I love the bagless vacuums - you can see the dirt that it picked up. But...

it seems weird - I empty the clear canister several times during a single vacuuming. At the same time I change the bag in my old kenmore canister vac every few months.

And same for shop vacs - I am always blowing out / washing the filter on my 12 gal shop vac because I see lots of dust / stuff on the filter. But vac still works.

And I take the bagless containers (we have several of these vacs) apart to rinse off dirt from filters and the innards of the container - they get strands / dust / built up on the surfaces that I think help make it spin the dirt / restricts the flow.

Any way to know how much my efforts improve / restore suction? Are there gadgets to measure suction for vacs?

How often do you do any of that with bagless machines?

And again, meanwhile - the bagged canister just gets bag changes every few months.

I like to think I don't have a dirty house, but surprised how much the bagless machines pick up.

Any thoughts about how much effort is needed for bagless machines? Are bagless better than bagged or vice versa? How often do you change the bag on a bagged vac?

Oh! And any thoughts on the add on tornado / spackle bucket products to collect most things in front of a shop vac? Are they good? Do it yourself? or purchase?

THANKS!

 

"Are there gadgets to measure suction for vacs?"
I'm sure there are. For home use I would use a suction gauge and/or a small anemometer. There are a couple different ways you can test but the important thing is you test the same way each time so you can compare the results. Test your vacuum right after a thorough cleaning. Then test it again right before you'd dump the hopper.

"...how much effort is needed for bagless machines?"
I just dump it. Give it a good bump or two to shake loose dirt then pop it closed and get back to work. I wouldn't spend much time cleaning the hopper. It's going to get dirty again the instant you use the vacuum.

"Are bagless better than bagged or vice versa?"
It depends on your definition of "better". Some people hate changing a bag every couple months so then you could say bagless is better. I think bagless require emptying too frequently so I don't like them as well. I also prefer the better air filtration that many bagged machines offer.

"...tornado / spackle bucket products to collect most things in front of a shop vac? "
Sawdust collection cyclones do work. It's why they are commonly used in wood shops in front of shop vacs which would otherwise clog quickly under the heavy dust load. I have seen good plans to make one with two 5 gal buckets as the housing. But, you can buy them for $100 so I'd consider buying unless you want a craft project.

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We mainly use two vacuums. A Dyson V8 Animal cordless bagless for small jobs and a Miele Calima canister bag vacuum. Our cleaning lady uses a canister bagless vacuum (can't remember the brand) but after she used our Miele she always uses our vacuum when cleaning our house. She loves how quiet it is and it cleans noticeably better than her machine and is easier to use.

 

I have a bagless upright. I can see the dust and xxx collected. I don't empty it every use.
I empty it when it appears full. Mine has an additional HEPA filter so it's pretty much dust free.

I haven't noticed any additional performance just after cleaning.
Really haven't given it too much thought.

 

PJmax 'really haven't given it too much thought'.... and that's why you have time to do real things, learn and help so many people here. You don't get stuck on trivial minutia! THANK YOU!

Pilot Dane Same for you! Able to get past the trivial things!!!

test the same way each time so you can compare the results.

yeah, that's my problem. Duct tape kluges that i'd come up with don't allow consistency : )
Yes, I realize it'll get dirty as soon as I use it... but my thinking is that the dust that builds up on the vanes / parts, have to add resistance / cut down suction. Just likely a negligible amount that I have to move past.