To think Dyson is a crock of shit and if we buy a vacuum cleaner it should actually clean?!

[CharminglyOdd]

ARGH!!! I had a tech teacher at school about ten years ago who raved about Dyson. I had the misfortune to believe her so when our vacuum cleaner packed up not long after we moved in together, I persuaded DP to buy a Dyson City Vacuum Cleaner as we live in a small flat and have no DCs or pets... it should have been able to cope perfectly.

My student Henry Hoover, which had survived god-knows-how-many undergrads before me and came with the house was actually better than this piece of junk.

I am not even halfway through hoovering and I have already had to pick threads off the floor (one small bathroom, one hallway) because I might as well just be waving my hand over the carpet for all the suction this machine has. Last time I hoovered (have been away, so maybe a month ago) I took the whole thing apart and cleaned it thoroughly, thinking that might be the problem. It's not. It's still shit and as DP bought it over eBay a year ago we just have to suck it up or not.

Every time I get the Dyson out I spend the time giving myself back ache and furiously composing a letter to James Dyson in my head. I cannot wait until it breaks and I can give up on Dyson for ever. What makes it even worse is that our LLs have cream carpets so every single speck of hair, thread or dirt shows. I'm going to be at this for the rest of the afternoon picking at the carpet by hand...

It is a secondhand one off eBay. I asked DP to buy it as he's more used to eBay than me. I don't think anything is genuinely wrong other than the suction. I have found the filters and cleaned them. Mr. Dyson gets his fourth last chance tomorrow once they've dried.

However, I can count on one hand the number of times I, or a housemate, sorted out Henry and he lasted, ditto my parents and their Hoover. fluffy I totally agree that bagless Henrys are great I just really wanted a grown-up hoover and now I have learnt my lesson. Neighbour's vacuum cleaner is very noisy, very scary and lights up in an acceleration pattern so I am leaving the living room for Dyson.

Btw, neighbour's hoover is a Samsung and does the job perfectly although people in the street were looking up to see where the noise was coming from.

It gave me great satisfaction to eBay my Dyson a year ago and it has been replaced with a much loved Henry (for less than half the price!). I only wish I had discovered Henry years ago!

I had 2 Dysons, both shite. I now have a pink Hetty which is fab.

I'm genuinely surprised by people find a lack of suction with Dysons. I can actually see the carpet lift slightly as I pass mine over it. (Promise I'm not on their payroll! )

There is a huge business in 2nd hand Dysons though. People pick them up from tips & "recondition" them & then sell them on as 2nd hand Dysons. Like I said I was really disappointed in the 2nd hand one I bought off ebay. So much so, I did chat to trading standards to see if I had any chance of recompense & the chap there told me about the huge 2nd hand market. He said it is complete pot luck. Most of them will be knackered & the motors will have lost power, but he said there are some genuine good 2nd hand ones out there too.

YABU I love my Dyson - had it over 10 years now and it is brilliant on both carpets and my hard floors (with the hard floor tool). I have it serviced every couple of years after it seemed to lose suction after two years and now they have replaced all the parts (free - just service charge) over the years I have a new One practically!!!

It you buy a second hand one off eBay I'm not sure why you'd expect it to work properly - maybe pay for the service as I think that might fix it.

You should buy a henryits was clearns use

Miele much better

We have a dyson and I agree, it is shite. If you clean out the filters it does make a big difference...will even almost pick stuff up.

hooray for Henries!

I jacked in my Dyson for a Miele. My floors are spotless now.

we love our dyson,

I'm always mending friend's dysons, as people often complain about suction, either a blockage or they have forgotten to wash one of the several filters, restores suction when you do so.

we have several henrys as well, but you can fill a dyson with what they leave behind.

If you are having problems with your dyson, phone up the number on the machine, there is a sticker,they send someone to pick it up, it comes back fully serviced, new filters , immaculately cleaned and working perfectly, all for free.

I nearly started a similar thread a few weeks ago. I bought a dyson01 in the mid 90's and it was fab. Then I bought a new one about 7 years later and it was a bit rubbish. Then stupidly I bought another one and it is even worse. So now I have 2 dysons neither of which seem to keep up the suction for any length of time before they block or clog. I wash the filters all the time. It drives me mad. When they do work they are great but I will never buy one again. It is disappointing as I was their biggest advocate. I wish I'd kept the first one - it never lost suction - ever!
Is it really free for a service? I thought it was £75.

First gen ones are apparently the dogs.

The rest are the bitches!

I have 2 sitting in the garage, neither of which do any sucking whatsoever - not even those vacuum bags to store stuff in. I had a melt down about it and DH said no new hoover. I just happened to be in a department store about 2 weeks later and saw one that I had wanted on special offer, bought it and forgot to tell dh - you can tell how much vacuuming he does as he did notice how much cleaner the house was but didn't see the vacuum cleaner!

Its a Meile and it was half the price of a dyson and 100 x more fabulous. She really was worth it

My last awful dyson is still sitting out on the driveway (mini city one, so pretty, but so crap), I do kick it every time I pass it.

I've had four, all totally brilliant until the time the filter blocks for the first time, and from them on, just gash. Even if you purchase new filters.

Admittedly I did murder the first one with plaster dust, and then accidentally, ribena (reult = pink concrete).

Had two Vax's and they last much longer. I have a feeling wether you love/hate dysons depends on how much you hoover into them. House like mine, totally disorganised, stuff everywhere, dogs, cats, dust, decorating, mud, kids etc, dysons last about a month; if you have a pristine showhome they seem to last forever and you love them.

I have a vax and it's better than my sil's dyson. I think it's all to do with the wattage actually. Hers is a dyson but about 1000w and mine is 1600w therefore has more power at sucking. I've had it 2 years now and it's brilliant.

crock of shite - amazing marketing.....

I love Dyson when they are new, but you have to remember to clean the filters regularly etc.

Henry was made for industrial use so of course its going to be better.

I am a sucker for Dysons though - all those pretty colours!

They aren't as robust as they used to be. My foot plate is frequently replaces, the extending pipe often splits. But the parts are cheap if you order from the site.

I need a new one. we have a factory outlet shop flogging £250 vax for £80 quid - you reckon that's a good deal then?

Hate dyson, love sebo!

I have always had a henry its bloody amazing and it was my nans before mine have been wanting to get a dyson ball for ages, not going to bother now thanks for this post

Miele are brilliant! Had it for years and it has very strong suction.
Mum had a dyson, very heavy and rubbish at picking anything up.
She got a Sebo instead and is as good as my Miele!

I hated my dyson, it was crap and didn't suck.

My Miele is fabulous and I wouldn't be without it now.

I love my Dyson. If there's a suction problem, it probably means the filters need cleaning.

YANBU, especially crap for short people. And they're heavy.
I love my Henry, even though he gets stuck behind doors.