Dyson DC04 Absolute+ Swap

[parwaz786]

I would like to swap my Dyson DC04 absolute+ purple and green vac, it had a cracked carry handle which has been glued and its quite an okay repair but might snap if your not careful. It has been sun bleached slightly, and especially the wand and the very very top of the body, it has a small chip on the top but this dont affect anything.
Its less dirtier than in the pic but is still dirty, and also has been burnt out, it had no nee filter but a pre filter wash. and the motor is replaced now, its a little louder than a normal DC04 and the bearings are slightly worn in the motor cos when you turn it off, you can hear a slight groan, its a very useable motor though.

I am swapping because I really miss my dear DC14, and would like to swap it for either;
Henry (xtra or not)
DC14
DC15
DC25
DC26
DC27
Dc33
Sebo X series

 

[rootcyclone]

I doubt anyone would swap with you if your DC04 has a cracked handle and several problems on it. No one would give you a 33, 26, 15, or 14 for a broken 04, that's not how it works I'm afraid.

Be a man and replace parts that needs replacing. The whole point of vacuum collecting is to restore vacuums...

 

[madabouthoovers]

Yes, Mr Parwaz, I agree with RootCyclone on this - its like this - say you own a battered, clapped out old Datsun Cherry. Would you ask the owner of a 2 year old BMW 5 Series to swap his BMW for your battered old Cherry? What do you think the owner of the BMW would say to you?

 

[sebo_fan]

Either that or Gumtree the old Dyson and start saving up for that SEBO you want.

 

[parwaz786]

How much do you reckon I would get for this Dyson when I put it on Gumtree?
Thanks-
I really should get a Sebo, DC14, or a Henry now

 

[beko1987]

Nothing wrong with a nice Nissan Cherry!

Although maybe you should refurbish loads of dysons and sell them and then get a Reno?

 

[parwaz786]

Maybe, I might Gumtree it (Thank you so much Sebo_fan) and then get a proper vac like a Henry, a DC14 or a Sebo

Dunno why Sebo brushbars look crappy in youtubbe videos, the design just dont look right.

 

[madabouthoovers]

Mr Parwaz - that's fighting talk lol - sebo_fan will not be happy to hear you say that about the Sebo brushroll

 

[rootcyclone]

Why thank you, Steve! In future, just call me by my name; Tim instead of my username, that would be super


 


Love the photo, On yer Bike Sonny! It made me chuckle


 


Tayyab, Sebo brushrolls aren't crap looking, they're actually really good deep cleaners. Certainly Sebo know how to make a good vacuum with the balance of good agitation and suction.

 

[beko1987]

I saw an X4 used the other day and it was surprisingly good, I reckon it would give a new belted TP1 a run for its money.

If I can be bothered one day I'll take one down for a laugh!

 

[sebo_fan]

Well I'm not unhappy but I am happy to tell you what I've learnt through ownership...

SEBO don't give a fig about how the brush roll looks. It's all about the design and pick up.

The general design counts in:

1) General brush wear, which the sensor head compensates through the timed way it senses carpet height and adjusts accordingly.

2) Protects carpets without burning the carpet

3) It is designed to offer long term duration without being replaced.

4) It can be used on hard floors without damage since no beaters have been added.

5) Made of recycled plastics and reiterates the low eco efficiency of the X machines they are fitted to.

6) Universal design fitted so that they can be used on the ET-1 floor head for the D4 and Felix models.

7) Coupled with the PVC plastic interior and sealed suction channel of the SEBO design, the brush roll can handle pretty rough debris like stones, glass, paper clips and so forth.

Generally it seems to do SEBO well both in the commercial field worldwide and at home.

I've never had a problem with their standard brush roll and I'm glad such a company exists where you can take it out in a oner via a button release for cleaning or change over to the delicate brush roll that they also offer.

 

[madabouthoovers]

Very good post sebo_fan. Says a lot about Currys then doesn't it when they completely drop Sebo from their product line up. I really don't know what Currys are playing at these days.
Sebos are getting harder to get hold of, and with the 2 main vac sellers, both Argos and Currys not selling them, and many people not being online, unless you have a Euronics dealer or John Lewis local to you, then where do you get one from?
And who uses Euronics centres these days anyway?

 

[sebo_fan]

Well it doesn't actually say anything about Currys or Argos other than maintaining its high-street low budget characteristics with selective choices trying to meet both kinds of buyers. That can be incredibly difficult for franchises, especially when they have to buy in brands and models as to what they think their average buyer wants.

SEBO aren't low budget and neither are NEFF or other selective premium brands that you would hardly find at Argos. Currys now appear to carry Miele and NEFF washing machines and there's a reason for that as they are a different franchise to the "sold as seen" process at Argos.

I know what you mean about SEBO availability - but to be honest - they were never really a mainstream brand until they started to become wider to purchase in the 1990s, and even then selected stockists like John Lewis have always stocked SEBO. They aren't a middle of the line brand, any less than trying to sell a bagged vacuum at a high price to a general society who are taken in with bagless vacuums at the same price. SEBO aren't a domestic company solely though - they've always been commercially based at heart, so their domestic sales are a bit of a bonus.

I bet SEBO sell more of their commercial uprights compared to their domestic K cylinder vacs, though the bigger bagged D series will no doubt affect sales figures.

 

[madabouthoovers]

Another thing is that you cant buy SEBO vacs off the SEBO website, like you can on the Miele website, you have to go to a SEBO stockist which they give a listing on the website. This needs to be addressed really and a buyer should really be able to go onto SEBO's UK website and order one up directly. OK this might work out expensive, but at least you could be guaranteed to get a SEBO vac without having to trawl John Lewis or Euronics websites and Euronics don't sell the Felix in every instance either, well at least, my local ones don't anyway, only the X4 and X1.1.


Where can you go really to see a Felix Pet in the flesh as even JL don't display them, and nor do most Euronics Centres.


Some people like to see the product they are buying beforehand, and don't want the bother of having to wait in all day for delivery, only to not like the cleaner and having the bother of having to send it back.

 

[sebo_fan]

Eh? SEBO do sell vacuums from their site...

Even if they aren't listed on the actual website, they can sell them via phoning them up - and they're not like Miele where you have to pay a premium rate telephone number. At the mo Sebo are selling their Royale model on their website evidently because they are trying to push sales for that particular model.

I'm not entirely sure about the Felix Pet - John Lewis in Glasgow and Edinburgh usually stock these models in so buyers can try them. PLUS you're not really getting anything different over the standard Vogue models other than a colour change and added tools which John Lewis already sell.

I think it depends on your store - plus you can phone up JL and ask them to get one in. I know JL did that for several future buyers of the D series cylinder vacs when they were online sales only.

http://www.sebo.co.uk/store/felix-royale.html

 

[madabouthoovers]

It was just that I was interested in getting a Felix a while back and as I have a cat, I wanted one with the turbo tool as standard, as I don't have one with the X4 I have. I also like the colour scheme of the Pet version. I looked at the website, but like I said, you cant buy the cleaners themselves (apart from  the Felix Royale) directly from the website like you can with the Miele Website.


As I cant see one at Euronics and I don't have a JL anywhere near me (Nearest is in Manchester) I just thought stuff it, I cant be bothered now, as Sebo just make their products too difficult to find, and there are no stockists near me that I can go to try one out. Eventually one will come up locally on Ebay and I may get one then if the price is right.


Sebo just don't make enough effort to make their products available to view and assess before buying. There are just not enough outlets in the UK that sell them. Not everyone wants to mail order everything without seeing one in the flesh first.


I guess that SEBO is more concerned with the German market than the UK domestic market. Pity.


 

 

[sebo_fan]

Personally I think that you're being too hard on the situation. On one hand you say that just because the Felix isn't listed in its entirety on the site unlike Miele, it stops you from buying the vacuum and on the other hand because a stockist is too far away, you're limiting yourself because you can't try one in the flesh.

Do you tar every product like this?

I live in a location where none of the shops sell SEBO or Miele vacs and consumables and none of them appear to sell the added filters for my vintage RIMA cooker hood - does that stop me to keep these machines ticking over? Of course not. I'm forced to buy online and most of the time it is cheaper anyway than asking private/independents to get the parts in.

I see your point about SEBO, but then again I must reiterate they're not a major company whose products can slip off the tongue like the average buyer who knows about Dyson and hee haw else. They're also a small company and a private one at that who don't produce vacuums in China. Many buyers don't know about the SEBO brand because they're a commercial company - and lets face it - unlike Henry where you can pick up those vacs for £100 or less, SEBO vacs aren't cheap. Thus by price alone they're not going to suit anybody and thus aren't going to be a big seller for private franchises. I bet Henry wouldn't be as popular had those vacuums not been used in schools etc and without the smiling face as a public attractant.

Years ago I sold my best mate a SEBO K3 Vulcano. He's had it for about 5 years now and it just doesn't let him down. He has no interest in vacuums but wanted something powerful and reliable. He bought it after I showed photos online. He eventually visited me in Scotland, tried the K3 Vulcano and declared that he loved it and bought it from me because he knew I'd give him a fair price than the high prices new. I warned him that bags wouldn't be available to buy at the "local high street" but as he was relocating to Luton, where there seems to be a private shop in Letchworth who happen to sell SEBO was just a coincidence. But even now he buys the filters and parts online.

 

[madabouthoovers]

Ok sebo_fan, I take your point, and this will just have to be one of those situations where we have to agree to disagree.


I think Sebo is better known than you make out though, and you only have to look at the prices and the interest that used Sebos sell for on Ebay. Most used X4's that work OK sell for in excess of £80, and Felix models can make even more, so I'd say that the demand is there - people do know how good Sebos are, well the uprights anyway.


I got to know about the uprights and the SEBO name when I saw them  getting used to clean public houses when I used to be on the road as a pool table valet for a gaming machine company. It was the 360 models that I used to see the most of, and was intrigued by the lights on the hood and the L shaped heads. The cleaners used to tell me how brilliant the Sebos were. The other most popular vac in pubs was the Henry, and Sebo uprights were quite rare to see for all the henrys lol


People that know about Sebos know they are top quality machines, which is why they sell well on Ebay - if no-one had heard of them, how come everyone wants them second hand.


Argos used to sell the X1.1 as well as I have an old 2006 catalogue with one in, but now they don't. It seems like the big brand sellers like Argos and Currys have deserted Sebo. Surely Sebo should be looking to grow and expand, like Miele have. Or do they want to stay a small company for ever, not increasing their dominance in the market? They are not that expensive really are they sebo_fan - they are no more expensive than a Far East manufactured Dyson, but much better quality. I think the crux of the matter is that Sebo refuse to design a bagless vac to compete with Dyson. Until Dyson's reign of superiority gets broken, bagged vacs will never be in vogue, no matter how well built they are.


Think about it - Dyson was a small company 20 years ago, much smaller than Sebo, but now look at them.

 

[sebo_fan]

Sebo aren't into vogue..

They were never that popular UNTIL the internet came alone, Steve and thus market saturation for domestic buyers came into play. You must be aware of that and we as collectors can never question how popular SEBO commercial uprights are until you realise that as a company, their products are popular BUT without the internet showing the evidence! As you rightly point out, the commercial vacuums may well have been popular with cleaners as were the Karcher vacs before they went mainstream and started to sell at Argos as well. But then you have to look at other brands who don't sell at Argos such as:

Nilco
Victor
Other commercial companies who retain as much a high reputation as SEBO do yet don't appear to sell at Argos or Tesco.

The difference at the end of the day is that SEBO are a commercial vacuum cleaner company who offer the bonus of domestic models.

There is also a big difference of a vacuum cleaner company who produce vacuums and nothing else and SEBO have done well with their worldwide success with the commercial uprights. They have played it safe, merging with trader cleaning companies such as Windsor in the U.S who for many years and continue to do, have SEBO derived vacuums on their sales books.

Where are Dyson's commercial uprights? There was the Constant Max but wasn't it problematic?

Dyson is different - he had already set the ball rolling with his ball barrow quite literally to development of the bagless vacuum starting in Japan and the U.S before DC01 was properly built and sold in the UK. Then other appliances like the washing machine came (where is it now?) and now the hand driers, which has of course has given Dyson a slice of the commercial, industrial market, but not yet in vacuums. Have SEBO done the same? No they have stuck to their roots and they've done their development differently.

Thirdly. Argos and others have deserted SEBO because SEBO vacs are not high sellers. I wrote to Argos one year asking why they stopped selling SEBO and the reason was the lack of demand for the vacuums. It isn't the fault of SEBO or any brand who choose to have their products put out on the mainstream market at franchises. Ironically enough, Comet also sold SEBO uprights and managed to gain a good high sales factor with their uprights but the cylinder vacs didn't sell well.

As reiterated in my previous post, average buyers are not prepared to pay top price for a bagged upright - one reason to why John Lewis and Euronics were forced to demand exclusive models from SEBO so that buyers couldn't argue the low price high price battle between sellers. Already it has had a knock on effect - Argos and others don't appear to sell every model of the Miele S7 bagged upright.

Bagless is not the way to go just yet - SEBO have no interest in developing bagless vacuums because the commercial market that they cater for has not demanded bagless vacuums - and for good reason. Until bagless vacuums have been made with 100% hygiene that eliminates dust getting clogged up the shroud and a lifetime filter that doesn't require washing to prolong its use, then perhaps SEBO may well consider it - but the commercial market would have to demand it in the first place for SEBO and other commercial vac companies to sit up and take notice.

Also as a bonus already developed in the commercial market, most commercial vacuums are already low in power and SEBO can relax in that area, where eco motors are concerned. Their new D Professional commercial cylinder vacuum has 1200 watts.