Dyson long term durability vs. other brands

[madabouthoovers]

This is an example of the very earliest DC07 from 2001, it was made in the UK before Mr Dyson decided to ship production off to the far east, note the cleaning tools were colour co-ordinated to match the body, later they all became grey to cheapen Mr Dysons costs:

 

[parwaz786]

Steve, are you not interested in Dyson's as much as you used to be? You dont post much about Dysons now :/

 

[parwaz786]

BTW The Early Dysons were grey instead of silver, in terms of their bodies colour. You can give Dyson the serial number and ask for the manufacture date. they were accurate, My DC08 origin was made in 15th march 2005

 

[madabouthoovers]

All my Dysons are now in the attic for long term storage. I don't use them any more and don't intend to buy any more. New Dysons beyond the DC15 are too cheaply made and poor quality. I cant forgive Dyson for getting the greedy bug, and laying off his workers in the UK just so he could make more profit by churning them out in the Far East using cheap labour. Whilst the technology can be interesting to look at on the newer models, the price is far too high and other manufacturers now produce interesting vacs for much less money.


I still prefer using my old Kirby and other bagged models for convenience as daily drivers.


 


As I now have over 40 vacs, space is tight and I have to be more selective over what I buy. Saying that, I only just bought my first Purepower the other week, the new PU2115 in red and white, and it has just as much suck as the DC07, probably more. Look how long the Purepower has been going, 1997-2013, so its 16 years in production now - longer than ANY Dyson

 

[madaboutsebo]

Yeah you can add us on FB parwaz786.

One thing I don't understand why on the DC40 is there only one row of brushes I the brush bar yet the DC41 has 2 rows of 2 different lengths. I must admit I'm impressed with the new DC59 digital slim might get one!

 

[vacuumfreak95]

Thanks

For the info! Mine is for sure a later run model as its in like new condition. I had a DC14 for six years before I got the DC07 and I must say the 07 is a much better machine! Works better on floors and carpet.

 

[parwaz786]

The new Dysons are crap, because they are more flimsy than the older ones, the plastics feel like snapping, the DC41 wand is plastic! No more metal, I don't think so. My friend's DC40 multi floor hose ripped, I had to fix it for him by cutting the bad bits off and re-connecting it again. The DC41 I used was a friends one, it was terrible, same crap quality, suction not as good as a DC04, the DC04 lifts mats better! I don't know why they say "strongest suction at the cleaner head" and the release thing is RUBBISH, and now I seen LOADS of DC41's have the side ball (I mean wheel) thing snap off from the pins its held on by. They are not as good like they used to be, the last best Dyson is the DC33, and I like the DC44 the best from the latest Dysons.

How many Dyson DC14's do you see with snapped or broken parts? there is not much to break, its sturdy, they perform well, but yes I agree it's loud, and the motors only b urn out if the user does not maintain it, and/or let the vacuum fill over the MAX line.
The DC04 was an amazing vac, its quiet, powerful, easy to use, not durable, but Dyson made the constant max for commercial use, can also be used at home obviously
too!
The DC08 on the other hand, is a good machine for a bagless cylinder, it has the teremendous suction, people like the design, its not a ball, and You would see loads of DC19 owners (similar to DC08) I seen my uncle with a DC19, a family friend, another man on the road cleaning the car, family friend's neighbour vacuuming the car, and loads more non ball Dyson owners
Plus, the turbine head has good air flow and does not slow down or stop spinning when it goes into contact with the floor, the air goes to the turbine, and speeds it up and through the air filter on the side. This means the brushbar will spin faster and also still suck up the debris/dirt picked up.

 

[gsheen]

From a design point I love the d07 but prefer using my Dc28air muscle. That said for day to day cleaning I always grab either my dc41 ( imported not available in SA ) or my dc42 ( dc40) what I cannot understand is why some people think they have poor build quality. I have sold many of these units and have not had any come backs at all.

They are ideal in todays fast paste world were vacuuming can't take to long to do.
I love my dc28,14,07 but when I use them they feel antiquated compaired to my dc41&42.

 

[madabouthoovers]

Parwaz has it spot on - Dyson has done away with the metal parts on the later vacs. The DC07 had a metal wand and this made a very strong and sturdy spine to the cleaner, and as a result it was very robust, and not bendy and pliable like the DC41.


When I went to try out a DC41, I stood over it and grabbed the handle, twisting it from side to side and was shocked how thin and pliable the spine was. I don't think the DC41 is made of ABS like the DC07 was. OK ABS aint perfect and when older, it tends to get a bit brittle, hence older DC07s suffered from cracking plastics, but the DC07 was a sturdy vac that just felt better quality than even the DC33.


The DC33 is a cheapened quality DC14, where Dyson, as Parwaz says, did away with the metal wand and made it from plastic, and you can feel the flexing in the spine when using the vac as I tried the one my Aunt had and wasn't inpressed.


Dyson has a very effective marketing strategy that makes people feel that their vac is antiquated, even thoughits less than 10 years old, as Gsheen has demonstrated, as he says that the DC14 is an antique compared to the DC41, even though the DC14 was launched less than 10 years ago in 2004. Just because Dyson says that something is better, people now swallow it as if he is the Lord God and they must obey by dashing out and buying the latest model, only to find it "obsolete" before its 10 years old again and replaced by something "so much better with even more cyclones and the latest technology - with more in built obsolescence".


Dyson is a traitor to his own country, and we have enough problems with lack of jobs in the UK without him making it worse by taking his jobs to the Far East, and although he is saving money by doing this, the UK consumer doesn't do they with prices like £400 for a DC41.


If Vax can produce vacs cheaply and sell them cheaply as well, why cant Dyson? Vax's are made in China. Dysons in Malaysia. Does it cost 3 times more to make them in Malaysia than in China? I didn't think so. The foolish people of this world are making Mr Dyson richer and richer while he just sits back and laughs at them for swallowing his latest hype.


 


He started off well, I agree, but now has become just the same as other greedy businessmen after making themselves a fast buck and stuff the consumer who gets useless quality and mediocre products that are overrated and overpriced.

 

[gsheen]

Steve
You misquote me. any vacuum feels like it comes out of the dark ages when you compare it to a dc41 0r 42. Its new technology.its glides across all floor types.

One other thing the aluminium wands are actually cheaper to make than the ABS plastic ones, and yes the new dysons are all still made of abs you can clearly see it marked on the body.

What causes ABS to get brittle are the pigments in the plastic and how they react to light. Hence blue,green and red ones were more brittle than the yellow ones. This is also one of the reasons Dyson switched to the current Iron colour.

Also moving production to Malaysia was your governments and tree huger fault. They prevented Dyson from expanding its production facility to the size they needed.

One last thing, Dyson's research and development department is bigger than some other vacuum company's production facility's. Company's like Vax simply copy Dyson's designs as best they can they don't actually come up with anything innovative. When your R&D department is simply copying some one else hard work then you can make stuff cheaply

 

[blakaeg]

Gheen,

I think you will find that not the whole of the Dyson machine is made from ABS. They use Polypropylene for some of the parts. As I've already posted before, my DC24 has broken twice in exactly the same place and the handle just slips out of the body (this is supposed to be made of ABS!!)

The plastic tubes just look and feel nasty and tacky. It's a shame as I really used to like Dysons. When my DC24 fails, I won't be buying another Dyson.

I really dislike the plastic tube on the cylinder machines. They do not ooze quality like the older metal ones found on the DC02 and DC05's!!

Numatic International has its manufacturing in the UK. I do not believe that Dyson did it all over the government. They did what any sensible company would do. Make a product in a low cost country and charge twice the amount for the product!! Their air multiplier fans are example of ripping people off. They are noisy and way over priced. I managed to purchase a Chinese equivalent for only £35 in Dubai and it does the same thing. I would have been very depressed if I had paid £200 for it. Dyson have been producing machines in Malaysia since 2001. Before the major move in 2002, I recalled seeing a select few DC03s and DC05s saying 'Made In Malaysia' in around August 2001.

Dyson marketing has always been very spectacular. I also heard that the bladeless fan idea was thought out by an Japanese company (so maybe Dyson didn't invent this as with the handriers, I recall Mitsubishi have their Jet Towels on the market before Dyson brought out their Airblades.

Dyson certainly have had the right idea as they are doing so well now. I'm not a fan of Vax products but well done to TTI for creating a range of affordable products that cater for everyone.

 

[parwaz786]

Get a DC14, its best made, amd powerful, you loved the DC04 and you will with the DC14 too. it is not a small vac like the dc24 but it is a powerful vac, better than the dc04 in every way

 

[madabouthoovers]

Parwaz -  I am wondering how you mean that the DC14 is better than the DC04 in every way?


The DC14 is an OK vac, and ironed out the few flaws the DC07 had, in that it was quieter to use due to the cyclones now being inverted and muffled inside the cyclone housing, and not subject to clogging like the earlier DC07, but it was in fact less powerful than the DC07 in that it employed the use of a large debris channel in the front of the head and therefore lost some of the powerful "cling" to the carpet that the DC07 had.


 


The DC04 was a very reliable vac that was built well and also lasted my parents over 10 years (They had the grey and green clutchless model). What made them get rid in the end was that simply the floor head developed a broken sole plate assembly that I could have repaired for them, but they bought a Hoover Turbo-power4 at my recommendation which is just as good as a DC14, but for a third the price. My father also agreed that latest Dysons are now grossly overpriced machines in comparison to similar specced models made by other companies.


Dyson is rapidly losing his old customer bas because he has simply become to expensive.


In the early days, up to 2007, people had more money - they bought everything on credit and felt good about life, but after the US credit crash in 2008 which had a knock on effect on the UK and most of the rest of the developed world, people had a financial shock, and now many just cannot afford to pay what Dyson demands for his poor quality vacs.


Gimmicks still appeal to some, who must have the latest in technology, but people are now a little more careful about spending so much money on a product which is generally no more long lasting or reliable than a £150 Vax, or HooverCandy machine of the similar spec (ie, Multi-Cyclonic such as the Airvolution or Turbopower 4, or the Mach Air range).


 


With Vax offering a 6 year warranty on their higher spec vacs and selling them often at much reduced prices (through Argos) its clear who sells more vacs nowadays by looking at the amount of sales Vax achieves compared to those of Dysons.


 


Dyson's bubble has burst I'm afraid and he is just not helping his company by charging the prices that he does.


If he still made his vacs in the UK, it may well be different.


 


Imaging the uproar if Kirby decided to move production of the next Kirby model to China or Malaysia? How would the Americans feel about that? How many Americans would still feel like paying the very high price for a Kirby then?


 

 

[eurekaprince]

According to the results of consumer surveys done by the American Consumers Union, Dyson is a relatively reliable brand of vacuum cleaner. Here is a quote from the preamble to their "Vacuum Brand Reliability" Webpage:

"Kirby was among the least repair-prone brands of upright vacuums while Simplicity and Riccar were among the more repair-prone. Among canister brands, Dyson and Kenmore were among the least repair-prone and Electrolux was most repair-prone. That's what we found when we asked almost 96,000 readers who bought a vacuum between 2007 and 2011 about their experiences. The graph shows the percentage of models for each brand that were repaired or had a serious problem. Differences of less than 4 points aren't meaningful, and we've adjusted the data to eliminate differences linked solely to age and usage. Models within a brand may vary, and design or manufacture changes might affect future reliability. Still, choosing a brand with a good repair history can improve your odds of getting a reliable model."

For uprights, Dyson is in the top five for brand reliability (Kirby 3%, Kenmore 6%, Dirt Devil 6%, Dyson 7%, Bissel 7%), and for canisters, Dyson is right up there with Rainbow (Rainbow 6%, Dyson 8%, Kenmore 8%, Miele 11%).

 

[man114]

If Kirby or Rainbow moved production overseas I'm pretty sure you'd see the comparative drop in quality. Companies like Kirby and Rainbow have been around for so long because the vacuums have a reputation for quality.

I use a circa 1960s Kirby to vacuum my garage carpet and it works perfectly. If they started shipping production to China would that next Kirby last 50+ years?

My 10 year old Rainbow E Series works like new, but will that $50 Chinese one from your major retailer still be working in 10 years?

The DC07 to DC33 quality difference to me was an eye opener. I agree with the technology but not the cheapening of the product. Euro-Pro would do better to re-release the Fantom Thunder with Chinese production. If Fantom could sell it at $200 with North American production, no reaosn Euro-Pro couldn't build it in China for less. If they could maintain the original quality that would be a true game changer.

Dyson seems to be playing middle ground with pricing, it is like high end department store mid to low range vac shop pricing. I don't think the quality is there to play that range.

 

[adamthemieleman]

Totally agree with what is said. The quality has dropped ever since the move to Malaysia. The newer machines feel very plasticky (no metal) and aren't worth their price, not when a Miele and Sebo are exactly the same price (if not slightly cheaper), yet 100 times better.
Also, Dyson, moved to Malaysia nog because they could not get planning permission, they did not apply for it in the first place, Dyson now outsource to VSI, a large Malaysian electronics firm.

It makes me laugh when my customers try to justify why they are buying a Dyson, the fact they have paid so much for a piece of tat!

 

[parwaz786]

I mean the DC14 is more durable than a DC04 sorry, I love the DC04 though

 

[davetranter]

Dyson (and others) marketing

At risk of weighing into a discussion which is technically 'over my head'.....

I largely agree with MadaboutHoovers' comments (reply#27) regarding the gullibility of the 'general public', and their willingness to be persuaded that something they have been using happily for the last 10 years is suddenly 'inadequate', and that investment of a large (and frankly obscene) amount of cash in a new machine is the only solution.

We are (almost) all fans of 'older' appliances here (and on AW.org), and I think I am correct in thinking that most of us see the current trend to cut quality and manufacturing costs in order to maximise profit as being nothing new. :-(

All best

Dave T

P.S. For what it's worth, I have never been a fan of Dyson machines, I usually sum up my opinions as "100% of not much suction, 100% of the time"... Feel free to quote me... ;-)

 

[madabouthoovers]

I didn't mean that all the general public are gullible lol. There are however, many previous Dyson owners who will never buy anything else, now they have been "conditioned" into thinking that Dysons are the muts nuts, no matter how poorly made they become, and no matter how expensive they become in comparison to other brands.


However, this is changing, and people ARE leaving the Dyson "clan" as they see sense and realise that Dysons are no longer "the best".


There will always be the really die hard Dyson converts who will keep making Dyson richer as he sits back and sniggers at them, thinking of all the profit they are swelling his huge bank account with, but Dyson now has serious competition in the multi-cyclone market, and other manufacturers are no longer just producing cheap and nasty bagless vacs that use central cone filters, that were hopelessly inadequate compared to the earlier Dysons they were in competition with.


 


I agree with DaveTranter totally, and I find that it seems to be the 1980's that ushered in the culture of corporate greed and excess and this is the decade that quality started to fall, with plastic replacing metal and items now starting to incorporate "built in obsolescence", ie they were designed to fail within a certain timeframe to necessitate the consumer having to go out and buy a new item - thus making these companies richer and richer, and paying out bigger and bigger dividends to executives and shareholders. There were however, some companies like Miele and Kirby that always tried to produce a quality product and to a large extent they still do today, but even Miele products just don't last the 20 odd years they did in the past, and plastic has crept on more-so on Kirby vacs.


James Dyson is now an obscenely rich man thanks to his clever conning of the public in the last 20 years, but as I said earlier, people are noticing now that Dysons are just not what they used to be, as Dyson has now prioritised his own greed for immense wealth and riches beyond the dreams of avarice, over customer satisfaction.

 

[beko1987]

Dyson Longetivity

is, in my opinion not good.

They don't break physically as much anymore, although saying that I got a DC15 the other night with a snapped chassis, but compared to the DC01 they are alot better, certainly above that of the cheaper vacs.

However, they simply screw themselves up over time. I strip, clean and service dysons as a little sideline to help the months go by financially, and every single one has been choked with dust. Every rubber seal is rendered useless due to being covered in crap and letting air fly through. Get to a clogged or blocked cyclone and it gets even worse, as I'm sure lots of you know.

You may say the £5 DC07 I picked up may have had a hard life, well my Aunt had a DC07 Animal, and used it daily for about 7 years. She changed the filters every year, and called dyson out once when the wand broke. She gave it to me when she upgraded. I stripped it down, and it wasnt blocked as such, but all the rubber seals were rubbish. Put back together again, its like a different vac. They are always like different vacs. But as I use them after the stripdown, impressed as I am I know that in 5-6 years (less if used for DIY), they will be consigned to the scrap pile again due to the dust leakage, unless someone else refurbs them...

I've conversed with a friend on this (the same friend who I'm giving the above DC07 to when he gets the keys to his new house), and he asked my if I would ever be happy to buy a new dyson. I said no, due to the above, I just wouldnt consider it a sound investment.

However, when getting machines like the DC25, which Dyson still sell for £299.99 for free due to the reasons shown in my rebuild thread, its not too bad! But long term, no chance. Not without a rebuild or two along the way to reset their lives.