There’s a duel under way for the debris on your linoleum. And no lint ball, dust bunny or pile of pet dander is safe.
The vacuum cleaner industry “” which sounds like it would be civil enough “” is engaged in a filthy battle to prove which dust-collecting method is tops.
Many manufacturers are pushing one pervasive goal: prove vacuum bags should be dumped and that bagless models are the premier dirt-sucking solution.
Tradition, though, won’t die easily. Some makers of bagged machines are lashing out at rivals, calling them, well, dirty.
So when the last Funyuns crumb is inhaled from the floor, will it be tidily tucked away in a bag or housed in a clear cage?
“We do have a younger demographic, and we skew slightly more male, so I sell more bagless than bagged,” said Stacy Silk, floor-care buyer for Best Buy stores. “When bagless first came out, there were a lot of unhappy people because it was messy. But the manufacturers have improved them.”
A typical Best Buy, Silk said, has 20 bagless uprights and three bagged ones.
James Dyson, it appears, has wrought a revolution.
Dyson “” who has turned the vacuum cleaner into a trendy subject of chatter “” fired the first shot in this battle when he created the first bagless model in 1993.
At the time it was a shocking concept, and retailers were hesitant to sell a vacuum that showcased all the floor filth in a clear container. But a decade later, Dyson now commands 15 percent of dollars in the U.S. vacuum cleaner market. And countless companies have adopted his concept.
“It’s been fantastic; wonderful reactions,” said Dyson. Bags, he contends, clog with dust and drain suction from the machine, causing performance problems and frustration.
Some, though, beg to disagree.
David Oreck is downright angry at this trend. The man behind the “8-pound Oreck” dirt-sucker refers to bagless vacuum cleaners as “filth machines.” All Oreck models employ bags.
Oreck, who sells his vacuums through company stores, is extremely vocal about his distaste. A recent mailing to potential customers states: “WARNING! Avoid bagless vacuums if you are sensitive to dust.”
Performance and air quality, though, may not be defined by the collection method as much as cost.
“Most people believe bagged products trap more allergens, and I’d agree,” Silk said. “It depends on price points. If you put up an Electrolux against a Dyson, there wouldn’t be much of a difference. But a $49 bagged will perform to the expectations of a $49 vacuum.”
Consumers, though, are making their choice “” literally “” quite clear.
“I don’t have to deal with that mess,” said Janet Hyde, a bagless convert for four years. “I feel like it’s cleaner. Bags have those microscopic holes in them.”
In 2001, 57 percent of vacuums sold at retail outlets were bagged models. Three years later, that figure has dropped to 18 percent, with more than 81 percent of consumers dumping the paper trap, according to figures from NPD Group/NPD Houseworld.
Apparently, many consumers have decided to stuff the sack. And makers are obliging.
“Clearly, the customer has indicated they prefer bagless by a huge margin, and it’s growing,” said Mark Bissell, president and CEO of Bissell. “We just want what’s best for the customer.”
Bissell released its first bagless unit in 2001. Now almost the entire line is sans bag.
In addition to the convenience of not having to shop for and change these sacks of filth, there’s another plus: viewing the mound of matter.
Foul it may be “” where did all that hair come from? “” but it’s also fascinating.
But the question remains: Which technology is the tidiest?
“None of them are any good unless it’s a HEPA vacuum,” said Dr. Dennis Spangler, chief medical officer for the Atlanta Allergy and Atlanta Clinic. “Those types of filters significantly eliminate the dust particles in the room. The disadvantage of the bagless kind “” although it does leak to a certain extent “” you’re forced to dump it and clean it out, and when you do that, you’re again stirring up the volume of the dust.”
And amid the bagless revolution, makers of bagged vacuums are promoting this trim transfer to the trash as a benefit.
“Normally, it’s a little bit messier emptying the dustbin,” said David Voigts, vice president of product management at Electrolux Home Care Products, which primarily manufactures bagged vacuum models. “The bagged unit is usually a much cleaner way to dispose of the dust.”
Not that Electrolux is knocking the bagless concept. Its Eureka line features several bagless vacuums.
Jeffrey Childers has been eyeing several models ever since his vacuum began belching.
Whichever he chooses, it won’t have a bag.
“I would only want to think about the bagless,” he said. “I would rather just take the canister, pour it out and clean it.”
From TwinCities.com