I have succumbed to SWMBO and have bought a Dyson DC07. I have already taken the wheels off to lubricate the spindles!!!!
Any tips on preventative care / maintenance. I recall seeing old threads about cables breaking and switches failing. Not sure of the models though.
It occurred to me that the main head pivot could be vulnerable.
What surprises me is the number of Dysons I see discarded at the local "recylcing centre" each time I go there. They can't have been around that long can they? My Panasonic is still working well after >10years..
Some people seem quite hopeless with many appliances. Often they buy items that are unsuitable and become disillusioned with the item.
My 18 year old Indesit is still doing a good job after only one set of brushes. A neighbour ditched a 4 month old washer because it jumped around! I guess it was the feet that were out of adjustment - however, she swears she will never buy a xxxxxxxx again - even the store seems to attract some of the blame.
Yup - I bought a Panasonic on the recommendation of Which, and apart from the bulb has never given any trouble. My next door neighbour's Dyson, however, bought at the same time, has had countless repairs and she's just bought a new one - another Dyson. Madness.
Just in case anyone thinks I'm more gentle than she is with the things, she used to clean for me twice a week...
I've got a 4 year old DC04 which has been used entirely for cleaning up building work (wasn't bought for that purpose, but that's what it ended up being used for). It's worked perfectly. The hose has now just worn out, as a result of being used to suck up loads of rubble, and the inside of the dust canister has been well and truely sand blasted, but the thing is working fine. You have to wash the filter after a couple of days of sucking up many canister fulls of plaster dust, but a bagged cleaner is useless for this type of thing -- if the bag catches the fine dust it clogs, and if it doesn't clog, that's because it isn't catching the fine dust. However, I'm aware the Dysons are fragile, and I handle it carefully -- I'm not suggesting for one moment they are really suitable for building work use.
I also have a DC07 which is used for household cleaning, and that has had no problems. The DC07 has many design improvements over the DC04, improving its usability, and also its suck is noticably more powerfull.
My uncle fixes vacs for a living and reckons the DC07 is not the same quality as the previous models... moved production abroad by any chance?
Henry rules! ;-)
Mark S.
Yes. The day I see Dyson being used by contract cleaners is the day I'll think them decent value.
Hopefully it has improved then. A few more moves and they may be worth considering.
I always make a point of telling anyone I see in Currys (or wherever) looking at a Dyson not to bother and to buy a proper model.
Brian
There was a bit of a furore about 12 months ago IIRC because they moved manufacuring from Wales to the far east. Lots of bad press at the time.
They tried all the usual excuses like "we`ve got to do it or the costs will close us down", but in truth, they`d been based in Wales from the start, now had bigger share of the marketplace, and had been happy with the return from the sales with manufacturing based here - it had been enough to grow them from nothing to a major player.
Its all down to greed.
I have a DC01 - bog standard simple one, and the only problem we`ve ever had was a belt burning out - because there was a sock jammed around the spinny thing :-)
We`ve been quite happy with it, and it works far better than the upright electrolux it replaced.
More Dysons are sold than any other model, so you will se more about. You can have the whole thing refurbished for about £50. They will even put in a new motor for that price if needed. No other makers comes near to parts availability and service like that. I have had one for 7 years and it still goes brilliantly. Far better than the silly bag one I had before. It really does suck better.
Notice my local Curries have a huge display of Dyson spares. And not just normal service items like belts and brushes etc.
Commendable, I'm sure, but given that these places don't take up valuable floor space with slow selling items, I think it should tell you something.
Of course it doesn't surprise me that your Dyson has never given trouble. You have that magic touch with so much else.
How many commercial cleaners do you see with Dysons...?
None, of course. They are expensive, gimmicky and from what I've read here, fragile and unreliable.
All the office cleaners I've seen have Henry's, and to much utter astonishment I've seen a hotel cleaner in the USA using a Zebo. (I was astonished because they're German, and if Americans will use a non-US product, it's got to be *brilliant*.)
We have a Zebo, and I'd happily buy another.
I had loss of suction and smell of burning after 15 months. A whole new suction unit/bin solved the problem. Apparently there was a manufacturing defect with the cyclone tubes - there were rough edges from the casting, and dirt builds up where you can't get in to clean it (well you can with a hose, but that's not part of the normal maintenance!).
A couple of weeks ago the smell of burning returned, together with a popping sound (like electrical arcing). Motor was burnt out - I wonder whether the earlier problem was the root cause?
Luckily, my guarantee (2 years) doesn't expire until next Feb, but it does make you wonder - our previous Electrolux lasted 10 years no probs, then a Panasonic lasted 8 years with no probs (I still use it in the garage and for decorating as the Dyson doesn't like plaster dust).
I assume that when Microsoft make their first vacuum cleaner, it will be the only thing they have ever made that doesn't suck?
We've got a DC04 that we've had since 2000 that is used for cleaning cars, carpets, stairs, hard floors and furniture. It's also been used for cleaining up brick and plaster dust when I've been installing surface mount electrical boxes and cat 5 sockets.
Never had a single problem with it except I broke the stair tool once when I trod on it. They sent another under guarantee.
I bought the air-powered stair tool with brush-bar thingy and that is fabulous.
And the noise of the machine scares the shit out of the cat.
How often did you change the filter ? Dont say never because plaster dust bungs up everything including Dysons :-)
Steve
What's gimmicky about them? They suck up muck, don't lose suction unless the filters are clogged and you stick it in a bin bag when the collector is full. Anything above a DC02 (I think) has lifetime washable filters that you rinse every 6 months. Browsing the Dyson site yesterday I notice they've just released a commercial model for about £250 so time will tell how successful it is.
I'll go with Andrew Gabriel on this one, only I've got a DC01 from
1995/6 that's still going strong despite missing most of its front end fittings. All its done for the last 5 years is suck up exactly the sort of things Dyson recommend you DON'T suck up - building materials and plaster and the resulting dust that's all over the house.Only recently has it started snapping fanbelts on an all too regular basis, but perhaps if I bought a new soleplate/brushbar and bumper AND put all the screws back in it might stop doing that :)
We've just got a DC07 too, and it cleaned our worst carpet in minutes
- the thing nearly takes off by itself when you switch it on!
'Rah.
-- cheers,
witchy/binarydinosaurs
I hope you explain why to them.
-- cheers,
witchy/binarydinosaurs
-- cheers,
witchy/binarydinosaurs
Amazing - I coudnt disagree more with your findings - got one, wont be buying another......
Steve
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