I am sure everyone who reads this review will know what Dyson do. If you don't own a dyson then you more than likely know somebody who does own one. IT has been noted that nearly every household within the UK either owns, or has owned, a Dyson in their lifetime.
But do you know the story behind the Dyson?
Young Life
Sir James Dyson is the British industrial designer behind the concept, and the business. Born 2nd May 1947 in Cromer, Norfolk, he was one of three children. Hey was raised mainly by his mother as his dad died of liver cancer when he was nine years old. . At this time his brother Tom was 11, and his sister Shanie was 14. This had a large impact on the young James Dyson as his father had been in hospital very ill since he was six years old, so his father figure in his life was unfortunately of diminished capacity.
His schooling consisted of:
- (1956 - 1965) Gresham's School, Holt, Norfolk
- (1965-1966) Byam Shaw School of Art
- (1966 - 1970) Royal College of Art - studying furniture and Interior design.
James Dyson then went on to learn in the field of engineering -due to a desire to work in plastic and steel. One of his greatest influences was Buckminster Fuller, who was an American engineer and described as one of the century's greatest dreamers.
Early Inventions
James Dyson's first product that he invented was the Sea Truck. It was a rudimentary way of travelling across water. He launched it in 1970, whilst he was in his last year at the Royal
College of Art. It was a huge success and sales o this amounted to $500 million.
Following onto this success he released the Ballbarrow. This was based on the wheelbarrow, but used a ball instead of a wheel. This way a person could move the barrow around with a more fluid precision. With the ball idea sticking firmly in his mind he then invented the Trolleyball - this was a trolley that launched boats. This was followed by the Wheelboat, which travelled up to 64km/h -and this was on both land AND water.
The Birth of the Vacuum Cleaner
James Dyson first came up with the concept of reinventing the vacuum cleaner after he got frustrated by his own constantly clogging up and underperforming. It constantly lost suction whilst picking up dirt as the bag would fill too quickly and clog.
In his Ballbarrow factory there was a spray-finishing room that had air filters. From this he developed the idea of the Cyclone, which used a cyclonic separation theory. (Cyclonic separation is a method of removing particulates from an air (or gas) stream, without the use of filters, through vortex separation.)
He launched it in 1983, but it had to be launched in the Japanese market through catalogues as no UK Company would support its release, as it was seen as far too revolutionary for the UK Vacuum Cleaner market. It won the 1991 International Design Fair prize in Japan and following this James Dyson obtained his first U.S. patent on the idea in 1986.
As no company would endorse his products he decided to set up his own manufacturing company and he secured premises in Malmesbury, Wiltshire.
This was in June 1993. Since then UK companies have had to put their feet in their mouths. Who would have known that the young inventor that they threw out on his ear in the 1980s would end up being one of the most popular brands in the
United Kingdom?
The Revolutionary
Since launching his first Vacuum cleaner James Dyson has released numerous bag-less models designed to incorporate into every type of home. Though his products are more pricy than many vacuum cleaners in the market, it cannot be argued that his products are of a higher quality and longer durability.
The Vacuum cleaners that he has released to date are:
-
G-Force - This was the first vacuum cleaner that featured the cyclone suction technology. At this point it was not released under the Dyson name.
- DC01 -This was the first Dyson branded
upright vacuum cleaner. It was priced at a range that was affordable for the average home.
- DC02 - This was the first cylinder model that Dyson sold. It was a more compact model than the DC01, and was known for "stair-hugging" as the design made it easier to place on stairs. It also had an extendable hose, which made it possible to clean around objects and into corners.
- DC03 - The DC03 was a low profile, lightweight upright cleaner. It is still in production, making it the oldest Dyson to still be made. It contained HEPA filters, and was the first Dyson to use wireless charging technology. This set the precedent for all Dyson models to follow.
- DC04 - This was the model successor to DC01. It had better improved filters than the original DC01. The model was very much the same - but it was shown to be far more popular with the UK market, as it had more sales than the DCO1 and the DC02 combined.
- DC05 - This was Dyson's second cylinder model. This was the replacement model for the DC02
- DC06 - This was a robotic vacuum. It was never released into the public market.
- DC07 - This was the first upright model that was incorporated with the new Dyson Root Cyclone technology. It was given the title "the original root cyclone upright" It was very similar in features to the DC04.
- DC08 -This was the new cylinder model that incorporated the new Dyson Root Cyclone technology
- DC08T - T is short for 'Telescope Wrap'. Wand handle is telescopic and the hose wraps around the machine
- DC11 - Parallel root cyclone packs to fit the wrapped machine in a smaller space.
- DC12 - small cylinder machine released in Japan.
- DC12+ This was one of Dyson's top-of-the-range models. It was fitted with the high-speed Digital Motor, revolving at 100,000rpm.
- DC14 - This was released in 2004. It was a revision of upright vacuum cleaner with lower centre of gravity and '
telescope reach.' It comes in 4 variants - the standard DC14, the All Floors, the Allergy and the Animal.
- DC15 - This product had a ball instead of a wheel. This model had 3 different variants - the DC15 All Floors, Allergy and Animal.
- DC16 - 'Root 6' - This was Dyson's first hand-held Vacuum cleaner.
It uses the same technology as the DC14 and the DC15. Dyson claim that the DC16 is the only hand-held Vacuum cleaner that "doesn't lose suction." It is a lightweight model, weighing in at approx 1.5kg.
- DC17 - Upright vacuum, released in the US. Uses Root Level 3 to gain higher suction power
- DC18 - 'Dyson slim', lightweight upright model
- DC19 - cylinder model
- DC20 - 'Stowaway', This was the same as DC19 but with wrapping
- DC21 - 'Motorhead', this was the same as DC20 but with a motorized brush-head
- DC22 - 'Dyson Baby', the smallest of all Dyson cylinder vacuums
- DC24 - 'Mini', based on ball technology weighing only 11.6 pounds
- DC25 - Upright vacuum based on ball technology.
Dyson has also ventured into the washing machine arena - in November 2000 Dyson released the CR01, also known as the Contrarotator. It was the world's first washing machine that had two drums that rotated in opposite directions. Following this was the CR02, which was available in Allergy and Flowcheck models. However, after these models Dyson stopped making washing machines, as they found it was not a profitable venture.
Airblade
This product stormed across the UK in October 2006, bringing a revolutionary ideal to hand dryers. This was the first product of its kind that Dyson invented and released. It is a fantastic piece of technology - it has a DDM. This is a Dyson Digital motor -what this motor does is produce a 400mph air stream. It is unheated air and this is passed through a gap that is 0.3 millimetres in size (imagine an eyelash). This gives the motion of an invisible windscreen wiper that wipes the moisture from the , leaving them completely dry within ten seconds.It is also 83% more energy efficient than the other conventional hand dryers that are available on the market.
Our personal experience
Our home has two Dyson models -the DC16 handheld and the DC08 cylinder model. We purchased the DC08 2 years ago, and have had the DC16 for about 9 months. I would personally have to recommend both of them as fantastic pieces of cleaning equipment.
The DC16 is great for picking up small crumbs and items - which I am sure that the parents who are reading this can sympathise with. Why is it that every child is, shall we say "blessed", with the ability to create maximum crumb exposure on your floors in the shortest space of time? What's great about the DC16 is that you don't need to bring out the large Vacuum cleaner to clean up a small area -with the handheld you can make a small job stay a small job. The DC16 comes with a charger base system that you can attach to the wall if you wish to create minimum space and reduce clutter. It does not have the largest battery capability once off the charger, but this never presents a problem as we only use it for small jobs. Also, at 1.5kg it is comparatively light when compared to competitive products on the market.
For example, the Black & Decker CV1205 is 2.5 kg. The Black and Decker model also takes 16 hours to charge and only runs for 13 minutes at a time before you need to recharge it.
Whereas Dyson only takes 3 hours to completely recharge - only downside is that it needs to be recharged after 6 minutes. However, considering this product is used predominantly as a product that is used to clean up after small tasks, then I don't find this at all off-putting.
Our DC08 is also another fantastic piece of Dyson Technology. It is quite lightweight to carry around, weighing only 9 kg. It has wheels so can be
easily pulled along. It is a cylinder model with a hose, which can be adjusted in length according to what you need. It uses Dyson's synonymous bag-less technology, and as it has a clear bin you can see when it is full, and can simply unclip it and dispose of the dirt. It also picks up so much more dirt than other Vacuums.
I am meticulous with the cleaning of my carpets, but I do have to say ***hides head*** that when we first cleaned the carpets with the DC08, it picked up lots of dirt off the floor that our previous Vacuum didn't. But at least I know now that my carpets are getting a thorough run-over with the Dyson each time. It's not the quietest model, but we can vacuum at night without waking up our son.
The main selling point of this model is the sheer quality of it. Yes it is more expensive, than other brands, but the quality is incomparable, and it is a product that will stand the test of time. My in-laws bought a DC02 about ten years ago I believe, and it's still doing a fantastic job to date.
Here are the features for the DC08:
Patented Root 12 Cyclone technology
Compact size that sits on the stairs
Low reach floor tool
Suitable for Car cleaning
Suction release trigger
Ergonomic wand handle
Adjustable wand
Removable tool holster
Easy to store
Clear collection compartment
Protective rubber wheels
5 year Guarantee
As you can see, it comes with a 5 year guarantee. This is a guarantee across the board for
Dyson Upright and Cylinder models. The
handheld Dyson's come with a 2 year guarantee. Most companies offer a 2 or 3 year guarantee maximum on their vacuum cleaners.
Dyson's are also brilliant at repairing products or replacing parts when you have to invoke your warrantee. Their customer service is very helpful, and they promptly arrange things for you, so that you are left without a Dyson for the minimum time possible. Also they have a great after-care system and you have the comfort of knowing the company is always there in the background ready to help or give you advice.
If I was to advise anybody now on a Vacuum cleaner for their home, then I would certainly point them in the way of Dyson products. Yes, you do pay more, but you pay for what you get, plus a whole lot more.
What you pay for is a company that offers high quality, long lasting products that are fully supported by high levels of customer services. These products use the latest technology, and are efficient, unique with technology that is poorly imitated within other products.
For Dyson I would certainly give the company and the products a 5/5.
To SIR James Dyson I can simply applaud -without him taking a chance to challenge the UK market then we would more than likely be making do with second grade, poor quality products, and a model such as Dyson would be but a dream in James Dyson's sketchbook
5/5 from our house again!!!
Dyson -it never loses suction 
Great review, just got a DC22Allergy - its not even on the CIAO site!