My first vacuum cleaner was cheap and cheerful, bought before I was a home owner and sufficient for the occasional challenges presented to it in a student bedsit.
When I bought my first home, I forsook the cheap and cheerful in favour of a better model – an Electrolux that was both more powerful and more effective than its predecessor. The Electrolux has served me faithfully for more than 20 years. It still works, but the switch is broken, so you can plug it in to turn on, and plug it out to turn off but you must remember to stay away from the switch. I use it upstairs and it performs as well as it ever did. For which, I am grateful.
But, knowing that its days must be numbered, and knowing that it is probably not worth fixing, I thought the time had come for an upgrade. And, having an unexpected few euro to spend in the form of a gift voucher, I took the plunge and invested in a Dyson. It cost a lot more than the Electrolux and so I expected a lot more from it. I’ve had it now for more than a year so my complaints are not those of a new user. If you’re a Dyson fan, stop reading now because I’m about to tell you what I don’t like about my model.
First, it’s too heavy. It’s just as well I have the Electrolux upstairs because I really wouldn’t want to heft this animal up those steps.
Second, it’s messy – the hose doesn’t really wind around although it looks like it should, so it always looks messy in the corner.
Third, the heads are a pain – the one with the brush – which you can see in this image, is the one that I use most often. It’s already worn down on the front so much so that I worry I might scratch my floors with it.
Fourth, the head with the roller on it which is reasonably effective on carpet is not effective on my wooden floors or tiles. The head the brush (illustrated) is not effective on the carpet. So, if you’ve mixed flooring like me, you’ll have to put up with changing heads as you move around the house.
Fifth, changing the heads is a nuisance – I’ve accidentally pinched my finger in the process and that does not improve my mood.
Although the suction is good, and you don’t have to buy bags, I have to say I’m sorry I invested in this particular piece of kit. Next time, I’m going back to Electrolux – and that will leave me with change to spend on the things I love more than household applicances – like skincare products!
