Dyson DC41

We have used Dysons for many years, right from the DC01 and taking in the DC07 and DC14 en route to the DC41.

As is often the case, product evolution generates flashier looking but more flimsy (or perhaps, more flimsy-feeling) items. This certainly isn't a case of rose tinted spectacles gazing on times of old. Each time one of our Dysons has packed in, I have had the old one to physically compare with the newly purchased item. Each time, I thought to myself "Well, it's clearly not as sturdy as the old one, but let's see how we get on and I'll keep the receipt safe".

Handling my dead DC14 in a direct comparison with the new DC41, the DC41 feels *really* fragile. Cost saving is evident in the thickness of materials. I put this down to cost saving rather than being an admirable attempt to reduce weight because even something like the cable clip, which weighs sweet FA anyway, is smaller and works less well on the DC41 compared to the DC14 (so much so that I am minded to transfer the one from the dead DC14). Let's face it, this is not a race car and so making the cable clip smaller ought not to have been a priority if the smaller design works less well.

Another grumble, albeit a minor one, is that the pictorial assembly instructions (God, I hate those) do not show at all how to affix the accessories clip. We had to peer at the picture on the box to work out even roughly where is should be.

The most alarming thing about the DC41 is the noise that it makes when the vertical lock is disengaged (i.e. to put the machine into the carpet cleaning position. Basically, it makes a very loud cracking noise that sounds like an especially brittle piece of plastic being snapped. It honestly doesn't seem to be an appropriate noise for a properly functioning mechanical device. Time will tell whether this will quieten down with use.

The suction and general performance of the machine is good, as it has been with all the Dysons that we have owned; this is the reason we buy them. However, I will be putting the receipt and guarantee for the DC41 in a *very* safe place!

I HAVE HAD THIS HOOVER SINCE APRIL 2012, IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE GREAT AT PICKING UP ANIMAL HAIR, I HAVE A DOG, WHO MOULTS A LITTLE, THIS HOOVER IS SUCH HARD WORK YES IT IS POWERFUL - TOO POWERFUL YOU CAN BARELY MOVE IT - NOT JUST ME BUT ALL THE MEN IN MY FAMILY. IT BARELY LIFTS THE DOG HAIR IT TAKES 25-30 MINS A DAY TO CLEAN A ROOM WHICH IS 12'x13' WITH FURNITURE SO NOT A LOT OF FLOOR SPACE BUT YOU WOULD THINK IT WAS HUGE BY THE AMOUNT OF TIME IT TAKES. I WASH FILTERS EVERY 2-3 MONTHS, MAKES NO DIFFERENCE. THE OTHER DAY THE RIGHT HAND BALL SHEARED OFF!! I HAVE CONTACTED DYSON IN THE PAST JUST TO BE TOLD BOOK IT IN FOR A SERVICE - WHAT DO I USE IN THE MEANTIME. I HAVE HAD 2 PREVIOUS DYSON'S DURING WHICH TIME I HAD 2 OTHER DOGS, MY DC01 LASTED FOREVER ABOUT 15 YEARS, THEN A DC07 NOT SO GOOD, THEN THIS LOAD OF RUBBISH. NOT EXACTLY CHEAP BY A LONG SHOT AND I KNOW IT'S STILL UNDER GUARANTEE BUT AS I SAID WHAT DO YOU USE IN THE MEANTIME. THE TURBO TOOL IS NO GOOD AT ALL, ALSO IF I WANTED A CYLINDER TYPE OF CLEANER I WOULD HAVE BOUGHT ONE AND AS I HAVE PROBLEMS WITH MY KNEES AND MY BACK I HAVE TO HAVE AN UPRIGHT