Yeah, I remember watching an Open University programme on Design and Technology that profiled James Dyson, and spent a long time discussing the vacs. Did you know he also invented the ballbarrow?

BTW, this programme aired in about 1990 when he was still looking for _anyone_ to invest in the idea. IIRC he ended up 'going it alone' and building up the company upon the reputation of the vacuum cleaners.

I noticed looking at the Dyson website that there are now two models of the DC11 available, though I saw only one. There is the All Floor and the Full Gear. The Full Gear comes with a Mini Turbine Head so I'm going to call around and see if I can get one of those to attach to mine or see if the Animal Brush will fit it. The USA site doesn't say anything about buying parts and accessories like the British site does.

this programme aired in about 1990

I remember him popping up on various programmes (Tomorrow's World and the like), over what seemed like a 15 years period. The whole time he was banging on about this revolutionary vacuum cleaner. I never expected him to actually get to make it commercially.

The wheelbarrow that he invented was this one.

This is a potted history of Mr Dyson's innovations:

http://www.dyson.co.uk/nav/inpageframe.asp?id=DYSON/HIST/EARLY

Definitely a top man, the man must have balls the size of the wheelbarrow

Now that is a wheelbarrow. With a wider wheel it would tip over a lot less. I've never seen one like that over on this side of the pond.

All I have to say is WOW just after vacuuming one room. The carpet looks brighter like it was steamed cleaned instead of just vacuumed. I'm really impressed with the Dyson

I think it was about 70% cat hair to dirt ratio, but a lot of that dirt per say, was litter. Maybe the amount had a little to do with being able to get under the furniture that has been neglected for many months but the Dyson is awesome to say the least. Some of the cats don't mind the noise as much since it is a lot quieter and maybe the canister isn't so scary since it's not tall as the monster uprights.

I just got off of the phone with Dyson and will be getting the turbo tool and adapter that makes it fit, within 10 days or so. Then I will attack the furniture with glee

We're babysitting a cat for the next 8 months or so. He's been with us for two weeks now. When he first checked out the DC11 it was parked in my computer room in its "wrapped-up" mode. The cat was already leary of it! It took him about five minutes to comfortably walk around it. Maybe he was just in awe.

Comment on the Sebo: It may have the best brush and/or heads, but if it uses a bag (any bag) then it's going to lose suction after the first few minutes - no ifs or buts about it. So while I don't disagree that it might clean very well at first, its performance is sure to drop. For it to be any more successful than any other bag-type vac, it would have to be able to run with low suction power. Using its head to loosen any crap in the carpet and then allowing the very reduced suction to still pick it all up.

I think the Dyson does require a certain amount of "get it" factor. But so do many other higher-end vacuums. I wouldn't waste a single cent on any Hoover or Eureka product, but I'm sure many people do every year. With consumable sales I'm sure they make huge profits - their vaccums are in fact consumables themselves, being built out of inferior components and materials (they look and feel like they'll break when you first turn them on).

I'm extremely happy with the Dyson. I'd like to see them come out with a central unit for North America as well as a Wet-Dry (bucket) model (Dyson licensed his cyclone technology to Johnson Wax for a few years who built one of these for commercial use).

The Dyson 1997 autobiography was a really good read. He's had to put up with a lot of crap for all his more recent good fortune.

Bruno

I want to see one that you wear on your back similar to those industrical vacuums that you see used in office blocks. Nothing to push or pull about. (Aside from the power cord anyway...)

Power cord? Make it gasoline powered. A battery pack might do nicely in addition to a long power cord (their DC06 Robot cannister uses a battery - at least it will if it ever gets beyond home trial).

I believe in addition to the bucket design, Johnson Wax also had a back-pack model. I'd check, but I lent the autobiography to a friend.

Bruno

Bumping this topic again to inform any interested parties that the DC11 is 10% off in today's Friday Sale at J&R.