What Did Any Of You Think Of The DC01 When It Was Released?

[alexhoovers94]

I have heard that the Dyson DC 01 was quite a shock to the retailers and the public when it came out because of the clear bagless cyclonic bin.
So I am asking some of the slightly older members on the fourm, who would remember it's release, what you thought of it at first sight, as there was nothing else like it at the time.

 

[madabouthoovers]

I was 21 at the time and I thought it looked more like something directly out of "Star Trek", another expensive gimmick - as it was very expensive back then. We had a Turbopower 1 at the time which I used to clean our house, and it did ok for a cleaner of that age. My father bought one a few years after its launch and was impressed with it, but I didnt buy my first Dyson brand new till nearly 10 years later in 2003 when I bought the DC07 purple and lime model. Personally I thought the DC01 was ugly and still think that now, which is why I have a DC04, 07,14, and 15 upright but not a DC01. I might consider a DeStijl model now due to its collectability, but not for general use.

 

[madabouthoovers]

You arent by any chance "numaticvacuum" on Youtube are you? love your videos, very explanative if you are!

 

[vintagerepairer]

I first saw it in an Auntum/ Winter Kays catalogue in 1992. I had been given the heads-up prior to this as my ex-wife was working in the electrical buying office of GUS at the time. She had briefly said the odd thing about it, but I did not see a picture until the catalogue first went to print.

My thoughts were that it was ugly, that it was a gimmick, and that if it made it to the A/W 1993 catalogue I would be very surprised. Had I seen it in an electrical shop first, I think I may have been more sure of its success, but as gimmicks come and go all the time in catalogues, it was easy to disregard the DC01 as such.

I was never offended by the fact one could see the dirt and in fact I did think the public would like this. If anything, the clear bin was one of the more 'normal' looking aspects of the design. It was the rest of it which I disliked. Also the original DC01 models were somewhat rough around the edges, I mean the DC01 as we know it was certainly such, but I thought the original was more so.

 

[thekirbylover]

my mother loved hers

i wasnt even born when the came out , but my mother absolutely loved hers, she said she loved it because you dont have to buy bags and that her old vacuum lost performance, she loved the tools and hose and said it had good suction, my mum said when she first saw it she was like shocked and went into the shop and bought one, she had an absolute

 

[sebo_fan]

I remember the launch - but the ones I saw at department stores had a darker bin than the clear ones that were eventually sold at other retailers (and is also documented in Dyson's book). I thought it looked like a toy rather than an actual vacuum cleaner. My dad loved it though as he was into engineering and design. 

 

[ryry_87]

The first time I saw one was when i was flicking through my dads newspaper when I was about 8. There was an advert for it, the one with the pics of all the different hoover bags. It was bonfire night 1995 I believe.

I thought it was amazing and looked like nothing else on the market at the time. Then a few months later my dads boss bought one, my dad was doing some electrical work in their house at the time so I got the chance to have a go on it, now bearing in mind it was only about 6 months old, it was completely clogged and had almost 0 suction. I was quite disappointed in its performance.

They had it serviced and a few months after that me and my dad went to give them a hand moving house, I was asked to give the main bedroom a good hoovering ready for the carpet cleaners to come in. There was about half an inch of dust where the bed had been and was looking forward to seeing how well the Dyson did. Again it struggled. The carpet cleaner took pity on me and gave me his Sebo to use instead.

In about 2004 I bought my own DC01 DeStijl, made sure it had new filters in it and was spotlessly clean etc. I used it on my nans thick 70s carpets and filled the bin. So it must have done a good job lol But the brush rolls in them were crap, far too soft and no beating at all. They would have been great little machines if a bit more design had gone into the brush roll.

 

[turbo500]

i wasnt even born when the came out

good LORD, I feel old!


 


The first Dyson I ever saw belonged to my Aunt and Uncle. My Uncle works in industrial electronics and they always had very high end electricals at home - washer, dishwasher, TV, VCR etc was all the latest stuff. Pre-Dyson, they had a Turbopower u2602. Anyway, my uncle got a DA001 from work - this must've been about 1993. I thought it was the wierdest thing I had ever seen, but being only 4 at the time, I was fascinated by it. I thought it was the best thing since sliced bread and loved watching all the dust spin around inside. Mum was less impressed, so when I hinted at us getting one, this was quickly brushed aside.


 


Now, fast forward to about 1996 - the DC01's were becoming increasingly more popular. The first one I got to use properly and form an opinion on belonged to my friend Karl's Mum. It was this model that I remember using the most and being horribly disapointed. All that dust spinning around in the bin and then I put my hand over the end of the hose and thought the suction was pathetic, especially compared with both the Kirby and Panasonic we had at home at the time.


 


The following year, my Grandma replaced her Electrolux 610 with a DC01. She also thought it was absolutely brilliant - I suppose purely because you could see all the dirt. The 610 certainly had more suction power and groomed the carpet better. My Grandma has 2 dogs and vacuums on a daily basis. The DC01, even after a few months, was falling apart. The hose release broke, the floorhead friction handle release broke, the baseplate cracked, the hose split. It only lasted 2 years (compared to the 11 years she had the 610) and was replaced with a DC04 in 1999, which I remember thinking was a VAST improvement.


 


In conclusion, my initial response to the DC01/DA001 was fascination. I suppose, because it looked so radically different to anything I'd seen or used and I spent HOURS with my aunts cleaner looking at all the different features. However, over time and the more I used them, the more I started to dislike them. I remember a lot of people quickly replacing them - even at that young age I was surprised at how short their lifespan was. I also remember my Grandma having to run the thing over the same spot several times, especially where the dogs had been sat (5 Dyson's down the line, she has finally learnt her lesson and bought another brand). It took a while, but I finally saw through the flaws of the DC01. I was, however, very surprised and impressed at the improvements made on the DC04 - I guess everyone has to start somewhere.

 

[ryry_87]

I remember being more impressed with the Panasonic Icon from around the same time and thinking why would anyone buy a DC01 when they could have one of these?!

 

[turbo500]

why would anyone buy a DC01 when they could have one of thes

Amen to that!


I remember thinking that the Hoover Vortex, even though it was a complete DC01 rip off, was a far better cleaner and, IIRC, was slightly cheaper.

 

[ryry_87]

I actually quite liked the Vortex style machines, I had the red Widetrack one, think it was the Hurricane which had the later style cyclonic system and it was a fantastic vacuum. Cleaned brilliantly and never clogged. I used to take it to work and use it in the office I worked in at the time because it used to get filthy. It coped fine with that.

But yes, the Icon was the best of the bagless cleaners from around that time. I love my bagged one, its incredible.

 

[turbo500]

Yeh, alright, rub it in why don't you Ry..... I seriously regret not taking that bagless Icon from Richie's garage, but it just wouldn't have fit in the car


 


I agree about the Vortex, although I prefer the original red and white tripple Vortex with the cord rewind.

 

[jmurray01]

But wasn't there an issue with the Vortex deliberately letting lots more dust back into the air than the Dyson DC01 it copied ? Or maybe my memory is betraying me again.

 

[vintagerepairer]

The difference with the Dyson over all the others was that it was the 'original' bagless cleaner and did not lose suction. It was also the 'trendy' one to go for. They had been selling since 1992 (even though production did not begin until 1993)and it was not until the early part of 1997 until there was any sort of competition, in this instance the Electrolux Powersystem. Because the cost of other makes of bagless cleaner was similar to Dyson, it could not be said that consumers went for the cheaper option. They went for the brand they trusted if it was that they felt the Dyson was not for them.

However, the Electrolux was a nightmare to use bagless (it was a smashing cleaner in bagged mode) and the Hoover Vortex was very, very hefty to move around. Dyson managed of course to out-sell all the competition.

 

[vintagerepairer]

Jamie the Vortex was taken off sale quite soon after it went on sale, and was a poor seller anyway. The old Hoover Turbomaster Freedom had problems with dust escaping, and the much later Hoover One had a terrible write up from Which? But I heard nothing about the Vortex. Will wait to see what others say.

 

[alexhoovers94]

Someone asked....

Yes, I am indeed "numaticvacuum" on YouTube.

Sorry I should say what my thoughts were on the DC01, my mum bought the De Stijl model in 1997 after seeing my aunties DA001 that they got in 1993 because they always have to have all the latest gizmo's and gadgets, needless to say they have a DC40 now.
Anyway, my mum was really impressed with it and it wasn't till a few years later that she bought her own. From being so impressed with my aunties, she saw the De Stijl model in the Freemans catalogue and instantly loved the colour, she purchased it and it replaced her Hoover Turbopower Freedom Total System, which she hated.

I was about 3 when the DC01 arrived, I vaguely remember it in the box, but I can still picture her opening it on the living room floor, it was SO shiny, I thought it was amazing.
I never remember any other "normal looking" vacuum cleaner than my grandma's Panasonic MCE -46 which my grandpa bought her as a birthday present in 1994, it will always remain a mystery what vacuum she had before that, as nobody can remember.

I could still remember the DC01 like it was yesterday and I thought it was really good, better than mu grandma's Panasonic. I loved how you could see all.the dirt spinning around in this extraldamery complex vortex, in the plastic.. viewing chamber, I loved it. It was replaced in 2003 by the DC07 Animal which I HATED!!!!! And still do, urgh. The reason my mum got a new Dyson is because she loved the first Dyson she had, which had broken when I pulled it down the stairs in 2003 when I was about 8 haha!

It wasn't till I got my own DC01 De Stijl a few months, as it was a childhood memory vac. I saw right threw it and realised how not to great it really is, for a clean air machine the suction is lousy and combined with it's sparse brushroll it doesn't feel like it is doing anything when you use it (probably why they added a clear bin, HAHA) and it doesn't get into the carpet very well, it picks up the surface litter brilliantly, but deep down, No, you want hoover!

I do like the design of the DC01 and I will always like it despite it not being very good, haha.

 

[alexhoovers94]

Sorry about some of the errors in the long post I just wrote, I am typing it out on my phone.

 

[turbo500]

it picks up the surface litter brilliantly, but deep down, N

this is a common missconception amongst the vacuum buying public. "Ooh, look at all that dirt it's picking up" because the user can see it spinning around. However, if you suck out the contents of a full Dyson cyclone into a normal vacuum bag, you'll see just how little is actually there. If you get a load of dust, dirt and hair and spin it around at high speeds in a cyclone, of course it's going to appear like there's loads of it. It's like egg white - you can whip it up with a hand mixer and make it look like there's loads of it, when in actual fact, it's just full of air.

 

[jmurray01]

That is a brilliant analogy Chris, I would never have thought of that one.

Very true though, the cyclonic air spinning the dirt around is making it all fluffy and increasing it in size.