Generic vs. OEM Vacuum Parts

[niclonnic]

Four years ago, I purchased both a replacement brushroll and belt for my newly acquired Dyson DC17 Absolute Animal. The original brushroll had gotten rather worn down and loud, so I picked up a generic one off of PartsWarehouse.com for only $27, including tax and shipping. Although it wasn't really necessary, I also ordered a generic belt on Amazon for $10, from the seller "Crucial Vacuum." After installing both of these generic parts, I immediately noticed a difference. The noise had mostly disappeared.

However, over time, I noticed a flaw with these parts. For some reason, the generic brushroll leaves a gap where the belt rides. Therefore, coarse debris such as cat litter gets ON THE BELT. That just didn't seem right. Why is this happening when the Dyson is a clean-air machine? There was also a rattling noise that occurred whenever the brushroll motor shaft got tangled with hair. Despite cleaning it off, I could gradually hear the rattling come back over time while vacuuming.

About a week ago, I decided to disassemble the brushroll housing to deep clean it. This process was a royal pain, but I got everything cleaned and reassembled. I had to super glue a couple of small plastic pieces back onto the inside of the brushroll motor housing. Even after reassembly, I still heard some rattling within the brushroll. Turns out that the end caps had gotten a bit worn over time, causing the brushroll to not turn as smoothly. Since I figured that these generic parts were gradually causing issues over time, I finally got tired of them. So I decided to order both an OEM brushroll and belt off of different sellers on eBay. They were NOS and a bit pricey (about $41 for the brushroll, $16 for the belt, including both tax and shipping), but I wanted to put an end to this rattling once and for all.

Last Saturday, the belt arrived, and just today, the brushroll arrived, both in the mail, and in genuine Dyson packaging. So I set to work, swapping out the well-worn generic belt and brushroll for the genuine, OEM ones. I have made some observations on the generic vs. OEM parts:

• OEM brushroll has the Dyson logo, along with a part number on one of the end caps. Box had its manufacture date (Dec 29, 2010) stamped on top. Generic one has no branding. Both brushrolls have equally stiff bristles
• OEM belt also has Dyson branding, and has what appears to be a Kevlar layer on the outside. Generic one was a tad bit loose, has rubber on the outside, and is branded "MS" (seems to be a generic brand for non-stretch belts)

After swapping out the generic parts for OEM ones, I tested the vacuum, and the rattling noise is completely gone. I'm happy to say that my DC17 is back to 100% factory original condition, and it is performing beautifully. I won't be buying any more of these generic parts as they're just not the same. Also, this'll likely be the last time I ever put money into this trooper.

What are your views on generic vs. OEM vacuum parts?

 

[centralsweeper63]

It might just be a manufacturing flaw.

 

[cheesewonton]

Sometimes a generic part is all you can find. I have old Swedish made Lux canisters that are decades old. Electrolux AB stopped making parts for them ages ago but there are so many and they are so durable they are well supported by the aftermarket.

 

[centralsweeper63]

Exactly. Having a slightly un-original but running machine is better than a dead machine.

 

[huskyvacs]

I use aftermarket parts as temporary parts until OEM can be found. Aftermarket parts are never made to spec, and are usually made "good enough". They are made to milk some extra cash out of legacy users of obsolete models and nothing more. It all depends entirely on what poor little Chinese sweatshop workers are slaving away that day how good the part is made. Most aftermarket parts they make them going off a design sheet and they do not have an actual part in hand. So there will be discrepancy in what the finished product looks like. The quality will also be poor and they can break more easily. There also could be bad design on the OEM product that was later changed in a design revision, but the aftermarket part never got the upgraded design because they are using an early revision of the part.

Consumables like aftermarket belts and bags are usually always bad. Belts are made with fused rubber instead of all one uniform mold, and they just snap, cheaper bags do not filter as good and let dust go all over the inside of the vacuum and into the air. Filters might be the wrong type of material made out of old mattress or something and choke off the motor.

One thing that does suprise me is those telescopic metal "Miele style" extension wands. I got a couple off AliExpress for $7 to complete a cheap canister machine, as the parts were an exact match to OEM in design (which also used cheap chinese parts itself), and when they got here I was thoroughly impressed at the quality. EXTREMELY heavy wands and very fluid smooth movement. I was expecting some cheap cookie tin metal. I wanted to order a whole 'nother carton. lol

 

[cheesewonton]

I use aftermarket parts as temporary parts until OEM can be found. Aftermarket parts are never made to spec, and are usually made "good enough". They are made to milk some extra cash out of legacy users of obsolete models and nothing more. It all depends entirely on what poor little Chinese sweatshop workers are slaving away that day how good the part is made. Most aftermarket parts they make them going off a design sheet and they do not have an actual part in hand. So there will be discrepancy in what the finished product looks like. The quality will also be poor and they can break more easily. There also could be bad design on the OEM product that was later changed in a design revision, but the aftermarket part never got the upgraded design because they are using an early revision of the part.

Consumables like aftermarket belts and bags are usually always bad. Belts are made with fused rubber instead of all one uniform mold, and they just snap, cheaper bags do not filter as good and let dust go all over the inside of the vacuum and into the air. Filters might be the wrong type of material made out of old mattress or something and choke off the motor.

One thing that does suprise me is those telescopic metal "Miele style" extension wands. I got a couple off AliExpress for $7 to complete a cheap canister machine, as the parts were an exact match to OEM in design (which also used cheap chinese parts itself), and when they got here I was thoroughly impressed at the quality. EXTREMELY heavy wands and very fluid smooth movement. I was expecting some cheap cookie tin metal. I wanted to order a whole 'nother carton. lol

That wand probably came from the very same manufacturer that makes them for Miele. Too bad the latches on gen-yoo-wine Miele wands are butt and fail often before a year of use is behind it.

Lux no longer offers their synthetic dust bag for my D820, at least I cannot find them anywhere any more, so I have no choice but to use aftermarket bags.

 

[panasonicvac]

Alot of times I'd use genuine parts unless if I had no choice like if they're no longer available or the generic ones work better.

 

[centralsweeper63]

I use genuine when I can, otherwise I will have to use non-genuine.