Thread Number: 24213
Dyson High Prices could leed to demise
[Down to Last]

Vacuumland's exclusive eBay Watch:
scroll >>> for more items --- [As an eBay Partner, eBay may compensate vacuumland.org if you make a purchase using any link to eBay on this page]
Post# 270856   3/9/2014 at 13:29 (3,671 days old) by keiththomas (Northumberland, England)        

keiththomas's profile picture
As I already have two Dyson Vacuum Cleaners, I was sadden to see he has now increased the prices of many towards over £300 and to £400.00 My next Vacuum upright will be a VAX Air Reach or a German Machine, yes they are upgraded but has become far too expensive even with the 5 year warranty. This arrogance could be a long fall from grace, look at Hoover how they ended. Remember his washing machine that died due to unreliability and insane prices

Post# 270858 , Reply# 1   3/9/2014 at 14:27 (3,671 days old) by bagintheback (Flagstaff, Arizona)        
Same Prices Over Here

bagintheback's profile picture

Taking inflation into account, Dyson prices have either stayed steady and decreased over the years. I went on archive.org and checked out Bed Bath & Beyond's prices for 2006. The TOL model at the time, the DC15, sold for $599, which amounts to $680.66 in 2012 dollars. Today you can buy the new TOL DC65 for $649.99 at the same store. In 2006, you could also buy a basic DC14 for $429, while today a basic DC40 is $399. 

 

Still way too expensive for my tastes, but that is why I buy refurbished. 


Post# 270865 , Reply# 2   3/9/2014 at 15:33 (3,671 days old) by sebo_fan (Scotland, UK, member AKA ukvacfan, & Nar2)        

sebo_fan's profile picture
It isn't the brand that is raising the prices though, but rather the seller.

Post# 270873 , Reply# 3   3/9/2014 at 15:44 (3,671 days old) by madabouthoovers ()        

I agree - Dyson has got far too expensive, but he aint a billionaire for nothing you know!

Mr Dyson churns out cheap quality tat from Malaysia, and uses his UK customer base's love for him to rip them off for hundreds of pounds. A very clever con man, but still people fall for his marketing spin - especially the younger generation. But us older folk know better!


Post# 270877 , Reply# 4   3/9/2014 at 15:59 (3,671 days old) by hi-loswitch98 ()        

Hey I haven't fallen for Dyson Steve! :)

Post# 270878 , Reply# 5   3/9/2014 at 16:06 (3,671 days old) by madabouthoovers ()        

That's good to see Hilo, but a good many people still love him and are very loyal to his products, as they were impressed with his early models like the DC01 but are slowly learning that what  he makes today are not as rugged and reliable, and nor are they made in England. You only need to read the reviews on his products to find this out - where people comment "Its not a patch on my old DC07" or the likes. Miele vacuums are much better quality than Dysons, but still people waste their money on Dyson thinking bagless is best.


Post# 270937 , Reply# 6   3/9/2014 at 19:25 (3,671 days old) by Vintagerepairer (England)        
Inflation

As backintheback mentions, when inflation is taken into account, the price of the Dyson cleaners has not moved much. When launched in January 1998, the Dyson DC03 cost upwards of £279.99 depending on the model. Some were over £300. In today's money, £279.99 is around £418. So strictly speaking, there is is little change.

What has changed of course is that the price of all electrical goods has plummeted, and for numerous reasons. This had now altered our perception of what we are paying, and if we're talking about vacuum cleaners (as indeed we are) I'll compare like-for-like by mentioning that a Numatic Henry -a cleaner which year on year has always retailed for around £100- would have cost about £149 back in 1998, thus being 50% more expensive than it is today. So In a world where the cost of pretty much everything has gone up, electrical goods have gone down, which means that effectively Dyson cleaners have held their price.

Dyson will, of course, attribute this to the brilliance of the goods they sell; I, on the other hand, consider it far more to do with the excellent marketing and the way in which Dyson has managed to forge itself into a must-have "brand". Retailers do of course work out their own margins, but the biggest factor in all of it is the cost price of the goods. So the more Dyson charges the retailer, the less profit they make. In turn, those who get good cost prices are able to sell for less, meaning those who don't get such favourble cost prices make less profit, and even more so when they have to match their retail price against that of a bulk-buying competitor. Taking this to it's logical conclusion, as is the case with many goods in retail, sometimes it's cheaper and easier for a business to stop selling that product, especially if there is something else they can sell and make more on instead. It's never about retail prices, but profit. As an example, someone selling a £400 Dyson may well make less % profit than they would on selling a Henry.

I disagree that unreliability and "insane" pricing of the Dyson washing machine was behind the decision to suspend production, rather I always believed it was the lack of KNOWN reliability which put the fear into many consumers. When the washing machine was launched in 2001, the electrical marketplace was an entirely different world from how we know it today. In-store finance was plentiful; the economy was good; consumers were encouraged to take out more and more credit. Therefore paying for a Dyson washing machine was not quite an issue, given that one could choose how to do so, even going so far as to take longer to pay it off if needs be.

However, at this same time, the consumer was still looking for a machine which would stand the test of time, as we were still very much in a culture of getting white-goods repaired and expecting them to last a good deal of years. The reports of unreliability did not really filter through until the latter days of production of the washing machines. Like I said, it was the unknown reliability which caused the problem. Had the machine been a lot cheaper to buy, more consumers may have taken the plunge and invested in one. It wasn't that they objected to paying the price, more that they didn't really know what they were going to get back. We need to remember also that by the year 2001, the reliability of the vacuum cleaners was arguably very questionable, even if such matters did not affect sales.

Of course, having a washing machine which was purple & yellow didn't help matters either, not when so many UK consumers have the washing machine on show in the kitchen, though I appreciate that there was another model in white too. But the flagship machine was uber garish.

Now that Dyson appliances have been on sale for over 20 years, and now that a "brand" has been established, I think that same Dyson washing machine might well sell today, even if the credit terms might not be as plentiful as they once were. We have new generations of consumers who are too young to recall what it was like to buy a washing machine with a view to it lasting, and who are too young to know about the "Dyson Story". In a world were so-called 'Technology' is everything, the Dyson washing machine could well have stood a chance. That said, the core selling point of being able to wash clothes quickly may well be lost on the consumer of 2014, given that "quick wash" options are available on probably all automatic washing machines, and are favoured by consumers, irrespective of the thoroughness of such washing cycles.



Post# 270938 , Reply# 7   3/9/2014 at 19:28 (3,671 days old) by hi-loswitch98 ()        

When our old LG Washing Machine was purchased back in 2004 - it was £400, but it wasn't made in China & it is still going strong. How much would £400 be in todays money?

Post# 270941 , Reply# 8   3/9/2014 at 19:36 (3,671 days old) by Vintagerepairer (England)        

"Mr Dyson churns out cheap quality tat from Malaysia, and uses his UK customer base's love for him to rip them off for hundreds of pounds. A very clever con man, but still people fall for his marketing spin - especially the younger generation. But us older folk know better!"

But us really old people like me tend to get ripped off by thugs who ring our doorbells and gain entry to our homes, then rob us. My statement is no exaggeration. Nor are any of the other countless scams one hears about daily.

I have no particular like for James Dyson or his company, but in contrast to my last paragraph, I don't see how he "rips people off" by making goods which they choose to buy at the prices they choose to pay. No one forces people to buy his products. They do so because they like them.


Post# 270942 , Reply# 9   3/9/2014 at 19:38 (3,671 days old) by Vintagerepairer (England)        
Hi-loswitch

£400 in 2004 is about £520 today. I use the calculator in the link here:

CLICK HERE TO GO TO Vintagerepairer's LINK


Post# 270943 , Reply# 10   3/9/2014 at 19:40 (3,671 days old) by madabouthoovers ()        

Good post Benny!

One of the reasons I wouldn't have bought the Dyson Contra-Rotator was that I thought it was ugly, plain and simple. The idea of two drums rotating against each other might have been a sound one, but it proved a disaster for Dyson with so many of these machines failing and having to have the contra-rotator function disabled. As with many Dyson products, it was over-engineered and not able to withstand the test of time, and the punishment it would receive in the homes of ordinary families.


Post# 270945 , Reply# 11   3/9/2014 at 19:47 (3,671 days old) by Vintagerepairer (England)        

When reports came through that Dyson were disabling the contrarotor facility of their washing machine, I thought to myself it must have been a huge kick in the teeth for those who'd invested in one. It was, of course, the main reason for buying the machine in the first place.

However, reliability was not known about when the washing machines were actually on sale and of course the decision to disable the contrarotor came after production of the washing machines had ended.

Having said this, to a consumer who'd had a number of washing-machine breakdowns, the eventual reprogramming of the machine so that it worked like all the others must have come as some sort of relief. At least the machine now did something.


Post# 270951 , Reply# 12   3/9/2014 at 19:58 (3,671 days old) by anthony (leeds uk)        
there will

anthony's profile picture
only be a market for Dysons till the next fashion statement appears when that happens they are dead .In the uk the Dyson vacuum cleaner has become a fashion statement a must have just like the huge tv set giant american fridge it would only take someone to come along with a machine thats more atractive [not necsisarilly better ]and Dyson are fxxd .I can see some of you steadily going purple eyes bulging fact is you know its true

Post# 270953 , Reply# 13   3/9/2014 at 20:03 (3,671 days old) by Vintagerepairer (England)        

I know it's true Anthony. I agree with all you say.

But I cannot see a time in the next few decades when this will happen. I don't see how there would be enough money in it for anyone to try and do so.

A lot of things which don't currently happen in life result from their being insufficient money available to either make it worthwhile, or indeed to make it happen at all, rather than it not being possible.


Post# 270959 , Reply# 14   3/9/2014 at 20:26 (3,671 days old) by madabouthoovers ()        

I think Dyson are going to be with us for a fair few years yet, as they still have too many customers the world over for them to fail. James Dyson is more competent at marketing his items to the public than actually producing a reliable, sturdy product. He spends millions on advertising, and that cost has to be re-couped through the price of his products. The fact that Dysons are fashion icons makes them successful, as people always want the latest model!


Post# 270962 , Reply# 15   3/9/2014 at 20:39 (3,671 days old) by Vintagerepairer (England)        

I think also that Dyson is able to comfortably feed off the back of the current trend nay fever for constantly replacing "technology" fueled goods. Never in my lifetime have I seen such a frenzied attempt to change and upgrade anything. We have of course always had yearnings for things and a constant thirst to buy the latest, but I don't ever remember it being a practical reality in quite the way it is now.

If the recent explosion of computer and mobile phone technology had not occurred, I think the sales of new Dyson models would be much, much slimmer.


Post# 270964 , Reply# 16   3/9/2014 at 20:41 (3,671 days old) by sebo_fan (Scotland, UK, member AKA ukvacfan, & Nar2)        

sebo_fan's profile picture
HiLo, Im unsure what you are trying to get at. An LG back in 2004 would have cost at the very least £450 and upwards. I know - we had one.

In todays money I'm not entirely sure how that would be calculated - even as helpful as Benny's inflation calculator is - current LG washers cost the same, so they've only, statistically speaking, fallen down in price by some £50.

As for Dyson - I don't dislike Dyson - and the prices of HIS vacuums aren't THAT different from the prices set by Miele, SEBO, Bosch and AEG.

The main difference there is that you are paying for better performance quality and quietness, healthier dust capture and better engineered for user friendliness and maybe aside from Numatic and SEBO - Bosch and Miele really know how to squeeze a bit more money out of you "as a bonus."

For a start, Bosch dust bags aren't available from every high street franchise, thus pushing the buyer to buy online only plus optional tools are scarce.

Miele on the other hand have tons of dust bag availability but at just 4 in a pack with an extensive family of (often not required, but they are there, anyway!) cost optional tools to tart up your vacuum.

I may be a happy owner of a Miele S8 Eco model, but I would never feel justified in paying £500 for the S8UniQ with LED lights that offer no real added function that I feel Im missing out on my "ordinary, non tarted up" Miele vacs.

At that price I'd like to see the entire body covered in Velvet like Miele have done with their S6 Red Velvet.


Post# 270968 , Reply# 17   3/9/2014 at 21:03 (3,671 days old) by madabouthoovers ()        

I bought my LG machine (WM14225FD) back in 2006, and it was £360 if I remember rightly, on promotion in Currys at the time. Its a fantastic machine - and at the time I was dubious about buying one as I had no experience of LG products. I was originally set on buying a Hotpoint Ultima washer and Ultima drier, but was sold on the beltless inverter drive of the LG as opposed to the older belt drive technology on the Hotpoint. It proved to be a good choice, as both machines are still running fine


Post# 270969 , Reply# 18   3/9/2014 at 21:13 (3,671 days old) by Vintagerepairer (England)        
LG

I've heard some remarkable reports about LG appliances, yet in my own strange mind I cannot forget that LG is the brand which was previously known as "Goldstar". To say that was a budget brand would not scratch the surface.

Also, there has always been a sense of tackiness with some of the whitegoods, but that I realise is entirely subjective. The reports I've heard have always been good, and indeed I'm given to believe that LG TV & audio is one of the best brands available today.


Post# 270972 , Reply# 19   3/9/2014 at 21:25 (3,671 days old) by madabouthoovers ()        

LG are good, but not brilliant - they still break down, but as a Korean brand, they are, in my opinion better than Samsung, who have grown to be a behemoth company, swallowing up everything in its path and producing mediocre quality products.

Like Samsung, Dyson are getting too big to care about quality any more - only about the profits for shareholders.

My next TV will probably be an LG, and I would buy another LG washer tomorrow if I had to. Its a shame they don't make microwaves any longer as I would also buy another LG microwave. LG is one brand I will recommend, and that's a privelige as I am very critical regarding appliances and companies. I just hope they don't go down the "made in China" route.


Post# 271012 , Reply# 20   3/10/2014 at 09:57 (3,670 days old) by sebo_fan (Scotland, UK, member AKA ukvacfan, & Nar2)        

sebo_fan's profile picture
Hate to burst your bubble but some LG washers and appliances in general are made in China, and it could be TOL models too.

I've just seen JL's website - they have 3 LG ovens listed. Just because they are out of stock doesn't mean they don't make them any more.


CLICK HERE TO GO TO sebo_fan's LINK


Post# 271015 , Reply# 21   3/10/2014 at 10:07 (3,670 days old) by madabouthoovers ()        

If you go on LG's UK website, they only list 2 current microwave models, which don't meet my needs, as I want a stainless steel version, not a black one, and pages of discontinued ones, so it looks to me like they are phasing them out.

 

So LG have now got the made in China bug as well. Dear or dear, I despair. That means they will be churning out shoddy goods now, just like every other company that jumped on the made in China bandwagon.

 


Post# 271017 , Reply# 22   3/10/2014 at 10:21 (3,670 days old) by blakaeg (NW London, UK)        

Just because something is made in Malaysia or China does not mean that it is of lesser quality. The products are made to the specification set by the manufacturer. Iphones, Computers, LCD displays etc are made in China and these are reliable.

Despite me having a few issues with the brush motor on my Dyson DC24 and the plastic wands having issues after 3 years because the plastic is rather thin,so when I twist the machine side to side on lino floors its breaks the wand. This is down to design, not where its made.

Dyson reliability has never been excellent. I feel they are let down by the extensive use of plastic for their wands where they used to be stainless steel or aluminium but Dyson would argue that plastic wands are because they are lightweight and easier to handle. I would rather a steel or aluminium wand any day.

It would be nice however if Dyson made in the UK again, but I doubt that will ever happen.


Post# 271018 , Reply# 23   3/10/2014 at 10:37 (3,670 days old) by sebo_fan (Scotland, UK, member AKA ukvacfan, & Nar2)        

sebo_fan's profile picture
Steve - LG's website in the UK is never accurate. It took them 5 months to display the washing machine I bought from Currys that was an LG model. The site is seldom updated to reflect what third party franchises bring in on their books. I wish you would realise that.

Same with SEBO when you moaned about the Ultra bags - it doesn't happen "overnight" and if you want a particular appliance you still have to shop around - much to the annoyance of high street franchises who assume buyers aren't that keen to use the 'net for price comparisons and different models.

If there was any website that springs to mind who seldom update it is HOOVER UK! Took ages to get them to put the ECO-G range on, and even at that there are only 3 models listed - the rest are all at Argos!

If there ONE appliance in my lifetime that has always been made in China and has lasted a long time, it is Black and Decker's humble little dust buster. I don't see anyone moaning about them.


Post# 271020 , Reply# 24   3/10/2014 at 10:49 (3,670 days old) by ralph123 (Little Rock, AR)        
cr's reliability survey

At least according to Consumer Reports reliability survey, which is of dubious value, Dyson doesn't have unusually high reliability problems in the US. Their numbers are similar to Kenmore. I've seen Dyson uprights in use at grocery & department stores, skating rinks, and they seem to hold up fairly well.

Post# 271028 , Reply# 25   3/10/2014 at 11:05 (3,670 days old) by madabouthoovers ()        

Nar - I don't mind products made in China where they are actually good quality - I have always had B&D Dustbusters, and they are good enough for my needs, but they are cheap - around the £50 mark, so that's OK. What I object to is that I just bought an office chair for £150 that I ordered from an online retailer, and when I got it, and saw it was made in China, I knew what to expect. This chair has been made badly, the construction is shoddy, the backrest has already come apart, and the thing creaks and makes dreadful noises from the metal support assembly under the seat base, where it joins the gas strut. I cant be bothered with the hassle of having to send it back, which is the big problem with online sales, as I then would have no chair for ages while they umm and arr about what to do. Several Vax machines I bought that are made in China have suffered from issues that should have been picked up before leaving the factory, and I read about numerous reports of Chinese made appliances not even switching on when taken out of the box, or breaking down within weeks of first use. Sorry, but China are now too big for their own good, and they just don't care about quality. The workers are poorly paid, and many couldn't give a toss about the users who will buy the products - can you blame them? When these big corporations are making millions off their hard work, but they get paid peanuts, why should the Chinese be bothered about quality?

Too many companies now take advantage of the Chinese, and they will pay the price in the end, as people get fed up of wasting their money on shoddy goods made there that just don't measure up.


Post# 271034 , Reply# 26   3/10/2014 at 11:44 (3,670 days old) by sebo_fan (Scotland, UK, member AKA ukvacfan, & Nar2)        

sebo_fan's profile picture
You know, it always makes me smile when a few people like yourself come out with the Chinese way of what YOU the westerner feels that Chinese people feel the same about.

Firstly, Chinese people or indeed a lot of Asian countries have a completely different way of life. I'm half Asian myself and my ex partner was Chinese- trust me I know what I am talking about.

Their weekly wage, let alone monthly salary is nothing as high as what the minimum rate is in the UK. Monthly salaries on the LOWEST minimum wage is around 1800 yuan, or rather, £177 A MONTH. Can you imagine living on that?? We get double that on Job Seekers alone in the UK.

But then you also have to consider that living in China for the most part is FAR CHEAPER than the UK. We pay more for food, and in actual fact a lot more in general.

On average you won't find a Chinese teenager filling his gob with junk food, let alone having sweets. They do like their sweets but they'd rather bask on fruit or have something more traditional and cheaper to buy than packaged mass franchise goods like chocolate.

The workforce and indeed school children get up at 5am to start the day. They all have their exercise regimes to do before hand. You'd be laughed, if that happened in the UK.

The highest Chinese salary is nigh of £45000 which is what PT/Principal teachers get and medical people amongst others in the UK. That's about the only similarity that we share.

Even when it comes to manufacturing, China don't count quality as being the highest factor UNLESS the manufacturing facility has merged with a GLOBAL brand, and even at that dependent on what the company produce, NOT what they pay the workers, the product is built up, produced and sold.

Traditionally, China as a manufacturing base just copy, imitate and churn out - China have been extremely successful, not helped by the greed of Westerners who since the 1960s have cashed in on the monopoly of production.



Post# 271035 , Reply# 27   3/10/2014 at 11:50 (3,670 days old) by hi-loswitch98 ()        

The Washing Machine cost £400, no more no less in 2004.

Post# 271037 , Reply# 28   3/10/2014 at 11:57 (3,670 days old) by sebo_fan (Scotland, UK, member AKA ukvacfan, & Nar2)        

sebo_fan's profile picture
Well...if you use Benny's calculator link, that machine works out to be £520 as he said...
LG washers currently start at £399, so dependent on the spec you have, Hi-LO, you have to weigh up and see what has moved on with the features, spec etc


Post# 271039 , Reply# 29   3/10/2014 at 11:59 (3,670 days old) by madabouthoovers ()        

Nar - I am pointing out that I feel that the Chinese are being exploited to generate massive profits for Western Companies, and indeed some Asian companies. I know that they don't get paid very much, but this is changing is it not - the Chinese now want more of an equal share in the riches of the West. China cannot keep sustaining the extreme growth they are experiencing for ever, and sooner or later their bubble will burst. It happened in America, look at Detroit for an example, and its happened in the UK, where we never had it so good in the 60's but this country has been in decline since the 1980's, when the workers were demanding too much in wages and having strikes that crippled companies. The same could happen in China, and then other up and coming third world countries like India will take China's place as the new global superpower.




This post was last edited 03/10/2014 at 14:23
Post# 271057 , Reply# 30   3/10/2014 at 14:15 (3,670 days old) by sebo_fan (Scotland, UK, member AKA ukvacfan, & Nar2)        

sebo_fan's profile picture
Well I didn't expect you to "out" me here on the forum so publically, Steve.

And, the Chinese don't want "automatic everything" like they did in the States. Chinese people don't drive that many cars with a population forever using bicycles (pretty much what the Dutch had for many years) - the lifestyle is very different - and with the size of the U.S geographically, one could argue that you really need a car to get around.

The Chinese don't have a high proportion of smart small appliances in their homes either.

India is already producing and from what I can tell, although society there are happy to go premium, they already know that the country will not survive doing what China has done. China has already started to see a shift from a few companies going away from China because it is no longer cheap to produce goods at high prices.

Largely though there were pay strikes, not least equal pay for women workers, automation certainly took care of "screw driver" assembly factory floor jobs, don't forget that. It's not all about manual workers. There's more to it.


Post# 271060 , Reply# 31   3/10/2014 at 14:26 (3,670 days old) by madabouthoovers ()        

Sorry Nar - post modified, and I agree with what you say. I guess we will just have to wait and see how it all pans out in the next few decades. Perhaps Great Britain will be "great" again, but I'm not so sure - I feel we've had our share of the glory, now its the up and coming third world countries turn to have a bite at the cherry.


Post# 271063 , Reply# 32   3/10/2014 at 14:32 (3,670 days old) by sebo_fan (Scotland, UK, member AKA ukvacfan, & Nar2)        

sebo_fan's profile picture
No worries. I don't intend to be here for the "next couple of decades." lol, though.

I suspect the future home will have porous carpets with a central vent vacuum built into the floor that sucks the dust "from the bottom of the carpet" rather than ruffling the top fibres, or vents large enough to the sides of hard floors where dust can be swept into a central vac system. I think it has been done already - but as usual the prices ain't cheap to have it fitted into your home.


Post# 271108 , Reply# 33   3/10/2014 at 17:42 (3,670 days old) by Adamthemieleman (North Yorkshire )        

Well I for one hope that don't go bust, I hope to go on and work in their rdd.

Post# 271110 , Reply# 34   3/10/2014 at 17:43 (3,670 days old) by Adamthemieleman (North Yorkshire )        

Sorry, that should have said I hope that Dyson don't go bust.

Autocorrect eh


Post# 271118 , Reply# 35   3/10/2014 at 17:58 (3,670 days old) by Vintagerepairer (England)        

Personally, I do not forsee Dyson going bust in the lifetime of even the youngest person reading this. Not unless they do something very stupid like Hoover did with the free-flights or if James Dyson was to publicly disrespect the people who buy his merchandise. I believe this to be true because irrespective of the price and quality of his cleaners, they are still one of the best on the market, as the quality of all others has systematically diminished year on year.

This is where the likes of Numatic have done well, because rather than rush to compete, they exercised self-belief and quietly plugged away their own style of cleaner which was everything that a Dyson isn't. A whole breed of consumer who has tried all the bells & whistles is now coming back to basics. But that isn't everyone. A good deal are still buying Dyson.

It is when Dyson runs out of new ideas that the problems will start. So the new cleaner needs no filter cleaning? Then what will they have to sell after that?


Post# 271121 , Reply# 36   3/10/2014 at 18:00 (3,670 days old) by madabouthoovers ()        

I don't think you need to worry Adam - With all Mr Dyson's billions, he would never see his company go bust. I cant see it happening anyway. I just wish he would return all manufacturing to the UK, seeing as he claims to be an British company.


Post# 271222 , Reply# 37   3/11/2014 at 03:45 (3,669 days old) by tolivac (Greenville,NC)        

Dyson "Conter-Rotator" washer-not only failures of the drum mechanism-but the machines got a bad reputation for shredding,balling,and tearing clothes from the conterotating drums.So the drums were locked to rotate together as in a conventioanl FL machine-remember this from a discussion about the Dyson washer on the neighboring Applianceville section.James Dyson so reminds me of David Oreck-both invent and innovate things-and push to sell them.

Post# 271225 , Reply# 38   3/11/2014 at 04:15 (3,669 days old) by Vintagerepairer (England)        

Luckily for Dyson, when his washing machine was on sale, the internet was neither as large as it is now, nor did it have the forums or the means to access it so readily (such as on telephones). Had the internet been what it is now, word would soon have got round about the washing machine failures.

Post# 271240 , Reply# 39   3/11/2014 at 08:51 (3,669 days old) by madabouthoovers ()        

The latest inventor who wants to be the next Dyson wannabe is GTECH - their leader is always on the TV boasting about how brilliant he is and how wonderful the Air Ram is. Yet all the Air Ram actually is is a motorised floor sweeper with a lithium battery and a few fancy lights on the handle. It cant be used for anything other than floor cleaning and has no hose - yet people are flocking out to pay over £200 for one and singing its praises. In the old days, these people would never have dreamed of paying so much for a motorised Ewbank


Post# 271257 , Reply# 40   3/11/2014 at 11:54 (3,669 days old) by dysondestijl (east midlands, UK)        

Ooh I have that Ewbank

Post# 271258 , Reply# 41   3/11/2014 at 11:59 (3,669 days old) by madabouthoovers ()        

My Gran had an old 60s Ewbank manual sweeper for years - she loved it - needless to say her house was never very clean, as her Hoover 119 hardly ever came out of the cupboard. She'd have loved the Air Ram.


Post# 271259 , Reply# 42   3/11/2014 at 12:19 (3,669 days old) by dysonman1 (the county)        

dysonman1's profile picture
I don't understand Europe's tendency not to use clothes dryers. Mr. Dyson invented his washing machine but no dryer. It's a dryer's lint filter that's always clogging up, restricting airflow, taking longer to dry, and overheating the clothes once the filter is clogged. Sounds like the perfect job for the cyclone. Constant airflow, and great filtration of the lint from the exhaust air.

Post# 271261 , Reply# 43   3/11/2014 at 12:40 (3,669 days old) by Sebox4 ()        
Europe's tendency not to use clothes dryers

It is seen as a waste of money to use a clothes dryer when it isn't raining, I agree with this, even when it is raining most of my clothes go on an indoor drying rack.

Plus, it isn't against any regulations here to line dry, nor is it seen as a sign on 'poverty' as was the case in the US. North America is pretty much the only part of the world where clothes dryers are almost exclusively used.

Not only that, but you really can't beat that line dried freshness!

Matt


Post# 271265 , Reply# 44   3/11/2014 at 13:03 (3,669 days old) by madabouthoovers ()        

Many English people like to line dry due to the price of running a tumble drier - they are very costly in electricity. I use a tumble drier as I have no garden and no washing line, and drying clothes in the house leads to damp problems. The fluff filter gets a blast with the dustbuster after every load, and yes, its amazing how much fluff it accumulates - all clothes and fabric fibres, hair and other crap.


Post# 271281 , Reply# 45   3/11/2014 at 14:24 (3,669 days old) by sebo_fan (Scotland, UK, member AKA ukvacfan, & Nar2)        

sebo_fan's profile picture
Most of Scotland rains all the time, so an electric tumble dryer is a necessity. We don't have the sunshine for most of the year and even when we do, like we did today, it is close to freezing, which is pointless for drying clothing.

I tried it this morning. Put my clothes at 10am and by 5pm still damp and close to freezing. They're currently now in my electric tumble dryer which will take about 30 mins to get all the clothing dry.

Steve - you obviously don't know the Princess or Spinney electric motorised sweepers - they were an 1980s thing seen in catalogues. My gran had two of them and they were like the precursor to the GTECH and pretty good IMHO. She also had a Ewbank.


Post# 271287 , Reply# 46   3/11/2014 at 14:39 (3,669 days old) by madabouthoovers ()        

As was pointed out earlier - I wonder why Dyson never invented a tumble drier? No doubt it would have had a cyclone somewhere along the line and been made out of 8 different lurid colours of plastic, or perhaps cyclones don't work when damp fluff was spun round them. I also have no doubt that it would have cost twice as much as the most expensive tumble drier at the time due to its advanced "technology".


Post# 271289 , Reply# 47   3/11/2014 at 14:45 (3,669 days old) by sebo_fan (Scotland, UK, member AKA ukvacfan, & Nar2)        

sebo_fan's profile picture
We should be thankful Dyson just did one appliance and moved on. Credit is due to the Air blade and those "hollow" fans though - clearly Dyson is trying other products other than just floorcare.

Post# 271291 , Reply# 48   3/11/2014 at 14:51 (3,669 days old) by anthony (leeds uk)        
tumble dryers

anthony's profile picture
my 32 year old hoover tumbledryer lost its filter years ago it dries clothes just like it always has happily blowing any fluff out into the garden once a year i give it a good hoover out and its good to go for another year

Post# 271292 , Reply# 49   3/11/2014 at 14:52 (3,669 days old) by madabouthoovers ()        

Ah, the fans? The fans that cost 10 times more than a standard desk fan - that's why I don't own one. No matter how technologically advanced they are, they are not worth the prices Dyson demands for them.

The airblade V driers were installed in my last workplace, in a motorway services on the M6, and yes, they were very effective, until the side vents and internal filters clogged up, which didn't take very long. They are also extremely expensive, and as far as I know, were hired from Dyson, as so many of them were fitted on site.


Post# 271293 , Reply# 50   3/11/2014 at 14:55 (3,669 days old) by madabouthoovers ()        

Anthony - you cant get away with no filter in a condenser drier, like I have, as it just clogs up the condenser, and stops the drier working properly.


Post# 271296 , Reply# 51   3/11/2014 at 15:06 (3,669 days old) by sebo_fan (Scotland, UK, member AKA ukvacfan, & Nar2)        

sebo_fan's profile picture
Isn't there a secondary tank underneath as well if you have a condenser?

I have a vented dryer - so much darn easier.


Post# 271297 , Reply# 52   3/11/2014 at 15:14 (3,669 days old) by madabouthoovers ()        

It has a 5 litre slide in tank in the same location as the powder draw on a washer, and a small pump by the condenser that pumps the water up to the tank. You can remove the pipe from the storage tank and plumb it into a drain if needs be. The condenser itself slides out of the bottom of the machine and has to be flushed out every 6 months, which I do in the bathtub using a shower head.

They are more of a faff, but it saved me having to knock a hole in the wall for a vent hose.

 

 


Post# 271301 , Reply# 53   3/11/2014 at 15:36 (3,669 days old) by keiththomas (Northumberland, England)        

keiththomas's profile picture
Well He has made something good a proper hand dryer, funny though thirty years ago, I thought automatic car wash equipment had powerful dryers so why week for hands now others have followed, but I bet cheaper. His Rivals are catching fast like Panasonic I saw one in bm for £69.99

Post# 271302 , Reply# 54   3/11/2014 at 15:36 (3,669 days old) by sebo_fan (Scotland, UK, member AKA ukvacfan, & Nar2)        

sebo_fan's profile picture
We weighed up the pros and cons when we got a gas vented dryer in the 1980s when gas prices were cheap. It was a no brainer not just based on the cost of the dryer and the amount of work it would take to get a hole and vent in the wall. It isn't that expensive to get a vent in a wall, especially if you are in a property for life.

Understandable in a rental if you don't have authority, or even if you do, pointless in a short term tenancy.


Post# 271326 , Reply# 55   3/11/2014 at 17:57 (3,669 days old) by Vintagerepairer (England)        

The G-tec has suction behind it though, so more that 'Just' a sweeper.

Before I moved here, I always had a tumble dryer. Line drying was always my first choice, weather permitting, but having grown up in a household were rooms were festooned with wet laundry which had been hung to dry, I was determined never to do the same in my own accommodation. Back then, it wasn't such an issue as homes were draughty so there was a natural through-flow of fresh air.

Not so now, in our lovely super-insulated centrally heated homes. Houses retain all that damp air and of course heat is lost as a result of drying laundry, so the heating often needs to be increased. Also, I cannot abide the smell of homes -particularly cooking and cigarette odours- on laundry.



Forum Index:       Other Forums:                      



Comes to the Rescue!

Woops, Time to Check the Bag!!!
Either you need to change your vacuum bag or you forgot to LOG-IN?

Discuss-O-MAT Log-In



New Members
Click Here To Sign Up.



                     


automaticwasher.org home
Discuss-o-Mat Forums
Vintage Brochures, Service and Owners Manuals
Fun Vintage Washer Ephemera
See It Wash!
Video Downloads
Audio Downloads
Picture of the Day
Patent of the Day
Photos of our Collections
The Old Aberdeen Farm
Vintage Service Manuals
Vintage washer/dryer/dishwasher to sell?
Technical/service questions?
Looking for Parts?
Website related questions?
Digital Millennium Copyright Act Policy
Our Privacy Policy