easier to maintain, yet a tad more expensive, since bags dont come for free. However, cleaning them up is much easier and takes less time.
The first and most major difference is obviously in the way that both models hold dust. In the case of the bagged models, dust is stored in a replaceable bag that is fully sealed. This type of system allows for an easy cleanup with little to no effort, since all that you have to do is throw the bag away once it is filled up. The best filtration in the canister vacuum world is offered by bagged models, as they will always filter at their maximum capacity, regardless of the amount of dust in the bag.
Maintenance is easy
The bagless canister vacuum models have a dust storage container with a filter inside. As the container gets filled up, the dust will inevitably cover the filter. This process ensures that the filtration will get slowed down regardless of what you do and the only way to improve it again is to regularly clean your vacuum. The cleanup is a bit more difficult in this case as you have to remove the filter, clean the dust compartment and then clean the filter itself as well. The filters are best cleaned with a dusting brush or with a separate vacuum (in this case a handheld will be very useful).
Bagless Dust Collector and Filter
The suction differences
As your vacuum cleaner gets filled up with dust, it might start losing suction. This is a lot more common with bagless models than it is for bagged ones, due to the way they work.
The bagged vacuum cleaners will lose little to no suction when the bags get filled up, since the filter cant get clogged up with dust the bag obviously fills from the bottom up and the dust will not stay in contact with the filter once it passes through. In the bagless scenario however, the model will start losing suction as it fills up, because the dust will stack up on top of the filter with every cleaning session. Like weve already mentioned, you should regularly empty your canister vacuum dust bin to ensure that it can perform at its best.
The difference in price
The price between the canister models varies greatly and isnt always dependent on the type of filtration or dust storage system that they use. There are canister vacuum cleaners for less than fifty dollars, and there are certain models that are worth thousands. However bagless canister vacuum cleaners tend to be a tad more expensive but they require little to no money spend on maintenance in comparison to their bagged counterparts. If you own a bagged vacuum you will have to set aside some money every now and then to buy new bags, replacing the ones that you throw away. In the end the prices even out after continuous usage.
The environmental side of the issue
If you have looked into the whole living green issue, you surely have read a lot of articles debating which are the best canister vacuums for the environment? The general opinion states that the bagless vacuum cleaner models are better than the bagged ones for the environment, solely because vacuum cleaner bags are treated as extra trash. Bagless models produce no extra trash and thus are considered greener.
In the end of the day both systems work and both of them bring valuable upsides to the table. Neither one of them has any crippling negative sides either, which makes the choice matter little, unless you have certain special needs in your household (for example, people suffering from asthma or certain allergies may benefit from picking bagged models as there are bags designed especially for their cases). In general, bagless models will expose the user to the dust particles every time they open the container to empty it, clean it up or simply check up on it.
If you dont have any special problems, the choice is purely cosmetic and ultimately up to your personal preference, as the differences in price and performance are almost non-existent, provided that you take proper care of your vacuum.