Vacuum Cleaners Discussions

Venson wrote:

Overengineered, overpriced, over hypeded, over hawked.  Dyson's 4 best features.

Carmine D.

Hey guys,

Just writing to let you know that I have obtained a DC28, and have been using it for the past several days.  I'll have a thorough review up tomorrow (I'm busy carpet cleaning as of the moment). All I can say right now is that exhibits excellent deep cleaning (the amount of sand left in the carpets by my parents DC14 is downright atrocious).  The fit and finish of this model is heads and shoulders above previous Dyson models, and the "airmuscle" tech definitely functions as intended.  There are plenty of electronically controlled parts on this machine: the brush-lift cam, the airmuscle pneumatic actuator, and even the clutch is activated and deactivated by a motor driven gear drive.  How this influx of electronic componentry affects long term reliability is yet to be determined.  However, I'm betting it's $600 price tag may deter "it's just a vacuum" consumers, but who's to say that more affluent customers are more protective and careful with their possesions....more to come. 

iMacDaddy wrote:


Can't wait... What are the chances you can upload a video on Youtube... That was be perfect...

iMacDaddy wrote:

Tacks, pins, nails, paper clips and the like will wreak havoc on the sophisticated gadgetry.  The more esoteric the more problematic. 

Carmine D.

Sorry for the late review; I have been rather busy. The Dyson Airmuscle DC28 is basically the upright many people have been asking for during the last several years; a machine that has individual floor settings, and can clean deep clean with a proper brush roll. The closest Dyson has come in regards to improved floor cleaning was with the DC17; a machine that performed well enough on carpets to earn a "very good" rating from Consumer Reports. However, its brush roll is far too aggressive, and has been noted by many consumers that it pulls up excess carpet fibers, damages delicate carpeting and rugs. Thus, the DC17 is not the ideal choice for everyone. But with the DC28 comes a far more advanced design that will improve upon the good attributes of the DC17, and eliminate the negative traits that the DC17 displayed. The DC28 is the successor to the DC17, with many retailers like Target and Best Buy liquidating their DC17 stock to make way for the DC28. With this new model comes new technology and features that enhances cleaning performance.

The big deal about the DC28 is that it is the first Dyson upright to come equipped with a manual height adjustment system to accommodate virtually every type of floor surface. The manual height adjustment system consists of four key components: the "Airmuscle" pneumatic piston, electronic cam system, electronic clutch, and the illuminated height selector system. When the user turns the machine on, the "Medium pile" button will illuminate, for it is the default preset. Should the user want to change, he or she can preset "Deep pile", "Low pile" or "Bare floor". Depending on the selection, the electronic cam system will automatically raise or lower the brush roll as the Airmuscle pneumatic piston pull the floor nozzle inward, effectively pushing the sole plate deeper into the carpet. The electronic clutch is activated and disengages the brush roll when the handle is pushed into the upright position, or when the user presses the Bare floor button on the height selector. With these added features, I noticed right away that the performance of the DC28 was superior to that of the DC14. In the clear bin, I notice more cat hair, and heavy grain sand.

Vacuuming the high traffic areas again and again revealed even more and more sand being picked up. I can't remember the last time I saw sand in a DC14 clear bin, if ever. This enhanced performance can definitely be attributed to the heigh selector tech, however, the design of the brush roll definitely comes into play here. The DC17 utilized a large roller that consisted of tufts of very stiff bristles that proved damaging to more delicate carpets; however, the DC28 uses the same size roller with thick tufts of longer, slightly softer bristles that is easier on carpets. This gentler brush roll design allowed for excellent deep cleaning without pulling up much carpet fibers into the clear bin, a very delicate balance that prolongs carpet life. Generally, I vacuum with the "Deep pile" setting to deep clean my thicker plush carpets as much as possible. I'm sure those with less dense carpeting like Berber would get more use out of the "Medium pile" or "Low pile" settings.

The DC28 performed well on bare floors as it did on carpets. With the "Bare floor" setting, the clutch disengages the brush roll, and the electronic cam system lifts the brush roll up even higher than with the "Low pile" setting. This is done to ensure no debris is trapped between the floor and the bristles. Personally, I like using the included "Flat-Out" tool when cleaning bare floors with area rugs. This Flat-Out tool is a super low profile nozzle that can simultaneously clean bare floors and carpeting without having to change any settings on the nozzle. The nozzle is so low-profile that I can clean under closed doors, the small gap under couches, beds, and all other low areas in your household.

When cleaning stairs, furniture, and my car, I liked using the small Turbine tool that was also included with the DC28. This recently redesigned Turbine tool is much smaller than the previous design, and far less bulky, although you lose the ability to shut off the brush roll. This nozzle is very small, fits well in your hand, and feels no more different than using the standard stair tool. It does a good job at removing debris from surfaces, however, with thick cat hair, an additional pass is needed to remove it. I think the brush roll could benefit from slightly stiffer bristles, however, that would most likely reduce the RPMs altogether, hampering its ability to lift embedded filth.

On paper, the DC28 has a power rating of 245 air watts. That makes the DC28 more powerful than the last <b>eight</b> US Dysons released over the span of four years. I'm betting that the Airmuscle system makes good use of some of the airflow, and is the reason why this machine needed more power than previous models.

As I stated here previously, I feel that this model is more refined, with improved fit and finish over previous models. Parts like the shell that holds the pre-filter slides into place nicely with a nice tight fit; its basically a design similar to that of the now defunct DC07, but fits better with no incremental nudges and pushes to get it to snap into place. The removable U-Bend tube has been replaced with a see-thru trap door that allows you to see if an obstruction is present. I also like the inclusion of snap-on tools that secure nicely thanks to laminated seals in the telescope tube, and at the end of the stretch hose.

I'm sure some people out there may be wonder why this machine doesn't have Level 3 Root Cyclone, and why it uses a clutch rather than a dedicated motor. I have some thoughts on both of the topics.

Root Cyclone over Level 3 Root Cyclone
• Level 3 may be more efficient, but it takes up so much space inside the clear bin to accommodate the added oversized cyclone.
• The DC28 Root Cyclone has most likely been tweaked for better performance; with the total handful of sand my DC28 has vacuumed up, the pre-filter had around ten visible grains of sand on it, with little fine dust. Definitely an improvement over the DC14.
• With 3 month filter cleaning cycles, is it really worth taking up bin capacity for the Level 3 System that would yield similar performance to the DC28 Root Cyclone system?

Clutch over Dedicated Electric Motor
• The clutch may be more able to protect the electronic cam system by quickly disengaging the brush roll immediately after an obstruction.
• An electric motor can exert great amounts of torque that can possibly damage the cam system by trying to power through obstructions in the cleaning head.

Overall, I am satisfied with the DC28, and I hope Dyson will promote this machine to the fullest extent (in the same manner as their Ball line). The only thing left to question is the durability of the cam system; whether or not obstructs can damage it, and if the clutch can function as a damage deterrent for the cam. Only time will tell. Check out the quick video I threw together this morning, as well as the pictures for a more detailed look.

Dyson DC28 in action
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSun4jcP8Yg (New Link...I had to re-edit to correct a typo)


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Great review and that's for the youtube video....

Acerone wrote:

I second Acerone's comment.  Thanks iMacDaddy. 

Carmine D.

iMacDaddy,

Thank you for the review, pics and video!

Viewing your movie in slow-mo (@ counter 00:42 - 00:46) it looks like the floating head actually raised up (not pushed down) from the carpeting.  Although this could be do to the brushroll tuffs pushing against the mid/high pile carpeting when the vac is set to a low-pile setting.

Q:  Is the “Airmuscle” pushing (downward) or pulling the nozzle upward when vacuuming your mid/deep pile carpeting?


Thanks,
DIB

I just took another look at iMacDaddy’s video (in slow-mo) and it sure looks like the head is indeed pulled or Airmuscle’d up and off the carpeting.  Unlike what Dyson.com describes (terminology and animation), that is... the Airmuscle pushes into the carpeting.  This vacuum should rank highest of any Dyson at CR, etc.

So...  It looks like Dyson dumbed-down their Airmuscle (sure to come) 30 second t.v. commercial presentation and marketing/description for the consumer.  Folks “get” the concept of a tighter grip on most anything is typically a good thing (i.e. to push the head into carpeting). folks would probably not understand as easily or Dyson could not convey in a 30 second t.v. commercial, etc., the lifting (via suction) carpeting up and into the nozzle story.


What Dyson invented is HUGE!


 DIB

DysonInventsBig wrote:
Hi DIB,

I view the nozzle lifting up as a result of the brush roller pushing down on the carpet, lifting up the floor nozzle as a result.  I like using the "Deep pile" lowest brush roll setting because I feel it delivers the best results for deep cleaning, even though I should probably be using the medium, and even low pile settings for some of the carpets in my household (actually my parents household until I go to college this fall).  Despite the visible lifting, the Airmuscle piston is actually pulling the nozzle inward, which in effect tightens the nozzles contact with the surface.  At first I was curious to see if the piston was actually working at first, since I could not feel the nozzle being pushed into the floor, so I place the maching on a table with the floor nozzle off the edge as I turned the machine on.  As I had it running, I gently kept the nozzle lifted, and as I went from the Bare floor to the Low, Medium, and Deep pile settings, the piston actually did pull in the floor nozzle with considerable amounts of tension.  So now I know that it does indeed function.  I also tried the same test without the clear bin attached (meaning no airflow carried to the floor nozzle), and the air piston did not work, concluding that it draws the pressure from the main airflow, and not from some internal air compressor like I originally theorized.

I also had a little accidental run-in with a sock today that allowed me to see how the clutch would function during an obstruction, and it is not loud and irate like the clutch in a DC07 or DC14.  I didn't even know I ran over the sock until I had noticed the brushroll stopped rotating.  Then I looked over and saw a bright LED flashing from within the translucent red power button.  After that, I turned off the machine for a few seconds, removed the sock, and then turned it back on, and the brush roll was rotating as normal.  Shortly after that, I ran into some loose thick carpeting that was not propertly tacked down into the floor (think of trying to vacuum a bathroom rug), and once again, the clutch activated, with the light flashing again.  Doing what I did before, I turned off the machine, and turned it back on, with the brush roll running again.  The main observation that I gathered from these little mishaps is that the clutch does not emit any loud clicking/ratcheting noises that can be intensely irritating (for me anyway), like with the old DC07 and DC14.  It just stops the brush as an electric motor would with a shut off function.