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. 
  

Mole,

I understand now.   I know that an old, now deceased, vac man told me once that he loved to see the DTD's hit the neighborhood.  Because even if they don't buy from the DTD guy, they will usually come in for an upgrade or repair within 90 days of their in home demo.   He said all he had to do was usually change the belt/roller or bag and re-educate them on the merrits of their vacuum and they went home happy. 

I witnessed some of that this weekend with the Sewing/Vac shop I visited.  The man had all kinds of meters hooked up to show me how much better his machine was than the others.  One of the "other" machines was a G6, when he showed me it was only pulling about 40 CFM I reached back and checked the bag.  It was a non-Kirby replacement single ply bag that was partially full.  I actually didn't care, because it wasn't my machine, and I wasn't interested in the one he was showing me.  But I could see how some could be fooled with the slight of hand tricks.  Again, that was just one bad apple.  The other two shops I was in this weekend were very friendly and professional.

The DC17 sounds like a real work horse.  The Dyson brushbar on the other machines in not like that but I have heard of complaintes from American users that the other models brushbars are not aggressive enough and the DC17 seems to be the complete opposite.  

Although I have not used a DC17 at my home I do own a DC21. It’s brushes are much to stiff for my berber carpet and I can feel (when bare footed) much fuzzing on the carpet after vacuuming, I am certain it is damaging my carpeting. I suppose I can attempt to put a DC15 brush roll in my DC21 but have not been motivated to do so. Although my DC15 with its brush roll is perfectly fine to use on my carpets. Speaking ONLY of my DC21/berber combo... it should beat my carpets, not bludgeon. I must say the new DC24/25 brush roll looks to have stiff tuffs too.  Dyson's wide spacing of tuffs typically means stiff tuffs.  I hope I am wrong.        DIB

DC24 hi rez photo

mole wrote:

Hello Mole:

Is this the reason that retailers like COSTCO and HOME DEPOT never took on the the DC17 model in their stores and internet Web sites?

Have you heard a rumor that COSTCO plans to drop the dyson line after it sells out of its DC14 Exclusive?

Carmine D.

Hi Carmine,

For the record, my local Costco has not had a Dyson in stock for months.  They don't put out much. So far the Bissell Healthy Home and the bagged Hoover Wind Tunnel 2 are what they have.  No canisters are on display either though Costco online has a broader offering.

Best,

Venson

Venson wrote:

Hello Venson:

How about the iRobot line?  Does your local COSTCO carry it?  The latest and greatest 5th Generation iRobot?  I believe it's the model 500 Roomba. 

Carmine D.

CarmineD wrote:

Hi Carmine,in my opinion costco, home cheapo , the buyers cant get the right deal from dyson,you and i both know that price is BIG, these stores only sell on price and price only. How many times have we said that high dollar vacuums and volume department stores are not the venue to sell this product,The honeymoon is over,and hopefully the strong indy's will tell dyson to stick it where the sun dont shine. And the only place left is E-BAY, and the dealers are destroying the prices,lot's of them sell at cost.Will dyson stop it,i dont think so,because the rest have tried and failed,this is where this market is going.........

MOLE

CarmineD wrote:

Hi Carmine,

I know Costco does offer the Roomba 550 online but I have not seen it at my local store.  Again, this is not unsual for my Costco.  It's always a little of this, a little bit of that.  Their vacuum display is more an after thought than an actual sales promoting effort.  What I did notice is that that Electrolux toy -- the little stick vac -- is there on sale for $79.99 which is $20 below what it's been pushed for the last year or so.  I'm waiting for the day they finally sell it for the $29.99 it should have been going for in the first place.

Forgot to mention that Costco also sells upper liine Bosch canister online but I have yet to see it at my store.  Are stock decisions a judgement call by way of management store to store? I can accept someone feeling that certain prodcut may not right for their neck of the woods but a lot of people who shop there are not aware of Costco's online accessibility and may be missing out on any number of things they buy if they knew Costco had them.  If you put out just a couple of vacuums to be seen and I walk in, look but don't like them I go elsewhere to buy thinking that's all they had.

I went the other day to look for a decent irong board but there were none.  Turns out they only order them for my store periodically instead of keeping them on hand.

Best,

Venson

mole wrote:

Are you not a Dyson Dealer?  You talk as if you are insulated from Dyson's legal arm.

mole wrote:

Hello Mole:

You're right.  Ironically, COSTCO customers average a yearly income of $70,000 plus, the highest of all the price club store venues.  It was also one of the retailers, like Wal*Mart, that fared better than most during the holiday season and with January sales.

Carmine D.