Ok … so over the last little while I have answered a number of calls from people wanting to know about Bagless Vacuum Chambers, also known as Cyclone Vacuum Tubes.  Understandably, my mature, responsible vacuum cleaning public want to know whether these attachments are a good idea.

For those of you who have not seen them, let me bring you up to speed.  This part goes onto your vacuum cleaner rod, acting as a dirt separator so that only a tiny portion of dirt goes through to the vacuum cleaner bag. They are sold in vast quantities in many stores instead of buying vacuum bags.
Here’s one I prepared earlier :



Let’s be honest, the pitch sounds great!  “Why pay $25 for dirty old vacuum dust bags, when you will have to throw each one in the bin after a couple of weeks?  Then, when those annoying bags are all gone, you will have to trudge off to the same boring shop to repeat the expensive, monotonous process all over again in a couple of months time?  Stop the vacuum bags cycle!!! Invest in a one-off purchase instead.  You can buy one of these oh so wonderful bagless chambers for only $50 (or $80 from nasty retailers) and you will be set for the rest of your life, never to buy bags again… ever! (Maybe they won’t be that energetic , but I’m sure you get the idea!)

Listen my vacuuming friends, take heed of your parents’ sage advice: If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.  When people are considering these allegedly miraculous vacuum attachments, some plain facts are overlooked.  In reality, the chamber only stops roughly 95% of dirt going into the bag. This leaves 5% of the dust being sucked through into your vacuum bag.  This tiny portion of remaining dirt is actually the most harmful to your machine.  These are the finest of the dust particles, making them the most difficult to be contained by your dust bag, particularly without that big stuff to hold all the dirt together in one chunky clump.  The bulky dirt you vacuum up is whisked into that see through chamber, making you feel great about your investment. When you look into the vacuum cleaner bag which only contains microscopic remnants of household dirt, you are oh-so impressed with that chamber.  It has obviously saved you wads of cash … Before you know it you are quickly convinced by the little voice inside your head that if you keep this up, you will be able to afford that new boat you’ve been drooling over.

(*NB actual savings may vary depending on your individual circumstances*)

BUT you need to get your head out of the clouds and back to reality… those small dust particles in your vacuum bag really do exist, and what’s more, I have seen with my very own eyes that these evil microscopic specks of dirt are the ones that clog your vacuum bag, … these tiny fragments of waste are truly cunning because they damage your vacuum with stealth.  It might look like your vacuum bag is practically empty, but that is when the destruction occurs… right under your nose.  As the majority of the dust is removed to the safety of that see through chamber, those insidious fine particles get to work, clogging up your vacuum bag, reducing airflow, and putting excessive strain on your vacuum motor. There is nothing worse than restricted airflow for a machine which relies on suction to operate.

Now I know that this all seems inconceivable but let me be serious for just a moment.  Those simple vacuum bags you have never appreciated enough are you and your vacuum cleaner’s best friend.  They work hard to prevent dust and dirt from blocking up the air flow of your machine, and are happy to surrender their short life span to the greater good of keeping your home or workplace clean, and your vacuum on the job. Cyclone chambers are misunderstood and over rated, and as a technician I know that they do you no favours.  If you use a cyclone attachment, you will simply allow an extremely fine coating of dust to build up around the inside of your vacuum cleaner bag which will reduce suction, increase motor heat, wear out the motor and possibly cause explosions *NB  explosions have never been witnessed but all other effects have*
So this is a very long winded way of saying that these chambers are a terrible way of saving money on vacuum cleaner bags for everyday use. I have genuinely replaced many motors on vacuum cleaners because the user was told they would never need another bag again. Let me be really blunt and add that they seem a terribly inconvenient vacuum accessory too.  They make the whole process of vacuuming awkward and cumbersome, so you enjoy the job even less than you normally would.

Now before we get all final and fatalistic about these chambers, I do have a concession to make. I am sure that the very observant amongst you will note we actually sell these chambers ourselves. This is true, and I have a very specific reason for this.  Want to know what this mysterious purpose is? I bet you do so please visit my next blog entry titled:
“Top 5 Tips when using a bagless Vacuum Chamber”

Hey look I would love to hear from you … Tell me the best pitch you ever heard to sell one of these cyclone chambers, or maybe how your vacuum burst into flames after using one. Do you agree, or do you have an alternate argument?

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