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[Updated below] Just a quick correction, I've definitely had bagless vacuums long before the Dyson company was around. pretty sure you're mistaken. From memor

[Updated below] Just a quick correction, I've definitely had bagless vacuums long before the Dyson company was around. pretty sure you're mistaken. From memory Dyson was unable to get the money together to manufacture vacuums under his own brand, and Hoover et al didn't want him around at all (vacuum cleaner bags are like razor blades), but he was able to licence his design to a Japanese company and also an American one. There's quite a bit on the internet about the Japanese licenced Dyson - the G-Force - but I can't find anything yet on the American one. It was, I think, sold initially as a carpet shampoo machine, came with a powder you sprinkled on, and then as an industrial upright. I think these were sold in the US for many years before the Dyson brand made it there due to some sort of legal problem I'll update if I can find the info I'm looking for [edit: the keyword Google needed was Amway. Read this http://www.amquix.info/amway_dyson.html http://www.amquix.info/amway_dyson.html In short, Amway entered into negotiations to licence Dyson's design in '84, withdrew after some time then launched their own copy. Lawyers got rich all the way to 1990 when things were resolved and Amway agreed to pay royalties to Dyson. Not mentioned in this article, but I think part of the agreement was Dyson say out of the market for a certain time]

mikey_p 14y ago
There have ben vacuums that filter with water (such as the Rexair/Rainbow) since at least the 1930s. While most of those quite heavy duty and powerful, they almost all suffered from indoor air quality issues, although I believe the newer ones do feature HEPA filters.
bane 14y ago
So a bit of looking into it and it looks like we may both be onto something. According to the internet the Dyson company was founded in 1993 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyson_(company) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyson_(company) but he came up with the idea in the early 80s http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Dyson http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Dyson More importantly, it turns out I was definitely thinking of cleaners that don't use a disposable bag, and weren't a Dyson cyclone design...but it turns out that they just use a permanent filter that simply replaces the bag in the design. Those are what I remember growing up with since my mother hated having to spend all that money on bags. Are they pre-dyson "bagless"? I don't know, I think that's how they were marketed but I honestly can't remember.

mikey_p 14y ago

There have ben vacuums that filter with water (such as the Rexair/Rainbow) since at least the 1930s. While most of those quite heavy duty and powerful, they almost all suffered from indoor air quality issues, although I believe the newer ones do feature HEPA filters.

bane 14y ago

So a bit of looking into it and it looks like we may both be onto something. According to the internet the Dyson company was founded in 1993 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyson_(company) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyson_(company) but he came up with the idea in the early 80s http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Dyson http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Dyson More importantly, it turns out I was definitely thinking of cleaners that don't use a disposable bag, and weren't a Dyson cyclone design...but it turns out that they just use a permanent filter that simply replaces the bag in the design. Those are what I remember growing up with since my mother hated having to spend all that money on bags. Are they pre-dyson "bagless"? I don't know, I think that's how they were marketed but I honestly can't remember.