Vacuum Cleaners Discussions

Shark is going after the Dyson Ball pretty hard with the Navigator product.  It claims no loss of suction and claims its just as easy to maneuver as the Dyson Ball.  After acknowledging Dyson as the first to offer no loss of suction, they go for the throat.  They do a direct comparison to a Dyson Ball and state that they are equal in all ways (easy to maneuver, no loss of suction, 5 year warranty) but price.  For less than $200 you can get a Shark Navigator with a free steam cleaner thrown in to boot. 

Hello SEVERUS:

Thanks for the heads-up.  Fox News is running the TV advert in prime time with a British speaking male voice [obviously to mimic Sir James] played over a new dyson DC25 Ball and American speaking savvy female voice played over the Skark Navigator.  The ad is a classic.  Sure to win advertising accolades and take sales away from dyson.  It's a gem.

Carmine D.

Severus wrote:

Hi Severus,

The Navigator has been out for a while. It is a re-tool of a bagless two motor precursor Shark/Euro-Pro had been making prior. (I bought one.) The prior version was one of the pleated filter bagless vacuums I referred to that started out with a lot of oomph that fizzled out if the filters weren't frequently changed. If I recall correctly Shark/Euro-Pro was pushing a filter subscription program that cent out replacement filters every three months. I never bothered and eventually dumped my machine because the filters, less that five inches in diameter, cost nearly $17.00 to replace.

Also Shark is responsible for the Infinity uprights that are also cyclonic. I do not know why they seem to have disappeared other than due to the company's sketchy rep as regards customer service.

The nice thing about either of these Shark uprights was that attachment use was very convenient in comparison to Dyson.

Venson

CarmineD wrote:
Shark had some pretty good testimonials in the infomercial.  They  had a teacher using it in the classroom.  It was marketing genius the way they used the children to thank Shark for such a great vacuum.  The snooty British "Dyson" voice was clever as well.   It should be a really effective ad.  Bagless buyers want the no loss of suction (i.e. simple maintenance), but they don't want to pay the high Dyson price.   Shark has made some pretty good products.  I think the powered sweeper has been a big hit with consumers.  It's not something I'd buy, but I've seen them in a lot of restaurants. 

For $200 with a free steam cleaner for the hard floors, the Shark Navigator looks like a good value.  I think Shark looked long and hard at Dyson's products, and made some real improvements to the usability of the vacuum.    The Shark uses 2 motors, so it avoided the problems associated with the Dyson clutches.   It is lightweight, and they claim that they have lab tests proving that it's as maneuverable as the Dyson Ball, but has a lower profile to get under furniture better.   Shark corrected several Dyson weaknesses with their design.

Based on the clever improvements and the ability to do it at a much lower price, I may have to change my screen name to "Shark Invents Big". 

Severus wrote:

I like that moniker.  Sharks survive by swallowing up the least of their competition in the wild.    You're on to something BIG.

Carmine D.

CarmineD wrote:

It would only be a sequel.  Dyson swallowed Hoover in the original show.  Heck, Dyson even has Oreck hiding on the shelves of the BB stores.

HARDSELL wrote:

HS:

You still have ORECK and HOOVER stuck in your craw and can't see straight.  Get over it and move on.  Tho ORECK is a neighbor of yours. 

Dyson's DC25 ball is the prey here AND the predator if you can imagine is Shark's Navigator.  Unheard of.  Simply amazing to quote ORECK.  Big bad dyson bested by SHARK.  Shades of tiny young helpless David and the behemoth armor cladded Goliath.  The former killed the latter with a pebble.  Too funny.

Carmine D.

CarmineD wrote:
You should do the same with DYSON and move on.  

Hardsell,

The interesting thing about the Shark ad is that they claim to be equal to the Dyson Ball in everything but price.  However, they compare themselves to the  the Hoover Windtunnel bagless.   Technically, they compare themselves to a Hoover Windtunnel bagless with 4 cups of flour crammed in the pleated filter.  They make a point to empty the canister very gently to ensure that they do not perturb the flour caked onto the filter. 

Personally, I would have liked to see them go head to head against the Dysons in the tests, but the Hoover is higher rated in the Consumer Reports ratings. 

The Bissell Dyson clone - the Healthy Home would is another good choice for consumers who want a no loss of suction bagless that cleans better than the Dyson.   While the Dyson may offer the original non water based no loss of suction filtration system,  most of the clones outperform the corresponding Dysons on carpeting according to Consumer Reports.  Given the state of the economy, many consumers don't mind a knockoff that is equivalent to the Dyson in no loss of suction, particularly given the huge discounts.   In my humble opinion, Dyson has a tendency to overengineer simple things to "justify" the high cost of his vacuums.  The complexity isn't always a plus.  Dyson makes a good bagless vacuum, but there's no justification for the huge price differential. 

The Shark Navigator is made in China. Bissell Healthy Home is made in China too. Dyson is made in Maylasia.

HARDSELL wrote:

As SEVERUS and others point out all vacuum makers have and overtaken dyson in the process.

You and dyson are still stuck in neutral.  Even tho you have purchased 2 of the latest HOOVER products and have praised at least one, which Consumer Reports rates 2 overall in upright class, and recommended to others here.  In my book, you've made the choice of HOOVER over dyson but still can't accept it as the better product over dyson.  Stuck in your craw. 

Carmine D.