Do you really need a Dyson?

How odd – I’ve had several Dysons over the years but have never had a call offering service, with or without a discount.

I, too, know of people who have had vacuum cleaners for years, would never change them and good luck to them. I have had numerous vacuum cleaners over the years and they have never lasted very long. However, I now own a Dyson, I would NEVER change to a cleaner which needed a bag and I cannot understand the comment that the dust flies everywhere when bagless cleaners are emptied. I put the cylinder in a plastic bag before I release the dust – simple!

As for a Dyson not coping particularly well with pet hair. Why would I care as I have never owned a pet.

The one I own at present has brilliant suction, is easy to manoeuvre around furniture, is light weight and I can see when the cylinder needs emptying, it has never needed repair or maintenance and I do not need to spend money buying bags or filters. Sorry – I am a convert.

Don’t the modern Dyson’s need filters?

I have no “hands on” experience of anything after the DC02, but two friends of mine with more recent models (I don’t know which though) say their biggest gripe with them is that they do need filters, that the filters need changing almost as often as they have to empty the canister and that the filters cost an arm and a leg to buy. One of these friends says she washes the filters but the other lady says that the Dyson service engineer told her that anything other than replacing the filters would invalidate the warranty.

Since E Barber says no need to spend money on Filters I’m now wondering if the latest Dyson’s have got round this expensive situation.

E Barber

The only vacuums I’ve owned that have ever gone wrong are two Black & Decker “Dustbusters” – The reason for buying the Dyson DC35 in the first place was to replace the useless dustbuster. Every other vacuum I’ve bought since 1960 is still working.- never needed a new cable (what are people doing to damage the cables?) never needed new motors (never overworked them – an advantage of having a vacuum on each floor)

The DC35 is brilliant at cleaning my Venetian blinds (I have 12 to 14 ft ceilings and high windows- open book cases to the ceiling so it is good for those too.) no other vacuum is as good. But equally brilliant for removing dust from furniture – the car – edges – the stairs. Excellent range of accessories. Lightweight and easy to manoeuvre as no cable. I wouldn’t be without it.

All my vacuums are good at removing pet fur – I can have up to nineteen dogs at one time (I foster pet dogs for those normally poor and vulnerable who go into hospital and can’t afford the kennel fees – been doing it for years) So pet fur could be an issue. But my floors in general are laminated wood – the fur is removed from furniture easily.

As for bags – I’ve found that I can use them at least twice – too many people try to use their vacuums with the bags too full – putting far too much stress on the motors – maybe a reason for poor service life.

Never used the non portable Dyson so will not give an opinion on them – particularly as all my existing vacuums are still working well – with or without filters – with or without bags. The reason I was never attracted to the Miele is it is too expensive and had limited use for me.

So as a pet owner I am a firm convert to the portable Dyson.

It does seem as if all modern cleaners, whatever make, with the exception of Sebo, are very heavy and very bulky (and often very silly shapes). One of the reasons I like my grandma’s old Hoover is that it is so light and so streamlined – it glides under almost all furniture effortlessly and can be used to clean the stairs in ‘proper’ (upright) mode (and indeed was designed to do so and the book shows exactly how to hold it to do so). All the modern ones I see in the shops are such silly shapes and sizes that they’d never go under the furniture and I seem to think that most stop the brushes from rotating and / or lift the brushes off the floor when the handle is fully upright, so no good at all for cleaning the stairs except with the hose – thus suction only, thus not as deep a clean.

Reading reader review’s on Which? vacuum test reports it seems that weight and poor manoeuvrability are major issues with most modern cleaners, and especially so for older or less able users. In this day and age of equality and accessibility you’d think that there would be a push for manufacturers to go for light, streamlined and manoeuvrable, rather than heavy, bulky and awkward.

In chicken and egg style, I wonder if Dyson made the silly shapes first and everyone else followed or whether other manufacturers made silly shapes and Dyson just decided to beat them at their own game?

Maybe it was wanted for use in a period play. I cannot think of any other reason why someone should pay that amount for a secondhand vacuum, particularly one that many condemned as unreliable at the time.

Well done, but to really clean up at an auction, an iconic but useless Sinclair C5 would have been better. 🙂

The main problem is the amount of power used by vacuum cleaners. That is not a huge problem with mains-powered vacs but an effective portable with a large battery pack would be heavy and /or expensive and still have a short running time.

We have Coca Cola, Windows, Big Macs and Dyson vacuum cleaners. I would not thank you for any of them (though the Coca Cola might be useful to remove limescale from the toilet) but you have got to be impressed by the market share the companies have achieved.

You are absolutely right about loss of suction due to blockage of filters in Dyson and other bagless cleaners. I believe they are allowed to continue to market ‘no loss of suction’ because there is a significant benefit over bagged cleaners.

This is a good point, Wavechange, which I had never thought of before at all, and it probably accounts for the fact that when I use my semi-industrial “Aqua vac” type cleaner, which has triple filtration in the exhaust, in the workshop (with it’s very tiny exhaust nozzle which blows a strong jet of air out) I often end up sneezing for ages but when I use my Grandma’s old Hoover, which has just the two-layer paper bag inside a cloth outer bag, I never have any problems at all. It’s possibly down to the fact that the paper bag inside a cloth bag diffuses the exhaust air into imperceptible draughts all around the whole bag, rather than a concentrated stream.

Made me think that one has – cheers!

Dust mites are a common and well known allergen but many are allergic to common moulds such as Aspergillus fumigatus and Cladosporium herbarum which are very common in the environment and found in dust. House dust does not affect me much but that in sheds and garages is a much bigger problem. I assume that this is because they are not heated and hence damper, so the dust contains more mould. If your workshop is unheated, that could be a factor.

Due to my dust allergy, vacuum cleaners are one domestic appliance that I have not much experience of dismantling, though I have helped others extricate motors and replace flexes. A really obscure allergen is carbon dust in the exhaust from motor brushes. Any grit that bypasses the bag acts as an abrasive when it passes through the motor to provide cooling. My Miele cleaner has a motor protection filter to pick up grit. I know I’m affected by high speed lab centrifuges that wear brushes fast because they run at up to 20,000 rpm.

Best of luck with the research. I have had lots of skin tests for allergies but doing my own investigations has helped a lot more.

A Dyson club? I suppose this is inevitable given the number of enthusiasts. I suppose it is appropriate that Dyson went on to make fans for the fans. 🙂

I think more people should do what you did isabella: when I bought a washer a few years ago I used all manner of on line reviews and Which? test reports to help me to choose, and also went to innumerable shops to see the machines on offer, but when I found it was a disaster I contacted a local reconditioned washer shop to see if they had a better, older, machine and if they wanted the bad one for repair and resale and instantly found that the brand I’d bought was one that they refused to touch in any way as they had had so much trouble with them.

It hadn’t occurred to me before that to try asking repairers views on a new product, but if I ever need to buy a new major appliance again I’ll certainly be doing what you did before I start looking at reviews and Which? reports.

I wonder why Which? don’t do the same and use the info to help to balance their reliability statistics? Any ideas Which? peeps?

I guess it depends on the price of the products. If they are really cheap the repairmen will never see them because if they fail the owners would rather throw them out than repairing them. This repairman method is useful if you are comparing two similarly priced products but no more.

New Dysons are guaranteed for 5 years, which is probably better than most makes. It has been more than a year for quite a while.

My impression was that the older models were more fragile but I have not bought one.

I think Dyson has a bit of a cult status, helped by its odd-ball appearance. 🙂

Maybe the equivalent of a Dualit toaster. There are better and cheaper products. (In the same way that I have praised Dyson over their extended guarantee I commend Dualit for using safer, sheathed elements, even if the cost of replacement is as much as a cheap toaster.)

There are people who like vacuuming and are forever doing it, presumably because the results are rewarding or they are house-proud. If you spend over the odds on a product, you may feel the need to justify the purchase, if only to yourself.

Until i retired a year ago I had a Sebo for my carpet tiled machinery showroom where it had to deal with normal dirt plus mud and grit from landscape gardeners’ and tree surgeons’ boots! Never missed a beat,did an excellent job and as far as I know is still going.

Good point Wavechange – it never ceases to amaze me how many people (male and female) own GHD hair straighteners priced at about £100+, and at college a good many students bring them to college with them and are forever getting told off for plugging in and needlessly “ghding” their hair, just to show off to their mates, many of whom ask to handle the straighteners and coo over them in fixated awe, as if they were a precious jewel.

I’m useless for advertisers: I largely ignore all adverts and always walk away form the TV and do something else in the commercial breaks, but when I do have the misfortune to see an advert for a product that I just might use I immediately make a conscious decision to use another, less promoted brand. I guess, though, that this is a very eccentric way to treat adverts and probably most people are fearful of not having a fashionable vac or hair straightener or toaster and go out to buy one just to impress their friends?

Honestly, who on earth comes to visit and wants to see you r vac or hair straightener or toaster?!?!?!

You could well be right about QC peter t and also, even though I’ve never had a Dyson so I can’t speak form experience, I would be very surprised if moving the manufacturing to China had not reduced the quality and reliability.

A friend of mine works at Marks and Spencer. He seems to think that the majority of other clothing retailers don’t actually do ANY QC on their own brand products on the basis that they cost so little to buy in that when an item is faulty it can be replaced or refunded with insignificant effect on profits. I wonder if there is any similarity in ‘white goods’? Certainly the retails price of most ‘white goods’ these days seems to be a work of fiction compared to what the (often shoddy) components will have cost. Might also explain the extended warranties which are so often added (like Dyson’s)?

The Henry hoover is excellent. Many shops have them for their durability and the fact that (on the red one at least) the lead is really really long.

Dyson vacs started off as distinctively different, with bright colours. That combined with effective marketing has encouraged many people to part with a lot of money.

Numatic has converted a commercial vac into a product with widespread appeal simply by giving it a name and a couple of ‘eyes’, followed by some cosmetic changes such as giving the cover round edges.

I’m glad that Henry has a lesser known brother called James. That will ensure that Dyson is unlikely to inflict a Dyson James on us. 🙂

Hmmmmm……..Dyson = rubbish by the sounds of most people on here and a few older convo’s found that John Lewis were not up to much either.

What is Ava-london managing to do to get the service and quality that the rest of us don’t?!??!

Ask politely – rather than demand?. So far I have excellent service and quality from the vast majority of my goods – I was always taught to be polite

Hear hear Richard; absolutely agree.

Sadly I have often found that John Lewis staff fail to respond to politeness in the same way as many other shops …… not sure why this may be.

I wonder if Vacuum cleaners respond to politeness? They certainly respond to gentle (respectful) treatment. 🙂

Numatic (‘Henry’ and others) cleaners are made in the UK. Unfortunately I there was not room for one in my cupboard. 🙁

Obviously there will be considerable differences in how appliances are used but differences are likely to average out if the sample size is reasonable. Hopefully, most people will have the sense not to provide information about rarely used vacuum cleaners or other domestic appliances in surveys.

You have read the thread and seen how many people have different cleaners on each floor and you only get to report on one ……

The questionnaires need to be better designed. Your assumption that people might not think not to report rarely used items needs to be made an explicit request. The questions go something like do you own a camcorder. YES. What make. Sony. Have you had any problems in the last 12 months NO.

There are no options for saying I have not used it. I could lie and say I have no camcorder but why would I do that? Why should anyone not want to say what sort it is. Afteralll Which? might be after brand penetration and ownership numbers aswell as reliability.

In any event how rarely an item is used is surely a personal definition and varies from item to item and Which? perhaps needs to give guidance with each questionnaire.

As for sample size from what I have read in the surveys some makes our only represented in tens to hundreds so a single response on brand reliability would be a significant %

Why not suggest to Which? staff that questionnaires should ask “how often have you used the equipment”?

Funnily enough I did write on the questionnaire – it was paper in those days – and never had a response and no change.

Veliko – You are right that the air outlet of a vacuum cleaner should be upwards to avoid blowing dust around the room. My Miele ‘cylinder’ is ideal. Dyson uses HEPA filters on some models but removing every trace of dust from the exhaust will not help if dust is blown round the room. Hopefully other Dyson cleaners do not do this.

The fact that you bought your cleaner on eBay suggests it might have been second-hand. If so, it is unlikely that the warranty was transferrable.

It was not second hand. It was brand new, unsealed. It is not hard to tell if a vacuum cleaner was never used. The problem with the warranty is that Dyson require the original proof of purchase so your warranty can be valid. Unfortunately the ebay seller (spares-2-go) did not keep the original invoice (the one they received when they bought the machine), so I was out of luck. I don’t blame them, after all it was 3 years since I purchased the machine. But they are in this business (they sell a lot of other machines), and should know such details about the warranty and how to qualify for a warranty.

Anyway, I’ll know from now on to contact the manufacturer first, and ask them the terms of the warranty. That is when buying again from Ebay of course.

Yes, Miele canisters blow the air up. They also have all wheels rotating, so it’s easier to move them sideways if you need to just move it a little bit. I’m done with vacuum cleaners anyway. My next one will be a central vacuum cleaner. Much better in my opinion than any stand alone vacuum cleaner.

Btw, I tried to repair the motor by changing the carbon brushes, but no luck. The motor begun to smoke after couple of seconds. Apparently the copper wires inside melted during the initial blockage. I’ll order a new motor tomorrow 🙁 I’m so frustrated that such expensive machine could burn by such a dumb accident – loosened fan securing nut. Dyson need to tighten they quality assurance.

A stalled motor will take a considerable over-current, which may burn out a motor before the fuse blows. You have been unlucky here as well as with the warranty. It is disappointing that Dyson did not use an inexpensive locking nut or washer, which would have almost certainly have avoided the problem. It’s good to hear that there are some people prepared to tackle jobs such as renewing brushes and replacing motors.

Your cleaner is likely to be fitted with a 13 amp fuse. A 5 or 7 amp fuse might just have saved your motor. Appliance manufacturers and electricians rarely use anything other than 3 and 13 amp fuses, but ratings of 1, 2, 5, 7 and 10 amp BS 1362 fuses are also available for UK plugs, from specialist suppliers.

I have tried them all. Despite the hype, Dyson have proved least satisfactory. Miele cylinder is very good but using it is like a workout. Even on the minimum suction it is so effective, it takes effort to move the head. We now use a Sebo upright based on the Which recommendation. It is ideal for a plug in vacuum cleaner and has proved durable. We have a GTech too. Cordless is ideal and gets used more often than anything else. Again, despite the hype, the GTech has flaws. The roller gets bound in hairs and needs cleaning after every use. A chore. A penalty of living with two women with long hair. The filter housing is flawed and will not stay together but, when complaining again, they seemed to have made the filters a fraction shallower and the housing now works. I see they have introduced a K9 version which claims it is good for pet household. That is a smart marketing way of saying that the other model is no good at that!