Loft debris

[Nemesis]

Oh, if you keep them in the dark cupboard under the stairs and only bring them out on special occasions (like when guests are coming...) they seem not so bad.

Bet mine blows up now...

 

[NT]

but i tried being polite instead.

Sorry,

I just thought after your statement you were going to come out with some reason for saying Dyson was the worst cyclone and give us the best one, with a reason why,

Why dysons are problematic was already covered. Regarding what you imagined might be my next move, if you thought that then it was your thought, and not necessarily mine too. Why you are now having an issue with me not meeting what you imagined might be my next move I dont know, and cant make sense of.

being as 4 people use them and three pepole don't was your reason for them being the worse confused me.

So I see. That has nothing at all to do with the reasons for avoiding them, and I never said it was. Their very high failure rate and inability to cope satisafctorily with building dust have already been mentioned.

I should thing you must know my views on posts without authority, so I'll say no more.

High failure rate will show up from end users in almost any thread anywhere on dysons, what authority has got to do with that I've no idea. The same applies to filter clogging, which is clearly an important issue for people working on PPs.


I'm sorry, but at this point I just cant make sense of what youre saying.


NT

 

[worms]

The world seems to divide fairly well between the "love-em" and "hate-em" view of Dysons. I know people (like NT) who have had three in three years and justifiably think they are dreadful and others like myself who have had one for seven years and think they are wonderful.

I find it intriguing that we seem to form these love/hate attachments to inanimate objects, however the nearest I know to the polarised strength of feeling for or against Dysons is that of people's experience of Land Rovers. Perhaps its something deeper in our psyche about our expectations and relationship with British technology?

 

[Gervase]

A bit like Macintosh computers - some people (like me) love them, and in others they bring on a red mist of contempt.
So, what is the demographic for someone who likes Land Rovers and Macs but (reluctantly) eschews Dysons in favour of Henrys?
You have 20 minutes. Please use only one side of the screen.

 

[NT]

The world seems to divide fairly well between the "love-em" and "hate-em" view of Dysons. I know people (like NT) who have had three in three years and justifiably think they are dreadful and others like myself who have had one for seven years and think they are wonderful.

I find it intriguing that we seem to form these love/hate attachments to inanimate objects, however the nearest I know to the polarised strength of feeling for or against Dysons is that of people's experience of Land Rovers. Perhaps its something deeper in our psyche about our expectations and relationship with British technology?

Why would it be anything other than simply being aware of their main shortcoming, namely very high failure rate, plus poorer performance than other cyclones?


a puzzled NT

 

[skier-hughes]

I suppose people like Worms, Nemesis and myself who have one and find it works well and haven't had it break down are stuck in a world of ignorance, as we haven't tried any other make, haven't needed to as our machines are still working.

I don't really classify building dust as a normal domestic waste to be vacuumed, which is why I'm not too bothered by the fact that when I have done it I clean the filter straight afterwards.

I'm still intrigued to know what cyclone makes are better than Dyson and why, if anyone knows?

Gervase what do you use now? Henry? That isn't a cyclone though is it?

 

[Gervase]

I use a Henry now, which uses bags. Suction is powered by a 2Kw motor with high and low settings, and is much stronger than the Dyson, even when the bag is full. The cleaner and its accessories are far more robust, which may be one reason why contract cleaners tend to use them rather than Dysons.
One thing I don't miss was emptying the Dyson. Their selling point was 'Say goodbye to the old bag' (stop sniggering Penners!), but that meant that emptying the thing usually entailed dust getting everywhere. At least with the bag you just take it out and drop it in the bin, or incinerator if the machine has been used for shavings and sawdust.
As I said earlier, I was seduced by the design of the Dyson, the theory behind it and by Dyson's own perseverance, but sadly the machine didn't live up to its promise. Much like his washing machines (does anyone still have one that works?).

 

[Lime]

I own 3 dysons. (same number as Land Rovers )
DC01 was bought shortly after they came out many years ago.
When first "hoovering" the carpets, previously cleaned by a hoover upright, the clear container was filled up every 2 square feet or so with dust. I really am not joking.
Were we impressed? You bet! We didn't believed it to start with but I hated the plastic and colour.

The second (DC02) was to clean the stairs.
It was a better hose sucker but had a smaller dust container and a stupid rigid hose.

Eventually after a couple of years DC01 broke down and a phone call to dyson provided the spare parts free.
After a few more years DC01 was retired to the shed when we bought DC07 which surpassed the others for suction.
It has a very good means of emptying and the filter only gets cleaned rarely. It deals with fine dust better than the others.

I still hate the plastic and colour but the suction beats other smelly vacuum cleaners hands down.
Going back to using an ordinary bag vacuum cleaner is like using a posher to do the washing. They are hard work, smelly and don't do a very good job.

So far I have not seen or found another cleaner better than dyson although remain open-minded and eager to climb further dust mountains.

 

[worms]

Why would it be anything other than...

Because of the vehemence of the argument on each side. There are relatively few products that people will argue about to this extent.

 

[middi]

If you owned 125mm dia. tube woodchip/dust extractor and adapt it with a 50mm long tube extension it would make this discussion redundant.

One word of advise, be careful when your back is turned and you turn the extractor back on. I heard this disappearing MHIHaooooooo sound followed by a THUD. My daughter still thinks that the cat got run over somewhere, and it made a mess of my fan.

 

[Nemesis]

I don't feel partucularly vehement about it, domestic appliances in the main don't excite me, bread machine apart, it's just as Lime says - when I first got one I vacuumed what I thought a pretty clean carpet and was horrified and fascinated to see what it picked up. I still am...

I hated vacuums with bags, I never seemed to have enough and at times they were a pain to find, even when I had a VAX with a washable bag that was yuk to do and at times the bag and connection parted company. I tended also to let them get overfull and they split.

The Dyson I simply empty into the compost bin and then give the plastic bits a wash every now and then. Filters I keep spares and they wash OK.

The real problem is soot from our boiler which clogs filters instantly, so not useful when clearing up after chimney sweeping, and also building dust, but I think it not designed for those.

I also have insurance on it which is probably a waste of cash but I never quite get round to cancelling the thing in time, and thus far haven't had to use it.

But I admit freely I'm not a manic vacuumer, unlike a former colleague who would get home each evening and vacuum (whether it needed it or not!) her large living room carpet for 'relaxation'. So maybe it's lasted well as it's not exactly been overstretched.

Now washing machines - the Zanussi is still working (touch wood) after twenty four years... has had a few small repairs carried out by us from parts bought at an electrical spares place, although I do still have a hand cranked thingy with a mangle just in case. I have a couple of poss tubs also, but I think that in extremis I can use the launderette in our local town. The Dyson was too ugly to contemplate.

He's credited with being a great British inventor which was all part of the hype about his funding the Academy (grrrr) in Bath which would have seen the destruction of the now listed Newark Works, but apart from a vacuum cleaner which may or may not be a great invention depending on your experience of it, and the ballbarrow (which I have no idea if you can still buy) I'm not so sure that he's actually a rival to Brunel or Stephenson in the hearts of the nation.

PS I would like a Landy but a Fergie tractor may be a better buy here...

 

[Flyfisher]

I find it intriguing that we seem to form these love/hate attachments to inanimate objects, however the nearest I know to the polarised strength of feeling for or against Dysons is that of people's experience of Land Rovers. Perhaps its something deeper in our psyche about our expectations and relationship with British technology?

The curious thing about Land Rovers though ('proper ones', not the Disco and Rangie limos) is that even the most ardent fans that I know will admit to their terrible reliability and build quality, and I don't think anyone - even the manufacturers - try to pretend that they are comfortable. Yet they seem to be held in great affection, even by many people who have never owned or driven one.

Maybe it's because they are a design classic and this outweighs all other comparisons with other vehicles, against which they generally fare quite poorly.

 

[Me!]

I'm not sure about the die-soon description, we've still got a DC01 that we bought soon after they came out, in about 1985ish I think. It still works fine even after being heavily used including in the house during building work, although not directly on the rubble and grit as it does explicitly say in the instructions that it is not suitable for this. This model is too old to have washable filters though, which is annoying as they do block up so the 100% of the suction, 100% of the time claim just isn't true in real life.

PS. Yes, I've had loads of Land Rovers over the years and I love them!

 

[Nemesis]

I used to wash the supposedly unwashables. I can't see any difference apart from colour!

It's a DC02 though.

 

[AMc]

We've had a Dyson 02 for about 8 years(?) Cleaner cracked the lid by doubling over the papery filters instead of letting us know it needed new ones. One call to Dyson and £30 later is was good as new. I also bought the washable filters after that and cursed my cheap skate nature for not doing it to start with.

All was well for 4 years then it made a shocking grinding noise and burning smell and I decided to call again. £55 and just 2 days later it was looked at in my home, had a new motor and because the engineer thought it prudent, a new cable reel too.

My brother has a hatred of dyson similar to mine loathing of Chelsea Tractors. The one he inherited bit him and then broke down. It was only 2 years old. I suspect the quality of construction went down, not necessarily when they moved manufacturing out of the UK but certainly after it.

I applaud any manufacturer who is happy to repair old items at a reasonable price rather than make you buy a new one.

My non-dyson washing machine was declared beyond ecomomic repair after 2 years which still raises my blood pressure now when I think about it.

 

[Nemesis]

I know it's barmy of me to be paying insurance - but this has just confirmed that I should cancel it! (it's sloth which has enabled it to carry on... I could have bought another machine by now...)

I assume that this call out happens regardless and no-one else has such insurance?

I think it will replace it though if things go wrong.

 

[CHRIS]

If you ever go to any buisness that employs cleaning contractors they nearly always use Henrys and I have never seen them use Dysons, just a small point. Why spend twice the price on a Dyson over the £90 red Henry one.

 

[Penners]

Y-A-A-A-W-N.....

 

[Lime]

Night night Penners.

If you ever go to any buisness that employs cleaning contractors they nearly always use Henrys and I have never seen them use Dysons, just a small point. Why spend twice the price on a Dyson over the £90 red Henry one.

Not very many cleaning contractors have to clean a house IME.
The jolly looking Henrys have been hard sold to those who hardly ever do anything at home.

By way of comparison, I was watching my son's scout master struggling with a "henry" cleaning the scout hut carpet. I suggested he put it down and make a cup of tea while I went home and brought in the dyson.

As I started to dyson the the old scout hut carpet it looked as though I was mowing the lawn as there was a line of different carpet where the dyson had been.

The scout master was convinced.

 

[worms]

Of course if you want a serious cyclone you can always follow these guys and build your own:

http://codesmiths.com/shed/workshop/techniques/cyclones/