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> it took 5,127 prototypes and 15 years to get it right This works out to 341 prototypes a year. I understand this is based on a true story and it's probably a

> it took 5,127 prototypes and 15 years to get it right This works out to 341 prototypes a year. I understand this is based on a true story and it's probably a good vacuum cleaner, but - c'mon, give me a little break here. (edit) Worth adding - I was buying a vacuum for myself not long ago and looked at Dyson. Their marketing materials are full of exaggerations, inaccuracies and half-truths. One of their central claims is that their vacuums "do not loose suction". A reasonable question here is what happens when a dust canister fills up? Does it keep sucking dust and ejecting it back into the air? They also claim it is the only cyclonic vacuum (followed by some fine print), and this is simply not true. All in all, it is really well marketed, but otherwise severly overpriced vacuum of an average manufacturing quality (can't lift certain portable models by their carrying handle, because some seal opens up and, ironically, they loose suction) and it was designed by an interesting person. That's about it.

gamble 16y ago
I would be curious to know if anyone here has had a good experience with Dyson. The marketing woo, high price, and the flimsy, plasticky look of their vacuums has always turned me off.
- enko 16y ago
  I happened to need a new vacuum a few months ago, and I asked a professional cleaner friend for her advice (don't laugh - it's a very lucrative business here in Sydney). She said, basically, Nilfisk or Miele, whichever's on sale. I asked about Dyson since I'd also been at least somewhat impressed by their marketing materials. The response was that while their performance is reasonable in a light use context, they are not at all durable and their use is unheard of in a commercial environment. They also have no commercial products, which is a red flag because while a company's marketing might be able to bamboozle consumers, the professionals are far less impressed with glossy brochures and only concerned with consistent performance, reliability and TCO. Nilfisk and Miele have commercial products. That was pretty much "case closed" for my decision making process and I bought a Nilfisk. YMMV.
  - retube 16y ago
    Yeah. I've always taken the same view. Dyson's are not used by comercial cleaners _anywhere_. A big brand for pro cleaners is Henry. You can buy for a £100. The suction is immense, they're super durable, you can get the head into the smallest/lowest spaces and they don't really seem to lose suction that i've noticed, even when the bag is jammed full.
- vixen99 16y ago
  Nothing but praise for my Dyson. It's a brilliant machine. The negative comments here just don't chime with my experience. How about a comment from the competition? Hoover's Vice President for Europe, Mike Rutter, said on UK national TV: "I do regret that Hoover as a company did not take the product technology off Dyson; it would have lain on the shelf and not been used".
- janjan 16y ago
  The german magazin "Stiftung Warentest" (a _very_ respected organization) did some extensive vacuum testing a few weeks ago. You can see the ranking here (unfortunately in German): http://www.stern.de/wissen/technik/stiftung-warentest-ueber-staubsauger-box-oder-beutel-1667151.html http://www.stern.de/wissen/technik/stiftung-warentest-ueber-... The tested Dyson made last place (from 12 contestants) with mostly average results. It's the most expensive and least effective machine they tested. The biggest disadvantage is the sound level: it was so noisy that it was downgraded.
  - wazoox 16y ago
    It got the best note, not the last one. Unless the best possible note is 0... At least that's what I understand from the pages you're pointing to.
    - jsnell 16y ago
      No, it lost. Germans generally rate things with 1 being the best score, and higher numbers being worse.
      - eru 16y ago
        Six (or very long ago five) is usually the worst number.
    - janjan 16y ago
      The grading system in Germany is quite complicated. We have one were 1 = "very good" (this is the classic system of Schulnoten which is used quite often) and one were 0 = "the worst". For more details have a look at Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grade_(education)#Germany http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grade_(education)#Germany
      - eru 16y ago
        And at the end of Highschool (Gymnasium) you have one that goes from 00 to 15. 15 being the best. It is strange.
- latch 16y ago
  It was ok, but it wasn't worth the price. Consumer Report suggested something else when I looked....pretty much stating the $400 or so premium (3x the price!) wasn't close to worth it. I agree. Honestly, if your canister vacuum is losing suction when it starts to fill out, save yourself $400 and empty it out..you'll need to do that anyways.
ElbertF 16y ago
All vacuum cleaners I've owned became completely useless after one or two sessions of cleaning. We now have a Dyson and I don't notice a difference in suction with an empty canister or a 90% full one and don't need to empty it for weeks, it's great.
- jrockway 16y ago
  I have a Miele canister vacuum, and this does not hold true. It's quite powerful until the bag fills up.
cubicle67 16y ago
yeah, not sure about that number either. From memory he spent about 3 years working everyday in his shed perfecting the design. Prototypes were made from cardboard or metal and he kept details records This is the guy who invented the Sea Truck (which I have vague memories that it was involved in some battle in the middle east), the ballbarrow (a simplitic/obvious invention that no one had come up with previously) and a few other things. The idea for the vacuum came from the fume extractor which in turn was inspired by a large commercial extraction unit between his (James') home and work. to adress some of your points (I own a 5 year old Dyson): - don't lose suction only applies until the canister is full, then well... it's full and needs emptying. Based on my experience, this claim holds true. - they fineprint after "only cyclonic vacuum" probably says "with no filter" or something. Our's has a hepa filter, but that only needs a wash every few years. Most other cyclonic vacuums I've seen have a filter that requires cleaning. - build quality on ours is great. Thing is tough as nails and looks like it'll still be going strong in 10 years time
Tichy 16y ago
Reminds me of Dyson's fanless fan, which actually had a fan in it's base.

gamble 16y ago

I would be curious to know if anyone here has had a good experience with Dyson. The marketing woo, high price, and the flimsy, plasticky look of their vacuums has always turned me off.

enko 16y ago
I happened to need a new vacuum a few months ago, and I asked a professional cleaner friend for her advice (don't laugh - it's a very lucrative business here in Sydney). She said, basically, Nilfisk or Miele, whichever's on sale. I asked about Dyson since I'd also been at least somewhat impressed by their marketing materials. The response was that while their performance is reasonable in a light use context, they are not at all durable and their use is unheard of in a commercial environment. They also have no commercial products, which is a red flag because while a company's marketing might be able to bamboozle consumers, the professionals are far less impressed with glossy brochures and only concerned with consistent performance, reliability and TCO. Nilfisk and Miele have commercial products. That was pretty much "case closed" for my decision making process and I bought a Nilfisk. YMMV.
- retube 16y ago
  Yeah. I've always taken the same view. Dyson's are not used by comercial cleaners _anywhere_. A big brand for pro cleaners is Henry. You can buy for a £100. The suction is immense, they're super durable, you can get the head into the smallest/lowest spaces and they don't really seem to lose suction that i've noticed, even when the bag is jammed full.
vixen99 16y ago
Nothing but praise for my Dyson. It's a brilliant machine. The negative comments here just don't chime with my experience. How about a comment from the competition? Hoover's Vice President for Europe, Mike Rutter, said on UK national TV: "I do regret that Hoover as a company did not take the product technology off Dyson; it would have lain on the shelf and not been used".
janjan 16y ago
The german magazin "Stiftung Warentest" (a _very_ respected organization) did some extensive vacuum testing a few weeks ago. You can see the ranking here (unfortunately in German): http://www.stern.de/wissen/technik/stiftung-warentest-ueber-staubsauger-box-oder-beutel-1667151.html http://www.stern.de/wissen/technik/stiftung-warentest-ueber-... The tested Dyson made last place (from 12 contestants) with mostly average results. It's the most expensive and least effective machine they tested. The biggest disadvantage is the sound level: it was so noisy that it was downgraded.
- wazoox 16y ago
  It got the best note, not the last one. Unless the best possible note is 0... At least that's what I understand from the pages you're pointing to.
  - jsnell 16y ago
    No, it lost. Germans generally rate things with 1 being the best score, and higher numbers being worse.
    - eru 16y ago
      Six (or very long ago five) is usually the worst number.
  - janjan 16y ago
    The grading system in Germany is quite complicated. We have one were 1 = "very good" (this is the classic system of Schulnoten which is used quite often) and one were 0 = "the worst". For more details have a look at Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grade_(education)#Germany http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grade_(education)#Germany
    - eru 16y ago
      And at the end of Highschool (Gymnasium) you have one that goes from 00 to 15. 15 being the best. It is strange.
latch 16y ago
It was ok, but it wasn't worth the price. Consumer Report suggested something else when I looked....pretty much stating the $400 or so premium (3x the price!) wasn't close to worth it. I agree. Honestly, if your canister vacuum is losing suction when it starts to fill out, save yourself $400 and empty it out..you'll need to do that anyways.

ElbertF 16y ago

All vacuum cleaners I've owned became completely useless after one or two sessions of cleaning. We now have a Dyson and I don't notice a difference in suction with an empty canister or a 90% full one and don't need to empty it for weeks, it's great.

jrockway 16y ago
I have a Miele canister vacuum, and this does not hold true. It's quite powerful until the bag fills up.

cubicle67 16y ago

yeah, not sure about that number either. From memory he spent about 3 years working everyday in his shed perfecting the design. Prototypes were made from cardboard or metal and he kept details records This is the guy who invented the Sea Truck (which I have vague memories that it was involved in some battle in the middle east), the ballbarrow (a simplitic/obvious invention that no one had come up with previously) and a few other things. The idea for the vacuum came from the fume extractor which in turn was inspired by a large commercial extraction unit between his (James') home and work. to adress some of your points (I own a 5 year old Dyson): - don't lose suction only applies until the canister is full, then well... it's full and needs emptying. Based on my experience, this claim holds true. - they fineprint after "only cyclonic vacuum" probably says "with no filter" or something. Our's has a hepa filter, but that only needs a wash every few years. Most other cyclonic vacuums I've seen have a filter that requires cleaning. - build quality on ours is great. Thing is tough as nails and looks like it'll still be going strong in 10 years time

Tichy 16y ago

Reminds me of Dyson's fanless fan, which actually had a fan in it's base.