Vacuum Cleaners Discussions

Seen the new VAX line of bagless yet? better quality and performance?...at a far lower price.

Some say its stolen Dyson tech...some say its VAX xposing Dyson as a rip off [over priced] over hyped vacuum......that dyson is slipping[sinking brand]...that a dyson can be had at a fraction of the cost and with a warranty thats actually useable.......solved all the dyson flaws.....without the dyson shaft at the register. That VAX has zeroed in on dyson and plans to come at him head on.  If this is true ..then some drastic changes are due at dyson ....and another dyson [im a victim] lawsuit will come.......as always.

turtle1

I say good luck to Vax for producing good products at low cost.  Yeah I like Dyson but they are overpriced and are not any better then other models out there.  The wands are now made out of plastic so this will be even cheaper for them produce, they are made in Malayisa yet the prices are not going down.  The Vax cylinder which seems to have a quiet noise level is a huge welcome as Dyson are generally noisy.  The metal wands are also a welcome as I dont like the alluminium and plastic wands on Dyson cylinders.  i wish they would go back to using steel like on the DC02 and the first lot of DC05's. 

The last round of Vax bagless vacuums was rather mediocre in the CR evaluations.     If I remember correctly, they were difficult to push and didn't clean all that well.   One of the ways that cheaper bagless vacuums compensate is by forcing the consumer to pay a fortune for replacement filters.  I would want to know the expected cost of filters before I would buy any bagless vacuum. 

If I recall correctly, and its been awhile, the VAX X3 and X5, both pre-TTI ownership, used soft bristle full tuft brush rolls.  I recall opining that this style of brush roll is more suited to Euro rugs and carpets than USA.  The HEPA filter in these are lifetime like the other bagless brand.  The price for the VAX HEPA is $25-$30.  A feature that women find desirable is the scented filter liners for $8-$10 in 4 different fragrances.  I liked the cord winder feature on them.  While initially priced high, the prices came down precipitously, before the big box rip off stores culled them from their shelves.  It will be interesting to see the new line post TTI takeover.  I suspect the brush roll tufts will be a tad more agressive for better pick up and grooming on USA carpets.

On a positive note, while these old VAX models are still available new at reasonable prices, I could not find any VAX X3 and X5 refurbs on the internet.  None.

Carmine D.

Not quite.

Actually, Vax's line up uses a copied system to the Dual Cyclone patent that Dyson's patent of has ran out so it is of no surprise that Vax and any of the other TTI industries owned outfits are all doing the same kinds of technology; even Hoover's Airvolution is similar to the Dual Cyclone on design. However whilst they may well be able to offer the same principle as Dyson, the fact still remains that the new claimed Vax system still demands owners to wash the filters much more than that of a Dyson owner and I've yet to experience ANY of the Vax uprights that are low on noise; their latest builds are not well made and the X3 series is a very old design.

Whilst I never washed my Dyson filters, I admired the low cost of the DC01 in the first couple of years and didn't have to clean any filter shrouds - unlike those of the current Vax line ups. Put simply whilst it may be apparent that Vax have copied the Dual Cyclone idea, Dyson is about 10 years ahead with the latest cyclonic system that betters the Dual Cyclone idea (Root?).

The X3 / X5 series appeared in the UK in 2004/5 under the Bosch brand (of which Bosch paid Vax for) (BUC11700) and as the Vax VX1 and VX3. I think it was then cosmetically altered and updated a little in 2007 when it went on sale in Australia before it came to the U.S late last year. Certainly I can recall when Vax in Australia featured the X series heavily. I used to have one for a short period and wasn't that impressed with it despite having a twin motor system/motored brush roll and a pesky reset button that had to be constantly re-jigged each time the motor belt slipped - that and the lousy elephant's trunk type short metal tube at the front which was always far too short for my liking. However Carmine whilst I agree that the brush rolls were softer I found they didn't pick up dirt on polymer carpets/thin loop pile. The current brush rolls are all manufactured to one standard where Vax is concerned; most of their UK line up is based on old Dirt Devil U.S models so the bristles are quite hard, Chinese made and against most of their prices in the UK, I used to order drive belts off EBay in the U.S for my older Vax uprights (Dirt Devil) which were far cheaper and more cost effective to purchase despite overseas waiting delivery times.

Carmine also predicted that the Vax (and all other brands) would be the demise of Dyson. Dyson is going strong, Vax all but disappeared, and Hoover went busted.

Such a prophet.

HARDSELL wrote:

Dyson won a battle [at BEST BUY stores with VAX].  Not the war.  The war for sales is still being fought at all retailers.  Dyson sales are waning quickly while other vacuum brands sales are rising.    

Carmine D.

Well, long may it continue then because at the end of the day if there wasn't such a diverse line up of brands and products we'd all have to buy a Dyson if we want a cyclonic vacuum.

Off topic here, it reminds me strongly of when Datsun/Nissan entered the UK market with their Japanese saloons; they caused controversy because they were so plainly designed but against the mass brands and the crap of British engineering (my parents were Volvo, Audi and later Toyota fans!) the Japanese motor industry could churn out cheaper priced cars sporting the same features at less cost and reliability to boot. Hyundai and latterly Kia copied this idea in the 1990's and have a much better package in terms of home grown products.

Interestingly though Vax have always been British until they merged with Dirt Devil in the late 1990s and then with TTi. Most buyers in the UK don't even know that but if they did they would probably react in the same way when they discovered Dyson had moved production from the UK to Asia; i.e. a distinct lack of purchase power. Despite the changes in production, as brands Vax and Dyson have always been in trouble with each other. It's not pay back however, but a sign of the times - particularly in the UK - people aren't prepared to pay top prices for quality or new technology especially with a recession on.

The bagged vacuum industry in the USA is not ready to concede victory to bagless brands yet if ever let alone to dyson.  The former is still in the lead among vacuum buyers and users.  The latter are still fighting amongst themselves for the sales venues at the big box rip off stores.  With the schism between both [bagged and bagless] increasing year over year.  This phenomenon as much as the bad economic times are both powerful consumer forces working in concert to beat down the sales of the highest priced bagless brand.  Certainly, not a good indicator for a bagless brand and bagless dirt containment mode that boldly predicted would make bagged vacuums obsolete like the horse and carriage. 

Carmine D.

HARDSELL wrote:
Dyson going strong? Is that fact or your opinion? Those are serious questions on my behalf. The reason I am asking is because of some of the recent discussions on dealer are sites reporting issues relating to financial dealings with Dyson that don't sound normal or business as usual. I am just curious.

Hello Lucky1:

I posted your concerns awhile back under a new topic:  Dyson going bankrupt?  Especially to DIB, but welcome any and all comments.  No responses as yet forthcoming.  As I mentioned, it was an industry rumor.  But apparently you are hearing the same.  You know how these work.  They spread quickly and are usually right.

I saw TV commercials for Saturn cars right up to the same day that GM annouced the deal with Penske fell thru, and the line would be scrapped.

Carmine D.