 |
Dyson DC14
by NotMyToothbrush
My Mom has her own cleaning company and I have been going on jobs with her for a minimum of 2 hours per week for about 7 years. Therefore, I have been able to test a variety of different vacuum cleaners and can make experienced comparisons between many different models. This model is the main one we have used over this time and it has ... generally been great. After about 4 or 5 years it is still being used everyday as it seems almost as good as it was the day it was purchased, however it is starting to show signs of decline.
Considering we have been using it very intensively, it has probably worked the equivalent of a vacuum cleaner in the hands of a general household would in about 15 years or maybe even more. if you think about it like this and also consider that it is still going, this vacuum cleaner is extremely reliable and has been more than worth the money paid for it.
The signs that show me that it is starting to "die" is a slight loss of suction (despite Dyson repeatedly saying how Dysons don't lose suction). I assume this is due to some internal component starting to wear out through repetitive usage and is to be expected. It also now released all of the smells of other houses (especially those with pets) as it cleans. This is despite all filters being cleaner regularly and the vacuum being maintained too.
The build quality on Dyson vacuum cleaners is always excellent and this model is no exception. It is very sturdy and can handle being knocked around cars, floors, walls furniture and even handles being dropped down a few stairs a couple of times.
*The performance I will review for when it was in top condition*
The performance of this vacuum cleaner is pretty good, it will clean up the majority of dirt with ease without having to repeatedly go over the same spot multiple times. The main thing it seems to struggle with is pet hair, however as this is NOT the animal model of this vacuum cleaner then I cannot expect it to, if you need to regularly clean up masses of pet hair then go for an animal model.
Emptying the vacuum cleaner, as with many of the other Dyson vacuum cleaners, is easy. Simply click a button to detach the dirt chamber and then click it again whilst over a bin to release the base and have the dirt fall in. Then the chamber simply slots back into place on the vacuum cleaner. There are also filters which have to be cleaned out every 6 months but have a lifetime guarantee on them so you will never have to buy a replacement!
The vacuum is very easy to maneuver despite not having Dyson's famous ball technology. Personally, I do not see much point in the ball, it doesn't seem to make it any easier or harder to move a vacuum cleaner with one or without one in our opinions.
Read the complete review |
 |
Dyson DC27 Animal
by NotMyToothbrush
My Mom has her own cleaning company and I have been going on jobs with her for a minimum of 2 hours per week for about 7 years. Therefore, I have been able to test a variety of different vacuum cleaners and can make experienced comparisons between many different models. Out of all of the different models I have used, both Dyson and ... non-Dyson, this vacuum cleaner is one or the best and also one of the latest.
We bought this vacuum cleaner for our own personal use at home as the other vacuum cleaner we had was mainly used for work and therefore, when used at home the smells associated with those places tended to be wafted around the house. We now have a separate house vacuum cleaner and work vacuum cleaner.
We definitely saved the best vacuum cleaner for ourselves.
The build quality on Dyson vacuum cleaners is always excellent, but these seems even better than usual. It is so sturdy and has many small but handy features which makes using it so much easier. For example, to use the built-in hose, on many models you would have to press in a button to lift up the metal rod high into the air, then press the button again to release the entire hose - on this model you simply lift the rod and the entire hose comes along with it by automatically undoing a clasp and then redoing it for you as you pack it away. It comes with many other unique features like this which sets it apart from other models and other brands.
The performance is great, as it is the animal version of the model it is superb at picking up pet hair. Now we only have a cat, but it was amazing when we first used the vacuum cleaner around the house and found out just how much our old Dyson wasn't picking up from the carpet, most of it being cat hair. Even though we onyl vacuum cleaned a couple of days ago with the old one, vacuuming with the new one meant that we had to empty the collection tank twice to complete the clean!
Cleaning out all of the modern Dyson cleaners is quick and easy as the bagless container detached at the press of a button and empties by opening the base over a bin with a second press. There are also filters which have to be cleaned out every 6 months but have a lifetime guarantee on them so you will never have to buy a replacement!
The vacuum is very easy to maneuver despite not having Dyson's famous ball technology. We purposefully bought a non-ball vacuum cleaner as we do not see much point in the ball, it doesn't seem to make it any easier or harder to move a vacuum cleaner with one or without one in our opinions.
Overall, one of the best I have ever used!
Read the complete review |
|
|
Hoover Turbopower 2
by jmurray01
Well I'll start this review off by saying I collect Vacuum Cleaners and I own two Hoover Turbopowers, hence this review!
I got the first one, a 1994 Hoover Turbopower 1000 U2812 with Autosense (I will explain that later), from a dump in February 2010 for the obvious cost of nothing!
I got it home to find it had a good ... belt and bag in it and worked fantastically with no fault, even the Autosense worked... What is the catch!? Well, it is just a good Hoover, there is no catch.
The second one I bought is a 1999 Hoover Turbopower 2 U2106, which I paid £9 for from my local Recycling Store. This also worked fantastically with a good belt and bags, but they were the wrong bags! If I had a Pound for every time I've seen H4 bags in a Turbopower 2 (which requires H18 bags) I'd be a rich person! Without boring you, the H4 bags were for the original Turbopower and they do fit the Turbopower 2 but don't lock into place properly so can slip off as they fill.
It wasn't a problem however as being a vacuum collector I had some Genuine Hoover H18 bags in stock to use.
OK, now I'll give you a quick summary of the Turbopower 2/1000/3 series:
In 1992 the Turbopower 2 was released, in a basic form and with Autosense, priced respectively.
Shortly after, in 1993 I believe, the Turbopower 1000 was released to replace the Turbopower 2 Autosense, making the range a basic Turbopower 2 and a Turbopower 1000 Autosense.
In 1994 the original Turbopower ceased production.
The following year the Turbopower 1000 also ceased production and was replaced by its successor, the Turbopower 3 Autosense. The only difference between the Turbopower 1000 and Turbopower 3 was the fact the TP3 had a wider bore hose to give the motor an easier time and to prevent blockages.
A few minor changes occurred over the years but they aren't really worth mentioning, one of which was the disappearance of the small crevice tool after the Turbopower 3's release.
Now, everything went on like that until 1997 when the Hoover PurePower (still on sale today - a very poor cleaner) was released and the Turbopower 3 was discontinued.
The Turbopower 2 remained in production until the early 2000s and was still popular right up to its demise.
The wattages of the Turbopower 2/100/3 changed little - at the start the two Turbopower 2s were 800 Watts, the Turbopower 1000 (when released) was 1000 Watts, and so was the Turbopower 3 and later Turbopower 2. There was a red Turbopower released sometime in the early 2000s which had 1200 Watts I believe.
Now I'll explain the Autosense feature, briefly, as I know I'm going on a bit:
The slogan Hoover used for the Autosense feature was "It gives you the power you need, when you need it" and that basically sums it up!
There was a speaker affixed where the hose attaches to bag assembly, which triggers a higher motor speed if the sound of more than usual dirt passing through it is detected.
You also have a manual override button which revs the motor up to its full speed and thus disables Autosense. The basic Turbopower models without Autosense were basically running with the override button pressed all the time.
Right, lets get onto the actual review now you know the ins and outs of the Turbopower's life.
I won't make separate reviews for my Turbopower 1000 and Turbopower 2, because they are so alike.
The Turbopower 2/1000 machines were very modern in contrast with the previous Turbopower, which was a bit old fashioned by the time the Turbopower 2 came along in '92.
The Turbopower 2/1000 features the Activator brush roll which the original Turbopower had, a brilliant design. It is basically a standard brush roll with lots of "bumps" on it to draw out any dust and dirt deep in the bottom of the carpet pile.
The first thing you notice when you operate the Turbopower 2/1000 is that upon lifting it is very heavy! This isn't apparent when it is in use however as it glides over the carpets with ease.
When you do want to operate the machine, you simply unwind the cord, which is long in the Turbopower 1000 and long enough in the Turbopower 2, plug it in and turn on the cleaner via the large power button at the front, above the bag door. This is where the Autosense lights and Turbo (override) button are located in the Autosense models, in models without, there is simply the power button and a Bag Full indicator.
The cleaner is quite loud, I'll admit, but the Autosense feature does quieten things down a bit when it settles down to the lowest setting for little dirt, of course on the models without Autosense that wasn't an option so it is continuously loud! Your ears do get used to it though, I assure you. Compared to modern Vacuum Cleaners though, it is actually rather quiet!
The carpet cleaning, using which ever of the four height adjustment settings apply to you, it is amazing! The Activator brush roll really deep cleans the carpets and the suction assists it perfectly.
For above floor cleaning, the hose suction is equally immense and you have a good selection of tools:
Extension Tube
Long Crevice Tool (can be doubled up as an extra extension tube)
Short Crevice Tool (later discontinued)
Upholstery Tool
Dusting Brush
As for reliability, I've never had a problem with either of my Turbopowers, they are simply made to last!
Out of my Vacuum Cleaner collection, I use my Turbopowers as "daily drivers" so they get the most use, but neither have broken down to date, so I can give them five stars for that!
Thank you for reading this review and I hope you haven't been too bored by it!
Read the complete review |
