When you look at vacuums in the US, they're all rated in Amps, which seems weird.
The other problem there is that the cable has to be a good deal more chunky, and if it's too chunky, handling it and winding it up becomes a problem.
That's been there for a long time (even my DC04 has it), but maybe not back to the original ones.
Yep, they all seem to be bragging about having a 12A motor these days.
I've not noticed it to be significantly different to the UK, TBH - they are perhaps a little thicker than typical UK ones, but seem to be more pliable than UK flexes/cords/cables (pick your preferred term) so in reality wind just as easily. They do get noticably warm after long periods of use.
I am *really* glad to be rid of sodding great UK power plugs, though ;-)
cheers
Jules
The Americans do the same thing for hand dryers found in many loos across here - typically 230V 10A.
I suppose it makes it easier, on the face of it, for their electricians to decide the 'gage of wire' to be used from the 'panel' :-)
But the USA plugs are more liable to fall out if they have a heavy flex.
More likely it's to prevent involuntary circumcision.
Of course it will cost you a lot more if you have to pay for bags.
Tim
Yet you're apparently willing to spend around £60 a year buying "cheap" vacuum cleaners. Indeed from you original post, you have an unbroken track record of buying unreliable junk.
The Sebos aren't "a very clever marketing campaign" in fact there's very little marketing of them. I first became aware of the brand because I spend a lot of time staying in hotels around the world, and the vast majority use Sebo, those that don't use Numatic (Henry) and a few use Orek. These cleaners will be in use seven days a week for at least five hours a day.
You seem to suffer from "cognitive dissonance" where you are judging objects as desirable/not desirable based purely on the fact that you can only afford £60 and seem to want someone to tell you that £60 will buy you something that isn't shit. Since this isn't going to happen, you'll have to accept that there's a price to pay to get something that's well designed and built.
Well, first they have huge bags, 10 litre IIRC and you have the cloth bag option. Personally I'd rather pay for a 'seal & dispose' bag than muck about emptying a Dyson. Granted its a running cost, albeit a small one.
The only complaint you ever got about Sebo's was that the bag filled up really quickly - which was because they pulled all the dirt out of the carpet that other machines had left behind. After a short while that evened out.
My experience of heavy duty cleaning (from quite a long time ago) saw the odd Henry-like beast, lots of BVCs (I think the domestic versions were Goblin), the odd Hoover, Electrolux or some other domestic machine
- and Nilfisk. And what I loved about them was their quietness. Nice, simple, effective machines. And expensive. But when it comes to uprights, there is only one worth buying - Sebo. Otherwise, get a cylinder, maybe a Miele.
I worked for Nilfisk for a few years and I agree - best tub vacs ever made, but expensive. Used to find them in Hospitals a lot, lasted for years & years.
The Danes could never get to grips with Numatic's Henry. They were just gobsmacked that anyone would buy such rubbish, so poorly made, with such poor filteration. It wasn't just knocking the competition, it was genuine amazement.
Yup.
Lot of that about, though - never underestimate folks' failure to grasp the economics of replacing a costly thing once in their lifetime vs. a cheap one every couple of years.
They'll just bitch and gripe about how expensive the longer-lasting item is, oblivious to how the costs of the cheaper item mounts up :-(
Just checked the bags and there 5 litres, my Miele has 6 litre bags
-;)....and fill up pretty fast.
We use to hate emptying the Dyson, bagged is so much better; no dust all over the place, no sneezing and very convenient as the bags automatically seal shut.
Dyson filtration isn't all that, see this video:
Interesting that Nilfisk dominated the hospital market for years, selling value, quality, duarbility, long service life, great after sales service, top levels of filteration etc. Not uncommon to find 20 year old machine still in daily use.
Then along came Maggie & CCT. Cleaning contracts were awarded on a one year basis, so the contractors went for low cost machines they could amortise over 12 months.
I'm not so sure _these_ days that a NHS hospital's use of a particular vac is a great recommendation... :-)
The job that I worked in used Nilfisk and 31 years later I was saying goodby to them. They had never broken down, but were a bit large for the domestic arena.
Dave
Huh, there's a bit of a difference between, say, a 30 quid Black & Decker and a forty quid Bosch than between a 60 quid upright and a 230 quid upright. In fact, the difference is more than "a bit".
By the tone of your voice ("I am right; my name is Steve Firth") I should reckon you believe EVERYone should be able to afford a Sebo.
I am not running a hotel. Just like I don't need a JCB instead of a spade for the garden.
Ah, so Sebos are a mass-market item, yes?
What you OUGHT to be asking is, why aren't the cheaper brands far better in their design and build quality? It ain't rocket science to produce a plastic housing and fit it with an electric motor, some tubing and a dust collector. You must believe that such a task is beyond the whit of man unless the punter forks out well over 200 quid for the pleasure.
MM
No, I simply believe that you're a cheapskate. And you've provided the evidence of that.
Don't be ridiculous. Tens of thousands of customers buy cheaper products. That doesn't make them cheapskates. Many just cannot afford the kinds of prices that Sebo and Miele charge. Learn to understand the real world as lived by ordinary people, not the few Fred the Shred types who live in ivory towers with money to burn.
MM
I don't consider myself to be a cheapskate - but would not want to tie up so much in domestic machinery - when I know and expect appealing innovations to come along - and I quite like having something new - without caring whether it has really reached the end of its fantastic life. I usually undertake one repair before and then think about a change next time there is a problem. I would not go as far as changing a motor for example - but I would and have put brushes in a washing machine before considering a swop. I still have a CRT TV as a LCD offers me no additional functionality. My Dyson DC07 works well and I keep it clean and don't knock it about so I expect about 12 years out of it the way it is going. My 3rd Indesit Washer in over 35 years is still going strong although I had to use some epoxy putty inside the door moulding to fix a broken web. My Hoover Dishwasher has been no trouble in 10 years except a cracked corner on the worktop cover. Combi 21 years - etc.
I can afford a Miele or Sebo - but frankly I don't consider the additional 'quality' features to be of value to me.
I don't feel the need for anything better if it costs 3 times the price
But you appear to have money to burn. You're spending more on vacuum cleaners than you would have to if you bought a Sebo. What you seem to suffer from is "chavonomics" where you think paying for something ten times over is cheaper than paying four times the price once.
And "don't be ridiculous" yourself.
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