The Cult of Dyson

beardybrewer

Fellow boardies, I'm hoping someone can explain this Dyson thing to me.

A little background first, buying my fourth upright vacuum in 10 years each averaging around €100. My concern is reliability and durability, nothing else. The cheap vacuums have mostly cleaned well though features such as cleaning on tile / under tables have varied. Even their deaths have been mostly acceptable: one went on fire after cleaning up a construction project, one i can't remember, and the last one died sucking up my daughter's barbie.

So, unless Dysons are made out of titanium and can put up with the tough treatment we apparently throw at them I can't help thinking they'd be a waste of money and die just the same as the cheap ones.

I'm currently thinking of this cheap Bissel and possibly an extended warranty if the grand total comes to €100.

Is it possible a Dyson is worth the investment for me?

BrensBenz

I‘m sure I’ll be shot down in flames by Dyson fans but I think Dyson is a triumph of marketing over engineering. They have managed to persuade the market that “constant power” = “high power”. “Constantly medium” is more accurate. Also, the units themselves are overly complex, with secret little buttons and levers, made from breakable plastic in a cool, hip and ugly package.
Since my Leader of the Opposition incinerated our Philips vacuum by removing the disposable bag……for ever, we are using a bagless Hitachi, from Argos. The accessories are not great but, well, how will I put it? This hoover sucks!

beardybrewer

Well, was hoping for more responses before pulling the trigger but a morning of research didn't sway me. I ended up going for a MIELE canister. They seem to have an emphasis on durability, canister should be good for stairs (2 flights of stairs), and will take a bit less room in the broom closet.

http://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/4065814/Trail/searchtext%3EMIELE+.htm

Stove Fan

I used a dyson upright many years ago at a customers house to clean up planing bits from fitting her doors. (It was raining) She said to do it inside we can easily clear it up!!

Well got most of it in the dustsheet but the shavings went everywhere and so I used her dyson to clear it up:mad: It had loads of noise and no suck and just spread the mess further all over the carpet, I asked is it empty, yes was her reply.

I said I would get our Henry cylinder cleaner from home. Got back and well it was effortless, the owner was open mouthed!! She said is your cleaner very expensive? No it was £70 12 years ago!! She said have you replaced anything on it? No everything is original.

We left this henry at the last house and it was still working perfectly even though it was 19 years old!!

Henry don't advertise.

My vote, Henry every time!!:D

Yes, the commercial grade stuff is designed to give decent service for a good many years rather than the consumer stuff that is "designed" to die within five years or so!

I think that goes for almost everything except basic fridges that just seem to go for ever (despite the manufacturers attempts to life limit them!)

bryaner

Miele is the only way to go serious machines..

Poor Uncle Tom

Henry for me too.

byte

Henry is great. Bulky but they're not overly expensive, parts are very easily obtained and the bags seem the cheapest on the market, considering both their capacity, and the fact they come in packs of 10, unlike all others that seem to come in packs of 4 or 5 for same price.

The Nilfisk GS90's were very good too, though they're a fair bit more expensive than Henry.

If you do need something more compact, then it does have to be Miele, though not the lower end ones - the likes of the S52xx series seem very good.

beardybrewer

byte wrote: »

If you do need something more compact, then it does have to be Miele, though not the lower end ones - the likes of the S52xx series seem very good.

Well, I did buy a S2 - the low end one. What's wrong with them?

I considered an S5 as I liked the telescoping aspect and how the tools stow inside the vacuum. However, it was 2kg heavier and my wife made a point that our last vacuum was heavy and therefore awkward to clean the stairs.

I tested out the S2 (€122 vs. €204 ~ €82 cheaper) last night. The S5 is more powerful, but wasn't sure we needed that. The S2's suction was so strong it was lifting the carpet! Wife loves it especially the swivel head (standard) for getting in/under tight places and vacuuming tiles. Luckily they're tough as I imagine I'll be kicking the canister out of my way until i get used to it. Was a bit surprised at how gangly and tall the vacuum was in the hall closet but the canister sits well below the coats and the tube / hose are sandwiched neatly between the coats so technically it does take less room than the upright.

John Mason

i was bought a dyson as a house warming present 8 years ago.

now i dont have experience with any other hoover so i dont know how it compares but mine managed 5 years of house renovations without breaking, so i am happy with it.

i lost some of the different cleaning heads during the renovations which dyson replaced free of charge

Slutmonkey57b

The newer Dysons are nowhere near as high quality as the originals. Engineering, design, and quality have really taken a dive (basic things like the design of the turbobrush heads is awful). They're good, but they're not worth anywhere near the price premium Dyson demand for them.

bro'

Agree on dyson quality over last few designs... I have an old dco5 cylinder for near 10 years and served me well. I did replace motor myself as easily done etc . Now looking for new vacuum and new dyson's seem very fiddley and poor design. I was not impressed with the dc39 model . On checking trade appliances forum it seems the Miele and sebo German bagged cylinders are highly regarded by service trades . I ordered the sebo d2 but can't comment on it yet as only picking it up in next day .

Alun

I agree they do look very fragile with lots of plastic bits and bobs that look ready to break off at a moments notice. I don't really like the design either tbh.

We have a Miele we bought over 20 years ago. It's still going strong, and more than likely it'll still be going when I shuffle off this mortal coil. The only thing I've had to do to it has been to dismantle the cleaning head to get some tangled hair and fluff out, but that was easy as it's just held together the old-fashioned way with screws, and not snappable plastic tabs.

johnwest288

Now i have a dyson but its no where as good as one of these. Would suck an apple through a letterbox !

Pic copied from another post

Thunderbird2

Haha ive seen a few of them still going strong!
+ 1 for nilfisk .. I use the handy 2in 1 stick vac