the rise in popularity of cylinder vacuums in the UK

[turbo500]

Hi Everyone,


I noticed today that one of my neighbours has replaced her Vax Naked upright thing with a Dyson Ball Animal cylinder thing. And this got me thinking about something I hadn't really picked up, but cylinders definitely are on the rise in the UK.

I can't quite put my figure on when this happened or why. I did think it was due to the increased popularity of hard floors, but even people with all carpeted homes seem to be buying them.

Has anyone else picked up on this? What do we think prompted this cylinder boom?

One of the collectors on Facebook made a good point that the popularity of Vax tub vacs in the 90's, which used to be demonstrated live in department stores and electrical shops, could have vastly contributed. Especially given that the 80's saw something of a revolution in cylinders as the major brands all introduced new designs of floortools that were far superior to the older ones (think Hoover Sensotronics with the Contour head and the Lux 2000 style tool).

Any other ideas? I'm not wanting to start a cylinder vs. upright debate as we all know there are advantages to both styles, just interested to hear people's thoughts on the current market and changing trends

 

[citroenbx]

hard flooring I think

 

[parwaz786]

Nice thread Here are my questions;

Maybe people find it satisfying to give the carpets a good "scrubbing" with the floor tool which they think works best?

Maybe they have a lot of furniture and British homes are tiny so something like a cylinder is more agile, especially with loads of furniture people can't be bothered to move? I can't be bothered moving the glass coffee tables we have (which are also popular) and need a low profile vacuum.

Maybe uprights look bulky and people find them too heavy with previous experiences?

Maybe people know that a hose is easier to pull off the cylinder wand rather than removing one off an upright and assembling tubes?

Maybe people believe cylinder vacuums are better for car cleaning than uprights?

Maybe people find the powerful suction to be very good and think it cleans really good?

Maybe they see Numatic Henry's everywhere which set a good example of cylinder vacuums? I see way more Henry's than any other commercial upright.

The list goes on...

 

[sebo_fan]

A lot of people I know in my town haven't bought cylinder vacs but rather the cordless hand helds from Dyson and countless other cordless type vacs. As mentioned in other forums, I believe people are returning to the idea of a cylinder vacuum VIA the hand held or cordless vacuums. Once they realise that small tools can work dependent on the design, then they can naturally make the same assumptions with more conventional vacs.

I have noticed that a lot more shops are selling cylinder vacs versus uprights, too.. There seems to be a trait here based on the fact that for every one upright vacuum in a box, you can effectively have three boxes of cylinder vacs and one box alone tends to be a lot easier to take out of a high street shop from the buyer's point of view.

The cost price also helps too, particularly when not many other budget brands other than existing ones PLUS the supermarket exclusives offer budget priced uprights versus a cheap pull along vac.

 

[davetranter]

Cylinders in the U.K.

I think Parwaz has pretty well summed up the 'pros and cons'.

Sadly, I doubt that many of the 'buying public' think so deeply as to consider the type of flooring that they have, or the amount of clutter that they have to clean around/under..... The odds are that it boils down to the two factors of-

Small, lightweight machine with small, lightweight wand/head...
And.....
Less moving/mechanical parts = (usually, anyway) CHEAP!!!!!!

Most purchasers are female, and (generally) want something lightweight, regardless of how impractical it is. I have had several through my hands recently for 'servicing/unblocking' where the only fault is that the tiny disposable bag is crammed full, along with the last foot or so of the (extremely narrow) hose. I suppose that people are surprised at how very little they will hold!!

It is easy to forget that we (??) are enthusiasts/specialists. The 'average' customer sees something compact and 'pretty' and buys it. 'Cheap' helps, too!! ;-)

Just my 2 cents' worth!!

All best

Dave T

 

[alexhoovers94]

I haven't noticed that many people near me with cylinders. The vast majority seem to have uprights.

I do agree that the cordless type has really taken off at the moment, probably partly because of that very flashy advert from G-tech. Vax and Dyson also advertise on TV their cordless machines, so it is hardly surprising about the cordless being popular. I think it will just be a faze with those, though, since people will quickly realise they are incapable of the "fulsize" job they are put up against.

Back to the topic of cylinders, I really think that people buy them because they are in general cheaper to buy than uprights.

I will always buy/stick with uprights, just what I grew up with, I think they are far easier to use, store and are superior in performance to a cylinder, possibly more convenient than a cylinder too.

My opinion.

Alex.

 

[delaneymeegan]

I wonder if it is the very success of Henry and his pals, that is prompting other manufacturers to think it's a potential market. What' more, Henry is cute, but lets admit, he's a bit outdated. Perhaps these other manufacturers see a maturing flower, thus potential for stealing market share?

I've heard there is a limited number on offer, that have an electric carpet brush.

Apparently this guy is no longer available? Too bad...

 

[delaneymeegan]

Even though I'm lowly, and live in the U.S., I got my first Henry and he has a PN, he even came from the U.K. via Royal Mail.....

---- but, I don't know IF-F-F.... he "counts".

 

[parwaz786]

Reply #5

I noticed that there are more upright users in my area as well. There are cylinders, but mostly Henry's, Hetty's, Dyson DC19's, DC28C's and high end ball models

 

[turbo500]

Sorry, I should've been a bit more specific.

I would definitely say that uprights are still the more popular, but I'm noticing more and more people buying new cylinders rather than uprights. Even people who used to have uprights are switching to cylinders.

Tayyab made some good points above, especially regarding cylinder pressence in commercial environments possibly influencing the domestic market - we see so many commercial cylinder vacs in the workplace, schools, hotels etc that perhaps people are cottoning on the reliability factor?

I have to say, there seems to be far more choice in terms of cylinders on the market than uprights. Since Panasonic stopped making vacuums, there's no "decent but cheap" uprights on the market anymore.

 

[vintagerepairer]

The fact that Henry has been described here as "outdated" and yet is one of the best-selling cleaners highlights perfectly the difference between an enthusiast and a consumer.

The reason Henry might look outdated is because he is similar to older cleaners which did only what was needed in order to perform well in the days before vacuum cleaners had so many bells and whistles.

The Henry cleaners which have been discontinued were poor sellers. It wasn't that consumers didn't want Henry per-se, they just didn't want the models that did more than the standard.

 

[alexhoovers94]

I really see little point in a cylinder with a Powernozle, might as well get an upright if you want a revolving brush, adding a power head to a cylinder tales away the whole convenience aspect.

 

[sebo_fan]

If the cylinder in question comes with interchangeable floor heads I see no convenience being taken away, but rather an added convenience - particularly when owners may have to do that presently changing from combi or turbo brush to combi or when taking said machine out to the car.

Ive said it before and I'll say it again. Whilst Im sure canisters with PNs are popular, I have not been that much of a fan of them; hoses aren't as flexible as non-electric and other brands have exterior power cords that sit outside that sit too vulnerable to the floor head.

Also Im not keen on the weight. From the front of the floor head no matter if the PN brush bar floats or aids gliding to the weight of the machine at the back. Much prefer a traditional upright where the weight is all in one place.

 

[turbo500]

In theory, power nozzle cylinders should be perfect. I mean, it's upright carpet performance coupled with the convenience and flexibility of a cylinder, what's not to love? But in reality, I'm inclided to agree with Nar. The heavier hoses and often chunky handles to cope with the remote controls, in my experience, take away from the benefits of using a cylinder. I'd much rather use an air driven turbo brush or just straight suction with a well designed floortool.

 

[kirbysthebest]

delaneymegan

Your little Henry is so cute.  I don't often tell another guy his Henry is cute btw.  


 


I wonder if this is what Jeanie had in her bottle on I Dream of Jeanie?


 

 

[turbo500]

Not sure if you've noticed delaneymorgan, but your Henry is actually a Harry.

Here's some more toy Henry's - the Casdon toy version, the soft toy Henry, racing wind up Henry & Hetty and the desk Henry.

This amount of merchandise should give you some kind of idea as to how popular Numatics actually are here.

 

[parwaz786]

I seen a Henry laundry basket in town once (one of those fabric spring loaded laundry baskets) looked really cool- didn't get one for reasons I am unaware of sadly.

 

[delaneymeegan]

".... give you some kind of idea as to how popular Numatics actually are here"

I know, Chris. If there is one thing I've learned in the last couple of months, it's that Henry and his pals, are much loved in Britain. I'm constantly amazed at how prolific Numatic has been.

I'm easing into getting a Henry vac, and I'm not really open to expanding my collection. Still Henry is intriquing.

I watched this video and was rather impressed with George, as well.

http://https//youtu.be/OetpwslSCFo

 

[sebo_fan]

The thing about Numatic is that like a lot of SEBO vacs, the bags last for months and in Numatic's case, sometimes more than SIX months dependent on the model and dirt required to be picked up.

A lot of happy Numatic owners I know just love the basic design, bigger travel and general reliability.