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The EU regulation sets a measure of how much dust a vacuum cleaner can pick up. Presumably in an attempt to stop people purchasing on the basis of a more power is better fallacy.
they are annoyingly expensive. I've just bought (yet to be delivered) a ShArk Duo cordless thing for upstairs after our Dyson refuses to run (pre me taking it apart to try and fix it). Downstairs, we have large floor space ~140m3, so i invested in a robot thing, Ecovacs. That's brilliant and has been a godsend. It will drag a microfibre mop round with it if you want which is surprisngly efficient and picks up mucho dirt not otherwise sucked up..
I did once hear someone in the industry say that Dyson's biggest contribution was in convincing the public that it was OK to pay more than £100 for a vacuum cleaner.
Well, I'm now in the doghouse.
She spent so much time vacillating about different options last night, I ordered a model that will do what 'we' want and no more (well what I thought she/we wanted) no daft extra bells and whistles, i.e. led lights, lift-off sections, etc.
Unfortunately she suddenly changed the goal posts, and now what I've ordered doesn't do enough. Apparently.
I just thought they sucked up dirt. But it seems not.
Oh well 🤷♂️
We have a DC01. Circa very early 2000s.
Saved from the tip over ten years ago. In laws were about to throw it out because "it just wasn't picking up any dust". The explanation came in verbal italics, as it if was surprising that it needed the odd bit of maintenance.
I took out the three or four easily removable bits of tube. Removed the blockages of dog hair. Cut all the dog hair from the floor brush. Cleaned the filters with a hose. Surprise - works perfectly.
Offered it back to them. They said no thanks, had already bought another vacuum.
We kept it. Still going. Bit knocked about now. Seems quite well made. Hard to argue with the purchase cost.
We have a DC01. Circa very early 2000s.
We had a DC02. Worked pretty well and I loved the stair hugger design. Mrs OW said it had to go because 'it was smelly'. Nothing we've had since has worked as well.
The early Dysons were better made and did move domestic vacuums away from bagged filtration which an clog as the bag fills (although doesn't seem to be an issue with my stupendously performing Nilfisk) but it was hardly new technology, cyclone systems had been used on industrial extraction systems for years. As said above the cleverest thing Dyson did was make the dust collector transparent.
Since then he's just turned into a life style brand, all marketing, value engineered to maximise profit. £450 for a fan heater, it's still basically a fan with a heater element and a fancy nozzle, same with the hair dryers and straighteners, not magic leaps in technology, just clever marketing and gullible idiots prepared to spend £200 on hair straighteners when a £30 set is just as good.
Our dyson is one of the first purple and pink ones (1998 dc04), we have had it 8 years, our old neighbour rescued it from a skip on a building site full of plaster and rubble, the switch was stuck in the on position with what looked like a bit of a boiled sweet, cleaned it up and it works just fine, looks like crap but who cares.
She spent so much time vacillating about different options last night, I ordered a model that will do what ‘we’ want and no more (well what I thought she/we wanted)
There's a special place in purgatory reserved for those who mansplain hoovering 😀
We have a Dyson Animal upright thing, a few years old, absolutely hate it. Weighs a ton, wife can't carry it up the stairs. Very thin cheap plastic bits which keep snapping on the bin. The upright lock thing to use the hose works about 1 in 5 times; it normally just falls over with a big crash. Very hard to use on carpets, just seems to get stuck. It does suck stuff up, but a complete PITA to use. Hoping it dies soon so I can buy anything else...
Henry's are OK. They're a great garage/DIY vacuum but they're not great around the house.
The lower end Miele are much better for not a lot more money. From about £150. The extra tools on the Cat and Dog model make sense if you've got pets.
You can buy non-OEM bags to save money
https://ao.com/l/cylinder_vacuum_cleaners-miele/1-6/127-57-59/
We bought the cleaners at work two Dyson for cleaning 17 small offices twice a week, both vacuums had to go back under warranty in the first year & both died within three years.
Replaced with a Panasonic & a Henry, both still going fine eight years on - only issue was a flex replacement on the Henry after it got caught in a door hinge.
We have a Dyson Animal upright thing, a few years old, absolutely hate it. Weighs a ton, wife can’t carry it up the stairs. Very thin cheap plastic bits which keep snapping on the bin. The upright lock thing to use the hose works about 1 in 5 times; it normally just falls over with a big crash. Very hard to use on carpets, just seems to get stuck. It does suck stuff up, but a complete PITA to use. Hoping it dies soon so I can buy anything else…
had one for 15 years, and hated it for 15 years. But it kept working. Our cleaner refused to use it (and uses a Henry...). Fortunately the Dyson has just died, so we've gone Shark Duo thing
Try working in a bucket factory.
Will it make you a little pale?
Why are they so expensive? Got to support that coke habit.
We bought the cleaners at work two Dyson for cleaning 17 small offices twice a week, both vacuums had to go back under warranty in the first year & both died within three years.
Replaced with a Panasonic & a Henry, both still going fine eight years on – only issue was a flex replacement on the Henry after it got caught in a door hinge.
Since when did you think a domestic grade vacuum cleaner would last very long under commercial use? I've had 2 dysons now and on the box and warranty it clearly states 'for domestic use only'. Got to buy the right tool for the job. As a student I used to work for a casual labour agency and did alot of cleaning. Mostly with Henry's..they were ok at the job of actually vacuum cleaning but were not bullet proof and the only reason the company had them was they were cheap. Effectively disposable. The main reason I wouldn't consider a Henry for my home is the form factor...the hose type cleaners are a PITA to use and more of a PITA to store. I much prefer an upright (personal choice I understand).
We had a DC04 back I the day...brilliant thing...far superior to the cheap cleaners I had been buying up until then. Was a bit heavy and bulky but not so much so it was a problem. And when we say heavy we're not talking so heavy it is a problem for a normal reasonably physically able adult's, so lets not get carried away with ourselves into thinking they're like Thor's Hammer heavy, just a little bit heavy. It lasted forever and even when it did die it probably could have been repaired, but we just replaced it for a newer model so I see how the newer ones are not as robust as the older ones. Works just as well if not better but definitely not as robust.
But at the end of the day cheap cleaners work fine...it'll just take longer to clean the home as you have to go over the carpet four or five times more than a better performing hoover, and you'll be forever changing bags as it's best to change them long before they actually get full, and it wont last as long. If you're happy with all those compromises then just buy cheaper and a bit more often.
Some truly worrying levels of engagement with this thread.
Since when did you think a domestic grade vacuum cleaner would last very long under commercial use?
Dyson stated in his autobiography that many of this hoovers were being used in commercial settings with no problems (this was back in the DC02 ear).
Some truly worrying levels of engagement with this thread.
You should try a washing machine or fridge thread.
In typical STW contrariness:
I’m genuinely interested in why you think Henrys are shit. We have one at work – it’s pug ugly, and it’s awkward to take up stairs, but wow can it suck.
We also have some sort of Dyson – an ‘animal’ I think. It’s light and pretty (if you like that sort of thing), but unless at anything other than light dust on hard surfaces.
I’d take the Henry every time.
Our cleaners (yeah, bite me) used to bring a Henry and when they'd finished, the carpets were still covered in dog hair. We now ask them to use our (ten+ year old) Dyson) and that actually cleans the carpets.
The vacs are shite, heavy, noisy, complicated and unreliable.
No (see above), yes, yes, no (I took ours pretty much to bits, cleaned it all out of 10+years accumulated dust, and put it all back together in about an hour), no. IME.
I’m a Henry (hetty actually) pleb and marvel at how impossible it is to break, how it’s sucked up everything from sick (not entirely intentional) to builders rubble…
Wonder what sick looks like going round a dyson? 🤔
We've got a George, but we lost all his Wet cleaning kit moving house so he's only half the man he was. (FYI, the wet cleaning isn't great, it requires completely rebuilding him and takes up as much room as the cleaner, Id just rent one when you need it).
He's brilliant, yes bags... every few months my Wife complains he's gotten very heavy and stopped sucking. I ask if he's recently gotten married? Then I change the bag. They're £5 for a box of 10 from any super market and take about a min to change. You do get messy in the process.
I've got a cordless Hoover branded one too, it's complete pish.
Inherited my brother's old upright bagged Panasonic when we got married 21 years ago and had that for donkeys years. When that eventually died we bought another Panasonic second hand on eBay for £5, lasted a few years. Then we bought a Hoover bagless as Panasonic dont make vacuums anymore. That lasted 2 years and died recently. So have just stumped up for a Sebo. It's bagged, looks like a Panasonic, great reviews and works brilliantly. Pricey though, best part of 300 dabs.
My Dysons useless it sits around collecting dust
Well actually it turns out the Vax Air Stretch Pet Max I bought is actually very good, and the wife is happy(ish) with it.
I'll still have to pay at some point, just because.
Having used a Shark 'something', it feels very similar in use, but £100 rather than £250.
I'm liking the extra long cord and extension hose. Can plug it in and it'll reach the whole of out downstairs in one go.
Some truly worrying levels of engagement with this thread
S'important, innit 😉
Just bought a Hitachi drum vacuum cleaner as that's what everyone gets out here. Approx 70 quid and excellent, powerful, bagless and largely indestructible.
Not sure why, outside of the venerable Henry, drum vacuum cleaners aren't more popular in the UK.
That looks like a monster Hugo.
Middle East? Looks to loud and inefficient for an EU Country.
Yep, Doha. That probably is the reason! Can't imagine it's the most efficient thing in the world! Funnily enough, used a posh battery Dyson last summer and found it laughably poorer.
They're a bit like a 30 year old American V8 car.
Nothing sophisticated but loud, reliable, effective and cheap.
Henry (Hetty) getting on for 11 years old here. Never had a bag in it. Bypassed the hi/lo switch after about a year and never looked back. Then last week it cut out halfway though a major (and embarrassingly rare) car vacuuming session. Thought it had overheated so left it to cool but still not happy.
Full dismantling today (7 screws, all the same and simple Philips head) and it turns out it's just worn carbon brushes on the motor. Managed to push the offending one slightly forward to buy a little time and all good again. A pair of non-oem replacements ordered from Amazon tonight for £7.
Really can't fault it for generally indestructibility.
We also have a Dyson ball thing acquired from grandmother-in-law. Thought it was good at pulling dog hair out of the carpet until Mrs got a simple metal shower thing from wish and pulled out a full dog coat from one room! And on hard floors it can't cope with anything bigger than a grain of rice and just pushes it along in front instead of sucking it up.