Looking for a good battery operated vacuum cleaner

[akis]

I would like to buy a new cordless vacuum cleaner to replace the very old one. I am trying to get one with good battery life, with a proper battery, and one that uses a disposable bag (not bagless). Can  you suggest a brand / type?

[Zucca]

I just love Dyson

[BU508A]

A few months ago I have bought a cordless vacuum cleaner from Makita, the DVC750L



http://www.makita.biz/product/category/cordless/dvc750l/index_h5.html#1

Since I have some tools from Makita, including the Li-Ion batteries, it was a logical choice for me.
The cleaner performs very well, it has 2 stages, it is easy to clean and if you are using the 5Ah
batteries from Makita one can use it for 1/2 h on stage 2 which is more than sufficient for me.
The cleaner can also handle water.
Downside is: he is a bit loud.

I do really like it and can recommend it.

Edit: Oh, I saw you want one with a bag. Well, this rules out the Makita, because it has no bag. Sorry.
Edit 2: Image link fixed.

[james_s]

Do they still make bag type vacuum cleaners? I haven't seen one of those in a long time. I have a Dyson cordless vacuum that I've been using for several years and it's great, it wasn't cheap however I did find a good deal on it as a refurbished unit.

Your best bet might be to hop on Amazon and read the reviews, find the one you like and then shop around for the best price.

[edavid]

Do they still make bag type vacuum cleaners? I haven't seen one of those in a long time.

Yes, people who are allergic to house dust greatly prefer bag vacuums.

I don't know of any cordless models though 

Hmm, there are a few expensive "pod" cordless vacuums ($400 up).

Your best bet might be to hop on Amazon and read the reviews, find the one you like and then shop around for the best price.

Amazon's search is pretty useless in this case.

[james_s]

What makes the bag vacuums preferable? My bagless vacuums have HEPA filters on the exhaust, I'm allergic to dust and pollen and haven't really had an issue. I do remember my old bag vacuum could go quite a long while without being emptied though while the bagless one I usually dump out every few uses.

The cordless ones seem like even less of an issue since they are generally intended for quick spot cleaning.

[edavid]

What makes the bag vacuums preferable?

Here is what Consumer Reports says:

"Emptying a bagless vacuum can be messy, releasing some of the particles you just sucked up back into the air," says Susan Booth, CR's lead vacuum tester. That can be a problem if you are sensitive to dust and allergens.

If it's not an issue for you, great.

[james_s]

I suppose that could be an issue. What I typically do is hold it down in the outside garbage bin and empty it there. Not quite as convenient I suppose as a self contained bag but possibly suitable as a workaround in case nobody makes a cordless bag vacuum.

[Rick Law]

What makes the bag vacuums preferable?

Here is what Consumer Reports says:

"Emptying a bagless vacuum can be messy, releasing some of the particles you just sucked up back into the air," says Susan Booth, CR's lead vacuum tester. That can be a problem if you are sensitive to dust and allergens.

If it's not an issue for you, great.

As one who is mildly allergic to dust, I can attest to Consumer Reports' conclusion.

The "house" vacuum is a bag one, but we also have a mini vacuum for stair case.  Whenever my wife ask me to clear that, I do it on the deck out door.  I have to connect up my best (most power) fan blowing at me from behind me at an angle to blow dust away from me as I clean that bag-less vacuum.  Any minor lapse into small carelessness, I'll pay for it over the next few days by sneezing, some times more expensively with nose bleed as well - because the sneezing (and/or dust) so agitated the inside of my nose.

Bag-less vaccuum doesn't allow me to "suck the dust away and never see it again".  It merely force me to manually handle it twice when it is in concentrated form, which also happens to be the form when it can do the most damage.  (Handle it twice as in (1) remove from the canister to stuff it into a garbage bag, and (2) then I have to handle the garbage bag with the dirt and dust.  Each time being an opportunity to get more dust onto my face.)

[akis]

A bagless vacuum cleaner is a joke when it comes to its operation: the "cyclone" compartment lets a ton of dust particles through the motor and out into the rear filter (HEPA or whatever) with the filter itself acting as the "bag" trying to hold on to the dust. Then you have to empty the whole lot and as you attempt to do so dust flies everywhere because this is what dust generally does. I used to empty it at the garden using a bag over and under the canister etc. It is an engineering joke. Finally I have realised there are no bagged cordless vacuum cleaners because they lack the power to pull air through the bag. Which also means that their onboard filter, by definition, is worse in trapping dust particles than a simple bag...

[mcinque]

one that uses a disposable bag (not bagless)

I just love Dyson

I don't think they produce battery powered vacuum cleaner with disposable bag.

[james_s]

I don't think anybody produces a battery powered cordless vacuum cleaner with a disposable bag.

The Dyson does work very well though, better than any other I've used. I have had several crappy bagless vacuums that didn't work well and/or were a pain to empty but it is not one of them.

[amyk]

What makes the bag vacuums preferable?

Here is what Consumer Reports says:

"Emptying a bagless vacuum can be messy, releasing some of the particles you just sucked up back into the air," says Susan Booth, CR's lead vacuum tester. That can be a problem if you are sensitive to dust and allergens.

If it's not an issue for you, great.

I've seen bagless vacuums that use a water-bath filter to catch the dust.

[BurningTantalum]

Akis is right regarding the final filter 'acting as the bag'. This applies to most if not all bagless and 'cyclone' type mains cleaners too, including the Dysons.
I have 3 Electrolux Ergorapido battery cleaners whose NiCads have long since given up the ghost and been replaced by Li-ions. Even one that I fitted with 4 cells instead of 3 is not a patch on the mains version of the cleaner (1600W rather than 50-60W)
I found the version of the Dyson-on-a-stick that I used in a AirBnB was awkward to use as the 'castoring' of the head tended to overcentre and was difficult to steer.
I have just cracked open 3 Dyson battery packs to use the 18650s, and I suspect that, like the Makita drill packs and others, they lock out the charger if cells are low, imbalanced, or the number of charge cycles has reached a limit. I may be wrong but all 3 would not provide an output or charge even when the 6 cells were charged separately to 4V.
BT