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. 
  

Hi Severus,

On the DC07 and DC14, the clutch as well as the belt from the clutch to the brushroll is not what wears out.  There's another belt that goes from the motor to the clutch (I had no idea these used 2 belts but apparently they do) that can stretch out over a long period of time and needs to be replaced.  That belt costs only 90 cents retail and the job can be done in less than a few minutes.  The DC15, 18, and 21 have 2 motors with a gear-driven brushroll, eliminating the belt completely.  That setup seems to be doing well (it would have to, otherwise Dyson wouldn't be using it in their new models with the exception of the DC17) although I heard from another person that he's had a few DC15s in with abnormally noisy gearboxes.  If I recall, that isn't too cheap to replace, with the price somewhere in the ballpark of $120-150.  The pattern I noticed with all of the stories I heard is that the machine isn't usually the real culprit; it's the customer either misusing it or simply not knowing how (i.e. not given a proper demonstration or reading the manual).  If you suck up fringe with it or a hard object and jam the brushroll, no the machine is not going to handle that well and a little more noise can be expected.

The bottom line is when it comes to misuse/neglect/etc., it doesn't matter what the machine costs or what it is.  If the owner thinks he/she can pick up anything they want with it, of course it's going to have problems down the road.

-MH

EDIT:  After reading IMacDaddy's post, someone else confirmed to me on the phone that the DC17 does indeed have a geared belt; I stand corrected.  For the longest time I thought it was gear-driven like the others; it certainly sounds gear-driven when it's running.  But it does make sense considering that one way to tell if the machine is either gear or belt-driven is to disassemble the nozzle (insert a penny or flathead screwdriver and turn the latches on each side, then remove the endcaps) to see if the brushroll comes out in 2 separate pieces on either side.  Any machine with a 2-piece brushroll is gear-driven.  The DC17's brushroll is one piece.

Actually, the DC17 does use a belt, but it is a cogged belt, which should last a long time, if not, the life of the machine.

does the brush motor stop,if it gets jammed or do the teeth on the belt just get ripped away?

MOLE

Hi all,

More of the public take on the latest CR vacuum reviews -- http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080216/LIFE0805/802160308

Venson

I have had my Dyson DC04 for 5 and half years.  I have never experienced a problem with the belt itself on the machine, it is still the same one that was put into the machine in 2002 when I had to call Dyson engineer to replace the clutch due to the original factory one being abnormally noisy.    Since then it has been no problem.  The only thing I must say is that feature of ratchet when the brushbar gets jammed doesn't work after a while because the belts do lose a bit of their tension, when my DC04 has got jammed it doesn't ratchet at all.

Does the 04,use the 2 belts on the clutch like 07.14,if so which one went away,the one from the motor shaft or the one going to the brushbar.

How long has dyson been using the clutch system that can be gotten apart to change the belts,The ones i have done the housings have been riveted together.

MOLE

Hi MOLE

The Dyson DC04  does use 2 belts like the DC07 and 15 models.  This has been the case from the beginning from the DC03 which was launched in 1999.  The clutch should not really be taken apart but this seems to have also been from the beginning.

The belt that appears to have worn out a little and is 'slipping' when I get my machine jammed is the belt that is coming from the clutch to the brush, it also seems that fine dust gets into the belt train over the years.

Then the machine should have a provision for adjusting the belt tension,just like automotive applications. For what the price of these machines cost,to be on par with other premium priced uprights they should come standard with this feature,3 uprights that are in the 17's price range,lindhaus activa,sebo X series uprights,aerus/electrolux,pro lux series,and legacy uprights all do this.The average useable life of these machines are 15 to 20 years,then it's time for an overhaul, in residential settings.

The trick is to keep the customers.......

what good is level3 cyclonic suction when the machine is in the repair shop,or sitting in the closet.........

MOLE

mole wrote:

What good is an expensive vac that does not clean as well as the Dyson?   The Dyson can be repaired.  Sub par performance out of the box is not repairable. 

Then again,  a Dyson is not likely to fail unless it is severely abused.  I would like to know a brand that will not fail under severe abuse.

Don't want to get into a Dyson brawl but Shipping a Vacuum off to Buffalo to be repaired should not be a SELLING POINT!!!