It comes from Sebo, a German manufacturer. Hoover may cling on to its British heritage, with a plant in South Wales. Dyson has fled these shores to profiteer in the Far-Eastern sweatshops, and we are swamped with cheap and nasties.
Dyson has let us all down. I bought one about four years ago, and thought "Wow!", I was impressed by the bright colours, and the huge balls of fluff spinning around in the cylinder. As time moved on, I became disappointed, parts snapped off, and as the suction became lazy, I changed the filter.
Yet still, my Dyson deterioated further. I gave it as much care as possible, and its routine was relatively light; this being a three-bed semi-detatched where there are no dogs or cats dropping hair, or kids shedding crumbs and muck.
I thought I was unlucky, but I started to hear my 'Dyson
generation' whispering similar thoughts to my own. Friends, family, customers and colleagues were seeking treatment for this virus... These people previously junked the verb "hoovering", and had boasted how they had "Dysoned" the lounge, hall, car etc.... Even in one of my rare flicks through The Daily Mail, I read a column by Simon Heffer saying exactly this; his Dyson too had been retired to the garage! Never have I agreed so wholeheartedly with such a right-wing Tory!
Having gained so many hearts and minds with his creation, Nick Dyson had already closed his UK plant, in favour of a cheaper Malaysian workforce. Further nails in the Dyson coffin for me!
So, Sebo.
I had never heard of them.
They are a German outfit, and their website boasts of cutting edge technology, just like Audi, BMW or VW.
They are expensive, just like aforementioned car guys.
They invite you to try their product, a test drive basically, in quality stores like John Lewis.
Also, like Audi et al, they inspire confidence. I knew I was dealing with decent German engineering here, they boast of their Worldwide commercial contracts (a bit like the Queen's royal appointment) such as The White House or The Kremlin.
What about a German car? Audi, VW, Merc, BMW? I know what I would go for!
I was convinced, and bought the Sebo vac.
Loaded it into my (French!) car and was eager to see it eat the carpet mine-field.
In usual male style, I cast aside the instructions, and used macho instinct to get it set up and going. Bit of a mistake maybe, but it is quite straightforward to follow the guide. The bag can be a bit tricky, so do scan the booklet.
So, a bit about the machine, it boasts 1300 watts; a good standard, and is a quite comfortable 7Kg in weight. Sebo describes it as a "BigFoot" design, it does have a wide 'mouth' and can get close to skirting boards.
Just like the Dyson, the hose can be retracted from the stem, and used for the stairs, nooks and crannies. The different nozzles and brushes sit in cradles for ease of access. Also like the Dyson, it can topple over easily!
Unlike the Dyson however, this needs bags. Now, this will incurr some extra expense, however Dyson machines need a change of filter every so often. The capacity of a Sebo bag is over 5 litres, compared to the 3 litre Dyson cylinder. Not being the chancellor of the exchequer, I cannot forecast a long-term saving/investment return on this! I've only had this machine for 4 months.
I had to change the bag after three weeks, quite satisfying really to know that the £200 was giving me such good suction. On that note, the Sebo has a warning light to tell you that the bag is full, and another to alert you to clogging.
Dog-owners would love this machine! Firstly, it has great suction power, and boasts 'British Allergy Foundation' approval. But of greater significance; using this is like walking the dog!
Yes, it could be an eager Jack Russell tugging you along on a lead. This is what makes the Sebo so pleasant to use. Instead of forcing it around your lounge, it will motor ahead with minimal pushing effort. It leaves you chasing, such a relief from what would be a chore! Honestly, it moves for you!
After playing with this in every room in the house (Ladies... your guys may take this element of housework off you!) I was awestruck. Plenty of crumbs, soil, dust and the odd toy part discarded by nephew had been swallowed with appetite. I nearly lost a silk tie! This product exceeds the S-Class filtration standard which stipulates that 99.97% of particles of 0.3 microns be removed. A micron is one-millionth of one metre. Sebo claim to remove 100% of one micron or over, above this standard. (I can not find a spec for Dyson or any other manufacturers here) Put that into perspective; dust mite faeces are about 10 microns.
So, been sh*@ shovelling with this beast... no dust mite crap in my house then!
So this thing is good, great, I love it. Its even got a decent power cord, so can do the whole ground floor from one power point, and upstairs, plus staircase from another.
I realise it is new, and I was also excited by my Dyson once, but this just seems.....
....well, better
100 watt extra power, more capacity, sounder build, and the way 'it' drags 'you' along just has to be experienced. Of course, this could go the same way as my Dyson, but at this moment I will give it my endorsement.
There may be a few taboos left in society, but this man will shout about paying £200 for a great sucking action!
Not sure about one thing though; Verb "to Hoover" is Ok Verb "to Dyson" is a bit middle classed Verb "to Sebo" ????
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Nov 14th, 2004
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