bad things about a DYSON (1 Viewer)

I know there's a thread about how great Dyson vacuums are. Everyone I know who has one says they are the best thing since sliced bread.

Can you all tell me anything BAD about them? Do they really really honestly never ever lose suction? Do they break easily? Something bad? Anything bad?

Before I go spending this amount of money, I need to know.

Thanks!

MC

The flexible hose for the extension split and the replacement was 50.00 !

I really wish it had a retractable power cord... those are my only gripes. I have the "Animal", but don't feel the attachments are worth the premium, go for the basic.

We've had ours about 9 months now - absolutely no problems.

They are expensive. That is the lone gripe. Functionally they work great. Our housekeeper has told all of her clients to get one because it works so well.

Well I have never owned a Dyson however I worked for Best Buy in the merchandise department and every other department on the floor would use a vacuum off the shelf (usually a Dyson).

I remember stocking the shelves in computers and hearing a loud noise coming from media (where all the video games and movies are). Something got caught in the Dyson which kept the sweeper from spinning. I have no idea if they use belts or if its directly driven but this vacuum wasn't being used anytime soon.

The model being used was the DC07 since best buy has very low lying floors and if my memory serves me correctly the vacuum broke in half at the time something got stuck in it.

Well you would guess that employees really don't have a lot respect for equipment that isn't theirs so they wind up beating the crap out of it. Especially since this is a vacuum because the employees want to get cleaning done fast so they can leave and they bump into things.

I never saw it but after hours some of them would fool around and play vacuum derby.

So there you have it a plastic piece of junk. If you really want a great vacuum go for an Electrolux but not the new kind you see in sears stores that are all plastic. Another company bought the name and are selling those in sears and I hear bad things about them coming from the sales rep.

The Electrolux you want is all metal. We have the Golden Jubilee which works great. They still make and sell older style electrolux brands such as the Guardian, Aerus and the Lux 9000. All three have hepa filtration and each one has it's pros and cons but if your only concern is suction then one of those would be for you.

In addition if you really want to go wild on suction a central Vacuum might interest you. Hands down one central motor with service locations throughout the house has the best suction then any portable vacuum.

We were considering doing that and going with Nutone but the price and labor has kind of put that on hold if ever.

For these vacuums your looking at upwards of a grand. They aren't cheap but the one we have sure can take a beating and keep working. For the price of today's vacuums being upwards of $500 it would be worth it to spend the extra money.

Only one thing bothers me about my Dyson:

I can't figure out how to keep the front end down.

I guess I have to shorten my swing when vacuuming, but after a few back and forth strokes, the front starts to lift up so in order to keep it down, I have to make the handle angle more perpendicular to the floor, or use my foot to press down the front of the vacuum to keep it down on the ground.

Not a huge deal, but it'd be cool if there was a fix

We've had Dysons in the UK for many years and they are v. popular over here. I don't understand the remark about expense - nearly all good vacuum cleaners are expensive. Sure, you can pick up cheaper cleaners - and in most cases you'll rapidly discover why they are cheaper.

My parents (in their seventies, both with arthritis) resisted getting a Dyson because they said it was too heavy but they relented in the end and the only complaint they have now is the lack of a retractable cord.

As regards which model of Dyson to get, unless you have specialist cleaning needs, I'd advise one of the no frills models, but perhaps go one model up from the most basic so you get a more powerful motor.

Andrew,
Unfortunately some folks are cheap natured so they can't get past this point. Cost is a stumbling block for some.

One negative if this matters, they aren't highly thought of by Consumer Reports.

My friends have the Animal as well and the extension hose split and one of the attachments (turbo brush?) broke into several pieces and had to be replaced when it wouldn't stay together. They also said that despite the claims of dust free container emptying, they still have particles flying sometimes. Despite all that, they claim to like it.

I bought the Animal about a year ago and it's held together. Nothing really special about these things...it's just a vacuum cleaner. It doesn't work really any better or worse than the upper end Hoover models I've owned. The extension pole for the attachments is a PITA so I rarely use it for anything more than baseboard edging......never have found a use for the little accessory turbine head.

Save your money for new audio video gear....you'll get more use out of it and enjoy it while your using it (vs vacuuming the stinking floor)

Mort

I dunno, Mort, stuff is accumulating in the corners (whose idea was this berber carpet?).

I might go to Home Depot and really fiddle around with the Dyson on display there, which is what prompted me to start this thread.

I feel... Guilty!



If I buy a $500+ vacuum cleaner, it better be the last goddamn vacuum cleaner I ever buy.

MC

Good luck, they don't make things like they used to. The quality has severely degraded and they make cheap stuff to turn a profit, have it break so you'll go out and buy a new one or maybe they just use cheap materials.

Either way, why would you buy the same brand???

Go to a vacuum shop and look at the Dysons lined up for repair. They usually have quite a few. The Dyson, when demonstrated, did not have equal suction across the length of the brush bar. I picked a Royal after watching a Dyson demo. It's made of steel. Easy to take apart. Has much better suction. A year later, we are switching to hardwood so I'm going to have a $400 that I'm going to have to sell.

Originally Posted by Micah Cohen
If I buy a $500+ vacuum cleaner, it better be the last goddamn vacuum cleaner I ever buy.


You think thats bad, my wife bought a $1,500 Rainbow vacuum!!! I just told her "whatever you want, just don't bitch at my hobbies". This thing is a pain to haul around being a canister model but the dust goes into a container in the canister filled with water. There is no dust that re-enters the air. You should see the water when we go to empty it, we are neat freaks and it amazes us how dirty it gets.

I don't understand this at all. You've pointed out that people won't take care of things, but then the Dyson is qualified as a plastic piece of junk inspite of the abuse? I'm confused.

All pieces of equipment require a good amount of care, and I often sometimes wonder about things that get broken by others. I have the DC Ball model, and I take it apart once a month to clean out some gunk from time to time.

But I'll agree on some points and say that metal appliances mostly trump their plastic equivalents.

So to answer the original question, I see only two drawbacks to the Dyson
1. High Maintenance
- But that's just appliance discipline on my part. No matter what I invest in, I take great care of it. You'll need to clean the filter once every six months and empty the canister quite a bit. And "moist" particles tend to clog certain parts of the Vacuum.

2. High Cost
- 0% financing should take care of that.

The predictable thread fart.

I did a ton of researching and tried many different vacuums. I wanted a REAL HEPA vacuum to reduce dust in my house. This means that the vacuum SYSTEM is HEPA certified and not just the filter. Miele is one of the very few companies that is HEPA certified (i.e. no dust leaks or blows back into the environment). I don't believe that Dyson holds such a certification. Dysons are certainly better than Hoovers and other crappy

Henry:

I've owned an Animal probably not long enough to help you, Micah. I still love the thing. My sister, however, sucked up a nail in hers and broke the J-Tube at the bottom. It was replaced for $25.

The Dysons may be plastic and expensive, but I do think they're well-designed. And even when they do break, they can usually be user-diagnosed and serviced with parts available online.

I will also toss in a good word for the Rainbow vacuums. They're expensive as hell, but if you buy one, it really will be the last one you buy. At least it won't break on you. However, you may see something particularly gross while emptying it one day and vow never to use it again. Like the Dyson, they don't lose suction, but not at all for the same reason or because of similar design.

Micah, if you're inclined to consider other options, Bed Bath & Beyond has a Shark Infinity that appears to be something of a Dyson knockoff. I don't know if this vacuum infringes on Dyson patents, or what the status is of any agreements may be pending between the two companies, so buyer beware.

Still, it appears that when the wand/handle is attached, the air flows through the wand and hose. So just pulling the wand/handle from the base allows you to have instant suction/reach with the attachments, whereas on the Dyson, you have to extend/retract the wand from/to inside the hose. It's not a big deal, but it seems to be a simpler design.

However, the hose attaches to the vacuum at a high-enough point that pulling on it will probably cause it to fall over -- something to which the Dyson is steadfastly immune.

Yeah, I know. More options isn't what you want right now.

Sorry.

FWIW, I own the Dyson Animal and have for the past 12 months or so. I wouldn't think of changing it out for another(or hope not to). Not an issue whatsoever.

0% financing did help