Well, I guess I did go shopping ...
I've got Air Miles. I don't find much use for the, so, a few years ago, when they threatened to take them away unless you used them, I bought a Dyson 9 "stick" vacuum cleaner. We liked the strongsuction, and the portability. (The old Kenmore is great, but it is a bit of a chore to lug around.)
Then it started going weird, and the thing was "pulsing" when it worked, and, even though I took it apart and cleaned it, it still pulsed. So, it went in the move.
But the new place, with bare floors, seems to need a lot of vacuuming. A Swiffer seems OK, but I'm still not totally used to it. And I've still got Air Miles points, and so I checked, and they still carry Dysons, and there are now new Dysons. So I ordered a Dyson v15 Detect "stick" vacuum. It came within six days, which was faster than the Website promised. It was the "Total Clean" package, which doesn't have some of the accessories that Dyson talks about in their videos and manuals about the v15.
It's a bit heavier than I remember the 9 being, and definitely bulkier. But it's still portable, and it's still a good vacuum in terms of strong suction.
This time I read *everything*, *and* looked at all the videos online, before I started. That was probably overkill, but I still wonder if there was something I did wrong with the 9. The videos aren't that helpful, and neither are the manuals and other documentation. For example, it does tell you to fully charge the battery before using the vacuum. But the pamphlets aren't very clear about the process (other than telling you that you can charge the battery either installed or out of the vacuum), or how to tell if the battery is fully charged (the blue lights that blink while it is charging go out when it is fully charged [which does mean that a dead battery looks exactly the same as a fully charged battery until you try either to either use it or charge it]), or how long it takes to charge (four and a half hours, and it took a *lot* of searching through both the documentation *and* the Dyson Website *and* looking at a lot of the Dyson videos to find *that* out).
The "detect" part of the v15 detect name probably comes from the fact that they promise you that the vacuum cleaner is counting dust particles as it vacuums them up. As a security maven and management consultant I know the mantra that "what you can't measure you can't manage," but this metric probably comes under the heading of "interesting but probably not useful." The computerization that goes into this feature contributes to the complexity of using this vacuum cleaner. It hasn't just got an on/off switch: it has a menu of choices you can make. To boost the power you don't just pull the trigger harder, like you did on the 9, you have to go through the menu and select "Boost." You also get to choose features like the menu language, and whether or not the vacuum clearner gives you notifications. (I still can't tell whether it'll tell me when I've got new email.)
I was impressed by how much dust I dumped out of it at the end of "once around the apartment." And the new unloading mechanism does make it easier to empty.
I tried out the new "laser" cleaning bar head. It probably is a laser (LEDs are cheap and use little power), but it's basically a bright light shining in front of the power brush head at a low angle. This means that any large particles do show up, mostly by the shadows that they throw. It does help you to notice some larger dust particles on the floor. But it also means that you are mostly trying to vacuum in dim light so that you can see those shadows. And there are some things that you see in bright light, that the "laser" isn't pointing out to you. (For example, dark, flat objects like pieces of dead leaves.)
The laser also points out that the laser power head is too tall to go after large crumbs under stove fronts and fridges. And that, in fact, in the "Total Clean" package, at least, Dyson doesn't provide a low, flat suction head for going under things that are close to the ground. And, of course, Dyson wands and heads are not compatible with standard vacujm hoses, pipes, and heads, so that the one I have for the Kenmore are of absolutely no use with the Dyson. (There is a "light pipe" crevice tool, but that's an extra $80. At some point I also came across an adapter so that you can use other vacuum wands and heads, but the search function on the Dyson Website is abysmal, and I can't find it again.)
The bulk of the v15 also makes it relatively impractical for "dusting" type activities. the cylindrical design contributes to the ease of the new unloading mechanism, but it means you've got a wide, flat front very close to any dusting attachment that you use. I'm also a little concerned about the design of the bin with regard to angling the vacuum up. (That seems to tip dirt into an area of the bin that they warn you not to get dirt in.) (Dyson also wants to sell you an extra adapter to vacuum in high places.) In addition, the bi-directional exhaust at the back/top of the vacuum unit makes it difficult to use for dusting. Be extremely careful of the vacuum around desks or other areas with loose papers: the v15 makes an excellent leaf blower, in two directions at once.
However, I haven't used it much yet, so overall usability will have to wait ...
No comments:
Post a Comment