Dyson DIY?

These guys may be able to help.

They are one of the few examples where substituting a major metal component with plastic was beneficial ,one time the body was made of metal . After a decade of abuse by various users picking up nasty waste one I had obtained rusted through, the replacement plastic one hasn’t and that has been in service for at least a dozen years.

In the home though a Sebo has given good service for about 18 years and shows no sign of distress yet except occasionally a conductor has fractured where the flex enters the handle, easy fix as two screws give access to the terminals enabling a quick shortening of the flex by a couple of inches removing the broken section.

GH

We have a Shark rechargeable which has provided good service. It's probably about 8 years old now, but like Trigger's Broom parts of it are younger. The motor housing is about 5 years old because the first one suffered what I suspect was a seized motor. That was replaced without quibble under warranty. Sadly it was not designed to be cleaned/repaired if dust had got into the bearings (as I suspect); we kept the normal and HEPA filters clean so we did everything we could. Once the replacement motor unit arrived, I tried gaining access to the motor, but even using screwdrivers as "spudgers" to push back retaining clips, and then getting a bit brutal with the case (it was destined for the tip anyway) I never did get to the motor. I bet a quick squirt with a can of compressed air was all it needed.

We did well out of it because we ended up with a spare battery so we now have the luxury of one battery on charge while the other is in use.

The only non-motor part of it that is starting to get a bit sloppy is the fixing that keeps the handle vertical when the vac is not in use, and yet which allows the handle to be bent backwards when pushing the vac along a carpet. That is starting to get a bit droopy so we have to take care to lean the handle against something or else it sags and then moves the C of G outside the base so the thing tips over. Probably four spring-loaded plungers at 0, 90, 180 and 270 degrees to keep the handle vertical, and the plungers are starting to stick or a spring is getting weak.

But generally a good vac: nice that the motor unit can be detached from the handle/beater unit for handheld vacuuming of skirting boards etc. So much easier to move around that a big mains-powered vac.

About the only criticism is that the deeply ribbed hose is a trap for dust and fluff and larger objects, so there are certain "throats" that I know from bitter experience are inclined to get clogged. It pays to keep an eye on the dust receptacle to check that dust/fluff is still circulating; if it's not, there's a blockage somewhere. Sadly the motor note doesn't change when that happens, which is the usual indicator with other vacs.