Bagging Vacuum Cleaners

Bagging vacuums minimize dust exposure, but you have to buy bags

Manufacturers have responded to consumers' indoor air-quality concerns by improving vacuum filters across the board. Many bagging uprights have HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filters, which are certified to filter 98 percent of dust particles, or a similar filter system. Reviews say most uprights, whether they contain HEPA filters or something similar, do a good job controlling dust emissions. Bagless vacuums may also have filters, but because you need to empty the dustbin, you'll be exposed to some dust anyway. If you are sensitive to dust, a bagging vacuum with a filter is probably the better choice. Bagless vacuum cleaners, however, free you from having to purchase compatible vacuum bags.

Among bagging upright vacuum cleaners, the Eureka Boss SmartVac 4870MZ (*Est. $150) earns top marks in professional reviews, with an included HEPA filter working in a completely sealed system. There are actually four models in the SmartVac line. The MZ comes in red, the PZ is yellow and the HZ is blue. A similar SmartVac model, the 4870H, doesn't come with a powered hand tool. The Eureka has on-board attachments (including a brush for stairs for most models). In recent tests, the Eureka vacuum cleaner gets better noise scores than some more-expensive vacs. It performs well on carpet and rugs, and it does a good job of picking up pet hair on carpet. It also does an excellent job on bare floors, but be sure to turn off the brushroll so it doesn't end up spitting dirt back out.

Overall, owners say the Eureka Boss SmartVac is a good choice, especially considering the low price. However, we did read complaints about breakdowns and durability, and some say that at 21 pounds, the Eureka is too heavy to lug up and down stairs. But overall, the balance of opinion is positive. Owner feedback on previous Eureka Boss SmartVac 4870 models has been consistently excellent.

Although it's more expensive, reviews say the Kenmore Progressive 35922 (*Est. $350) is a better performer than the Eureka SmartVac 4870 models, if you also want to use your upright vacuum cleaner to tackle stairs or upholstery. This Kenmore vacuum cleaner performs just as well as the Eureka on bare floors and carpet. The rotating brushroll helps propel the vacuum cleaner across the floor, so there's less pushing and pulling than with the Eureka above (although the Kenmore isn't truly a self-propelled vacuum cleaner).The Kenmore Progressive is on the heavy side at about 22 pounds. It includes a HEPA filter and gets great scores for low emissions. The Kenmore 35922 comes with a crevice tool, a bare floor brush, a combo brush and the HandiMate Jr., a powered attachment for stairs and upholstery. The almost identical Kenmore 35923 (*Est. $350) has a slightly longer cord -- 35 feet instead of 30 -- which may be helpful for vacuuming larger areas.

If the idea of lugging around a 22-pound vacuum makes you pause, we did find some good reviews for a few simpler, lighter-weight vacuums. The Hoover Tempo Widepath U5140-900 (*Est. $60) gets some terrific ratings from owners posting to Amazon.com, especially considering the mixed reviews we found for other Hoover vacs. More than 1,000 owners give the Tempo Widepath a high aggregate score of 4.5 out of five stars. The Tempo Widepath weighs just 16 pounds, which makes it easier to push and pull, as well as easier to carry up and down stairs. It includes an allergen filter, though not a HEPA filter. Even so, reviews say it does a great job of not spitting dust back into the air. One drawback may be its short 25-foot power cord (most power cords are 30 feet long). You also can't turn off the brushroll, so it's a better choice for carpet than bare floors.

Kirby vacuum cleaners are sold only via door-to-door salespeople, who are either independent distributors themselves or work for independent dealers. (You can also find a lot of Kirby vacuums on eBay.) In checking ConsumerAffairs.com and RipoffReport.com, we found numerous complaints about the high-pressure sales tactics of some Kirby salespeople. They run the gamut from refusing to leave when asked to breaking a potential customer's current vacuum, targeting the elderly, lying about free financing, humiliating potential customers, and not honoring the company's three-day return policy.

Several former Kirby salespeople, who say they, too, were duped, also post warnings about sales tactics. ConsumerAffairs.com advises against letting any door-to-door salespeople into your home. All this aside, the Kirby Sentria (*Est. $1,350) does pretty well in tests -- about on par with the $60 Hoover Tempo Widepath. Kirby says that one advantage of its vacuum cleaners is the plethora of tools for upholstery and curtain vacuuming. Kirby vacuums are heavier than others. The Sentria weighs about 25 pounds, making it heavy to lug up and down stairs. It's hard to nail down the cost of a Kirby vacuum (which comes in several incarnations), because distributors are free to modify prices.

Oreck vacuums are popular on home-shopping channels and are the subject of late-night infomercials. Performance in professional testing has been mixed, as have ratings at user review sites. The latest models -- the Oreck XL Classic (*Est. $300), Silver, Gold (*Est. $500) and Platinum -- are sold as a package that includes the upright plus a handheld vacuum. Owner feedback tends to be polarized between highly positive and very negative, with praise for light weight and good suction mixed with complaints about poor durability and tough-to-find replacement bags. The pricey Platinum version gets the best feedback of the Oreck XL series; at best, though, it still does no better than the more moderately priced Kenmore Progressive uprights or the inexpensive Hoover Tempo Widepath.

SEBO vacuums are often recommended for people with asthma or severe allergies. SEBO X-Series uprights come with S-Class filters (the European equivalent of a HEPA filter), which retain 99.97 percent of particulate allergens such as pollen and dust mites. The triple-layer disposable paper bag seals upon removal for extra protection. While that seems like good news for asthma and allergy sufferers, the latest report from Which? magazine calls the SEBO Automatic X4 (*Est. $700) "poor at retaining allergens." Still, consumers at Amazon.com give it near-perfect scores for strong suction, ease of use and great durability. The SEBO X4 has on-board attachments, a 40-foot cord, an automatic brushroll height adjustment and a low 5.5-inch profile (which makes it easier to vacuum under furniture).

The SEBO Felix (*Est. $560) performs better than the X4 in independent testing, earning a Best Buy rating from the U.K.'s highly credible Which? magazine. Unfortunately, there's only sparse coverage of this upright in user reviews, making it difficult to gage consumer response. The ratings we did find, though, are uniformly positive. The standout feature here is the removable carpet nozzle: without it, the vacuum weighs just-under 10 pounds. The Felix also scores points with owners for quiet operation and high-quality construction, and it gets excellent feedback on its filter system. SEBO scores at the top of Which? magazine's durability ratings, making it a reasonable investment despite the high price.

Another lightweight, good-performing vacuum is the Riccar SupraLite RSL3. The Riccar vacuum weighs just 8 pounds, yet it does a very good job overall on carpet and bare floors. This simple vacuum doesn't have a hose and tools for cleaning upholstery or reaching into corners, but it does have a HEPA filter. In owner surveys, Riccar vacuums rank in the middle of the pack for reliability, but this brand has one big distinction: Riccar/Simplicity vacuums are one of the few remaining vacuum cleaners that are assembled in the United States. Although the company imports some parts, the assembly is performed in Missouri. Riccar and Simplicity vacuums are sold only through dealers; because of this, some owners say you get better customer service.

The Dirt Devil Vibe (*Est. $60) gets a couple of nods from professional reviewers, and it's well-received at Amazon.com, with a near-perfect average score and no one-star ratings. While we haven't seen the Vibe independently tested, owner feedback suggests that performance is reasonable but not outstanding. Several users say the construction is low-end and the tools are mediocre: the big draw here is the low price for a decent upright. Even so, we found better reviews overall for the $70 Hoover Savvy, which doesn't cost much more.