Dyson DC55 Total Clean - Review and impressions

[sprockkets]

@olive


"It is the combination of the agitation and the suction seal which is why this dyson has earned its reputation of the best performing dyson ever. Even on plush carpets, tilt it back and it will grab the carpet and lift it up quite a way, something by felix does not do. "

I consider that a positive. My windtunnel air will suck itself shut so to speak on carpet mats, and then the brush roller nearly stops due to the overload. Annoying because all it is doing is sealing itself shut and since no real airflow happens, it really isn't cleaning.

The intentional gaps on the sides of the felix head allow air to come in, thus allowing suction to happen to clean. I watched it suck from all sides when the agitation beat all the sand out of my car mats.

It is why, in my opinion, floating heads of any kind are poor for cleaning or for ease of rolling the vacuum, depending on the surface. Height adjustment is a must.

 

[sebo_fan]

I also agree because if the suction is so strong with no chance for air to escape on the brush bar or sole plate, there's every chance that an upright will rip out a carpet pile rather than cleaning it. Not to mention also, in addition, if the brush bar is aggressive, anyway.

I have never experienced the Vax Mach Air has having that problem of sucking down on carpet mats though - hard floors yes since there is no porous air, but never carpet mats.

I don't agree that all floating types don't clean carpets or that height adjustment is a must - it depends on the actual carpet that the vacuum is being used on. This is why I own a Vax Mach Air - the brush roll is soft, so it isn't as destructive as others. Also the SEBO X1 with its auto sensor gives me enough cleaning and groomed effect without worry that my wool carpets are being destroyed.

One problem that I DO find (and have forgotten to mention in another thread) is that because my latest buy - a Vax Cordless Air upright has no carpet protector grids on the sole plate, the sides of carpet mats and rugs on existing carpet have a tendency of being sucked into the open sole plate. No wonder Vax are already selling replacement drive belts!

 

[oliveoiltinfoil]

The suction seal on dysons works on hard flooring, and on carpets it means all the suction is concentrated where it should be, and by the way, these new ones have a slider which raises a rubber seal, which breaks the seal of suction allowing it to pick up large debris, and helps on hard flooring.

Whatever the combination, the post DC41 MK2's carpets performance is not really a question now, they are excellent, weather it has a sealed floor head or not is irrelevant - it works.

 

[sptyks]

To all the Kirby haters out there:

 


Oliveoiltinfoil said: 


 


"You are a Kirby fanboy, not a vacuum enthusiast."


 


Well I do happen to consider myself a Kirby enthusiast, BUT I AM ALSO a vacuum enthusiast. After all the hundreds of hours I have spent here on Vacuumland, THAT ALONE, should qualify me as a vacuum enthusiast! Plus, I have also owned and /or used many different makes of vacuums besides Kirby. I have the right to post my views and opinions on here just as you or anyone else does. Here's one of my opinions about this thread: If you can't take the Kirby heat, Its time to get out of the kitchen.


 


Sebo_fan:


 


I was not intending to slap anyone in the face, so if you feel I did, then I do indeed apologise to you and anyone else who feels that way. I was strictly asking Matt about HIS opinion of the Felix, if he has ever owned one, But now it no longer matters.


 


I was considering getting a Sebo Felix after all the good reviews I have read here on Vacuumland. Then, recently I read somewhere that the American Hoover (TTI) WindTunnel Air was lighter and performed as well or better than the Felix. So I decided that since I already own a Hoover WindTunnel Air, I don't really need to spend a lot of money on the Felix.


 


I can live with the fact that the Hoover is bagless because it is used mainly for quick pickups when I don't want to get one of my Kirby's out. Don't get me wrong, bagged is the way to go. Buying a Felix just because it has a bag and to be used mainly for quick mess pickups doesn't make sense.  I guess, like Matt, I just waned to try something different.


 


My Kirby G3 is currently my daily driver and my Sentria is used once or twice a month for a full deep clean as it has the stiffer brushroll in it.


 

 

[marcusprit]

Of course you are entitled to your opinions. That's what this site is about. Different opinions, that's what makes it interesting. But it doesn't have to get nasty. A bit of good humoured banter is fine

 

[sptyks]

Marcus, do you feel anything I said was Nasty?


 


Sometimes Oli can be somewhat intimidating and I decided to not let him intimidate me. That's all.

 

[marcusprit]

Not nasty at all I'm just saying.

Yeah Oliver is a scary beast! He would eat you for dinner haha

 

[sptyks]

That's a good one Ha ha.

 

[matt8808]

After a bit more use....

So today I went and did a deep clean for my grandparents.

They're in their 80's and she struggles with her Dyson - They have a DC07 that they bought when they were very first released. I bought her an Oreck once for something lighter but she didn't like it.

Anyway she does light cleans with her DC07 and I go over every now and then and do it all properly. Pictured is what I got with the DC55. To be fair though I usualy get this amount when I visit as their carpets are all wool so shed quite a bit...

The white powder at the top of the bin is flour... she managed to spill some while making yorkshire puddings while I was there so I got the perfect chance to test out the hard floor cleaning ability - it picked every last spec up on the first sweep.

Oh and some of their carpets are a lower pile than ours - the agitation REALLY stood out on these and I was impressed with it I have to say

 

[oliveoiltinfoil]

Right, fail to see how I am intimidating. Was merely pointing out a few things and giving my opinion.

 

[matt8808]

At this point my grandad decided they MUST have a new Dyson, something smaller that my nanna would be able to manage.

Que their DC50....

 

[marcusprit]

Good to hear Matt

 

[matt8808]

Although their Dyson DC07 was getting on for 14? years old, it was in VERY good condition and hadn't seen a huge amount of use. In 14 years the filter had only needed washing about 4 times. Filter is pictured... this is it after not being washed for a year and a half! All they vacuum up is fluff and crumbs I think LOL


Anyway remember me saying how I'd had two DC07's in the shed, and how I'd made one good one and one bad one and traded the bad one in when I bought my Dyson?

Well rather than them trade in their low mileage good condition DC07, I gave them the second tatty one out the shed (pictured also) to trade in and I brought theirs home with me.

Recently I did have to fit a new brush roll to their DC07 as the bearings in the old one had failed, and it got a new lower hose that connects to the floor head too, so other than a light clean down I know it needs nothing and works like new!

Win win situation! They get £100 off their new DC50 and I get to swap a tatty Dyson for a decent one!

 

[matt8808]

Oh and I do love the tool for cleaning under stuff...

Whatever it's called. Reach under tool IIRC. Fantastic for getting the dust from under my bed! Just wish the cleaning sweep on it was a bit bigger

 

[marcusprit]

If you order directly from Dyson you don't have to trade in at all.

 

[sprockkets]

@sptyks

"Then, recently I read somewhere that the American Hoover (TTI) WindTunnel Air was lighter and performed as well or better than the Felix. So I decided that since I already own a Hoover WindTunnel Air, I don't really need to spend a lot of money on the Felix."

Whoever said that is ridiculous! I have both, (more like I have 4 of the windtunnel airs, both the original and the steerable one).

You'll have poorer suction which results in the thing never picking up anything on the right side against walls, even though the suction hose is there. Suction on the left side is barely there. Then, the upper windtunnel will clog up with dirt/hair making it useless (personally I think windtunnel technology is just the wrong solution to the problem - a proper chevron roller is the solution). Also, the vacuum will accumulate sand/dirt in those channels and spits it out when you tap on the head when going from bare to carpet floors.

Oh wait, it can't even clean bare floors. I end up using the nozzle itself. The felix OTOH, I barely use the nozzle since it can clean everything w/o it. Just set to level one, bam, no escape for sand on bare floors.

The seals on the bottom of the dirt container will squeal when you transport the vacuum because one bump/jolt on it will let a bit of dirt work its way into it. The hose connectors were barely glued onto it, and thus will work themselves out of the threads and come apart.

Well, it is lighter, and did come with an extension hose and the handle doubles as a extension want, but big deal. It's lighter because the sebo felix is better built. Heck, the motor in the felix power head is slightly bigger than the main motor in the WT air!

 

[marcusprit]

Haha

 

[sprockkets]

@matt, I'd say it is a radiator tool. Sebo makes a funky one as well.

 

[marcusprit]

The flexible crevice tool was good for radiators. The new tool is like the Shark under appliance tool

 

[sensotronic]

I got £110 off my Dyson without having to trade in. You can send your old cleaner to Dyson if you want or dump it yourself or keep it. The trade in offer is just a discount on the cleaners, not like the old days when certain models that were traded in were reconditioned and sold on. I expect any retailer that takes in a trade in cleaner will just dispose of them.

 

[marcusprit]

Yes it's just a marketing thing.

 

[oliveoiltinfoil]

@sprockkets ;

I thought that sounded odd when sptyks said that. So called "windtunnel technology" (I think the word technology is over used in the vacuum industry) is more of a marketing gimmick than actually useful. I have had a couple of Vax's with it an notice no difference whatso ever I performance.

A good sized brush roll with long stiff bristle and a large air intake with good airflow is all you need for a good thorough clean, enter the sebo felix! Of course as well as, the felix has a very powerful brush motor that doesn't slow down on carpets.

Your DC55 looks like it is doing tis job well. I am glad you are finding it versatile. I think the hose and attachment configuration on these dyson is so easy to grab and use.

 

[sprockkets]

Marketing? Ha, don't say that in the Windtunnel hall of fame thread

 

[sebo_fan]

Marketing & Money go hand in hand....

I always assumed "Windtunnel technlogy" has little to do with the brush roll.

After all, the brush roller fitted to the Vax Cordless Air that is advertised as "Windtunnel" has nothing to do with the brush bar, but rather the triple ducts added to the floor head which is why it is so great at cleaning up from the sole plate.

Thus in turn the "Windtunnel" tech on other Hoover vacuums appears to be duo dust channels fitted as opposed to one. My Vax Mach Air also has those dual suction channels.

In theory it should mean better pick up since two or three channels are channeling the dust.

What it may look like a great design aspect also means that the bags or filter chamber will fill up with more dust - hence having to buy more bags if you have a bagged "Windtunnel" or cleaning filters more frequently since more fill-ups are created in the bagless bin.

 

[sprockkets]

@sebofan

I never figured out the point. If you simply create 3 separate air paths, you basically are back to square one. I spent a lot of time cleaning out dirt that got stuck in those tunnels.

The brush roll can channel dirt more effectively to the air inlet than those "tunnels".

 

[parwaz786]

How's the DC50 agitation?

 

[matt8808]

I know the Dyson trade in is just a marketing thing but our local Currys are a bit funny over it. I think they have targets to meet for weighing in scrap appliances for recycling or something so they actually seem to want the trade in machines.


Parwaz the DC50 brush bar doesn't have stiff brushes like the DC55. It's more like a worn tooth brush LOL but it does seem to groom the carpet nicely. Of the little test run it got when I was showing them how it all worked it picked up some dust and fluff even after I'd done it with the 55. All in all it seems a canny little machine

 

[sptyks]

Sprockkets and Sebo_fan:


 


I know that my Hoover Windtunnel air has great suction and works very well. It also grooms my carpet very well too. I also know it's not the best at cleaning next to the wall baseboards, but that's what I use my Kirbys for because all five of them have excellent next to baseboard cleaning abilities. As I said earlier my Hoover Windtunnel Air is being used mainly as a quick pickup vac to clean up small messes like the time I spilled half a can of coffee grounds in the kitchen. It got them all in a single pass.


 


As far as windtunnel Technology goes, I have never experienced the type of clogging that Sprockkets describes. I have read how Hoover have invented a type of  suction division across the width of the cleaner head, where each channel has almost the same amount of suction. I have never tried to measure this, but I did this test: I tried sucking up a cup full of coffee grounds that I spread over my carpet. I noticed that it picked up just as well on the left side of the cleaner head as on the right side. Similarly, There is a mathematical formula that Royal used to patent their bell shaped floor nozzle many years ago. The patent describes how the Bell Shaped nozzle amplifies the suction and / or airflow where the nozzle contacts the carpet. There must be some truth in this since Kirby has always used the Bell Shaped nozzle too.

 

[sebo_fan]

sprocketts and sptyks...

The way it sounds is like you are mistaking edge cleaning on either sides for twin dust channels for the suction air to pass through, thus picking up more dust. The two are not the same.

As you can see from this diagram, Hoover "Windtunnel" means two or more paths for suction air to travel through. It may well channel off into ONE main dust channel towards the bag or bagless canister but it just means more dirt "essentially" is picked up and carted off to the bag/bagless bin.

Sptyks: I am unclear as to what you mean by "baseboard" cleaning. My Vax Mach Air has a relatively slim floor head, so getting up to corners is no problem.

 

[sensotronic]

Baseboard in America, skirting board in the UK.