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lot85

Vaccum Cleaners

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My less than one-year-old Hitachi cheapo vaccum cleaner died last week. I was sourcing around for a replacement. Was torn between spending more to get a good unit since I would be the one doing vaccuming lately vs another cheapo set. At the end of the day, from a originally intention of paying S$100-$200 vaccum cleaner, I settled for a S$599 Dyson City DC26! Sharing my buying considerations here as I get lots of informative reviews from internet and friends. Hope it helps others as well.

My buying decision swayed a lot and I meant A LOT. Well you can tell from the price range ;-p I actually started off by thinking of getting a mutli-purpose "super" mop. Then I threw out the idea 'cos I need to vaccum the sofa and carpet and perhaps the air purifier and air con ducts.

Then I look at the past models I had, including Philips, Rowenta (S$200 range) prior to Hitachi and was not impressed by any of them.

Then I started to look at Electrolux Silencer series (particularly the ultrasilencer model which has very good reviews). But I hesitated 'cos though I was impressed by its quietness I read about being silent means better insulation which means poorer heat dissipation (and possibly affect motor lifespan) which explains why I read about some consumers complaining about feeling the heat gush.

The decision between handheld vs canister was the easiest part 'cos I do not like the idea of charging for so long just to be able to use 20-30 mins which are meant more for area/spot cleaning. I was more torn between bag vs bagless. My previous vaccums were all with bags and I guessed it's true that it's easier and less messy to dispose. Though still have my reservations 'cos some model's bags may be out of production - well if your vaccum cleaner (vc) outlive the bags !

I was zooming into bagged vcs till I read about Dyson aka claims of will not loose suction with bagless "cyclone" technology. All the goo goo gaa reviews were all so tempting ! & since I was looking at the Dyson series, I might as well (so convenient right? ;-p) look at the Karcher's. Love Karcher's yellow, had their steamer before and it works great but was put off by their rounded fat and heavy canister. Decided not to take the wet-and-dry vcs range 'cos I am pretty firm about wanting something light and mobile.

I was looking at Courts Dyson DC29 when I came across Harvey Norman's Dyson City DC26! For the same price, DC26 is approx 2-3 kgs lesser than DC29, comes with a free parquet brush (while stock last) and Dyson offers a 5 years free on-site parts and labour warranty. I am most impressed with its dainty and well-thought out design but most important of all, the confidence in offering 5 years warranty. On-site warranty some more, love it!

Else, I was actually swayed by the sales guy at Harvey Norman and ended up paying $449 for a Bosch Home Professional Free'e BSGL5PROGB model. By the way, during this period there is Philips/Rowenta promo and almost every Courts/Gain City/Harvey salesmen will sell me Philips. I guessed I was attracted to the Made in Germany vs Dyson Made in Malaysia and 'cos he was confidently telling me that the Bosch suction is much better than Dyson and all I am paying is only Dyson's brand name. So believe it or not, I actually paid and bring back the Bosch vc. I really have a very favourable view of German made products.

Else, when I tried it the first thing I reached home, I had problem power up the Bosch Home Professional Free'e BSGL5PROGB unit (ya, I was swearing). I had to press a few times and somehow by luck, it did work. The vaccuming part was a piece of cake with its light weight and was easy to maneuver with the 360 deg hose rotation and best of all, the cord was so long that I do not need to switch power plug in every room! However the next morning, I still did not feel good about the power control. I plugged it in to try again and it started to work by itself and I couldn't swicth it off! I thought it was a defective unit and was exasperated that I had spent $449 for a unit and still need to go back to the store (well even my less than $100 Hitachi did not give me such problem). At the store again, I was told that this was the intended design! It was meant for people to use your legs to step hard on the vc (instead of press by hand) so you need to press hard and hold longer on the power control button! Gosh, what a dumb design I thought and I certainly did not want to spend so much to figure out how to work around a vc! I gave up and top up $150 more for the Dyson DS26 that I had originally been eye-ing at. I have to give credits to the sales guy or Harvey for allowing me to switch model (though only to a higher end model).

I brought the Dyson DC26 unit and immediately open it up once back home. The packaging was solidly wrapped (so I can be sure it's a brand new not demo unit) and I love the dummy-free design. Well, for one, I hear clicks when I am done with the fixing (in split seconds) but for the Bosch, I have to re-check if it was fitted properly. I tried it immediately on my carpet. Though I had vaccumed with the Bosch yesterday, I wasn't expecting much dirt to be picked up but interestingly I still managed to pick up some dirt - so yes, I was impressed. Psychologically you feel good cos you see dust trapped in the transparent container! The dust removal can also be done with 1 button release with the one hand, no mess! The roller is supposed to be multi-purpose ie hardfloor, carpet etc. Yet to try on the floor - will do so weekend and if got time, will give further reviews.

The downside so far is its noise. Louder than Bosch for sure. There's only 1 mode so you cant choose a low mode to have lesser noise. But noise level no louder than my cheapo Hitachi model. But if you are particular about noise, Dyson will be out for you. Happy vc shopping!

Edited by lot85
 

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My less than one-year-old Hitachi cheapo vaccum cleaner died last week. I was sourcing around for a replacement. Was torn between spending more to get a good unit since I would be the one doing vaccuming lately vs another cheapo set. At the end of the day, from a originally intention of paying S$100-$200 vaccum cleaner, I settled for a S$599 Dyson City DC26! Sharing my buying considerations here as I get lots of informative reviews from internet and friends. Hope it helps others as well.

My buying decision swayed a lot and I meant A LOT. Well you can tell from the price range ;-p I actually started off by thinking of getting a mutli-purpose "super" mop. Then I threw out the idea 'cos I need to vaccum the sofa and carpet and perhaps the air purifier and air con ducts.

Then I look at the past models I had, including Philips, Rowenta (S$200 range) prior to Hitachi and was not impressed by any of them.

Then I started to look at Electrolux Silencer series (particularly the ultrasilencer model which has very good reviews). But I hesitated 'cos though I was impressed by its quietness I read about being silent means better insulation which means poorer heat dissipation (and possibly affect motor lifespan) which explains why I read about some consumers complaining about feeling the heat gush.

The decision between handheld vs canister was the easiest part 'cos I do not like the idea of charging for so long just to be able to use 20-30 mins which are meant more for area/spot cleaning. I was more torn between bag vs bagless. My previous vaccums were all with bags and I guessed it's true that it's easier and less messy to dispose. Though still have my reservations 'cos some model's bags may be out of production - well if your vaccum cleaner (vc) outlive the bags !

I was zooming into bagged vcs till I read about Dyson aka claims of will not loose suction with bagless "cyclone" technology. All the goo goo gaa reviews were all so tempting ! & since I was looking at the Dyson series, I might as well (so convenient right? ;-p) look at the Karcher's. Love Karcher's yellow, had their steamer before and it works great but was put off by their rounded fat and heavy canister. Decided not to take the wet-and-dry vcs range 'cos I am pretty firm about wanting something light and mobile.

I was looking at Courts Dyson DC29 when I came across Harvey Norman's Dyson City DC26! For the same price, DC26 is approx 2-3 kgs lesser than DC29, comes with a free parquet brush (while stock last) and Dyson offers a 5 years free on-site parts and labour warranty. I am most impressed with its dainty and well-thought out design but most important of all, the confidence in offering 5 years warranty. On-site warranty some more, love it!

Else, I was actually swayed by the sales guy at Harvey Norman and ended up paying $449 for a Bosch Home Professional Free'e BSGL5PROGB model. By the way, during this period there is Philips/Rowenta promo and almost every Courts/Gain City/Harvey salesmen will sell me Philips. I guessed I was attracted to the Made in Germany vs Dyson Made in Malaysia and 'cos he was confidently telling me that the Bosch suction is much better than Dyson and all I am paying is only Dyson's brand name. So believe it or not, I actually paid and bring back the Bosch vc. I really have a very favourable view of German made products.

Else, when I tried it the first thing I reached home, I had problem power up the Bosch Home Professional Free'e BSGL5PROGB unit (ya, I was swearing). I had to press a few times and somehow by luck, it did work. The vaccuming part was a piece of cake with its light weight and was easy to maneuver with the 360 deg hose rotation and best of all, the cord was so long that I do not need to switch power plug in every room! However the next morning, I still did not feel good about the power control. I plugged it in to try again and it started to work by itself and I couldn't swicth it off! I thought it was a defective unit and was exasperated that I had spent $449 for a unit and still need to go back to the store (well even my less than $100 Hitachi did not give me such problem). At the store again, I was told that this was the intended design! It was meant for people to use your legs to step hard on the vc (instead of press by hand) so you need to press hard and hold longer on the power control button! Gosh, what a dumb design I thought and I certainly did not want to spend so much to figure out how to work around a vc! I gave up and top up $150 more for the Dyson DS26 that I had originally been eye-ing at. I have to give credits to the sales guy or Harvey for allowing me to switch model (though only to a higher end model).

I brought the Dyson DC26 unit and immediately open it up once back home. The packaging was solidly wrapped (so I can be sure it's a brand new not demo unit) and I love the dummy-free design. Well, for one, I hear clicks when I am done with the fixing (in split seconds) but for the Bosch, I have to re-check if it was fitted properly. I tried it immediately on my carpet. Though I had vaccumed with the Bosch yesterday, I wasn't expecting much dirt to be picked up but interestingly I still managed to pick up some dirt - so yes, I was impressed. Psychologically you feel good cos you see dust trapped in the transparent container! The dust removal can also be done with 1 button release with the one hand, no mess! The roller is supposed to be multi-purpose ie hardfloor, carpet etc. Yet to try on the floor - will do so weekend and if got time, will give further reviews.

The downside so far is its noise. Louder than Bosch for sure. There's only 1 mode so you cant choose a low mode to have lesser noise. But noise level no louder than my cheapo Hitachi model. But if you are particular about noise, Dyson will be out for you. Happy vc shopping!

Good sharing. I had the Electrolux silencer when it first came out and it died 2 years later. Yes, silence means thick insulation and shorter motor life. I also have the DC26 like you and use it infrequently as it is too loud. The DC26 has a small capacity so need to empty frequently. It might become a chore. The one I use more often is the Karcher T12 pro (also with thick sound insulation) and is very quiet. I also bought the hose extension to make vacuuming easier. Not sure if this unit will last and hopefully it will.

 

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What about Rowenta, is it good? Or Philiips?

It depends on what you are looking for; e.g. do you want a very quiet type, the size, etc.

I had a Rowenta in the past and I like it as it is small and portable. Power is mid range as I don't like vacuums that 'suck' like crazy because I don't have carpets.

I have not used a Philips before as I don't like their designs especially the lower end range.

Regardless, it is more important to list down your criteria first.

Rowenta also has a very silent vacuum but as mentioned earlier, silent vacuums have trade offs but worth it if you can't stand the noise.

Edited by Pelect
 

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Personal preference is Rowenta over Philips eh ...... 'cos Rowenta is a German brand and more focused product lines? Again, personal preference only 'cos I can't really recall the respective features and functionalities.

Got to use my Dyson DC26 over the weekend. The multifloor roller is great and easy to use on carpets. I was having the impression that this multifloor roller can be for ALL types of floors but I guess it was not. For hardfloor and parquet, I change to the parquet brush and vacumming was a breeze too. I love the easy switch design btw all the different suction tools ie for carpets, for parquet, for furnitures etc (dummy free ;-p). Furniture/corner brushes etc are easy to reach as they are fitted on the vc itself. Suction is great too. For manuevering, one part of the hose was stuck to the vc body which I find it strange but so far moving it around is a piece of cake as it was so light. The dirt removal part was most satisfying i.e. to see your cleaning efforts poured out in 1 click. Some has concerns over the small dirt container but it's definitely sufficient for S'pore apartment household cleaning say once a week. Comes with HEPA filter (a must for me) and (lifetime) washable filter.

The cons? Noise - unable to watch TV normally if you vaccum. But 'cos vacuuming is a breeze, I am done in a short while and I have no babies in house - so noise to me is bearable. The other thing perhaps is its storage design. It has an upright tube which some may not like when it comes to storage. I just chucked it in the storeroom corner and the vaccum size/space it takes is easily half the normal vcs.

 

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Hi

Anyone buy the hand held long vacuum cleaner, sorry cant recall the brand but in most HDB shopping centres, there's always a salesguy operating from a small table somewhere selling this. It came in 2 different power as in eg 30mins and 45 mins etc.. it is also selling for over $100.

Wondering if anyone bought and can kindly share if it is useful.

Thanks and Regards :)

 

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Hi

Anyone buy the hand held long vacuum cleaner, sorry cant recall the brand but in most HDB shopping centres, there's always a salesguy operating from a small table somewhere selling this. It came in 2 different power as in eg 30mins and 45 mins etc.. it is also selling for over $100.

Wondering if anyone bought and can kindly share if it is useful.

Thanks and Regards :)

I have the long handheld vacuum similar to the one you mentioned but not the same brand.

What I can say is that battery operated vacuums have short running times and are not suitable to vacuum a large area.

It is more like a supplementary vacuum to do quick cleanups.

If you do decide to buy, remember not to leave it to charge 24X7. It will shorten the battery life if you do that.

Also make sure the battery is Lithium ion and not Nickel Metal Hydride or Nickel Cadmium as they require greater battery maintenance.

 

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Hi anyone using the hand held vaccum brand OHM.. it is now commonly sold in most neighbourhood mall. I think it is close to $200 or so.

Though it is very handy as can dismantle into small parts to keep but this kinda price for this unheard of brand is kinda expensive.

I came across brands like Ketcher, Philips, etc also handheld but only $100 over only. However these are more bigger in size and cannot be dismantled into smaller parts etc..

Anyone using the brand OHM, please advise .. thank you

 

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Regret getting the dyson vacuum cleaner. Extremely noisy. Thought of buying the robotic type of vacuum cleaner. Anyone put there can share some comments?

If you are sensitive to noise, you also need to be careful when you buy robot vacuums. They are also very noisy. I had the Roomba and later changed to Karcher robot vacuum because the Roomba nosie drives me crazy. Also, take note that robotic vacuums are for light maintenance vacuuming. In terms of vacuuming power and capacity; robotic vacuums are relatively weak. Also, you need to empty the dust bin fairly often, expect for the Karcher vacuum. This means it has higher maintenance as compared with normal vacuums.

 

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I have a Miele vacuum cleaner and I love it! I chose the Cats & Dogs model as I've got a few pets at home. Comes with Hepa filter and utilizes the bag system, Suction is strong, noise level still manageable and I love the bag system. After vacuuming, if the bag is not full enough, I'll just pack the Miele back into the storeroom. In fact, I can use the same bag for quite a few more times before it is full and requires a change. Once every 3 months, I'll wash out the hose & pipe to prevent built up of dirt that can cause the vacuum to emit those horrid smell. Thumbs up for Miele.

Edited by 3Dyms
 

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I have to chime in my experience here. I have had experience with a Karcher wet/dry vacuum (2005-2007), an Electrolux Listo (2007-2009), a Samsung Airtrek 1st gen (2010-2012), a Dyson DC29 (a few months ago), and just recently a Miele S8310 Brilliantlight.

Yes, the Dyson is a very good hoover. Sonically, only marginally quieter than my old Samsung (which I keep for backup). However, there are several flaws which I have stumbled upon. The lifetime HEPA filter will degrade overtime with washing. Fine dust is cumbersome to remove as it often collects near the cyclone's end point. And that is just with the DC29's older Radix Cyclone.

If you look at the newer ones with Ball Movement, the tube which connects the suction hose to the bin is oval & slimmer than the actual connecting hose, which may in the future cause blockages/clogs. And then you look at those models with 2-tier and even the latest Cinetic Cyclones, there will be at one point in the future where at least one of those small-ish cyclones get clogged. I'm not against Dyson, but try to think from a neutral perspective, and you may just start to understand why people love their Dysons within the first 2-3 years only to have to bear with it later on.

Now, I have moved on to a similarly priced Miele. There first thing that deters buyers is that it uses bags. Old-fashioned, outdated? Higher long-term running costs yes, but you save yourself the effort of having to deep clean your Cyclones every 4-6 months to maintain its suction and coming into contact with dirt when emptying/washing the bin. And to general consumers, we can see the appeal of the Dyson over a Miele: we can see what it picks up, we can see how "well" it performas as it collects dirt in the bin. That said, one would never be able to see the advantage Miele has over Dyson without thorough research or experience with both.

Suction power, Miele wins hands down. I get the same suction level of the Dyson DC29 only on the Miele S8310's LOWEST power setting and 2nd LOWEST when the bag is relatively full. It's so powerful, that I never had set it at the "quiet-optimised" power setting or higher. There's no way around it no matter how much you see Dyson markets their product, try both and you'd genuinely feel Dyson is a big marketing act with the appeal of no loss of suction and no bags/filter to buy. For people coming from sub-$300 branded vacs, Dyson is still a step above the majority, but Miele is a leap ahead of Mr Dyson.

Go to youtube and watch videos of how to properly clean Dyson vacs. Why do they exist? It's because of what I have said earlier, finer dust settles near the Cyclone tips. With Radial Cyclone and older, it would be of no problem deep cleaning the cyclones. Good luck dealing with 2-Tier and Cinetic models though. For Miele, you deal with bags. Yes they're more expensive, but each bag is a filter itself. It may be an old tech but an extremely refined process Miele has developed. Each time you replace a bag, you effectively get the same thing you first get You rarely ever see dust in the bag compartment, let alone the pre-motor filter, and blackened post-motor filter is from the motor's carbon exhaust instead of collected dust. Ease of maintenance long term, both do not heavily advertise them, but it's obvious when you've experienced both camps, which company has got the better of the other.

The biggest and best improvement switching from Dyson to Miele is the noise aspect. The Miele is much quieter. In fact, the motor is so quiet, the main noise is the airflow from the floorhead itself. That's on floors. If you vacuum on carpets, the floorhead creates a seal (didn't happen with my DC29), and the overall noise is dampened to such an extent that you think where the **** is the thing I'm vacuuming with!

And before you go on about the uniqueness of Dyson's Ball Movement, go to a superstore and try pulling a Miele S8 around. It's light and glides freely, you'll be remarkably surprised on how much you missed out.

 

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