Friday 1st November 2013

PH: Suction Matters

PistonHeads - the destination for all your domestic appliance product tests!

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The tenacious ability of car carpeting to retain its grip on hair, grit and other unpleasant particles is a cause of no little anguish to those who favour a cleaner cockpit. Indeed, compared with all that messing about with buckets, hoses, potions and lotions we do to keep the outsides of our cars looking good keeping it hygienic inside is a somewhat more challenging task.

Which is a pity, given that's the bit you actually have to sit in and interact with.

The Animal vs real animals - ultimate test beckons

If you favour a builder's van aesthetic to your cabin stop reading now but if you're of a slightly more OCD bent Dyson's latest little cordless vacuum cleaner might be worth adding to your Christmas list.

We were politely baffled when asked if we wanted to test the DC58 Animal out. OK, it's got a 'V6' motor and various other exciting sounding tech (for a hoover) you can read about here. But while the world of PH is pretty all encompassing branching out into product tests of domestic appliances is something new.

Still, seeing as they were kind enough to send us one... A claimed three times the suction power of any other cordless cleaner and a McLaren P1 style 'push to pass' power button (cuts battery life from 20 minutes to just six) for really stubborn dirt has shown impressive results and the PH fleet has benefitted considerably. Never have our footwells been so clean!

The motorised brush wins the fight against those tricky carpets but is a bit harsh to use on fragile leather, plastics and other scratchable surfaces so watch yourself there. Whether it'd be enough to win the fight over the Harris family hound remains to be seen - a test to work up to perhaps.

By now you may well be thinking 'great, sign me up!' And then you reach the bottom line. What price in-car cleanliness? Er, £229.99. One for the true obsessives then. But pretty nifty all the same.

 

 

[f1colin]

I must show the current Mrs F1 this - the perfect synthesis of her "Ron Dennis-esque" OCD and another Dyson gadget to achieve a clean car interior.... The only flaw in my plan is she doesn't do 'stuff' outside and the 997 wont fit through our patio door - damn.

[Dr G]

I don't think it sucks £200 harder than my little Vax...

[chiefski26]

Get the mrs to suck whilst you drive - ingenious.

[Fartgalen]

I hope it's got nozzles and attachments for nooks and crannies - otherwise how on earth can that compete with the home hoover ?

[mike-r]

Cool, but is that the only attachment for the end? This would clean big flat surfaces, of which there are few in a car's cabin.

[Dan Trent]

There's also a long 'snout' and a brush attachment for the nooks and crannies...

Cheers,

Dan

[dublet]

mike-r said:

Cool, but is that the only attachment for the end? This would clean big flat surfaces, of which there are few in a car's cabin.

A quick read of the specs page reveals:

What's in the box

Battery
Crevice tool
Combination accessory tool
Battery charger
Quick start guide
2 year guarantee

[Krikkit]

It does come with crevice tools etc, not just the mega head. Seriously bloody expensive though.

[edo]

You get what you pay for. I got one of the original Dysons and was miffed when it died - It wasn't till I looked at my paperwork I realised it was over 12 years old.

Would not buy anything else.

[GTEYE]

From my experience of one of these Dysons....great little device ruined by poor battery life (6-7 mins on a full charge) and then a long recharge.

Rendered it useless IMHO!

[monthefish]

edo said:

You get what you pay for. I got one of the original Dysons and was miffed when it died - It wasn't till I looked at my paperwork I realised it was over 12 years old.

Would not buy anything else.

Mine's still going (an original DC02), despite being subjected to the abuse of numerous build/development projects over the years.

[bogie]

Weve got a 10 year old original dyson handheld that gets used most days around the home and car for odd jobs, its had a new pattern battery for £30 off ebay a few years back, otherwise going well

this new version looks even better but the cost to change versus benefit not worth it....when this one eventually dies will just get another though

If PH is going to do more of these reviews, how about a "which leafblower is best for drying your car?"

[mikebradford]

as a true indication of cleaning power
how does it compare to a henry, and an extension lead

would be intrested as to how close it gets in terms of sucking power, and equivalent time to clean a car

[Dreamspeed]

£299! for a vacuum, really? Luckily I can see past the hype and not fall for the con. People only buy Dyson's, so they can say they own a Dyson.

May old Wickes brand workshop vac I bought over 15 years ago is still going strong, and it's been kicked, bashed, run over, thrown, left in the rain, dragged, made to clean up cement and bricks, and it still performs better than this.

Yes, it's not pretty today, loud, lost it's castors and has a bit of tape on the hose, but for £29.99 it's like a trusty old mongrel dog.

If I paid £299 for anything, I'd be afraid to get it dirty!

[Dreamspeed]

Or even £229, oops typo! Still strong money though!

[McWigglebum4th]

Hoovers?

[mp3manager]

It's official....PH has now jumped the shark!

[Matt UK]

mikebradford said:

henry and an extension lead

Now you're talking.

A Dyson is a pleasant and artful appliance to use for indoor dust. We have one and it's pretty. My wife likes it.

A Henry and 50m coil extension lead live in garages and only see the inside of the houses during major renovations. Also, a Henry never leaves the ground - movement must only be via kicking or dragging from A to B.

[LuS1fer]

I can buy a (wooden) shed for that money. I'd rather haul the house vac out onto the drive TBH.

[anonymous-user]

Having owned one Dyson, which was subsequently terminated with a sledgehammer, I wouldn't go back. Over priced and under engineered. Look nice though if that's your thing