dyson experiment

In my parents' home, we always had 2 vacs: an upright for carpets and a canister for everything else. "East is east, and west is west and never the train shall meet." The engineering "gymnastics" vac-makers go through to make a vac clean everything well is really in the end a real waste of time. These combo vacs may indeed clean everything well, but at the expense of "ease-of-use."

Power nozzle canisters have hoses and wands that are too bulky and heavy and cumbersome and complicated and hard to separate - making non-carpet cleaning tedious. You also have to vacuum a carpet from the door inward to the far end in order not to constantly trip over the canister unit. This does not leave behind the kind of carpet pattern (with no foot-prints) that an upright does when cleaning from the far end backwards to the door.

On-board tools of combo uprights are never as good as those available for canisters: the hoses are too short and they cause many uprights to tip. The need to keep weight down forces vac-makers to provide cheap and puny tools that are often useless (like those on the high performing Hoover Self Propelled Windtunnel). Stretch hoses are required so that they can be stored on the upright without taking up too much space, or so that the dirt path for carpet cleaning is minimized. But these stretch hoses always fight the user, especially if the suction is strong. If you don't have a way to shut off the brush roll, cleaning bare floors becomes dangerous to the floor surfaces because they can get scratched or marred. Cleaning a bare floor while an upright's brush roll is still spinning invites constant jamming as the vac encounters socks under the bed and shoe laces which are easily drawn into the brush roll cavity.

The only drawback to having 2 vacs is the space they take up. But my Hoover Tempo upright and Electrolux Ultrasilencer canister take up no more than 4 feet by 2 feet in my closet - with the tools hanging on the wall.


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Post# 134855 5/1/2011 at 00:07 (4,737 days old) by Vacuumfreeeke ()
Checkrate/Likes Hey guys.... anyone else like to do experiments with their vacuums? Here's what I did today. I wanted to see the difference between straight suction, versus agitation. I took my Dyson DC 14 and used the straight suction tool at the end of the wand and vacuumed all the carpet in my apartment. Then I went over it with the upright part with the brushroll on. I also did my "brand new" furniture (maybe a month or so old). The furniture was just a recliner and couch that I bought brand new, and I've vacuumed them several times since I've had them.... there was no logical reason for all that dirt! I was totally shocked. Firstly, I was shocked at how much dirt the suction only part got up. It was awkward to use because the Dyson wand is too short and the Dyson hose pulls tight and makes the cleaner bite your ankles during use, but the results I got were crazy. I vacuum EVERY day.... I use the Electrolux Ultralux one night and the next night, I use the Royal 801. So, since I'd just vacuumed last night as I do after work every night (therapy) I could not believe all the fine dust and cat hair this machine pulled off my floor. The furniture is so new, I was just shocked at the results.... I haven't had it long enough for it to have had that much dirt in it! The brushroll did get up quite a bit more after the suction only, but I expected that. I had fun doing it and learned a little bit about what a filthy creature I am.... and how well suction only can work and how much better a brushroll is.... and that's not even a good brushroll! It snags the carpet, and I know it's not very aggressive.... just imagine what a Hoover Windtunnel or Concept would have gotten up! I could have done it with them, but I don't have straight suction tools for them and they aren't bagless so I would have had to waste a few bags. I do so love the (original) Dyson straight suction tool, though I typically pair it with a more user friendly machine (like a canister) that has a tall wand and a comfortable handle and doesn't bite ankles. Anyone else notice this with their Dyson DC 07 or 14.... I have to turn it on and push it for a few strokes before it will actually mate with the carpet and make a seal... before it makes the seal, it won't pick up anything, but afterwards, it's a little harder to push, the sound changes, and it devours everything in is path. I know some vacuums start cleaning as soon as you turn them on, but my Dyson seems to have to "mate " with the carpet first, maybe it's just my flat carpet...

Post# 134861 , Reply# 1 5/1/2011 at 04:44 (4,737 days old) by twocvbloke ()
Checkrate/Likes Now go over the same parts with a Sebo and be prepared to be truly disgusted... :P Straight suction vacs are just pointless, but unfortunately us brits have little choice in the matter, about the only vacs we get with a proper power nozzle are Miele, the odd Sebo or two, the Henry Hound, and when they imported them, the few Tristar models we got, but for some strange reason, the general public seem happy to break their backs scrubbing away at a carpet (though I think a certain cheeky smiley face may have partly something to do with that!!!) with a �20 "special value" vac that can barely pick up a fart.... :\

Post# 134883 , Reply# 2 5/1/2011 at 09:08 (4,737 days old) by Turbo500 (West Yorkshire, UK)
Checkrate/Likes ^Miele don't sell PN machines here anymore. Personally, I like a straight suction machine. Obviously, I wouldn't want to vacuum a house with thick wall to wall carpet with one, but you can't beat them for bare floors and above floor cleaning. Ideally, every home should own both an upright or cylinder machine for all cleaning types. I certainly use both an upright and straight suction cylinder regularly

Post# 134886 , Reply# 3 5/1/2011 at 09:30 (4,737 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada)
Checkrate/Likes *I have to agree 100% with Chris....* In my parents' home, we always had 2 vacs: an upright for carpets and a canister for everything else. "East is east, and west is west and never the train shall meet." The engineering "gymnastics" vac-makers go through to make a vac clean everything well is really in the end a real waste of time. These combo vacs may indeed clean everything well, but at the expense of "ease-of-use." Power nozzle canisters have hoses and wands that are too bulky and heavy and cumbersome and complicated and hard to separate - making non-carpet cleaning tedious. You also have to vacuum a carpet from the door inward to the far end in order not to constantly trip over the canister unit. This does not leave behind the kind of carpet pattern (with no foot-prints) that an upright does when cleaning from the far end backwards to the door. On-board tools of combo uprights are never as good as those available for canisters: the hoses are too short and they cause many uprights to tip. The need to keep weight down forces vac-makers to provide cheap and puny tools that are often useless (like those on the high performing Hoover Self Propelled Windtunnel). Stretch hoses are required so that they can be stored on the upright without taking up too much space, or so that the dirt path for carpet cleaning is minimized. But these stretch hoses always fight the user, especially if the suction is strong. If you don't have a way to shut off the brush roll, cleaning bare floors becomes dangerous to the floor surfaces because they can get scratched or marred. Cleaning a bare floor while an upright's brush roll is still spinning invites constant jamming as the vac encounters socks under the bed and shoe laces which are easily drawn into the brush roll cavity. The only drawback to having 2 vacs is the space they take up. But my Hoover Tempo upright and Electrolux Ultrasilencer canister take up no more than 4 feet by 2 feet in my closet - with the tools hanging on the wall.

Post# 135044 , Reply# 4 5/2/2011 at 15:59 (4,736 days old) by Rolls_rapide (-)
Checkrate/Likes *DC07/DC14 soleplate not mating with carpet* Yes, I have noticed that in the past. And the cause is the little hose that connects the soleplate to the changeover valve. When the cleaner is stored in the upright position, the little hose flexes a certain way as the soleplate is forced to pivot for storage. When in the operating position, the hose does not readily return to its proper position, and usually prevents the soleplate swivelling properly for the first few sweeps, as you have noticed. It used to annoy me too, so I reached down and pivoted the soleplate manually with my thumb. The funny thing is, I had a DC04 and I'm certain that it had a slightly more flexible hose - more pliable - and it had little cuffs on both the ends that the hose screwed into. I don't remember problems with it sticking in one position. The DC07 hose wire at any rate, seemed to just fit over a flange on the soleplate. I wasn't very impressed by that setup: I always thought the bare end of the wire might snag someone's plush carpet.

Post# 135148 , Reply# 5 5/3/2011 at 14:36 (4,735 days old) by blakaeg (NW London, UK)
Checkrate/Likes I agree with Twocvbloke. I went over my carpets with a Sebo after vacuuming my carpets twice with my Dyson and was amazed at how much extra the Sebo collected and how the Sebo groomed the carpets and made them look plush and new again. The Dysons I have just skim over the surface hardly grooming much. I will be getting a Sebo soon and look forward to receiving it.