tommyflan

Do you own a Dyson?

Tom Flanagan
9 years ago
Brand names might certainly be a fad, but a lot of brands become a 'name' because they produce quality.

So, when it comes to household appliances, do you have the king of hoovers, the Dyson? Is it worth investing in one or will a regular hoover do?

Let us know in the comments below!

Comments (99)

  • kodiatt
    9 years ago
    I have had two other cleaners for the last 28 years. Dyson bought few years back is already out of use. Motor burnt out. The other two still going strong. Will never buy a Dyson again. Absolute waste of money!
  • coolbellup
    9 years ago
    I have a Dyson cordless and it is easy and very efficient to use..My previous one was an Oreck which was light and easy to use but it came with a separate cylinder cleaner for the stairs. I would recommend the cordless to anyone. Love it!
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  • Jane Wilson
    9 years ago
    Love my Dyson - have Vacuum clean and hand held. Yes the r expensive but they look good and do a great job.
  • PRO
    Homejoy
    9 years ago
    With the amount of money you can end up spending on hoovers, and the amount of time to clean the filters, it might be worth outsourcing your hoovering? Homejoy Cleaning Professionals can bring their own hoover every time they come to your home if you need them to.
  • phileley
    9 years ago
    Currently renovating a georgian house, one of the best thing purchase was the Henry Hoover, deals with all issues very cost effective.
  • PRO
    Wallboss
    9 years ago
    Had had Henry's in the past but loose suction. Have got a new fusion for the office and does a great job.
  • benburnett
    9 years ago
    I've had 5 and currently have a cordless at the moment. Karcher is what I'll be buying next.
  • PRO
    P & P Maintenance Services
    8 years ago

    Henry! Mine gets kicked out of the van, down stairs and never fails. After nearly 20 yrs I have just had to change the hose. Incredibly robust. Powerful motor and easily operates without a bag. Very simple engineering. I have tried to use Dysons at customers houses and find the build quality very poor and they are over complicated to operate. If it is not immediately apparent how to use something, then surely it has failed?

  • crowningfashion
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    Dyson replacement parts are extortiate and they aren't the most powerful vaccuums on the market. I have had a couple of Dysons and haven't been satisfied so in the end I bought a VAX. Oh my word it's so powerful it lifted up the carpet!! Wouldn't be without a Vax now and indeed I won't consider anything else.

  • sarishmacbeth
    8 years ago
    We have a George and a Henry. The George I've had since university (second hand 90s model) and he's survived everything including being dropped down the stairs twice. Finally got him serviced after replacing the kitchen and waterproofing the flat roof of the utility - as I used him to pick up all the plaster, concrete, tile adhesive, and mould, moss and cement dust off the roof and he runs like new. My fiancée bought the Henry (mid 80s model) with him so that one gets used for the general weekly Hoover. I've heard the newer versions are less good so I'm worried that they may be irreplaceable but at this rate I don't imagine that happening in our lifetime! We are wondering about getting a roomba - but just for the cats to ride!
  • Iona
    8 years ago

    I have owned three Dysons in the last 20 years. I gave up and bought an AEG and my goodness, what a difference! It makes me feel I should have left Dyson years ago. The suction power, which is adjustable, in my AEG is far superior to anything I had with the Dyson. Still no bag and easy to take apart when it blocks up with straw and stones, in my case. My work colleague also had Dysons and recently bought a Vax and said exactly the same thing; couldn't understand why he had stuck with Dyson for so long.

  • Emmanuelle
    8 years ago
    I have a Miele, with special wooden floorboards brush ... I love it! Very powerful! Vacuuming is a task I like doing thanks to my vacuum!
  • Aisling O'Callaghan
    8 years ago

    I have a Dyson and it has never caused an ounce of trouble. Before the Dyson, we went through a new hoover every couple of years, so definitely worth the investment in my opinion.

  • PRO
    The Persian Carpet
    8 years ago

    Consumer Reports is your friend

  • Jane Bateman
    8 years ago

    I killed the Dyson my husband brought with him and bought a Henry as it was affordable.

    I do find it hard work but it's very reliable.

    Been thinking of a rechargeable but am uncertain of the longevity of the batteries.

  • d walsh
    7 years ago

    My dyson is great, they do vary a lot, the early ones were not great. But to be honest i have a numatic in the garage that gets so much abuse, but lasted about 20 years so far and all I changed was the brushes in the motor for about £5

  • Miranda
    7 years ago
    I have a Dyson and a Henry. The Henry is much better. However, we also have a small cordless Dyson which is wonderful and I lust after the new cordless larger version.
  • Nicky Phillips
    7 years ago
    I have a Henry and he is fantastic. We have been renovating and he has survived hoovering up all sorts of objects (unintentionally) and mounds of plaster dust and still the he works the same as the day I bought him.
  • pdando
    7 years ago
    I purchased my upright Dyson in 1992/3.....Still going well. I have looked after it with regular cleaning out and changing the filters. Did find it a bit heavy taking it up stairs, but now moved to a bungalow ,perfect!
  • Lauren
    7 years ago

    We've got all three - a Dyson, Henry and Miele cat and dog (first two 2nd hand and the 3rd was left in the house we bought). I do find the Dyson to be cumbersome, heavy and hard to maneuver, along with regularly getting clogged up.

    The attachments for the Henry annoy me as they tend to come loose when you're using it but it is powerful at least. I'm going to break out the Miele tonight and give that a go - have used similar small ones before when I helped out at a cattery and it was great - trundles along with you and not too heavy.

  • PRO
    Stella Michael
    7 years ago

    I luuurve my Henry. when I moved into my home 16+ years ago, within a few weeks a tradesman clogged up and killed my new vacuum cleaner so someone suggested a Henry and I've never looked back. A few years ago when I had all my floorboards sanded the carpenters industrial sander/vacuum cleaner stopped working. Being a Sunday with everything closed we decided to try using Henry. He was fabulous (better actually) but after about 2 hours stopped working. We decided to have a lunch break and when we returned Henry was good to go again. This went on until the whole house was sanded, just needing a well-earned break every couple of hours ... phew! He's still going strong now after 16 years.

    Tom Flanagan the only difference between Henry (Red) and Hetty (Pink) is colour. Here's an intro to the whole family ... http://www.henryhoover.uk.com/the-henry-hoover-range-what-are-the-differences/

  • PRO
    Stella Michael
    7 years ago

    PS. Pet niggle ... calling vacuum cleaners and vacuuming, hoovers and hoovering unless it's an actual Hoover. Have the same bugbear with photocopying and Xeroxing.

  • PRO
    David Milnes : Photographer
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Henry for me, and I also have a George. Frankly, I can't believe how cheap they are. There is also a vacuum cleaner for pro use, looks pretty cool and only about £120, if only I could remember the name...give me reliability over frills any day. I had a Dyson a few years ago, great when brand new but soon lost its edge.

  • stabmonkey
    7 years ago

    I have a Hoover. I use a carpet sweeper or dustpan and brush before vacuuming to catch stray objects and pet hair, to save the vacuum cleaner from filling up too quickly and from damage, and have a vacuum cleaner on each floor.

  • Leah Smith
    7 years ago
    I own a Dyson Animal barrel and like so many others, the motor went 6 months out of warranty. Two years 6 months is not long enough for such an expensive item.
    The motor was a very reasonable price and it is going fine again , but My daughter who also had a dyson has now bought a Meila and says it is much better to empty dust wise. She also finds it superior to clean.

    Have a look on productreview on feedback after owners have had their Dyson Animal for 2-3 years .

    It is easy to use, easy to push , good suction hard to empty without getting covered in dust, motor gone at 2.6 years.
  • ShellbyFay
    7 years ago

    My mom has had a Henry for years and I had a Henry when I moved, and we had a Henry in New Zealand. I will have a Henry when we move into our new house. Henry all the way!! My partners Mom has a Dyson and I cannot stand it. Heavy, loud and impractical. We use a dust buster to hoover the stairs!!

  • Woody571 Whitehurst
    7 years ago
    I bought my Henry in 1995 for £90 and he served us superbly, without any repairs, until we had our extension in 2011. Stupidly I vacuumed up the plaster dust daily and killed him! I didn't hesitate to go out and buy another one which is still going strong. I bet a Dyson wouldn't give perfect service for 16 years, nor survive plaster dust. Interestingly when you look around professional cleaners often use Henry or Numatic vacuums too...the nursery my children attended, their primary school, my place of work, restaurants, hotels and even the holiday lodge we visited over the school holiday. I've never seen a Dyson used by professionals and they certainly don't smile at you when you get them out the cupboard. So it's a Henry all the way for us.
  • winterfloods
    7 years ago
    We're on our third Miele; first one went to a relative, second one went in a flood and the third one is every bit as brilliant as the previous ones but has more bells and whistles on it. I love it.

    We also have a rechargeable handheld Dyson which has "issues" and an upright lightweight Dyson which I keep upstairs for a quick run around the house every so often. My sister has a Dyson too and I'm not over-impressed with them, certainly not in comparison to the Miele.

    We have a fairly new replacement Henry too but he's only used for clearing up in the shed, any building work indoors or for vacuuming the patio. Yes, vacuuming the patio!
  • Nenn Linmot
    7 years ago
    I have a cordless Dyson that works really well for us with different flooring throughout it takes about 15minuets & the whole house done.
    However you can sometimes knock the open button without realising & think "where has that mess come from"!!
  • acew1234
    7 years ago
    I have quadruplet Henry's, one for each floor and annex.
    Brilliant doing all the work required in a big guesthouse, just wish the cord was about 2m longer then I could vacuum from the back to the front of the house without changing sockets!
    Tried a dyson but not a patch on Henry.
  • verdigrisjane
    7 years ago
    I have a dyson and I hate it. Waiting for it to die
  • Vicki Phillips
    7 years ago
    A few years ago I needed a new vacuum cleaner and having spoken to lots of people and done on line research invested in a Dyson. I honestly believe that owning a Dyson is like Marmite , you either love it or hate it! Sadly like many of the rest of you I fell into the latter camp as I found it cumbersome , falling over if I Tried to use the hose and needing constant cleaning of the filter to ensure it picked up efficiently. Found people with older models happier with their Dyson. So I purchased a Samsung cylinder bag less vacuum. Result Dyson stayed in cupboard until Dyson lover daughter took it to add to her collection. However we recently moved house and the lounge carpet has flattened badly and I was told I needed to use a cleaner with a beater bar to raise the pile. So not wanting to make another very expensive mistake borrowed a Sebo. Excellent, well built and quite heavy but not as heavy as a upright Miele and if concerned about Hepa filtration one of the best for those with dust allergies. Outcome we are now owners of a German built Sebo Automatic X1. which I will leave downstairs and use with the Samsung for the stairs. So my advice Tom is to borrow a few vacuum cleaners and then have two so you have all bases covered.
  • ianthy
    7 years ago

    I bought one of the first Dyson's and was deeply disappointed. Not a cheap hoover and I felt like I was testing out their latest experiments and paying handsomely for the privilege. Since then I have bought Henry's and can't fault them.

  • Daisy England
    7 years ago
    I'm on my second Dyson. Not that my first broke, I just gave it to my son.

    The suction on them in great but the weight of them is too much especially when lifting it up the stairs.

    With the huge range of cordless available now I'd definitely opt for one of those.

    My sister in law has a G Tech and the performance, suction and weight are what I'm looking for next time.
  • Gilly Parker
    7 years ago
    I have a gtech for quick fixes but wouldn't be without my Henry. Best investment I ever made X
  • lottiefenwick
    7 years ago

    I have a numatic (basically a Henry). It picks up anything without blocking, pet hair, dust and even building rubble as I am doing a major house renovation and shows no sign of breaking after 3 years of heavy abuse. There is a reason that contract cleaners use them! ... I used to have a Dyson, it kept cutting out through overheating after vacuuming a couple of rooms at a time. x


  • Laura Thomas
    7 years ago
    I have a neumatic (Henry) for tidying up building dust etc. has been doing a brillant job, although uses a lot of bags and the handle/hose keeps coming apart.
    Prefer to use my Miele for the carpets much lighter and easy to use.
    Dyson handheld is great for a quick whizz around and doing the stairs.
  • d walsh
    7 years ago

    I sell the bags for henrys if you need them! I use an old vacuum in my garage, it is a unbranded old henry, it's great. My Dyson in the house is really good.

  • LTS
    7 years ago
    Yes we have a Dyson. The cleaners have a Henry though & use theirs, which may be telling!
  • Denise
    7 years ago
    I have the Miele cat and dog. Absolutely brilliant. Would never go back to a Dyson. Yes you have to buy bags but you don't have to pay for repairs, or the inconvenience of the Hoover being fixed.
  • vwaldock
    7 years ago
    I have owned two Dysons -different models- was not impressed with either of them. I now use a Miele vacuum cleaner, it's brilliant..
  • glendevon
    7 years ago

    I used to 'do' for a lot of people, and I found Dyson's to be the most unreliable vacuums. The main problem seemed to be loss of suction, followed by overheating. They are not particularly robust, are extremely noisy and their height makes it difficult for doing under beds (I always found the hose extension awkward to use too). They are also overpriced. The best makes that I have used are Miele, Sebo, Oreck and Henry.

  • zodkavombie
    7 years ago

    I have had my Dyson for approximately six months and I am very disappointed with it. Nothing actually works now and I am returning it. It is the worst piece of equipment I have ever bought and it was'nt inexpensive. I have bought a Henrietta instead, which is fantastic and more up-to-date than my old Henry, again a great Hoover.

  • titiankim
    7 years ago
    My Miele must be 15 years old and has never needed servicing or repairing. The wooden floor and turbo brush attachments are great and a cylinder is so much easier to manoeuvre. My OH had a Dyson - we gave it away and kept my Miele
  • A S
    7 years ago
    Hi, I love the shark vacuum, it's slim so it fits into small spaces, light and can be detached from the Base making vacuuming stairs a whole lot easier. Suction is very good and hasn't wavered In the past 2 years.

    Not ideal for rubble like a durable Henry but for homes, I think its ideal. The only issue is that needs emptying more than Usual as the compartment is fairly small, otherwise, brilliant
  • jada1981
    7 years ago
    Dyson comes with 5 years free parts if they break please check your warranty
    That's what attracts me to it for the past decade but I'm thinking of switching to Gtech air ram
  • PRO
    MBH Carpentry and Joinery Ltd.
    7 years ago
    We have got a vax air, a lot cheaper than dyson. Also have used Henry's before great little hoover! For work purposes though I use a festool midi that sucks up a lot!
  • justina
    7 years ago
    I had dyson for 5 years now and must say would not change it for anything else. So far nothing came loose, not a crack and performs as well as the first day. Easy to clean too.
  • PRO
    B&R Garden Services
    7 years ago
    yes although every professional cleaner I speak to loves Henry
  • Jackie O'Mahony
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    I have a Gtech it's terrific!!! Mush better than the overrated dyson .Power time is much longer with the Gtech.

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