What's better than a Dyson?

Redkite351

The Bosch BUC11700GB was on sale at my local co-op for £99.99 - saving on postage.

albalad

sorry if it's a bit late and a bit long, but here is a copy of the "which" report on vacuum cleaners -

Upright vs cylinder
There are two basic types of vac – upright and cylinder. Both have their pros and cons, though there are some models that buck the trend.

Cylinders are proving much better cleaners than uprights in our tests.
Our tests on more than 50 cleaners over the last two years have found some great cylinder vacs, but most uprights have been looking rather pathetic.

This is a bit baffling. In theory, uprights’ rotating brush rolls should make them better than cylinders on carpet. One possible reason is that uprights sell less well these days, so perhaps less effort’s going into their design.

In general:
Uprights
• are better at cleaning pet hair
• are good for cleaning large, clear surfaces
• are difficult to use for cleaning stairs
• are noisier than cylinders
Cylinders
• are more reliable than uprights
• are good for using under and around furniture or on stairs
• struggle with cleaning pet hair unless motorised brush heads are provided
• can be untidy to store because of the hose

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Which recommended Best Buys

To make the grade as a Best Buy, a vacuum cleaner must come up with the goods in our rigorous tests. Here's what we look for in each Best Buy.

First and foremost, excellent cleaning ability on at least one floor surface. Carpet is the hardest surface to clean, so any model that rates highly there is a strong contender.

Second, dust that’s sucked in should stay in. Some models have poor filtration systems, which allow dust to escape back into the room through the exhaust.

Finally, we look at the brand's reliability record. Each year we survey 30,000 Which? readers to find out which brands' vacuum cleaners are least likely to require repair. We don't make a product a Best Buy if its manufacturer has below-average reliability.

Cylinder vacuum cleaners
Cylinder machines now outsell uprights and are leaving uprights for dead in our tests.
In recent years, our Best Buys have been dominated by two relatively modest-selling brands, Bosch and Miele.
There’s only one Miele Best Buy at present because our previous recommendations (the S571, Cat & Dog TT and Revolution 700) were recently upgraded. We’ll retest them soon, but any Miele is a good bet.

The jazzy green Bosch BSG 82000GB Ergomaxx has impressive carpet and floorboard cleaning. It’s great at getting rid of dust and allergens, too. Plus it has a quiet motor and is pretty easy to use. Changing the bag and filters, for example, is much easier than with many other models. But there are two areas where it’s less successful – this is not the vac for you if you have laminate floors or mane-moulting pets. It’s easy to find on the internet – expect to pay around £130 – but it can be tricky to find on the high street. Phone Bosch (0870 727 0446) to see if it’s stocked by your local independent retailers.

The Bosch BSG 71810 GB Formula is a real star on wooden floors – laminates and floorboards alike – where it leaves virtually no dust behind. It’s pretty good on carpets, too, though the Ergomaxx just has the edge. It retains dust well and, for a cylinder, it deals effectively with errant pet hair. It’s fairly lightweight and is one of the quietest vacs we’ve tested. And, with a long power cable and good-sized hose, you can cover lots of floor before you have to change sockets. It’s not the best bet for allergy sufferers but, otherwise, this is a good choice. It’s great value at £100 from Miller Brothers.

Like other Miele models we’ve tested, the Miele Xtra Power 2300 is an excellent cleaner. Its macho ‘Xtra Power’ name is a reference to the 2,300-watt motor, which is far stronger than most vacs. Several manufacturers are increasing motor power, but it doesn’t always result in better cleaning and can often be noisier. Happily, Miele machines are constructed superbly, with good brushes and filtration. The Xtra Power cleans brilliantly well and keeps the noise down too. At around £235 online, it’s far from being a budget buy, but Miele has a solid reputation in our reliability survey, so you should have many years’ happy cleaning with this model.

Upright vacuum cleaners
Plenty of people prefer uprights but they’re not as good at cleaning as the best cylinders.

In recent times, the only upright we've found that cleans as well as the Best Buy cylinders is the Dyson DC07 Animal, which did outstandingly well in our tests. The problem is that Dyson's reliability is consistently below average, so the DC07 Animal misses out on being a Best Buy. If you decide to plump for it anyway, pop down to Currys with £230.

The Bosch BUC11700GB Extraxx 17 comes packed with extras, such as a furniture brush and adjustable upholstery nozzle. Cleaning is excellent on hard floors and, as long as you empty it before it gets too full, it's good on carpets, too. However, it is the noisiest of our Best Buys and allergen retention is poor. You can buy it for £130 from Powerhouse.

MimiJane

Great info. albalad ... cheers.

;D

Spikey_2

Any body seen this thread from [glow=red,2,300]stu_iow[/glow]

http://forum.moneysavingexpert.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=Urgents;action=display;num=1105114276

Argos are selling DYSON Root8 DC07 Allergy Upright Vacuum Brush Control/HEPA at £132, that's half price and cheaper than the DC04.
It was in their clearence catalogue at about £220 but online it now says £132 and can be brought at that price in all stores.
I've got mine now so fill your boots.

Stewart

LInk:

http://www.argos.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Search?storeId=10001&catalogId=2501&langId=-1&searchTerms=4050111+&go.x=8&go.y=8

I have reserved one.

Spikey

Jetlagged_2

Dyson, IMHO, are a triumph of design over function!

My Mum has one and it is useless.

I have had the same SEBO for 12 years now. Get them from John Lewis. I cannot recommend them highly enough.

itgirlinuk

I cant find a high street store that stocks a Sebo. Anyone know where I can get them from a shop?

DSmiffy

I have had a dyson for the last five years. Wrecked the first one when the builders used it to suck up plaster dust... they are no good for that, clogs up the cyclone filters. After that I bought the top of the range model Animal DC07 as I have a dog who moults alot. Anyway the point is the most expensive top of the range Dyson is not much different from the Dyson bottom of the range model. If you're not that bothered about all the extra new fangles attachments, then just get the cheapest one, there are some good bargains in the supermarkets. Personally, I wouldn't be without mine.

Sheel

itgirlinuk wrote:

I cant find a high street store that stocks a Sebo. Anyone know where I can get them from a shop?

I have had the same SEBO for 12 years now. Get them from John Lewis

Isn't John Lewis a high street store?

Rebob

I had a dc01 but when we moved to our current home I found it very cumbersome to use as it was heavy and bulky and I did not like carrying it up two flights of stairs. Sold it and bought an Electrolux Air clean Smart Vac on ebay for £25. Electrolux was only 5 months old and the owner won a higher model. Can recommend it and I have a dog and familly to clean up after!

emmaGDB

I bought my dyson second hand, 10 yrs ago.
I had to replace the flex a few yrs ago, but thats about it.
Its going great. but if I ever had to replace it, I would go for another Dyson.
emmaGDB