Rickr:Good that you clean the bag after each use.I do that with my Dyson "Ball" or my Hoovers with cloth bags,and cloth bag Kirbys.Makes the bag last longer too.Leaving the stuff in the bag will rot the fabric.I tell people that use dump bag vacs and dump cup vacs to dump them after each use.One should not "store" dirt in those-that also causes the dust cups in dump bin vacs to cloud.-and clogs their filters more quickly.when you clean them-bags and bins-the efficiency of the vac stays high.I can agree-the older vacs had a more "freindly" appearence.Just have some of the newer ones to "round" out my collection-I too like the "oldies' better. Their sound is more pleasent too.New Areos Lux sounds like a B-52 taking off in your living room!!