Cordless Vacuum

[VicParticipant @vic]

My white goods operator has been complaining about the provided emphysematous Dyson for quite some time. But, what to buy? I’ve read numerous reviews and nothings perfect, they all seem to have the obligatory downsides. One thing that has always defied my own brand of logic is having these tiny motors and dust containers as far away as possible from the dirt and dust. They all seem to do it though, looking at John Lewis all the other manufacturers seem to have copied Dyson. Looking elsewhere I ended up back at Gtech again which I’d looked at some time ago. They too seem to get variable reviews. At least though they’ve taken a logical approach (to me) at putting the motor and dust collection at the bottom. It arrived yesterday and first impressions are it works very well. We’ll have to see how long the initial euphoria lasts …

[Richard SimpsonParticipant @richardsimpson88330]

I think, as with so many appliances nowadays, they are way more complicated than they need to be and incorporate vast amounts of completely unnecessary technology. At the end of the day its job is to pick up dust and dirt and deposit into a container that is the easy to empty when full. I want a battery that lasts longer than one day over the warranty period and I want an item that does not need to be connected to a mobile phone for any purpose whatsoever. If it does that I’m happy. I don’t need an array of LEDs, nor half the things these units are supposed to be capable of nowadays. There again Dyson has to try to justify his eye watering prices somehow!

[Bill PhinnParticipant @billphinn90025]

After going through numerous Dysons of various quality from abysmal to passable, a £400 Shark whose floor unit failed within 11 months, and two other Amazon cordless vacuums with unpronounceable brand names, we currently have two Numatic NQ100s, bought 12 and 18 months ago.

We use these for living areas, not workshop. They seem to have more suction than all the other cordless vacuums we’ve owned put together, are very clean (with disposable pods) and do everything we want except stand dependably in a corner without falling over. A wall hanging bracket is supplied but it’s a faff.

Anyone considering a Shark should watch this

[Andrew TinsleyParticipant @andrewtinsley63637]

If I take a look at the local recycling centre. They have a cage  full vacuum cleaners. At a rough count, well over half of these cleaners are Dyson. Draw your own conclusions.

Andrew.

[DMRParticipant @dmr]

My son gave me a Dyson that had just stopped, to fix. Nothing obvious, fuse OK, etc. Having removed all the screws it was apparent that the thing was still held together with plastic clips which I could just see but not release. Having broken one of them I concluded that one was never meant to get into it without destroying the thing.

Moral of the story seems to be to make sure the thing fails in the first year, then they give you another one, ad infinitum.

Dennis

[Robert ButlerParticipant @robertbutler92161]

No they don’t replacement warranties expire on the same date as the original item.

Robert Butler

 

[Charles LamontParticipant @charleslamont71117]

Vacuum cleaners are one of the most popular items brought in to our local Repair Cafe.

They are frequently suffering from a failure to carry out the most basic maintenance, often plugged up with unsavoury crud or long hair wrapped round the works.

[Andrew Tinsley]

On Andrew Tinsley Said:

If I take a look at the local recycling centre. They have a cage  full vacuum cleaners. At a rough count, well over half of these cleaners are Dyson. Draw your own conclusions.

Andrew.

The evidence is insufficient.  Assuming Andrew’s observation is typical, and he’s not simply noticed a random build up at one recycling centre, I can suggest a few hypotheses.  Probably more, and they might overlap:

1. Dyson vacuum cleaners fail more often than other makes.
2. All vacuum cleaners cleaners fail at about the same rate but Dysons are much more popular than other makes.  More being recycled because more of them exist.
3. Dysons are bought as bling, causing old models to be replaced prematurely by the latest showpiece.

Before coming to a conclusion it’s necessary to investigate further.

As we know, an engineer is defined as man who does for a quid what any fool can do for a guinea.   Vacuum cleaners, and many other domestic products, include planned obsolescence.  They are designed to fail after ‘n’ years and to be difficult to repair so that the maker doesn’t go bankrupt.    The outlook for a manufacturer producing an immortal product is grim; once the market is saturated they cannot make a profit.  Arguably Myford the manufacturer would still be with us if their lathes weren’t so hard wearing!

The original vacuum cleaner worked very well.  A motor drove a fan that pushed dirty air into a paper filter bag that exhausted via a cloth cover.   Main problem was emptying and replacing the paper bag, and a tendency for the outer cloth cover to slowly choke up.  Later designs looked fancy and were lighter, but – in my experience – were built in a way that allowed leaks to develop.   So they work well for a year, and then gradually lose suck, until the owner gets fed up and buys a new one.

Dyson eliminated the paper bag filter, making emptying the machine easier and cleaner.  He also improved the suck.  Cyclone dust extractors date back well over a century, but scaling them down from a diameter of few metres into a domestic appliance requires very careful optimisation.  For example, dust extraction works more efficiently with increasing vortex speed, making it desirable to drive the fan very fast, say 100,000rpm.  And having done that, the air-flow has to be managed so the dust drops out in the container, not in the pipework or motor.

My vacuum is a cyclone based VAX about 5 years old.  Time revealed room for improvement!  Dust collects in the wrong places and the seals are leaking.   It’s imperfect cyclone extractor is backed up by a pair of paper filters needing regular maintenance.   Scored 8/10 when new, down to 4/10 now.   I’m close to replacing it, and might try a Commercial Cleaner.   These are made for hard work in hotels etc. and might last forever doing light duty in my home.   But be careful: initial research found a number of cleaners described as “commercial” on the web that are suspiciously cheap.   In contrast my  ancient Aquavax is still going strong.  The design is very simple and I’ve repaired it twice.  Sadly, though brilliant in the workshop, it’s too cumbersome in the house.   It’s much the same as a Henry.

Like Richard I don’t need LEDs, but my mum does.  She’s too fragile to have her cataracts fixed…

Dave

[VicParticipant @vic]

I didn’t think we needed LED’s either, but having a row of them on the front to illuminate the area in front of the machine seems a good idea to me. First Vacuum cleaner we’ve had with this feature, but I know some corded vacuums have had “headlights” for many decades.

[roy entwistleParticipant @royentwistle24699]

The principles of the Dyson vac are good, the fault is that they are made of Cr*p

[roy entwistle]

On roy entwistle Said:

The principles of the Dyson vac are good, the fault is that they are made of Cr*p

There’s no reason why a Dyson can’t suck the dirt into a large, strong plastic bucket attached with a couple of robust clips. Just like a Henry…..

[Clive SteerParticipant @clivesteer55943]

I recently had to repair my Dyson handheld vacuum cleaner not because a battery or electronic failure but because of simple piece of plastic. The red trigger for operating the device simply failed through poor design and an inadequate thickness plastic at a stress location. To get to the part in order to replace it involves virtually a total dismantling of the cleaner. It wasn’t apparent that Dyson sold a replacement part but would offer to refurbish it although I suspect they would just be selling you a new one at discount.

Luckily the need for a replacement part has been recognised by others, indicating it is a common failure, who can supply one. The non-dyson part has more material where needed so should last longer.

I have found the Dyson DC 05 and DC 08 vacuums to be extremely good and robust, swallowing anything from lathe/milling swarf to brick/plaster/cement dust. My DC 05 came out of a skip some 20 yrs ago. The mains switch had broken so I shorted it out and switch it on/off at the socket outlet. Their suck is amazing and quick and easy to empty with no bag to replace.

A friend who did wood turning used a water butt and a traffic cone to make cyclone capable of swallowing a considerable amount of wood shavings and dust see generated and used Dyson as the source of vacuum making a two stage cyclone.

I use my airline to clear the very fine dust that can get trapped within a Dyson and of course my workshop Dyson’s are never used in the house.

Clive S

[GeorgineerParticipant @georgineer]

A lot of interesting points here.

Bill: My purely subjective conclusion (from bitter experience at the Repair Cafe) is that Shark is the worst to try and repair. Perhaps the clue is in the name.

Charles: Crud indeed, but even when people have meticulously cleaned their cleaners, there is often a blocked filter they haven’t discovered.

Dave: Paper bags? They’re a bit modern. My 1920s Goblin only had a cloth bag.

Vic: My Mum’s pre-war upright had a built-in headlight. Sadly, I can’t remember the make. I’ll take a look next time I visit the museum.

George

[Clive SteerParticipant @clivesteer55943]

I like the remark made by Charles about vacuum cleaners appearing at a Repair Cafe and how some people may think they work like Magicians Hats that simply make stuff disappear.

At a repair cafe I attend I had a radio to repair that had spent its entire life in a kitchen. I had to take it to the washroom and scrub the outside before attempting to fix it.

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