Be Excellent To Each Other :: View topic

What model is it, Cras? You have cats, right?

We got a DC24 "The Ball" recently. It's awesome, and survived Charl immediately hoovering a mobile phone charger up it.

I'm impatient, so I paid a £1 for a Which? trial. Their top five Best Buy uprights are:

Miele S7210 (£229)
Miele S7260 Cat&Dog (£270)
Dyson DC25 Ball Animal (£241)
Sebo Felix 1 Premium (£195)
Dyson DC14 All Floors (£180)
... more Dysons ...

The Miele and Sebo models are bagged designs, which I can't be arsed with. So the Which? advice is "get a Dyson".

Yes they have a bag but they cost pennies and the good thing about a Henry is they last forever because they are so simple and every part can be purchased widely.

Henry the cylinder vac might be cute, but his cleaning capability leaves something to be desired, so we'd recommend you give this vac a miss.

The HVR200 is ok on laminate floors, but that's as good as it gets. It's poor at cleaning floorboards and terrible on carpet. It really struggles with pet hair too. And if allergens are a concern, this isn't the vac to help as it fails to effectively retain them.

It's easy to manoeuvre on floors but cleaning stairs is tricky; ease of use for this is poor. It's easy to empty, though, not too noisy and has a large 5.3 litre capacity.

It weighs in at 8.1kg and has a really long power cable (15.6 metres) so you can cover loads of floor without having to change sockets.

Pros: Easy to empty, large capacity, very long power cable

Cons: Very poor on carpet, poor on floorboards, average on laminate, very poor at retaining allergens, very poor at picking up pet hair, difficult to use on stairs

I will soon have cause to replace my Dyson DC07. I had a quick scouting trip around Comet and although my first instinct was to buy the equivalent current Dyson model (DC14, I think) it seems everyone and his brother has knocked off Dyson's bagless cyclone design now. Are they all as good, or should I just get a Dyson? I seem to remember loads of people on here think Dysons are rubbish, although I've always been happy with the DC07.

I would say "just get a dyson" - at the recon price you can't really beat it.

If you get something else make sure it's an upright with rotating brush and bagless collector - this is essential for dog or cat hair.

It's easy to manoeuvre on floors but cleaning stairs is tricky; ease of use for this is poor. It's easy to empty, though, not too noisy and has a large 5.3 litre capacity.

It weighs in at 8.1kg and has a really long power cable (15.6 metres) so you can cover loads of floor without having to change sockets.

Pros: Easy to empty, large capacity, very long power cable

Cons: Very poor on carpet, poor on floorboards, average on laminate, very poor at retaining allergens, very poor at picking up pet hair, difficult to use on stairs

kalmar wrote:

If you get something else make sure it's an upright with rotating brush and bagless collector - this is essential for dog or cat hair.

What makes you say that, certainly it hasn't been my experience? The Henry I bought has so much suction that it just doesn't seem to need the rotating brushes. If it does lose suction as it ingests hair then it is only negligible because I've never noticed any difference having only ever changed the bag when it seems full. Also the fact that it isn't an upright and I can get under all the furniture without moving it makes the whole thing loads quicker.

kalmar wrote:

I would say "just get a dyson" - at the recon price you can't really beat it.

Where can I look at recons? Ebay?

And I just can't use those stupid disposable bags, even if they were free it's just objectionable

the pile of discarded Dysons you see at every tip.

I've a friend who fixes vacuums and other stuff for a living and he absolutely loves Dysons just because they go wrong so much.

The DC01 is also prone to getting blocked if you hoover up rubbish, but it's only a two minute job to take the foot plate off and un-block it. The later ones probably improve this anyway.

Velocity Pet Lover....satisfying pull forward when you switch it on.

Malabar Front wrote:

Velocity Pet Lover....satisfying pull forward when you switch it on.

it is really really ace at cornering.

Author:	Doctor Glyndwr [ Sun Jun 14, 2009 22:22 ]
Post subject:	Vacuum cleaner RMD
I will soon have cause to replace my Dyson DC07. I had a quick scouting trip around Comet and although my first instinct was to buy the equivalent current Dyson model (DC14, I think) it seems everyone and his brother has knocked off Dyson's bagless cyclone design now. Are they all as good, or should I just get a Dyson? I seem to remember loads of people on here think Dysons are rubbish, although I've always been happy with the DC07. Note that I have two very hairy dogs, so I want a real badass vacuum. I don't care if a Henry will last me fifteen years if I have to spend five of those years going over and over the same spot of carpet.

Author:	Cras [ Sun Jun 14, 2009 22:29 ]
Post subject:	Re: Vacuum cleaner RMD
The early Dysons are brilliant. The more recent ones, IME, are much poorer quality. They lose power really easily. Ours is a Vax, and it massively outperforms our previous Dyson. EDIT - Cheaper, too.

Author:	Doctor Glyndwr [ Sun Jun 14, 2009 22:30 ]
Post subject:	Re: Vacuum cleaner RMD
What model is it, Cras? You have cats, right?

Author:	WTB [ Sun Jun 14, 2009 22:31 ]
Post subject:	Re: Vacuum cleaner RMD
We had the Dyson Animal, specifically designed for pet hair and the like. We have two Labradors (not especially bad hair-wise), and it lasted a year. We've got some industrial strength thing now, the type the janitor used at school. It's ace.

Author:	Doctor Glyndwr [ Sun Jun 14, 2009 22:35 ]
Post subject:	Re: Vacuum cleaner RMD
Hey, Grim..., you have a Which? subscription, right? Can you peek at their last vacuum test?

Be Excellent To Each Other https://www.beexcellenttoeachother.com/forum/

Vacuum cleaner RMD https://www.beexcellenttoeachother.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=4125	Page 1 of 2

Author:	Dimrill [ Sun Jun 14, 2009 22:36 ]
Post subject:	Re: Vacuum cleaner RMD
Men buying vacuum cleaners generally results in hilarious "ride-on" type ones being purchased. Or one of the horse drawn varieties that makes a sound like Krakatoa.

Author:	Cras [ Sun Jun 14, 2009 23:11 ]
Post subject:	Re: Vacuum cleaner RMD
Doctor Glyndwr wrote: What model is it, Cras? You have cats, right? I'll find out when doing so wouldn't involve clambering over the wife to reach the bedside cupboard and me getting a bollocking. It does a grand job of getting black cat hair out of light coloured carpet.

Author:	BikNorton [ Sun Jun 14, 2009 23:16 ]
Post subject:	Re: Vacuum cleaner RMD
We got a DC24 "The Ball" recently. It's awesome, and survived Charl immediately hoovering a mobile phone charger up it.

Author:	Doctor Glyndwr [ Sun Jun 14, 2009 23:18 ]
Post subject:	Re: Vacuum cleaner RMD
BikNorton wrote: We got a DC24 "The Ball" recently. It's awesome, and survived Charl immediately hoovering a mobile phone charger up it. I hope the charger was destroyed though. That's the sort of hoover I want. One that wrecks great spinning bladed vengeance on all loose objects within a ten foot radius.

Author:	KovacsC [ Sun Jun 14, 2009 23:37 ]
Post subject:	Re: Vacuum cleaner RMD
BikNorton wrote: We got a DC24 "The Ball" recently. It's awesome, and survived Charl immediately hoovering a mobile phone charger up it. This is the one we have... The animal version. I like it, had to replace our old dyson, that only lasted 7 years. Should have been longer but we had a lot of building prjects when we first moved in and plaster kills vacuums.

Author:	Pundabaya [ Mon Jun 15, 2009 0:24 ]
Post subject:	Re: Vacuum cleaner RMD
Motherfucking Henry.

Author:	DBSnappa [ Mon Jun 15, 2009 0:43 ]
Post subject:	Re: Vacuum cleaner RMD
Doctor Glyndwr wrote: I'm impatient, so I paid a £1 for a Which? trial. Their top five Best Buy uprights are: Miele S7210 (£229) Miele S7260 Cat&Dog (£270) Dyson DC25 Ball Animal (£241) Sebo Felix 1 Premium (£195) Dyson DC14 All Floors (£180) ... more Dysons ... The Miele and Sebo models are bagged designs, which I can't be arsed with. So the Which? advice is "get a Dyson". Our Dyson, which we've had for about 7-8 years now, burned it's motor out about 4 years ago and we bought a Miele Cat&Dog while I hemmed and hawwed about what to do with it. After a few calls to local companies to fix it, we called Dyson and they came out and completely overhauled the machine (new motor, new belt, new filters, new cyclone) and didn't charge us. We kept the Miele as a back up - well, literally to do the upstairs ;-) It lasted a year and was fucked. Our Dyson is still soldiering on - granted, with our three doogles it needs stripping down and cleaning every 2-3 months, but it's still working fine. Point is, it's a pretty open system and I can't fault Dyson customer service - hell, they gave us a date with a 2 hour time slot and hit it smack in the middle and still didn't fucking charge us. Buy the Dyson.

Author:	markg [ Mon Jun 15, 2009 0:46 ]
Post subject:	Re: Vacuum cleaner RMD
We've got two cats so lots of hair, getting a Henry and ditching the ridiculously over-designed Dyson pile of crap we had was a good decision. They're just a massive motor in a plastic tub with a bag in it, they work really well and have loads more suction than our DC07 ever did.

Author:	BikNorton [ Mon Jun 15, 2009 0:54 ]
Post subject:	Re: Vacuum cleaner RMD
Wait, maybe I meant DC25... Either way, yes - the charger was destroyed, the cable was pulled a good inch out of the main unit. Quite a resilient charger, really. edit: Yes, DC25 Allfloors, says my Amazon history.

Author:	JohnCoffey [ Mon Jun 15, 2009 0:57 ]
Post subject:	Re: Vacuum cleaner RMD
Best hoover I've ever used. It weighs fuck all (we're talking obsene lightness) and has enough power to pick up anything. It picked up the cable for my headphones and ripped it clean out of the phones. Only one niggle with it, it doesn't have any attatchments. Kinda is what it is. Amazing cleaner tho. IIRC it weighs about 7lbs. Or half a stone. Fuck all. http://www.homevac.co.uk/products.asp?urx=cd:XL2005HH;

Author:	itsallwater [ Mon Jun 15, 2009 8:42 ]
Post subject:	Re: Vacuum cleaner RMD
I just got myself a DC14 for £45 on ebay/ Re-serviced and all is well so far and it was an Animal version!

Author:	DavPaz [ Mon Jun 15, 2009 8:45 ]
Post subject:	Re: Vacuum cleaner RMD
Sell dogs, coat house in plastic, live in tent in back yard. No need for hoover

Author:	DavPaz [ Mon Jun 15, 2009 8:46 ]
Post subject:	Re: Vacuum cleaner RMD
flippancy aside, I also have a Vax cyclone doobery, and it sucks hard (in a good way, its doesn't suck, it SUCKS). It feels like it could attach itself to the ceiling

Author:	MaliA [ Mon Jun 15, 2009 9:11 ]
Post subject:	Re: Vacuum cleaner RMD
Dyson, like what I've got.

Author:	Grim... [ Mon Jun 15, 2009 9:33 ]
Post subject:	Re: Vacuum cleaner RMD
I've got a £30 one from Tesco, and a cleaner, so I don't care if it's shit or not.

Author:	chinnyhill10 [ Mon Jun 15, 2009 10:10 ]
Post subject:	Re: Vacuum cleaner RMD
Buy a Henry. I like them so much I have one in the office and one for home. Yes they have a bag but they cost pennies and the good thing about a Henry is they last forever because they are so simple and every part can be purchased widely. The Henry is pretty much unchanging so none of this "sorry guv that's the 2006 model and we no longer have any parts". Also they have a smiling face.

Author:	Doctor Glyndwr [ Mon Jun 15, 2009 10:12 ]
Post subject:	Re: Vacuum cleaner RMD
chinnyhill10 wrote: Yes they have a bag but they cost pennies and the good thing about a Henry is they last forever because they are so simple and every part can be purchased widely. I don't care about this. Seriously. I'd rather get a badass hoover that halves my hoovering time and replace it in 5-10 years than buy one optimised for reliability that'll last the rest of my life but make the hoovering take longer. My feelings on this are strongest at this time of year, when my dogs are shedding like mad.

Author:	kalmar [ Mon Jun 15, 2009 10:17 ]
Post subject:	Re: Vacuum cleaner RMD
Doctor Glyndwr wrote: I will soon have cause to replace my Dyson DC07. I had a quick scouting trip around Comet and although my first instinct was to buy the equivalent current Dyson model (DC14, I think) it seems everyone and his brother has knocked off Dyson's bagless cyclone design now. Are they all as good, or should I just get a Dyson? I seem to remember loads of people on here think Dysons are rubbish, although I've always been happy with the DC07. Why are you replacing it, out of interest? Most parts are available pretty cheaply and they're very easy to work on. I would say "just get a dyson" - at the recon price you can't really beat it. If you get something else make sure it's an upright with rotating brush and bagless collector - this is essential for dog or cat hair.

Author:	Cras [ Mon Jun 15, 2009 10:18 ]
Post subject:	Re: Vacuum cleaner RMD
One day, someone will ask a question about an electrical appliance that Kalmar knows nothing about. I predict it won't be soon, however.

Author:	markg [ Mon Jun 15, 2009 10:26 ]
Post subject:	Re: Vacuum cleaner RMD
kalmar wrote: If you get something else make sure it's an upright with rotating brush and bagless collector - this is essential for dog or cat hair. What makes you say that, certainly it hasn't been my experience? The Henry I bought has so much suction that it just doesn't seem to need the rotating brushes. If it does lose suction as it ingests hair then it is only negligible because I've never noticed any difference having only ever changed the bag when it seems full. Also the fact that it isn't an upright and I can get under all the furniture without moving it makes the whole thing loads quicker.

Author:	Grim... [ Mon Jun 15, 2009 10:27 ]
Post subject:	Re: Vacuum cleaner RMD
Get a roomba. I got one for my mother and it keeps the living-room carpet clean.

Author:	chinnyhill10 [ Mon Jun 15, 2009 10:29 ]
Post subject:	Re: Vacuum cleaner RMD
Doctor Glyndwr wrote: It's easy to manoeuvre on floors but cleaning stairs is tricky; ease of use for this is poor. It's easy to empty, though, not too noisy and has a large 5.3 litre capacity. It weighs in at 8.1kg and has a really long power cable (15.6 metres) so you can cover loads of floor without having to change sockets. Pros: Easy to empty, large capacity, very long power cable Cons: Very poor on carpet, poor on floorboards, average on laminate, very poor at retaining allergens, very poor at picking up pet hair, difficult to use on stairs [/quote] Oddly enough I've found it easier on stairs than any other vacuum I've used as it is light and small. The nozzle also has a really long reach. The previous uprights we've had didn't reach as far and the other wheely vacuums we've had were heavier. I was doing our new stairs on Saturday and was balancing the Henry with my knee or carrying it. But it is optimised for longevity rather than being bad ass. There's a reason all the office cleaning companies use Henrys and it's because they are an all rounder than will take knocks and last for years. The problem with our previous Dyson was that bits were always falling off and it was knackered after a few years. It also ended up looking shite. As always, reviews are subjective and I don't think they are as bad as Which? make out. I personally award 849 Bananas as it's not quite as good as the badass Hitatchi we had in the 80's that was so powerful it actually sucked up time itself.

Author:	kalmar [ Mon Jun 15, 2009 10:34 ]
Post subject:	Re: Vacuum cleaner RMD
markg wrote: kalmar wrote: If you get something else make sure it's an upright with rotating brush and bagless collector - this is essential for dog or cat hair. What makes you say that, certainly it hasn't been my experience? The Henry I bought has so much suction that it just doesn't seem to need the rotating brushes. If it does lose suction as it ingests hair then it is only negligible because I've never noticed any difference having only ever changed the bag when it seems full. Also the fact that it isn't an upright and I can get under all the furniture without moving it makes the whole thing loads quicker. Because I also have a big "Vax", the type that does carpet washing too, it's similar to the Henry, and very powerful. But after going over the carpet with that, and then (as an experiment) with the Dyson, it managed to pick up an entire cylinder full of fluff that the Vax hadn't. It was a fine day for science. I find uprights are a lot quicker to zoom around with too, but it depends on the areas you have to vacuum, what's appropriate. And I just can't use those stupid disposable bags, even if they were free it's just objectionable

Author:	kalmar [ Mon Jun 15, 2009 10:38 ]
Post subject:	Re: Vacuum cleaner RMD
Doctor Glyndwr wrote: kalmar wrote: I would say "just get a dyson" - at the recon price you can't really beat it. Where can I look at recons? Ebay? Yes, there's at least one seller specialising in them. I can't really suggest a particular model, as I've only used the '01 myself

Author:	markg [ Mon Jun 15, 2009 10:42 ]
Post subject:	Re: Vacuum cleaner RMD
kalmar wrote: And I just can't use those stupid disposable bags, even if they were free it's just objectionable I think you'd need to go some in small bags made from recycled materials to waste as much resources as is in the pile of discarded Dysons you see at every tip.

Author:	MaliA [ Mon Jun 15, 2009 10:45 ]
Post subject:	Re: Vacuum cleaner RMD
Get a Dyson. You don't want a Henry, like all the other mac owners. I have no idea how much our Dyson was but it's ace.

Author:	kalmar [ Mon Jun 15, 2009 10:48 ]
Post subject:	Re: Vacuum cleaner RMD
markg wrote: the pile of discarded Dysons you see at every tip. Now you mention it, that's where I got my DC01. Still going strong 6 years later.

Author:	markg [ Mon Jun 15, 2009 10:52 ]
Post subject:	Re: Vacuum cleaner RMD
We bought a Dyson because I liked the design and the idea of it but I ended up expending far too much effort cleaning and replacing the internal filters and changing broken parts, in practice I much prefer the simplicity of the Henry. I've a friend who fixes vacuums and other stuff for a living and he absolutely loves Dysons just because they go wrong so much.

Author:	kalmar [ Mon Jun 15, 2009 11:03 ]
Post subject:	Re: Vacuum cleaner RMD
markg wrote: I've a friend who fixes vacuums and other stuff for a living and he absolutely loves Dysons just because they go wrong so much. I don't think they go wrong on their own very often, but I'll accept they might be a bit fragile. I haven't broken mine yet though. The DC01 is also prone to getting blocked if you hoover up rubbish, but it's only a two minute job to take the foot plate off and un-block it. The later ones probably improve this anyway.