My DC41 MK2. I must be mad!

[sptyks]

So it looks like Dyson have finally developed a floor head that can compete with Tacony, Kirby and Royal when it comes to agitation. The final test would be for suction and airflow to see if this new Dyson can compete with at least one of the above 3 machines when it comes to fine dirt removal from plush medium pile carpet.  This would prove to be a be a more challanging video to produce since someone would need an MK2 and at least a Kirby or Riccar with a Dirtmeter for comparison.

 

[madaboutsebo]

Very impressive rice test there oliveoiltinfoil with your Dyson DC 41 MK2. Sure does agitate and vibrate the carpet. You can see it pulling in the rice from the sides too from a distance. Be interesting to see if the new DC40 is as effective!?

Does it tell you the wattage of the motor that powers the brush bar? Usually does underneath. I know they have on another Ball models.

 

[parwaz786]

Wow, that's brilliant!
Just curious, which other Dysons have you used apart from the DC24?

 

[oliveoiltinfoil]

Yes, I am very impressed with the agitation on this vacuum. The only other bagless vacuum I have used that has similar agitation is the Bissell powerglide lift-off, but that has very poor manoeuvrability, a terrible dust seal and feels cheaply made and the suction is not as strong as the DC41 MK2 even with a 1400 motor. Also, the Bissell I had obviously has no self-adjusting soleplate, it was not as consistent across floor types as the dyson. It also had a handle which was ridiculous and moved up and down about 5 inches, to suitable for someone who is 6'7. Furthermore, since using the DC41 MK2 and having it a few days, the ball has "broken in" and it easier to use now, and you really can tell a difference. It is much more manoeuvrable than any other vacuum with swivel steering. It is also the best upright I have used on hard flooring. It picks up every spec of dust and dirt in one swipe. It is also so easy to use the hose. Literally in 3 second you are using the dusting brush or tangle-free turbine.

I have used a DC04 and DC07. The DC07 was my aunties she got in around 2004 ish I cant remember, but I am sure there was something wrong with it, as when you turned it on a reclined it, it took about 3 or 4 minutes for it to start picking up dirt, even though the brushroll was spinning, I think it was something to do with the adjustable floorhead taking a while to adjust to the carpets. It always picked up tons of dirt and had incredible suction.

My mothers old DC04 she got in the late 90's I think, was a tank. Nothing ever broke in it during the 11 years she had it (she now has a Sebo X1 which she likes in terms of build quality and performance, but moans and complains about its bags)

Another thing that persuaded me to buy another vacuum, and a bagless one, is my dislike of my Sebo Felix using bags. I had a MR lift-away previously, and before that a series of other bagless vacuums form Bissell, vax and so on. After about 2 weeks of using the sebo with a new bag, it stinks, even when paying over £20 for a charcoal filter. It really does smell, and the only option is to change the bag when it is practically empty. That coupled with my mother pointing out that having a bag full of animal and human hair and general dust and dirt decaying in a bag for weeks at a time, made me want to go for bagless again. I know we have many many bagged fans on here, but I am starting to wonder how people can put up with them. Buying bag fresheners or putting carb soda in them is dodgy for the manufacturers as they only want you to use a certain type, or using their fresheners, costing even more money, and at best covers up the smell rather than getting rid of it, as since having the Sebo, I have broken out in rashes more often now. When it has an empty bag, the sebo is lovely and I still love it, it is a great vacuum, but having it a few months, the novelty is wearing off.

And like dyson does say, perfectly reasonably, they don't test these rating when the bag gets full or is full. I can vouch that the filter on my dyson it still completely dust free, there is no surface dust whatsoever, and I only washed it out once to see if there was any fine, white dust accumulating, which there wasn't.
There really is not much I dislike about this vacuum. I genuinely love it.

 

[dys0nb0y]

Totally agree with you 100%

What you've just said I've always wanted to say can never put in words. And I'm happy that you love your new DC 41mk2 is it you every day vacuum???. Would you say is better than the Bissell and Sebo and vax and would you even say is the best vacuum you have had ???? Did you know the air that comes out Is 150 times cleaner Then the air you brave so cool .

 

[oliveoiltinfoil]

In fairness, it is early days, but comparing the flaws of the Bissell and sebo, which have been my two favourite vacuums, I prefer the dyson. The one thing I miss on the dyson that the sebo does is lay totally flat but that is only for doing two beds in our house, but that tangle-free turbine is so good that I would use that under there. It actually gets underneath the bed more than I thought it would.

I also have a couple of serious gripes about the sebo I think need bringing to our attention. The bags leak dirt. I have a jack Russell with short, coarse hair, and a tuxedo cat with soft black hair and they both leak from the bag, only stopped by the pre motor filter. I took apart my felix not long ago and to my horror found traces of hair in the motor. I have never seen that in any other vacuum.

Also, the hose storage on the sebo is a poor design. Anyone who has a felix, turn it on and put your hand around the hose inlet toward the bottom of the machine, where the hose stays when you vacuum carpets, and feel how much suction weeps out. My other aunties bought a felix royale and mine is a navy, they both do it.

AND, the hose itself has started to deteriorate. The clips which hold it in place have started to fray the hose and it wont be long before they cause more damage. I shall post pictures of the bag and hose problem tomorrow.

I have only had my felix since the tail end of February this year by the way.

 

[dys0nb0y]

Oh dear that doesn't sound good at all :0 but I'm glad you like it am sure you have many many many years out of it Also did you register it for its five year guarantee??? Is anything does happen to replace it The only problem I have with my Dc41is i got socks stuck up in and then only don't cover that the engineer was nice enough to do it for free and not say anything I got mine when it first came out on it for about a year and a bit we used every filters stayed spotless right from a couple scratches it was in perfect condition Machine is so good that even use the building work at curries I saw them been doing work on their displays been using the Dc41 It's completely fall and the filter only had a bit of dust on it hello cyclones are definitely doing their job one thing I love about the new Dysons is the house designer can do the whole stairs and it doesn't tip over I can see that happens a lot with the Sebo and how are you finding the emptying and do you find it easy to empty ??? Sure if you're having a lot of problems with your Sebo I'm sure you're still able to return it as my mum bought a washing machine from B&Q and it broke after after a year and after a bit of complaining and got her money back.

 

[adiostor3ador]

Your Brushbar...

Looks different from mine, Though I believe this to be because Dyson does slightly different modifications to their products for the respective countries that the will be shipped to, One such example being the DC07 I believe had a smaller cleaner head length wise in the UK market due to smaller homes compared to the US models having a cleaning head about the same length as my Kirby G4. I am also very interested in the slide bar that raises the lip as when using my DC65 when I move to the kitchen which has a linoleum floor, I clean there the cleaner head tends to stick to the floor and feels difficult to steer.

 

[oliveoiltinfoil]

@dys0nb0y - Yes, Dyson customer service is spot on. They know what they re talking about and seem willing to help. I don't know what I will do with my sebo yet but I will most probably keep it as it is a good vacuum, but I don't really see it now as a daily go-to vacuum, that for the moment will be the MK2.

@adiostor3ador - The reason by brushbar looks different is because this is a DC41 MK2, and they are not available for the US market. The closest this is related to is the DC65. The 41 MK2 has a redesigned brushbar and more powerful brush motor and a different 700 watt suction motor.

 

[parwaz786]

I wonder what will happen if I get a DC41 mk2 brushbar motor and out it in a DC25? the shape is same, apart from the spindle end which can be screwed off to fit snug in its housing

 

[blakaeg]

I look forward to seeing the pictures of the Felix issues you have posted.

I've not encountered the bag issue with the 8 year old Felix I had (which my friend now owns)and it still works perfectly despite her abusing it and using it with a full bag until the hose is full of dirt. My complaint is the heat that comes out of it and the hose being connected at the top.

I don't like the feel of the cord and hose on the current Felix machines though. Just don't feel as good as the older ones.

I still have a soft spot for Mr Felix though.

 

[sebo_fan]

The cords and hoses on the newer Felix were demanded by the owners. Older cords had a tendency to get stuck and the older hoses didn't stretch out as much. My 8 year old Felix naturally has the older cord. It is a PITA when it gets stuck under doors, but then so does the cord on my Miele S8.

 

[madaboutsebo]

My SEBO Felix Classic is 7 years old and never had any issues with it at all. I prefer the new synthetic bags over the paper ones. I've yet to replace the filters on the machine. It's been used daily mostly over the last 3 to 4 years more so over the last 2 to 3 years due to owning a pet. I've yet to notice any signs of pet hair on the pre motor filter. Shame you've had issues with yours oliveoiltinfoil.

I'll agree with you oliveoiltinfoil with regards to pet odour coming out of the Felix when the bag has been in the machine a while (even noticed in my Miele S7 with a charcoal filter fitted mainly when first switched on!). Once the bag is replaced the smell goes, but I only empty it when it is full. From personal experience I don't think bagless vacuums are any better you still get pet hair smells coming from the vacuum from the ones I've used. In fact I know someone who had a Dyson DC15 who washed the filters regularly and emptied the bin out and still you could smell pet odour from the pet hairs it used to vacuum up. They couldn't get rid of the smell. The internals of the cyclone system must get over time coated with odours from the pet hair, fine dust and dirt that sticks to the insides the general user can not get at to clean. I can see the appeal to some for wanting a bagless vacuum. At present I don't miss emptying the bin on a bagless vacuum especially now having a pet.

At the end of the day everyone has their choice of vacuum cleaner that suits them and oliveoiltinfoil looks like you like your new Dyson.

So glad oliveoiltinfoil your enjoying your Dyson DC41 MK2 it certainly look like an impressive vacuum. If I was getting another bagless vacuum I would probably consider one of these.

 

[oliveoiltinfoil]

I have the photos here of the hose and bag. The bag doesn't show properly what I mean as it is fairly empty, but there are a few hairs which stick out and eventually make there way through to the pre motor filter. Doesn't sound like a big deal but the standard pre motor filter is pathetically poor, you really need the charcoal one to give any protection and they are roughly £20.

The hose is interesting. Looking at it closely it actually now has scratches running down the hose which I think is where I have pulled it out to quickly do something, and it has extended while in its clip.

The third picture is what I want anyone with a felix to try out, so I know if it is just the two I know of or if its on all felixes. Turn on the vacuum and have it upright and place your hand around here. There is a considerable amount of suction leak.

 

[sebo_fan]

There's a reason to suction leaks on some SEBO's.

There's a reason to why those areas in the Felix have purposeful suction leaks - it is to maintain the contrast between suction flow and airflow. The X series doesn't because it automatically cuts off if there's a clog or blockage in the system.

If you look at the bottom of the handle cradle on the inside of the Felix you will find a vented hole. That is also an air outlet hole that is part of the design. Most bagged uprights these days have a purpose located air outlet vent on the back of the vacuum so that the motor isn't compromised for long periods if it gets blocked.

I can't speak for hairs outside of the bag - I have never experienced that. However Im not sure why you think the motor filter isn't there for collecting dirt - most types of upright bagged vacuums have a similar filter on top of the motor. It is not unheard of that the filter catches dirt outside of the bag. Mine has a few granules of dirt. The filter is there to protect the motor underneath - if there is dirt on the underneath other than carbon, then the pre-filter hasn't been locked down/pushed down properly, or has been pulled up so many times during its lifetime that the plastic catch underneath has worn away.

As for the "scrapes" - that will have happened due to the edges off the hose cradle - but it doesn't affect performance.

The K series has an air lock suction air release on the collar of its main hose into the body. The K3 models do not have it at that point, but elsewhere on the vacuum.

I quite like that Dyson and more so the video, but it begs the question on why the owner has to bend down and use a switch. Surely the whole purpose of an "active" floor head is that the machine does the height adjustment itself? Or have I missed the point completely?

 

[oliveoiltinfoil]

I agree with what you are saying. Those filters are sometimes referred to as motor protection filters, to protect the motor, I guess from dirt. If it isn't there to filter out dust, what is it there for? Filtering out bacteria and very fine particles should be the job of the post motor filter, in the felix case, the fabric outer design filter.

No, you are misunderstood about the dysons head. This is the first dsyon to have that rubber lip adjuster and it is nothing to do with raising or lowering the height of the head, that is still the job of the active baseplate, which as I have said already, does a very good job. The rubber lip is there for what I can see is two purposes. One is to collect larger debris on carpets and hard flooring, which is does beautifully as you can see in the video. The other reason it to create a tight suction seal at the head, which it also does very well as you can feel more resistance when the lip is lowered. The lip should be lowered when using carpets, the user can raise the lip however much they want, which makes it easier to push if they want to.

If you have the lip lowered on hard flooring, it is practically impossible to push and the suction release value kicks in, a nod to how much suction there is at the head on this vacuum for it to do that. As we know if the hose becomes jammed or if we cover the pipe with our hand, the suction release valves on cleaners which have them engages, but on this, you can engine it with the floor head.

Also, look at the photo of the dirt bin. You can see the dust has settled at the bottom and the larger dirt has settle on top. That goes to show you how effective the cyclonic system is, as no other bagless I Have had does this. It means when you empty it, you hardly get a dust cloud. Trust me, I would be the first to complain if that happened, but it hasn't happened to me yet.

On most bagless vacuums, the dust and dirt doesn't actually get seperated, the dust usually get mixed in with the larger debris.

 

[sebo_fan]

Thank you for explaining the active brush roll/sole plate. I think it would be easier for any Dyson owner to have that switch activated from the handle - having to bend down all the way to floor head kind of presents the idea that some owners who don't like bending will have a joy with this.

Is that slider control big enough for a foot to swipe the control or is just made small enough for a finger to slide across?

To all those musicians and organists out there - what Dyson has incorporated here is a viewable bellow either side where the rubber seal is concerned. Or so it appears to me.

I love the pick up of the Dyson, but as I just bought a rather basic priced NLOS upright vacuum, I have already realised that I have become so anal about dust - with a bagged vacuum, there is very little requirement to worry about how the dust is collected and how it appears.

 

[oliveoiltinfoil]

For me anyway, it isn't suitable for foot operation, but that may just be the size of my toes! It is more for finger operation only, but at least the option is there. I have never had a vacuum with and adjustable suction seal. So basically, you can either have the vacuum make a tight suction seal on the carpets to pick up fine dirt, or have it broken to pick up larger dirt, not to push it around. Best of both worlds really.

Yes, I know with bagged vacuums you can pop a bag in a forget it, but I sort of resent carting around a vacuum full of rotting dirt and dust, just for air to be passed through that and apparently filtered, for me to just lay it with more dirt. For smaller households and those which don't gather as much dirt, having a bag for months at a time surely cant be hygienic. Washing out a canister takes time, not money, and it no less hygienic than wiping out the inside of a bag compartment. Same as washing a filter, and with these dysons you can wash out the canister and cyclones. I contacted dyson when I registered this, and although the dyson lady said they don't advise it, you can do it but make sure you leave it for 48 hours, and it is okay and wont damage the vacuum, however if any damage is caused by water ingress, it obviously voids the warranty. Fair enough really.

Also, to those who say you cant properly clean those cyclones, lay it in a bowl or something big enough to submerse it in water, with a solution of fairy liquid and slosh it about. Friend of mine has had dyson for years and has done that and it works a treat every time.

 

[dys0nb0y]

Sebo fan you can actually do it with your foot it's quite easy it's a fantastic feature.

 

[sebo_fan]

A vacuum cleaner with a tight suction seal adjuster? Sounds like the air valve suction relief on many a cylinder vacuum - its not just there to loosen air for doing delicate stuff.

Sounds to me as if you have been badly brain washed by Dyson. I can't think of any other company who have continually hammered home the capture and containment of dust than that of Dyson. I've said it before and I'll say it again - no one sells a clear toilet, we don't want to know what happens to our human waste and how a toilet system captures, quite literally the waste or dirt!

Or if that is too much of you to imagine - a kitchen bin without a bag in it. You wouldn't dare use a bin without a bag would you? What is the difference with dust in a dust bag in a vacuum cleaner?

When you consider that dust in a home is made up body skin flakes amidst other things, it isn't much of a nice thought to sell a filter based on those actual aspects.

"Washing out a canister takes time and not money." Well…Vax tried that one, advising customers early on that they could pour the dirt from the water sucked up from their canisters down their kitchen sink drains. However, in reality the dirty water full of sediment and other dirt often clogged the drains. Think of the expense there. If you are washing your Dyson bin out and then chucking it down a drain, lord knows what the drain is receiving. At best your sink should have one of those grinding waste disposal units fitted - but who can afford them?

Whilst it can become all exaggerated and pedantic, at the end of the day a vacuum cleaner should be able to capture dirt and keep it in a vessel, in my opinion. At the most buyers should be more concerned about the weight of the vacuum, the tool design since some tools would be handier to have such as Dyson's cassette style tangle free brush, performance and cost price. Anything else such as how dust is captured is frankly a waste of my time.

End of the day until I see a bagless vacuum used in a hospital, I'll still stick with a bag.

 

[dys0nb0y]

It looks like you've been brainwashed by Dyson

It looks like you're stuck in the year 1990

 

[sebo_fan]

Maybe I am stuck in 1990.

But at least I have given some of my reasons in response to Oil. What can you offer up?

I like that Dyson in terms of its pick up performance - I have already admitted that. But what I can't get my head around is the "washing the canister out" routine, going on about cyclones - I am not talking about Oli per se - I am referring to the far wider approach that Dyson constantly bangs on about.

 

[dys0nb0y]

post was last edited: 9/18/2014-19:21]

 

[dys0nb0y]

Can you offer up

just that my brain doesn't recognise it that quickly it takes awhile for me to explain myself and do things like this i've got a lot to say but I just can't say it very well I can think it all but it never comes out .

 

[sebo_fan]

The video kind of doesn't promote the bagless vacuum concept that well..Nice looking Nilfisk though.

 

[dys0nb0y]

Bag vacuums as well many many do the air that comes out Dyson is 150 times cleaner not all models but most

 

[super-sweeper]

Don't you know it's physically impossible for a Dyson to compete with a KIRBY? It goes against every law of vacuum physics! 

 


%150 more cleaner than what? Than air pumped full of filth? Than air from a hospital? Than the air that would come out %152.57 cleaner if it was filtered through water, and not mucky cyclones? Wet dust cannot fly, but dust and dirt sure can linger in those cyclones! 

 

[oliveoiltinfoil]

Yeah that is right. Let all your dust and filth settle in water for bacteria to multiple and have a field day. Dyson coat the inside of their cylcones with something, a name I cant pronounce. Don't be so dis-heartened that dyson now produce a vacuum which competes with Kirby. A lot of people dislike Kirby, not because of the vacuum itself, but the sales rep giving kirbys a bad name.

 

[sebo_fan]

Could it be silicone perhaps? It seems to be the most used product that is making a return in a lot of household appliances of late.

To Dyson's credit, at least this model is substantially cheaper than a brand new Kirby at average prices of close to £1000 in the UK. Sorry for that kind of money I would buy a premium washing machine.

I can imagine to those who have moaned in the past that Dyson's don't vibrate carpets may well be changing their way of thinking.

Your comment about the Dyson sticking to the floor also reminds me of the Vax Mach Air - on my hard floors the lightweight Mach Air was impossible to move without the brush roll being switched on.

With a recent purchase of a cordless Morphy Richards stick vac that has a permanent brush roll (soft bristles though) Im happier to use the constant brush roll on hard floors. There's no damage, but more importantly, hardly any extra effort required.

 

[oliveoiltinfoil]

The dyson is only difficult to use on hard flooring if that lip is lowered. If it is raised, there is deliberate air leak at the front of the head, and it is as easy as pie to push and pull, something genuine and most visible dirt on hard flooring tends to be large objects such s cat litter and food debris. Its a simple, yet effective design. If they would have just had an open design for carpets as well, there wouldn't be a good suction seal on carpets, compromising its performance eon carpeting.