Best Bagged Vacuum

The bulk of non-commercial vacuums manufactured today are bagless, however there are still a large number of bagged vacuums on the market (this is especially true with canister vacuum cleaners).   The question of which approach is better - bagged or bagless – abounds on forums and blogs.  However there is really no correct answer to this and it comes down to a matter of consumer preference.   Some people prefer a bagless machine because they do not wish to incur the expense (or perhaps wastefulness) of buying and throwing away bags.  Others like the ease with which bags can be removed, disposed of and replaced in a bagged vacuum.

We have reviewed many bagged and bagless machines and have recently provided our list of best bagless vacuums.  In this article we put forth our choices for best bagged vacuums – both canisters and uprights

Best Bagged Canister Vacuum
Our best bagged vacuum for the canister category is not a single machine but rather three series of machines.  This may seem a bit much, but all reviews and ratings for these Miele bagged canister vacuums indicate very high consumer satisfaction, and in the canister arena Miele really does stand head and shoulders above most of its competition.  Determining the best vacuums within the series is really a matter of ones needs.  Assuming you need your canister vacuum to be effective on all manner of carpet and bare floors we would propose the following:

Miele S5 series - S5281 Callisto (with the SEB228 floor tool)
Price range (USD): usually 899
Warranty: 7-years on motor, 1-year parts and labor on remainder of vacuum

For additional information you may wish to read our Miele S5 series review.

Miele S4 series - S4212 Neptune (may not be as effective as the Callisto or Titan on high pile carpet)
Price range (USD): usually 499
Warranty: 7-years on motor, 1-year parts and labor on remainder of vacuum

For additional information you may wish to read our Miele S4 series review.

Miele S2 series - S2180 Titan
Price range (USD): usually 599
Warranty: 7-years on motor and vacuum casing, 1-year parts and labor on remainder of vacuum

For additional information you may wish to read our Miele S2 series review.

Of course the downside of Miele machines is that they are typically expensive.  Less expensive S2/S4/S5s are available if you don’t need the ability to clean medium to high pile carpet (or in some cases HEPA filtration).  It should be pointed out however you will likely not get a Miele canister for less than about 300USD.

There are also other good bagged canister vacuums on the market besides Miele, and a few that we feel deserve honorable mention are:

Electrolux EL6984A
Eureka 3684F Mighty Mite
Hoover Portapower
Panasonic MC-CG885
Eureka 3670G

Best Bagged Upright Vacuum
Our choices for best bagged uprights are the following:

Hoover UH30010COM
This is also our choice for overall best upright vacuum.
Price range (USD): 200 - 300
Warranty: 6 years
PROS
- Excellent value for the money
- Lightweight
- Easy to maneuver
- 6 year warranty
- Powerful suction
- Good edge cleaning
- LED light is powerful
- Handle can angle down to the floor to help get under furniture
- Bags are easy to remove and place in the vacuum
- Dual speeds (high and low settings)
- Canister is nice addition
CONS
- Can be hard to push on deep-pile carpeting
- Only 2 height settings
- No hose on upright
- No on-board tools on upright (some like this – some do not)
- A few comments regarding issues with a failing power switch
- Attachments for canister attach via friction (do not click in place)
- Canister can be a bit loud (high pitched noise)

For additional information you may wish to read our Hoover UH30010COM review.

Hoover 5140-900 Tempo Widepath
One of the best “bang for your buck” upright vacuums.
Prince range (USD): 65 – 100
Warranty: 1 year
PROS
- Inexpensive
- Strong suction
- Comes with a number of attachments
- 5 height settings for different floor surfaces
- Easy to assemble
CONS
- Small bag
- Some comments about limited durability
- Noisy
- No on/off switch for brushbar
- Cord length of 24 feet is a bit short

For additional information you may wish to read our Hoover Tempo Widepath review.

Note:  For the Hoover Tempo Widepath there seem to be discrepancies with respect to some of the vacuum features, including the full bag indicator and the headlight.  We have read (to be confirmed) that Hoover may have made changes to the vacuum (such as removing these features) while maintaining the same vacuum cleaner model number.   You may wish to check with whomever you are considering buying this unit from with respect to vacuum features.  It is difficult for consumers to do their due diligence if manufacturers make changes to units and do not update model numbers.  Historical ratings and reviews become unreliable.

With respect to honorable mention for best bagged upright, we have reviewed quite a few other vacuums but don’t feel that any are deserving of being promoted to this level.

Interested in bagless vacuum cleaners?  Check out our Best Bagless Vacuum list.

Do you have a favorite bagged vacuum that is not listed here?  Let us know!

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Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved.