Piranha Bagless Upright Enviro

Great vacuum. Outperforms much dearer brands – We have had this vacuum for around 12 months, since new. It truly does outperform dearer brands we have owned, including hoover, and electrolux. The power head beats the blazes out of the carpet to really pick up deeply inground dirt. The bagless container is very easy to empty, and clean. I would highly recommend this product.  Show details

Excellent Suction, Very Economical – This vacuum cleaner has excellent suction and makes vacuuming on both carpets and hard floors a breeze. I bought it earlier this year from Kmart and I was impressed with the amount of power it produces. It does not maintain suction in a fully upright position, but this is how it has been designed. It is easy to dismantle and empty the canister and… Read more

because it is bagless, you save on replacement bags. Would have preferred a retractable cord and hair does gets caught / wrapped around the bristles which is difficult to remove, but I'm yet to find a vacuum that doesn't have this issue.

Good functional vacuum – Easy to use, easy to pull apart. I like the fact that it has no bags, either paper or cloth, you just empty it into the bin. The filter does get clogged so that needs to be tapped. I haven't had to buy a new filter yet. I have had other Piranha products and always been happy.  Show details

A step up from the generic Kmart bagless vacuum – This is my second vacuum from Kmart (AU) to replace the generic Kmart brand that died from overheating and internal pieces rattling inside. I'm on a tight budget and looking for a vacuum to last me 1-2 years. I have what I believe is to be a 'Berber' style carpet in 3/4ths of an old Queenslander house. Being an older house, there are plenty of… Read more

cracks and areas for unwanted things to grow and fester. I recently threw down some carpet powder and ran our generic brand Kmart bagless. In a matter of minutes, the vacuum lost suction and overheated. I cleaned out the filters, but it's impossible to access all the areas that are needed to clean out the dust and build up. It completely died so I bought the Piranha.

I bought this one after much online research. Not the best but for under $100, it fit what I wanted.

*I'll write the pros and cons as a direct comparison to the generic Kmart version.

PROS:

The upright style (though rated lower in wattage) had more suction.

The plastic hose was made of more durable and thicker plastic. I could feel the difference and knew it would handle wear much better than the generic brand.

Canister is much easier to clean out. The generic version has a paper filter inside the canister that everything got stuck to so was more difficult to clean out and made me want to opt for a bag version instead of a bagless version. The Piranha, however, had the filter up on the top lid and just plastic in the centre, making all the debris settle more to the bottom, making it much easier to clean/dump out.

More compact than the generic. Unlike the generic version, there isn't this awkward hose piece that you have to find storage for. Everything from the hose, the handle, power cord... they all tuck away or onto the vacuum itself and there're no other odds/ends you have to worry about.

Longer power cord. My rooms are roughly 4x4 and the generic version needed an extension and has this annoying retractable cord feature that always tried to retract the cord. The power cord on the Piranha is longer you have to wrap it after use, but it's more convenient than having to break out the extension each time you vacuum a single room. There is a nice little plastic hook on the back of the handle that you can put the cord in so it sits up high versus dragging on the ground.

Bigger brush head helps with pet hair.

Not as portable for carrying with you, say, if you had carpeted stairs. This isn't applicable to me since we don't have that, but it's worth considering.

CONS:

Much louder than the generic.

Generic was $49. Piranha was $89 (Kmart).

Shorter reach of the handle for ceiling, stairs.

*Not as easy to vacuum under tight spaces since the upright version is slightly bulkier. But it's can easily go under part of a standard bed.

*Same cheap plastic tabs and pieces that will likely break with too much force and WILL break off with wear (same as any other cheaper brand).

OVERALL:

In the end, an upright is more basic in design but in the basics, work to its favour. You don't need as much power for an upright since the power is more direct. The brush head is nice for pet hair. It's instantly better than the generic brand and if it lasts me 1 year (as did the other one), I will be very happy.

Piranha Bagless Upright Enviro please bring it back! – This vacuum has been a life saver for me as I have a very bad back problem. It is a fantastic machine and I'm sorry to hear they do no make it any more. I might also add that my whole house is carpeted and I own three dogs. I have never ever had any problems with this machine. It is still working and it is 2013 I just hope I can get replacement… Read more ·  1

filters and belts. If you look after the machine it looks after you. Thank You Piranha Designers and Manufacturers. Everything, great machine, got the job done and affordable, backup service for parts always available. Couldn't really fault it for cleaning carpeted areas, especially owning pets.

Excellent – Fantastic...NOTHING else matches it for the price. I challenge anyone to go out there and buy a proper Upright Vacuum for less than $150.00. I paid $149.00 for mine in 2004 and it has been so good to me. Like I said earlier, I was devastated when mine failed due to my laziness. In fact, I've still got my mine sitting here, cause I just don't want… Read more ·  1

to chuck it out! If you've got one and it's still OK, make sure you open up the head and give it a good clean out and it will last you years and years! Absolutely LOVE this vacuum. It was so cheap to buy, but it picks up everything.It is particularly great with dog hair. I've got a Jack Russell and he drops a lot of hair. Love the light and foot operated functions. Also has fantastic HEPA filtration, with washable filters. I have never needed to replace my filters. Some people think Piranha is a 'cheap' brand, but the only cheap thing about this model, was the price!! It's looks modern, but feels like the old fashioned Uprights I used to see as a kid...really sturdy & tough as old nails! It is quite heavy, which is good in some ways as it it very sturdy & stable. The head is quite bulky and it won't get under low furniture etc. It's also quite noisy, but in a solid, sturdy sort of way! I've had my Piranha since 2004, however recently it failed (my fault for not removing built up dirt and hair from motorised head). I was devastated and as this model has been discontinued, I was forced to by a Hoover Lark and it is OK, but was more expensive and NOTHING like the Piranha. If anyone out there has one or wants to buy a used one, look after it (open up the power head and vacuum out all the built up muck & replace belt) and it will last you many years and will be as rare as hen's teeth! For those who want the newest Piranha Upright, go for the Piranha 'Ruby'. I recently found it, and eventhough I just brought the Hoover Lark, I had to buy another Piranha upright and they've got the formula right AGAIN. Remember Piranha 'Ruby'.

Excellent – Best vacuum cleaner I have ever owned. Sucks dirt out you don't even know you have. Even gets hair off carpets. My daughters carpet was a total loss until I got this one. Came up like brand new. Would recommend to anyone and loving the HEPA filters due to sons asthma. Love this vacuum cleaner. Bought it on clearance at Kmart and I bet it… Read more

works as well as a Dyson. I had vacuumed my floors with a Vax the day before and the amount of dirt it got out was disgusting!! Absolutely brilliant vacuum cleaner. The hand held wand on it is a bit hard to use. Think it should have came with a replacement filter as I am worried i won't be able to get another.