Living with two dogs, two cats and hardwood floors I find that our floors need constant attention to keep them free of hair and other debris. So last year I began looking for a vacuum cleaner that would work well in our house, and hopefully last 15-20 years. After much research and deliberation I finally purchased the Miele S4212 Neptune from a local retailer. Thus far, I am very pleased with the vacuum cleaner. However my long term impression of the Miele brand will be determined by the lifespan of the vacuum cleaner, and the number of issues I have with it.

One important aspect of vacuum ownership is the cost and availability of replacement bags. The Neptune comes with several of the Miele-brand FJM bags . These bags are made of a dense, multilayer woven cloth that prevents dust and debris from escaping, while allowing air to pass through the fabric. They use a red plastic adapter to connect to the vacuum, and inside the adapter is a plastic flap to keep the bag sealed during removal and disposal. The OEM bags are well designed and of high quality, the only problem is that they are $4 to $5 per bag. I typically replace a vacuum bag every 2 months, thus using the Miele brand bags I'll spend $30/year on replacement bags. This is more than I'd like to pay for something I'll end up throwing away.

In an effort to save some money, I tried some off-brand replacement bags. The first was the EnviroCare FJM bags. These bags were of acceptable quality, but had significant drawbacks when compared to the Miele bags. The bags themselves were made of a thinner fabric, and instead of a plastic adapter they used thin cardboard for the adapter. While I didn't experience any issues during use, these bags did not lock into place like the Miele bags. Used over a long term basis, I feel that these bags would be prone to leaking and would prematurely degrade the coarse filter of the vacuum.

More recently I have tried the 3M Filtrete brand of FJM bags. These are much closer to the quality of the Miele brand bags. They are made of a multilayer woven material that seems comparable to the Miele brand, and they feature a black plastic adapter that locks into place properly.

Despite a small number of 1-star reviews on Amazon, I have not experienced similar issues regarding leaking bags. At $1.80/bag my yearly cost of vacuum bags is now only $10.80. Unless I experience issues with the Filtrete bags, I plan to keep buying them.