Bagless Uprights

Dyson rules among bagless vacuums

If you'd prefer to avoid the hassle of finding replacement bags for your vacuum and also save a bit of extra waste from going to the landfill, you might consider a bagless vacuum. These have a removable dustbin in lieu of a bag. But because you'll be exposed to some dust while emptying the bin, bagless vacuums aren't the best choice for those with allergies.

Dyson is the big player among bagless vacuums, and its designs are now being imitated by more mainstream companies. Although Dyson vacuums are pricey, they routinely get high ratings in reviews and from owners. Many question whether they are worth the price premium over other brands, but a number of owners say they are.

The highest rated Dyson upright vacuum cleaner overall is the Dyson DC18 Slim All Floors (*Est. $400). This model gets excellent feedback from professional reviewers and near-perfect ratings at Amazon.com. Owners like the slim design and that fact that, at 16 pounds, it's relatively lightweight. The DC18 has a lifetime HEPA washable filter and a telescopic wand for stairs and high-reach cleaning, plus it includes a five-year warranty. Which? magazine includes the DC18 in its Best Buys listing, saying it does an excellent job on hard floors and a good job on carpets. It also gets high marks for pet hair removal. On the other hand, editors say it's noisy and unwieldy on stairs and, despite the five-year warranty, Dyson has had some reliability issues in the past. Because of the bagless design, you'll need to empty the dustbin when it's full. Most owners say this is easy to do but takes some practice, and most say you'll end up releasing at least some dust back into the air.

Dyson has also done well with the DC17 Absolute Animal (*Est. $550). This model gets excellent owner ratings at Amazon.com, Epinions.com and Viewpoints.com. The big extra here is an included hand tool with a revolving brushhead designed to remove pet hair from upholstery. Many owners say the tool works great, though other reviews note that the vacuum as a whole isn't much better or worse than others at picking up pet hair on carpeting. The Dyson DC17 weighs 21 pounds, and some owners say it's heavy. A few owners say that pet hair tends to stick to the inside of the collection container, so you may have to wipe it out. Otherwise, the Dyson DC17 comes with a HEPA filter and a low-reach floor attachment, and it carries Dyson's standard five-year warranty. Although the vacuum is not technically self-propelled, many reviewers comment that the powerful brushroll pulls the machine across the floor on its own and all you have to do is steer. In tests at The Wall Street Journal, the Dyson DC17 was much easier to push and maneuver than the Shark Infinity or Hoover WindTunnel vacuums tested.

The Dyson DC14 doesn't do as well in reviews as the DC17, but it still gets good feedback from consumers. There are two versions of the DC14: the basic DC14 All Floors (*Est. $430) and the DC14 Animal (*Est. $550), which includes a powered mini head and a low reach floor tool. Dyson's DC15 Ball Animal (*Est. $450) includes a telescoping wand, a mini turbine head and a low-reach floor tool. In one test, Dyson's Ball didn't lose suction while vacuuming -- but the review said it had mediocre suction to begin with. "The Ball" vacuum is so named because it uses a rolling ball as a pivot between the main unit and the brushroll housing. Users with special needs or limited mobility seem to really like this feature. One review cites the DC15's subpar performance in picking up pet hair on carpet.

Dyson bagless vacuums get the most attention, but some other bagless models also do well in testing. The Hoover EmPower U5262-910 (*Est. $100) comes out of the box fully assembled and has features you wouldn't expect for the price, such as a fold-down handle for easier storage, five height settings and allergen filtration. Performance-wise, the EmPower does an excellent job on both carpet and bare floors, but the cord isn't retractable, and you can't turn the brushroll off.

Among the owner reviews we found for the Hoover EmPower are some complaints about excess noise even in "hush" mode, as well as a cumbersome and messy emptying process. Several users also say that when used on hard surfaces such as wood, tile or concrete, the EmPower kicks back debris rather than sucking it in. If you don't have a lot of vacuuming and want a simple, inexpensive upright vacuum primarily for carpets, the Hoover EmPower seems to be a good choice for the money. In this price range, however, we found better reviews for the bagging Hoover Tempo Widepath.

Bissell has had top-rated bagless uprights in the past, but the current Bissell Lift-Off 3760 (*Est. $170) doesn't quite measure up. One large comparative review ranks it in the middle of the pack, and About.com's guide to housekeeping gives it a mediocre rating. Both reviews mention the Bissell's instability and tendency to tip when used with tools, and About.com's Sarah Aguirre notes that its suction and edge cleaning could be improved. One unique feature is that the main vacuum can be separated from the handle and floor head, making it an instant canister vacuum. This allows you to more easily clean stairs and other areas an upright can't reach. The Bissell Lift-Off 3760 gets good reviews overall at consumer feedback websites, but there are some complaints about clogging and poor suction, and several owners say it's not effective on pet hair.

If you want a bagless vacuum but don't want to spend upwards of $400 on a Dyson, the bagless version of the Kenmore Progressive performs well in tests. The bagless Kenmore Progressive 36932 (*Est. $350) has the same features and performance other than the bag (or lack thereof) as the bagging version. Overall, owners posting to Sears.com are happy with the bagless Kenmore vacuum, giving it an excellent average rating of 4.5 out of five, but a few do complain about poor suction, premature breakdown and plastic attachments that break too easily.