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This is the UK government desperately trying to find something they can sell as a Brexit benefit. So far we've had blue passports (which we could have had in th

by spzb 4y ago

This is the UK government desperately trying to find something they can sell as a Brexit benefit. So far we've had blue passports (which we could have had in the EU), rapid Covid vaccine approval (which we could have done in the EU), return of imperial measurements (which nobody under the age of 60 understands or wants and which never went away in the EU) and more powerful vacuum cleaners (as in, more expensive to run).

whywhywhywhy 4y ago
> and more powerful vacuum cleaners (as in, more expensive to run). Let's not pretend appliance power limits are a good thing, I'd rather pay double or triple if it gets the actual job done first time than run something cheaper 2-4 times.
- toxik 4y ago
  Can't say that I've ever felt like my appliances aren't powerful enough, though.
rvieira 4y ago
> more powerful vacuum cleaners ((as in, more expensive to run) I know it's not your point, but on top of everything "more powerful" is misleading. - Typically this means more power consumption, not suction power - Most modern vaccums improve with cleverer working designs to be better, not by just chucking more power into it - The majority of houses in the UK have carpet, which makes this kind of vaccums silly, as anyone with a carpet and 2kW vaccum can tell
- HyprMusic 4y ago
  Can you elaborate on your last point, for those of us with puny vacuums? I'm intrigued as to why a more powerful vacuum would be worse for carpet, I assumed it would be better. What type of surface would need a 2kW, if not a carpet?
  - rvieira 4y ago
    In some of the houses I previously lived, a high-powered vaccum would just rip out the carpet :) But seriously, I would use a medium-powered vaccum for loose debris on carpet. High suction in thin carpets can actually damaged them and for shaggy carpets it all depends on the design IMO (carpet mode), not the suction power. In fact high powered ones might be too close to the base and not suck the debris effectively. I don't think using a reverse wind tunnel does any good to carpets, honestly.
tialaramex 4y ago
> more powerful vacuum cleaners (as in, more expensive to run). They'll be able to have bigger numbers though. If your 900 Watt machine doesn't pick up the mess your 5 year old just made, what's the answer? Empty the material it has sucked up already? Clean the filter like it says in the manual? Hit a "boost" button the cleaner has for that one area? No! The answer is to buy a 1200 Watt machine. Still not helping? Buy the 1500 Watt machine. Definitely don't read anything that would explain it's just not really practical to turn those extra 300W into more suction, but very easy to turn them into more noise and heat and charge extra for the bigger number. Consumerism's answer has to be more consumption, bigger numbers mean better, if you authorise consumers to think maybe they don't need bigger numbers, how will you have infinite growth?

by spzb 4y ago

whywhywhywhy 4y ago

> and more powerful vacuum cleaners (as in, more expensive to run). Let's not pretend appliance power limits are a good thing, I'd rather pay double or triple if it gets the actual job done first time than run something cheaper 2-4 times.

toxik 4y ago
Can't say that I've ever felt like my appliances aren't powerful enough, though.

rvieira 4y ago

> more powerful vacuum cleaners ((as in, more expensive to run) I know it's not your point, but on top of everything "more powerful" is misleading. - Typically this means more power consumption, not suction power - Most modern vaccums improve with cleverer working designs to be better, not by just chucking more power into it - The majority of houses in the UK have carpet, which makes this kind of vaccums silly, as anyone with a carpet and 2kW vaccum can tell

HyprMusic 4y ago
Can you elaborate on your last point, for those of us with puny vacuums? I'm intrigued as to why a more powerful vacuum would be worse for carpet, I assumed it would be better. What type of surface would need a 2kW, if not a carpet?
- rvieira 4y ago
  In some of the houses I previously lived, a high-powered vaccum would just rip out the carpet :) But seriously, I would use a medium-powered vaccum for loose debris on carpet. High suction in thin carpets can actually damaged them and for shaggy carpets it all depends on the design IMO (carpet mode), not the suction power. In fact high powered ones might be too close to the base and not suck the debris effectively. I don't think using a reverse wind tunnel does any good to carpets, honestly.

tialaramex 4y ago

> more powerful vacuum cleaners (as in, more expensive to run). They'll be able to have bigger numbers though. If your 900 Watt machine doesn't pick up the mess your 5 year old just made, what's the answer? Empty the material it has sucked up already? Clean the filter like it says in the manual? Hit a "boost" button the cleaner has for that one area? No! The answer is to buy a 1200 Watt machine. Still not helping? Buy the 1500 Watt machine. Definitely don't read anything that would explain it's just not really practical to turn those extra 300W into more suction, but very easy to turn them into more noise and heat and charge extra for the bigger number. Consumerism's answer has to be more consumption, bigger numbers mean better, if you authorise consumers to think maybe they don't need bigger numbers, how will you have infinite growth?