"At least there not using a Vax, or a Kirby"
The fact that you're putting a cheap Chinese TTI made Vax in the same league, even in the same sentance, as a Kirby, is quite shocking. I'm not a fan of Kirby's, purely because they're so heavy and impractical. But in todays market, they are unrivaled for carpet cleaning.
"There are just the best in vacuum design"
To give Dyson their due, they do put a lot of attention into R&D and the cyclone continues to improve. However, they need to seriously re-evaluate their material supply. The current DC40 and DC41 retail for near £400 and is probably the flimseyest (is that even a word?), most cheaply made Dyson I have ever used. The handle inparticular is attrocious. For that price, I would expect a far better built machine.
Equally, Dyson need to stop with so much focus on improving the cyclone and start thinking about actually carpet performance now. Although it has been improved in recent years, especially on the DC50, the Dyson brushroll is far from high performing.
To put in perspective, my grandparents are currently on their fifth Dyson after their DC01, 04, 07 and 15 all broke within a few years. I think the 04 lasted the longest - they had that about 4 or 5 years. Prior to that, their old Electrolux 610 lasted 11 years and my Mum's Panasonic was in daily use in a house with 4 cats and 4 kids for 17 years before it my Mum upgraded. For the high price tag that Dyson comes with, I would expect a fair higher performing, more reliable cleaner. Dyson fans, in my experience (and no offence to anyone) tend to be wearing metaphorical blinkers and not actually considering every factor.
