Vacuum Cleaners Discussions

Some observations -

• Oreck is conspicuously missing from the upright ratings.
• Panasonic has a new AeroBlast for $700 is a apparently a poor copy of a Dyson that burps loudly when it reverses the air flow to clean the filter.   Why would anyone pay so much for a Dyson copy, particularly when the filter clogs with fine dust?
  
• Hoover's fall from grace is noted, presumably due to their ill conceived bagless vacuums.  Hoover now has the worst reliability of the uprights.  Dyson is second only to Kirby in the reliability rankings.   
  
• For uprights, Kenmore takes the top 2 spots (bagged and bagless), followed by the Riccar SupraLite RSL3, the Electrolux Oxygen EL5035A, and the Kirby Sentria.  
  
• The Halo is #33 on the list for uprights. 
  
• The $60 Hoover Tempo Widepath has a better tool airflow score than the Dyson DC17 as well as better carpet cleaning scores. 
  

HARDSELL wrote:

HS:

When I purchased the DC07 on Labor Day in 2006, I knew it was designed for European carpets [read low and smooth pile].  As I said many times, I was loaned a DC07 to use in my Virginia home and was not impressed.  At the time, my daughter and son-in-law's home in Las Vegas had builder grade carpets [low, smooth pile].  I was not surprised that the DC07 pink did not work on my wool medium pile loop carpets.  I didn't want to follow the advice that the dyson tech line gave me: Return to the retailer, it won't work on your carpets.  So, I gifted to my daughter.  It worked fine on her carpets which were builder grade with standard backing.

When she and my Son-in-law bought a new house in June 2007 with upgrade carpets and backing, like mine, the dyson failed miserably.  I wasn't surprised. 

Now to tell you the rest of the story [which I've stated in parts on other posts].  In December 2007, my dear daughter asked if she could gift the dyson pink to her friend in the Church, who with her husband and several children, were having financial difficulties and needed a vacuum.  I said sure.  It was being stored in the spare bedroom unused.  She did.  But, not for long.  It didn't work.  Same problem. Couldn't push and pull and the gawdawful ratcheting noise.  My daughter told me after the couple returned it unused

What does a father, with 40 plus years in the vacuum business do?  I went to HOME DEPOT and purchased a new HOOVER TEMPO and gave it to my Son-in-law so he could give it to the couple for Christmas.  He did, they love it.  The DC07 pink is still sitting in my daughter's home unused.  Waiting for another needy recipient. 

Carmine D.

PS:  The final chapter.  My Son-in-law's brother and Wife [the Utah couple] were visiting LV when the Church couple dropped off the dyson pink.  The Utah couple mentioned they needed a vacuum.  You know the rest.  I visited my daughter for the Holidays.  The Utah couple was there.  I learned that the Wife used a HOOVER Rewind Elite at COSTCO and liked it.  My Wife and I went to COSTCO bought a new Elite and gave it to the couple as a wedding/housewarming gift.  They love it.

Carmine D.

CarmineD wrote:

You never told us that the DC07 worked fine on any of your daughters carpet (that I recall). 

Cheapskate buys low end Hoover.   Why not a Lindhaus or something high end?    Just kidding Carmine.  That was a very thoughtful deed.  May you be blessed.

You know, I have to wonder that the problem Carmine experienced with his DC07 was a defect of his particular machine.  I've never owned one personally, but I've used several DC07s (including a Pink version), some on fairly thick plush carpet.  I never experienced any such problem with ANY of them.  One of them was a very early model DC07 that had seen quite a bit of use during its lifetime...still powered through the carpet and left very nice "marks" after I had gone over it. 

It seems that one bad experience gave Carmine an excuse to further stereotype (from a non sequitur assumption no less that all Dysons must be bad because of a less-than-positive experience with ONE machine out of MILLIONS produced) a machine and company he really didn't care for in the first place because of its worldwide success.  Not that he will, but I would bet that *if* Carmine gets a hold of another DC07 (with as many Dysons to be had "for cheap" out there as he says there are, it honestly shouldn't be a problem), however that may be, it will not have the ratcheting problem.  I would also bet that *if* he gets a different model such as the DC17, he will actually like it.  Maybe his family members can "gift" him one in exchange for all of those "wonderful" vacuums he has given them.

At any rate, since the DC07 and 14 are the only two current Dyson models still equipped with the clutch (anything else is equipped with two motors), to anyone looking for the "latest and greatest" in Dyson technology the "ratcheting" would be a non-issue.

-MH

P.S.  Hardsell I have to agree with you.  I too find it odd that a former vac shop owner who would theoretically "push" the independent-only brands now resorts to "recommending" (if you can even call it that) cheap, subpar big-box machines.

Motorhead wrote:

Motorhead, you noticed it too.  Carmine’s jealousy over James’ ability to turn a cardboard prototype into a billion dollar business is most plausible.          DIB 

Motorhead wrote:

Odd that he always talks about the independents making it right.  Wrong vac, no problem,  exchange for one to fit your needs.  The big box stores have an even better  return or exchange policy, no questions asked. 

If I hated a brand and the competition (read BIG BOX) I would have returned the DC07 without hesitation.  Of course as you said there would be nothing to complain about.

Does anyone else find it strange that the Dyson reviews on this site contradict all the bad that Carmine and a few others report here on the forums. 

Carmine thinks like a politician.  When he can't attack his opponents with the big stuff he tries to bury them with the petty stuff.

HARDSELL wrote:

I did, when you asked! 

Thank you. God Bless and Love you.

Carmine D.

Motorhead wrote:

I thought the same.  But when it worked fine on my daughter's carpet [builder grade and backing], I ruled it out.  When I called dyson [and finally reached them] the tech was very familiar with the problem.  And immediately told me to remove one of the soleplate gaskets.  She even told me if I didn't have a small screwdriver, I could use a paper clip.  She went though the drill with others.  But..still a problem.  Then, she told me to remove the other gasket on the soleplate.  Still.........a problem.  Finally she told me to return it to the retailer because it wouldn't work on my carpets. 

I have a dear friend here in Vegas.  She is in her 30's [aerospace engineer] and married to a prominent local who holds a prestigious job in the County.  She bought the DC07 Animal several years ago.  I mentioned her on a Vacuum Forum last summer.  She called me frantically one night saying her dyson was making a funny noise [ratcheting noise] whenever she moves/bumps the brush bar nozzle a certain way.  I may gift her the DC07 pink.  I did offer already when my daughter couldn't use the dyson pink in her new home [June 2007].  She said she would use her 20 year old Compact [family hand down].  She told me, after reading the writeup that Consumer Reports did on the HOOVER TEMPO when it matched off against the DC18, that she will never buy another new dyson.  She'll buy a vacuum like the HOOVER TEMPO, use it as long as she can, and then buy another.

Carmine D.