Phillips Bagless!

As you all know cleaning the honeycomb hideout can be a difficult chore - what with all of these hairy beasts around and feathers always getting ruffled! My birthday present this year was the PHILLIPS BAGLESS Anti-Allergy Model FC8732. This vacuum had a tough challenge ahead of it with a sceptical new owner...

I selected this model because:
a) it was on sale in the appliance store directly under my house.
b) I had been investigating bagless vacuum models on the internet for about 3 months and I needed to make a move...
c) I originally wanted the Dyson but the cost was prohibitive and in every honeycomb I have ever lived NO vacuum cleaner has lived up to its claims and the reviews were not as great as I would expect from that kind of expenditure. Also customer service is a huge issue (it's ease, it's access) and Phillips has a competitive waranty like the Dyson.
d) Whenever possible I try to support a Dutch company and Phillips is a Dutch company (they don't have an excellent green rating yet but they are working on it) so not only should customer service not be a problem but I am supporting the country I live in with my choice.

I am happy now to give you a full report following DAILY use and a full cleaning cycle - out of 10 stars I give it a 10 star rating - FOR REAL! I am serious...first of all the tough HEPA filter works so well that after a couple of full sweeps of the honeycomb the air quality had completely changed - ZERO kickback. Secondly the cannister really is easy to dump out (as advertised) without reinhaling or redepositing the dust into the air. Just emptying the cannister when full and brushing the filter (brush included) for the first month was fine and now I have washed the filters and cannister as directed and it was SIMPLE!!! PIECE OF CAKE. And all of the parts look new again - EVEN THE FILTER! I checked the other components that supposedly will not need to be cleaned (motor filter) or changed (HEPA filter) for six months and they still look very clean. So for now my scepticism has vanished and I am in love...

Update: As of March 2008 - It is still working wonders!