laszlopanaflex
New member
I've been a long time follower of the Dyson brand well before they launched in the US, having owned almost all of them, including the most recent Cinetic Big Ball and V6 Absolute. My enthusiasm for the brand is starting to wane from what I perceive as engineering ineptitude and complacency through resting on their laurels. In no particular order is a list of issues I have with the brand in regards to their existing product design and product roll-out.
- The center air duct on the existing Dyson Ball uprights: from the DC 40/41 and onward, the Dyson Ball uprights began using an exposed air duct in the center of the clear bin that would attract dust and debris every time the container is emptied. This exposes the motor to dust and dirt every time the machine is started thereafter. It's even more of an issues with the Cinetic uprights. Sure, the cyclones virtually eliminate any dust from bypassing, however, the exposed center duct will still get exposed to dirt that will be sucked directly into the motor. Since the Cinetic uprights use permanently sealed HEPA filters that cannot be cleaned, they will eventually require replacement in a matter of a few years, depending on how much debris is sucked in.
- No electric powerhead for North American canister models. Why? The turbinehead on the Cinetic canister performs worse than that of the DC39 Ball canister. Plenty of consumers know the inadequacies of air driven cleanerheads, as do industry insiders as well....why is Dyson incapable of implementing a decent electric powerhead??
- Cyclonic chambers that take up almost the entire clear bin: Dyson engineers need to go back to the drawing board when it comes to their cyclonic chamber designs, especially their Cinetic system. It's amazing how very little capacity remains in the clear bin, and how often you need to reach into the container to remove chunks of pet hair that simply won't fall out when emptying the container. It would be nice to somehow go back to the old school bins from the DC14/15 era that actually had good debris capacity.
- The Ball keeps getting BIGGER! The Ball, when originally launched, was an iconic design that showcased maneuverability and agility compared to then traditional fixed wheeled vacuums. But now, fixed wheel vacuums are being designed with universal joints that allow not only the same maneuverability as the Ball, but the ability to clean under furniture and low surfaces as well. To further compound the issue, the size of the Ball keeps getting larger, especially on the Cinetic. Perhaps Dyson should shrink the Ball (perhaps go as far as refine the DC18 Slim design, and take the motor out of the Ball), use a lighter weight Dyson Digital Motor to cut down weight, and a protruding, lower profile, direct drive beater bar.
The engineers over at Dyson have had many successes, but it seems like the progression in their designs has slowed down considerably. Perhaps the current CEO, Max Conze, is limiting their potential to bring to the market some wild new innovations, or perhaps the engineers themselves think there isn't much they can improve. Either way, they need to look at the competition to perhaps gain some inspiration on where they can go next. My current machine, a Kenmore [Panasonic] CrossoverUltra upright is, by my estimation, a very impressive machine. I really appreciate the flat cleaner head with the universal joint feels just as maneuverable as my Cinetic, but is actually able to clean under tables and furniture as well. I also appreciate that it's light weight, has a long cord, yields strong suction, has a suction regulator on both the handle (for attachments), and on the cleaner head (much like the Dyson units in Europe), in addition to neat little gimmicks like a UV dirt sensor and LED headlights. The thing that I did most is the lift-away canister design (that's all the rage these days) with the attached telescopic wand w/floor nozzle that's instantly ready to go for stairs and bare floors. I'd like to see what kind of lift-away upright Dyson would come up with, but then again, I'm sure they'd much rather have their customers buy V6 cordless units, instead.
Most importantly, I feel that it performs every but as good as the Cinetic, but at a cost that's half that of the Cinetic ($350 vs. $700).
Hopefully Dyson engineers can come up with some designs in the near future that can alleviate the flaws that I outlined above. In addition, I hope Dyson engineers can kick it into high gear, because they really need a game changer on the market soon. Bissell, EuroPro, and TTI are swiftly taking away market share.
- The center air duct on the existing Dyson Ball uprights: from the DC 40/41 and onward, the Dyson Ball uprights began using an exposed air duct in the center of the clear bin that would attract dust and debris every time the container is emptied. This exposes the motor to dust and dirt every time the machine is started thereafter. It's even more of an issues with the Cinetic uprights. Sure, the cyclones virtually eliminate any dust from bypassing, however, the exposed center duct will still get exposed to dirt that will be sucked directly into the motor. Since the Cinetic uprights use permanently sealed HEPA filters that cannot be cleaned, they will eventually require replacement in a matter of a few years, depending on how much debris is sucked in.
- No electric powerhead for North American canister models. Why? The turbinehead on the Cinetic canister performs worse than that of the DC39 Ball canister. Plenty of consumers know the inadequacies of air driven cleanerheads, as do industry insiders as well....why is Dyson incapable of implementing a decent electric powerhead??
- Cyclonic chambers that take up almost the entire clear bin: Dyson engineers need to go back to the drawing board when it comes to their cyclonic chamber designs, especially their Cinetic system. It's amazing how very little capacity remains in the clear bin, and how often you need to reach into the container to remove chunks of pet hair that simply won't fall out when emptying the container. It would be nice to somehow go back to the old school bins from the DC14/15 era that actually had good debris capacity.
- The Ball keeps getting BIGGER! The Ball, when originally launched, was an iconic design that showcased maneuverability and agility compared to then traditional fixed wheeled vacuums. But now, fixed wheel vacuums are being designed with universal joints that allow not only the same maneuverability as the Ball, but the ability to clean under furniture and low surfaces as well. To further compound the issue, the size of the Ball keeps getting larger, especially on the Cinetic. Perhaps Dyson should shrink the Ball (perhaps go as far as refine the DC18 Slim design, and take the motor out of the Ball), use a lighter weight Dyson Digital Motor to cut down weight, and a protruding, lower profile, direct drive beater bar.
The engineers over at Dyson have had many successes, but it seems like the progression in their designs has slowed down considerably. Perhaps the current CEO, Max Conze, is limiting their potential to bring to the market some wild new innovations, or perhaps the engineers themselves think there isn't much they can improve. Either way, they need to look at the competition to perhaps gain some inspiration on where they can go next. My current machine, a Kenmore [Panasonic] CrossoverUltra upright is, by my estimation, a very impressive machine. I really appreciate the flat cleaner head with the universal joint feels just as maneuverable as my Cinetic, but is actually able to clean under tables and furniture as well. I also appreciate that it's light weight, has a long cord, yields strong suction, has a suction regulator on both the handle (for attachments), and on the cleaner head (much like the Dyson units in Europe), in addition to neat little gimmicks like a UV dirt sensor and LED headlights. The thing that I did most is the lift-away canister design (that's all the rage these days) with the attached telescopic wand w/floor nozzle that's instantly ready to go for stairs and bare floors. I'd like to see what kind of lift-away upright Dyson would come up with, but then again, I'm sure they'd much rather have their customers buy V6 cordless units, instead.
Most importantly, I feel that it performs every but as good as the Cinetic, but at a cost that's half that of the Cinetic ($350 vs. $700).
Hopefully Dyson engineers can come up with some designs in the near future that can alleviate the flaws that I outlined above. In addition, I hope Dyson engineers can kick it into high gear, because they really need a game changer on the market soon. Bissell, EuroPro, and TTI are swiftly taking away market share.
