For most people, a vacuum cleaner isn’t really a very inspiring object. Let’s face it, you really don’t care how it works and you probably don’t even want to put up with the task of vacuuming in the first place. However, almost everyone who doesn’t want to live in a pigsty needs one (note: students don’t need to apply!). Recently, however, things have started to change. People’s attitudes are changing. Vacuum cleaners are getting interesting and it’s all thanks to a guy named James Dyson, inventor of the Dyson vacuum cleaner.
Thanks to Dyson, vacuum cleaners have taken on a personality and a life of their own. The same tactics employed by companies like Apple to successfully bring their iMacs and iPods to the mass population (think: design and color) have now been used to great effect in the vacuum cleaner industry. And with the same results; The proliferation of styles, colors and general level of gadgetry associated with these novelty vacuums (the new Dyson DC15 has 182 patents on file), not to mention the clean lines and sleek design, means you no longer have to hide it far away in the back of your a dark closet. It can become a design statement in its own right, and even a conversation piece at a dinner party. It may be sad, but it is very, very true. Premium vacuum cleaners, as they’re known, are all the rage and models like those in the Dyson range are strangely becoming the next ‘must have’ purchase for modern, hip folks.
Let’s break down the decision facing the potential buyer of one of these premium vacuum cleaners. First of all, you can choose between the vertical or cylindrical (vessel) versions. The uprights require you to use them in the traditional push-pull fashion, although Dyson’s latest offering, the DC15, has even turned this on its head with its “The Ball” technology, allowing it to glide effortlessly around your home. in any direction you please. The canisters, on the other hand, come with a hose attachment for greater flexibility and control – you can reach all those hard-to-reach places with ease and precision. There really isn’t much of a difference between the two and it’s mostly down to personal preference, although the upright vacuum is probably better suited to large carpeted areas.
Second, you need to consider the power of the motor and the efficiency of the filtration system. Allergy sufferers in particular should pay close attention to filtration. Dyson has been very successful in marketing the benefits of its patented “Cyclone” technology which does not suffer from impaired suction like traditional vacuums because there is no bag or filter to clog (which is the main cause of decreased performance). . So if you’re looking for a vacuum that always delivers maximum efficiency, you can’t go far wrong with a new Dyson like the Dyson D14 or the newer Dyson DC15.
Of course, if you’re really feeling super adventurous, want to stay ahead of the curve, and have some extra cash burning a hole in your pocket, you can opt for one of the increasingly popular robot vacuums, like the ZA01 from Electrolux or Roomba’s most affordable iRobot. While you’re busy at work all day, this contraption will sneak around your house of its own accord, vacuuming up his little heart so the place looks spotless when you get home. It even has the intelligence to return to its “base” when it’s running low on battery to recharge!
As you can see, something that is perceived as boring, the humble vacuum cleaner, can actually be quite interesting when you analyze it. What you may think of as a necessary, almost commodity purchase can actually become a technology purchase or design statement that will keep you way ahead of the curve. I wonder if Daniel Hess, who filed the original patent for the “vacuum cleaner” in 1860, had any idea how his invention would turn out 150 years later?