Why I dislike Dyson

[ridgidwd0670]

I prefer a old 1990s-era Hoover Elite anyday over a diesoon; the Elite cleans UNDER the carpet as well as the carpet surface

I bought the Elite new when I moved from my parents house & bought my own house; but I now use a 1980s-era Eureka ESP/Dial-A-Nap for vacing the mudroom & 'alley hallway' (gos from garage to main part of house)

U cant tell how IMMACULATE that carpet is on top & underneath despite heavy traffic with dirty shoes thanx 2 the ESP & Elite

 

[niclonnic]

HonestJoe68

Hey, long time no see!

Despite my slight distaste for this Dyson, I'm still fairly impressed by what it picks up. My family has taken very good care of it. We never overfilled the bin and always emptied it when the dirt reached the MAX line.

I forgot to add that my mom did have to replace a couple parts on the Dyson while it was in her possession. One year ago this month, the clutch somehow broke while I was cleaning the brush bar prior to her taking it over to a friend's house whom was moving to Hawaii. Mom said to me in a text message that she brought it over, but it somehow didn't pick up anything, and had to use the hose. Fortunately, the other people had a Shark vacuum; not sure what kind, but apparently it was very light and worked well. She jokingly asked if she could borrow one of my vacuums, such as the Fantom Fury I just acquired.

But the next time I came over, we got to the bottom of this. We watched a video on YouTube on how to replace the clutch, and so Mom ordered a new clutch off eBay for around $30, and followed the video on how to replace it. She did it pretty well, but the most difficult part was getting the brush bar back in. Neither she nor I could get it back in, so she got her then-fiancé to do it for her. It was a pain in the butt, but this 11 year old Dyson is like a new machine again.

I also advised her to replace the HEPA exhaust filter, as it smelled bad. Getting to this filter is easier than replacing the clutch; just take a flat-head screwdriver and pry up the 3 tabs underneath the bin, then the cover comes off. The original HEPA filter was BLACK. Fortunately, it didn't cause any overheating, but it was still a good idea to replace the filter. A new one was $30 from Amazon.

Honestly, I feel it was worth putting money into this Dyson. It was certainly cheaper than buying a new vacuum.

Last month, I gifted my mom with a shiny new Hoover Air Steerable vacuum for Valentine's Day. She loves how light it is and how much better it cleans compared to the Dyson. As a result, I got the Dyson back, and did a full refurbishment on it, taking the entire thing apart and washing most of the parts. Now the vacuum smells a LOT better than it did before!

As for other vacuums, I just received a new vacuum for Christmas: a Bissell Pet Hair Eraser Lift-Off, model 2087Q. It's an amazing and versatile machine! I think I have found the perfect vacuum for my house, as this one really lives up to its name. It's now my daily driver.

In addition, I still have my 12 amp Fantom Fury that I bought from electroluxxxx a year ago. Hard to believe it's already been a year since I was reunited with this vacuum! But I don't use it as much these days, since it's not very powerful and Fantom Technologies has been out of business since late 2001. The Fantom still does a great job of cleaning carpets, thanks to the good brushroll.

Here are some videos on how to replace the clutch and filters on a DC07.

 

[crazykirbydude]

James Dyson seems like a cool guy, and his hand dryers are really good, but I think that he tried to solve a problem that didn't exist. If they built their vacuums better and with fewer design flaws, I would be more forgiving. However, you can't ignore Dyson's crappy airflow and poor agitation.

 

[vexorgtr]

Selling the sizzle....... but where's the steak?

Dyson products in my opinion are much like Apple computer products. The design makes it look cool, and it has a price tag that not just any schmoe can afford. However, when it comes to total value, there are certainly products that can deliver more performance for less money.

James Dyson is a charismatic figure who just wants things to "work properly" and it gives some consumers the warm fuzzy feeling. As a bagless vacuum, some feel like they are saving the earth by not throwing away bags, (not thinking that they'll have to dispose of the whole vacuum several times over.)

For us who think with our data sheets, tests and numbers.... Dyson is just hype. We want the machine that outperforms all others and delivers the best clean based on our favorite criteria.... preferably a machine that will last for many many years with little maintenance.

 

[panasonicvac]

Even though Dyson is not perfect, there were still a few things that I liked about them. I liked using the hoses on them, I would always be amazed by how much they would pull out from their Panasonic motors. I also liked some of the attachments that they've made, the mini turbine head from the DC17 for example was fun to use and it surprisingly does a really good job. And filtration wise when you take it out of the box and replace the filters often, I'd say they do an excellent job. I have a room with carpet that's very low pile similar to what's used in office buildings, one of my criticisms on that carpet is that it sticks fabric or strings on the carpet like someone'd put tape all over the floor. I used to have a DC17 in my house, the DC17 was still the only vacuum that did the best job out of all the other vacuums I've used on that carpet thus far. I would've imagined the DC27 getting the same results since that was another one I've had before as well but I've never used it in that room before. Between the two, I preferred the DC17 better because of the cyclone assembly, the wand setup, and the attachments. Also the DC17 was an Animal which included the mini turbine head. The only thing that I liked better on the DC27 was the filters. I kinda do miss those Dysons, but not for the price that they are worth for.

 

[niclonnic]

This reminds me...

Has anybody had experience with the Dyson DC28? It was introduced in 2009 specifically for the American market, at a cost of $600. The DC28 was only produced in an Animal version. It was the first and only Dyson with Airmuscle technology, which claimed to pick up more dirt. However, based off my research, the DC28 was the most complex and convoluted vacuum cleaner in Dyson's history. Here's a video on the Airmuscle technology.

 

[broomvac]

@niclonnic

Funny you mention the DC28. I have been contemplating writing a thread about mine. Guess I should.

When I bought my Royal 1020Z from our local Goodwill recycling center, I actually rescued another vacuum along with it. That was a DC28.

When I put it in the cart, I knew I was committing the vacuum cleaner equivalent of buying a used BMW 7-Series. I was buying an excessively complicated, once expensive piece of machinery of questionable reliability. Even though I knew that there was a moderate likelihood that this $10 venture end would end in $10 wasted, I still went ahead because I like Dysons and this one looked low-mileage.

With a sigh of relief, I found the vacuum to be fully functional. Not only did the Airmuscle still function, but so did the other “notorious” systems: the brush roll penetration cam and the electric clutch. Yes, this vacuum has a clutched brush roll drive. This is not unheard of. However, what shocked me is that the clutch is ELECTRICALLY engaged and disengaged! I know of no other vacuum which has a system anything like this! Combine this with the brush roll which can vary its penetration into the carpet, and you have a very unique vacuum.

The rest of the vacuum from the floorhead up gave me Dyson déjà vu. Here, it’s very similar to my DC33. They share the same cyclone system and bin, actually. Overall, I’d say that the DC33 has relatively more DC07 DNA, whereas the DC28 seems to have more of a DC17 flavor to it. Nevertheless, the two seem much alike.

Look, the vacuum is not Dyson’s best. It’s overly complicated and its tech has been made obsolete by the latest “Ball” models, but it’s still a high-performing vacuum. I keep it as a novelty and because it’s seemingly one of the few fully-functional survivors!

Keep an eye out for a DC28 thread in the coming weeks.

 

[broomvac]

@niclonnic

There's one more interesting detail about the DC28 which I forgot to include. Both belts--the motor-to-clutch and the clutch-to-brush roll--are toothed non-stretch belts, thereby resolving the belt stretch issue which every other clutched Dyson eventually suffers from. I've had good luck with the original flat belts in my DC33; after 5 years, they still aren't slipping detectibly. However, I'm certain that they will eventually. By contrast, I don't think I'll ever need to change the ones in my DC28.

 

[kirbyduh]

Newer Dysons

In my experience, the newer (standard filter - not cinetic) Dyson Balls have exceptional airflow. The one I have lifts the carpet up on the back stroke, and has so much airflow that, in tandem with the spring loaded soleplate, causes it to suck down to hard floors and makes it very difficult to maneuver.

This machine is the one that costs around $300 I believe. The brush roll is also aggressive, and I feel it does a nice job on carpets.

That being said, the build quality is far short of what older Dysons had (not that it was ever exceptional). The ball squeaks when pushed across thick carpet, the handle flexes like I would expect from a cheaper machine. The wand system is inferior to what the DC25 had, and the wand itself is plastic, which hurts the strength of the entire vacuum. It feels like the sort of machine Dyson made to come closer to the price of Sharks.

 

[vacfan1982]

Shall we do a "Why I dislike Kirby" thread

 

[myles_v]

niclonnic...

While I certainly would rather use a bagged cleaner instead of a Dyson, I think it is important to realize that the DC07 is quite an old machine relative to how long Dyson has been around. Many changes have been made in 15 years

 

[rdwdcp]

I think dyson is awesome I have a DC07 standard 15 years old still working like new.
Brilliant cleaner.

 

[mike811]

It's important that we don't mix airflow to the suction. All Dyson vacuums have weak airflow.
What I have seen so far being tested: DC14, DC25, DC65, DC40, latest ball models + more.
None of these can't reach even 60 cfm from the cleaning head.
Good bagged vacuums can quite easily get 70-90 cfm from the nozzle.

Dysons usually have good suction and they have tried very hard to compensate weak airflow with the seals in the cleaning head.

So weak airflow is the main thing why I don't like Dysons.
However there is also things to like, but that's another topic.

 

[rdwdcp]

Most of my Dysons have strong suction

 

[speedqueen]

For reliability, the best were the DC07, 14, and 17. No trouble but the clutch on the first two and that pesky seal on the DC17. So many people still have theirs and they are so much cheaper to repair than the newer ones. I won't speak to cleaning, I think they are all pretty poor cleaners, an old Hoover 28 will blow any of them out of the water.

 

[gottahaveahoove]

An old Hoover 28

will shame most.

 

[speedqueen]

@John Long

That's my(entirely arbitrary) test for any vacuum, does it equal or outperform my model 28, if so it is a good cleaner, if not then it isn't worth anyone's time to use. Anything today with modern technology has no excuse for poor performance, but more often than not they are far worse than what preceded them.

 

[repairman]

Marketing

When Dyson came out with the "lifetime filter" gimmick, it really meant that the filters were supposed to last the lifetime of the machine itself.

 

[myles_v]

I always take the phrase "lifetime" with a grain of salt. It almost always means the lifetime of the product, not the owner.

I recently bought a harness for my dog with a "lifetime" warranty. I wonder if they mean my lifetime or the dog's, lol.

 

[shattered]

Well, I can say the same about Built to last phrase.. What does it mean? I'll buy a vacuum and it's gonna work until I'm 80?