Dyson hair dryer

[deckster]

I genuinely don't get the hatred that some people seem to have for Dyson - I would have thought that people would be proud of a British designer and engineer producing successful products that are admired - and copied - worldwide. But no. Maybe it's that peculiarly British trait of bashing the successful.

Are Dyson world-leaders in design? Without question. Are they well marketed? Clearly. Are they the last word in engineering and manufacturing quality? Probably not, but they certainly aren't the rubbish that people would have you believe. Are they worth the money? Perhaps not objectively speaking, but then I don't get why people buy Apple, Rolex, Jimmy Choo or any number of other 'lifestyle' brands either.

[wiggy001]

deckster said:

I genuinely don't get the hatred that some people seem to have for Dyson - I would have thought that people would be proud of a British designer and engineer producing successful products that are admired - and copied - worldwide. But no. Maybe it's that peculiarly British trait of bashing the successful.

Are Dyson world-leaders in design? Without question. Are they well marketed? Clearly. Are they the last word in engineering and manufacturing quality? Probably not, but they certainly aren't the rubbish that people would have you believe. Are they worth the money? Perhaps not objectively speaking, but then I don't get why people buy Apple, Rolex, Jimmy Choo or any number of other 'lifestyle' brands either.

This. All day this.

[Otispunkmeyer]

Zad said:

jmorgan said:

There is gong to be a few embarrassing visits to hospital.

(From ThePoke)

Like most high profile "engineers" (as opposed to real ones) Dyson just takes existing inventions, tarts them up, manufactures them in China and markets the fk out of them. Meanwhile giving the impression that he is some sort of inventing genius and an amazing engineer.

Well his bagless vacuum is a decent claim though. The cyclonic separator has been around as an industrial tool for decades. The theory is well known. Big cyclone to get the flow rate and separate out the big bits, lots of smaller ones in parallel to maintain the flow and spin out the finer particles with higher local velocities. In the 80's people researched using them as particulate matter traps on cars and combined them with electrostatic precipitators in order to make PM clump together so it could be separated more easily. Dead simple really, though you do need to put some effort in getting the geometry right and then packaging it all up so that its manufacturable easily and cheaply. If it was easy, everyone else had plenty of time to make the connection and do it themselves.

His "digital" motor is just a switched reluctance brushless motor. Nothing new there again except refinements to get the speed up, size down and again air path design and packaging.

The fans use the same motors and pass air through a slim vent to cash in on some standard fluid mechanics effects. Its not new or revolutionary stuff, but someone had to make the connections and put it all together. Its still a nice piece of engineering.

From where I sit I can't see anything that they make that is truly an engineering revolution but then a lot of successful engineering has come about by people simply taking what is already out there and using it in a different application and integrating systems.

Riversimple are doing much the same with their new electric vehicle; 8kW fuel cell + a bank of super caps to handle transience. Hub motors to give a completely flat floor etc etc. They are not in the business of inventing a ground breaking new tech. They are taking existing stuff and integrating it intelligently. Dyson are no different in my opinion, doesn't make him a genius but doesn't make him out as a con man either.

Edited by Otispunkmeyer on Friday 29th April 17:27

[Warmfuzzies]

Otispunkmeyer said:

Zad said:

jmorgan said:

There is gong to be a few embarrassing visits to hospital.

(From ThePoke)

Like most high profile "engineers" (as opposed to real ones) Dyson just takes existing inventions, tarts them up, manufactures them in China and markets the fk out of them. Meanwhile giving the impression that he is some sort of inventing genius and an amazing engineer.

Well his bagless vacuum is a decent claim though. The cyclonic separator has been around as an industrial tool for decades. The theory is well known. Big cyclone to get the flow rate and separate out the big bits, lots of smaller ones in parallel to maintain the flow and spin out the finer particles with higher local velocities. In the 80's people researched using them as particulate matter traps on cars and combined them with electrostatic precipitators in order to make PM clump together so it could be separated more easily. Dead simple really, though you do need to put some effort in getting the geometry right and then packaging it all up so that its manufacturable easily and cheaply. If it was easy, everyone else had plenty of time to make the connection and do it themselves.

His "digital" motor is just a switched reluctance brushless motor. Nothing new there again except refinements to get the speed up, size down and again air path design and packaging.

The fans use the same motors and pass air through a slim vent to cash in on some standard fluid mechanics effects. Its not new or revolutionary stuff, but someone had to make the connections and put it all together. Its still a nice piece of engineering.

From where I sit I can't see anything that they make that is truly an engineering revolution but then a lot of successful engineering has come about by people simply taking what is already out there and using it in a different application and integrating systems.

Riversimple are doing much the same with their new electric vehicle; 8kW fuel cell + a bank of super caps to handle transience. Hub motors to give a completely flat floor etc etc. They are not in the business of inventing a ground breaking new tech. They are taking existing stuff and integrating it intelligently. Dyson are no different in my opinion, doesn't make him a genius but doesn't make him out as a con man either.

Edited by Otispunkmeyer on Friday 29th April 17:27

Was the contra rotating washing machine unique?

[Crackie]

wiggy001 said:

deckster said:

I genuinely don't get the hatred that some people seem to have for Dyson - I would have thought that people would be proud of a British designer and engineer producing successful products that are admired - and copied - worldwide. But no. Maybe it's that peculiarly British trait of bashing the successful.

Are Dyson world-leaders in design? Without question. Are they well marketed? Clearly. Are they the last word in engineering and manufacturing quality? Probably not, but they certainly aren't the rubbish that people would have you believe. Are they worth the money? Perhaps not objectively speaking, but then I don't get why people buy Apple, Rolex, Jimmy Choo or any number of other 'lifestyle' brands either.

This. All day this.

No hatred here.........I'll applaud anyone who is prepared to invest in the future of engineering in the UK.

I have a slightly different take on your thoughts above though. I would amend the comments to
Are they well marketed ? Yes...without question; one of the best.
Are Dyson world leaders in design ? No, I think that is overstating the case. I don't see anything that elevates them above any number of other competent manufacturers, I certainly don't see the world changers Dyson marketing would have you believe.
Are they the last word in engineering and manufacturing quality. No, my Dyson vac is very heavy and a pain to manoeuvre; its useless on stairs too. Materials used in the early ones was good and mine's lasted well; later stuff appears to be lighter, easier to use but not as robust.
Are they worth the money ? Taken in isolation, certainly not but if Dyson plans to carry on investing profits back into British engineering in the longer term, then yes.

Edited by Crackie on Tuesday 3rd May 15:46

[voyds9]

Use a known technology in a new way.

Make it look unusual.

Slap a bit price tag on it.

Voilà you have an aspirational item.

[xRIEx]

xjay1337 said:

Oooo bhy. :-)

For the sake of pet owners local to you, I hope you're not a vet.

[Gio G]

I will not be investing in one, as the price seems pretty excessive to do just one thing, dry your hair! Also agree with some of the other comments, purchased one of the 1st generation Dyson vacuum cleaners, it was a superb piece of kit, trouble free, well built and did the job well. I still keep it in the garage to vacuum the car. It was replaced 2 years ago by one of their latest generation uprights. This was a gift from the in-laws. I hate using it, it feels like a toy, I appreciate it is allot lighter, however plastics feel very cheap, could not believe the drop in quality from the original. Have lost faith in the brand..

G