Controls
Suction control via rotary dial

Power
1200-watt, high-output Miele-made Vortex Motor SystemTM

Filter System (Included)
Filters
Active H.E.P.A. Filter
Bags
IntensiveClean Dustbags with flap for dust-free removal (2-supplied)
Canister Construction
Sealed SystemTM construction

Included Floor Tools & Accessories
Floor Tools
STB205-3 Turbobrush
SBB300-3 Parquet Floor Brush
Hoses
Non-electric Hose
Wands
Stainless steel, telescopic wand
Additional Accessories
Upholstery Nozzle

Standard Features
Impressive 29.5-foot operating radius
Dustbag change indicator alerts you to replace the hygienic bag
Filter grill
Safety shut-off on overheating
Space-saving storage bracket on each side of the vacuum
Silence insulation

Color & Dimensions
Height: 8.25″
Width: 10″
Length: 19″
Color: Royal Blue

Use
Recommended for: medium to high-pile carpeting and smooth flooring

In this article, I will talk about vacuum cleaners with bags and bagless dirt collection systems. I will be very objective at giving you the pros and cons of both types of vacuum cleaners.

Bagged Vacuum Cleaners

In my opinion, this is the way to go. Disposable bags are a much cleaner, and easier method to dispose of the dirt collected by your vacuum cleaner. In the past, most bags were made of 2 or 3 ply paper with a cardboard collar to connect the bag to the machine. These bags were thinner, and more porous which meant that they could leak a lot of the smaller dust and dirt particles that they were trying to catch. If the vacuum had a porous cloth or vinyl zippered bag, the micro-fine dust particles were exhausted back into the air. If the vacuum had a hard plastic or metal housing and door, the dust escaping the bag would settle on the inside of this type of bag housing.

Disposable vacuum bags have come a long way in the last decade. A lot of manufacturers make bags that are 3-ply or more with a cotton type liner inside that filters far better that standard paper alone. Some manufacturers make vacuum bags that are not made of paper at all. They use a spun cotton material that is far superior to paper, and can capture very small dust particles. Each brand has a different name for their bags. They use wording such as, Filteraire, Micron Magic, Micro-Fresh, Micro-Lined, and Intensive Clean. These words mean that the vacuum bags you are buying have been manufactured to a higher standard of filtering microscopic dust particles from the air circulating through the vacuum cleaner. Most vacuum bags also have a cardboard, sticky paper, or plastic closure that allow you to cover the hole in the bag before throwing it in your trashcan. This helps prevent dust from leaking through the bag’s opening back into the air after you have disposed of it. A year’s supply of disposable vacuum bags usually costs between twenty and thirty dollars depending on how often you vacuum, and how often you change the bag.

Bagless Vacuum Cleaners

Bagless vacuum cleaners have a clear, hard plastic container that captures the dirt and dust. When the container is full, simply remove the top or bottom cover to dump the dirt out. DO NOT empty this container inside your house, or you will have a large dust cloud floating in your face. These containers should be dumped in an outdoor trashcan.

To keep dirt from being sucked into the motor, these machines have a large filter located inside the dirt container, or elsewhere inside the machine covering the suction fans in front of the motor. These filters have to be periodically cleaned, or replaced. Bagless vacuums generally have two or more filters. The main one is the pre-motor filter, and the other is the exhaust filter. The cost of replacing the filters on a bagless vacuum can be more than the cost of a year’s supply of disposable bags. I am telling you this because most people are under the misconception that a bagless vacuum will have no maintenance costs involved. This is not true. All mechanical devices have maintenance costs. There is also no such thing as “Lifetime Filters”. After you clean or wash your filters several times they will deteriorate, and need to be replaced. Some customers have told me that after washing their filters the vacuum cleaner developed a mold and mildew odor. The best way to avoid that is to let your filters dry in the sun for a day or so, or replace them. You can also dry them in front of a fan where there is a lot of air movement.

Bagless vacuums also rely on rubber gaskets and seals around the container to keep it from leaking. These seals need to be clean and free of dust to maintain a proper leak-proof seal against the container. If these rubber gaskets and seals ever wear out, or become flattened over time, they will need to be replaced.

• 1800 watts.
• 179 air watts.
• Ideal for pet hair.
• Length of hose 2.1m.
• Capacity of dustbin 2.5 litres.
• Washable filter.
• Manual cord rewind.
• Adjustable floorhead.
• Includes crevice tool, combination dusting brush and upholstery tool and stair tool.
• On-board tool storage.
• Plastic extension tubes.
• Suitable for all floor types.
• 7.3m power cord.
• Weight 6.3kg.

• 1500 watts.
• 120 air watts.
• Ideal for pet hair.
• Length of hose 1.2m.
• Capacity of dustbin 1.9 litres.
• Dustbin full indicator.
• HEPA filtration.
• Washable filter.
• Manual cord rewind.
• Manual on/off control.
• Includes crevice tool and dusting brush.
• On-board tool storage.
• 7m power cord.
• Weight 6kg.

Energy saving compressor motor offers 50% energy saving with no loss of performance. Which Best Buy April 2009.

• 2400 watts.
• Ideal for pet hair.
• Side suction for edge to edge cleaning.
• Length of hose 1.5m.
• Stretch hose for staircase cleaning.
• Variable power.
• Capacity of dustbag 5 litres.
• Uses disposable dustbags – 1 bag included.
• Dustbag full indicator.
• HEPA filtration.
• Foot operated on/off control.
• Adjustable floorhead.
• Includes crevice tool, upholstery tool and hard furnishings brush.
• Metal telescopic extension tubes.
• 7.2m power cord.
• Weight 7.4kg.
• Manufacturer’s 2 year guarantee.

• 2000 watts.
• Length of hose 1.5m.
• Stretch hose for staircase cleaning.
• Variable power.
• Capacity of dustbag 4 litres.
• Uses disposable dustbags – 1 bag included.
• Dustbag full indicator.
• Air fresh filtration.
• Manual cord rewind.
• Manual on/off control.
• Includes crevice tool and upholstery tool.
• On-board tool storage.
• Metal telescopic extension tubes.
• Suitable for carpets and hard floor.
• 8m power cord.
• Weight 5.9kg.
• Manufacturer’s 2 year guarantee.

Retro styling.

• 2100 watts.
• Ideal for pet hair.
• Side suction for edge to edge cleaning.
• Length of hose 1.5m.
• Variable power.
• Capacity of dustbag 3.5 litres.
• Uses disposable dustbags – 1 bag included.
• Dustbag full indicator.
• Air clean filtration.
• Foot operated on/off control.
• Adjustable floorhead.
• Includes crevice tool and upholstery tool.
• Metal telescopic extension tubes.
• 5.2m power cord.
• Weight 5.8kg.
• Manufacturer’s 2 year guarantee.

• 150 air watts.
• Ideal for pet hair.
• No loss of suction.
• Length of hose 4.2m.
• Stretch hose for staircase cleaning.
• Capacity of dustbin 2.5 litres.
• Anti-bacterial.
• HEPA filtration.
• Washable filter.
• Manual on/off control.
• Adjustable floorhead.
• Includes crevice tool, dusting brush, turbo tool and upholstery tool.
• On-board tool storage.
• Plastic extension tubes.
• Suitable for carpets and hard floor.
• 9.3m power cord.
• Weight 9.2kg.
• Manufacturer’s 6 year guarantee.