I am an enormous fan of Dyson vacuum cleaners. They’re nimble, highly effective, and so they constantly push boundaries in the case of innovation. Nevertheless, the one space the place they constantly appear to fall down is consolation.
The latest flagship vacuums are a few of the heaviest cordless stick fashions available on the market. And whereas the older and fewer tech-packed Dyson choices is likely to be lighter, there’s nothing in the way in which of shaping or padding across the deal with, which could increase consumer consolation.
I had a chance to sit down with Dyson engineer Steph Parker to pick her brains about how the company designs its vacuums – and I started by asking about the weight issue of its flagship models.
Steph explains that when designing the new flagship, the V16 Piston Animal, holding the burden down was “a key focus” – and, particularly, it was “a goal to not go any extra weighty than a [previous flagship] Gen5”.
On the finish of this course of, Dyson seems to have been profitable – the V16 is 7.5lbs / 3.4kg with its wand and primary floorhead hooked up, and the Gen5detect is nearly precisely the identical weight. Plus, should you take the wands and floorheads off, the newer possibility is lighter (and extra streamlined in form) than the older mannequin.
Sadly, although, Dyson’s fashions stay considerably heavier within the context of the broader market. That is one motive that it is the mannequin down from the Gen5 – the V15 Detect, at 6.8lbs / 3kg – that holds high spot in my ranking of the best Dyson vacuums.
To Dyson’s credit score, on each the Gen5detect and the V16 Piston Animal, the corporate has added a pad above the deal with, to carry some cushioning to that space. “It is designed in order that it is comforting the highest of your hand, as a result of that is the place the a lot of the weight goes,” explains Steph. Ideally, I might wish to see related padding on the cheaper fashions, too, as a result of whereas they is likely to be lighter, I nonetheless have a tendency to search out they rub awkwardly on my thumb joint when used for lengthy intervals.
Getting in shape
The other comfort issue I’ve found with Dyson vacuums is that all their handles are straight-edged, whereas other brands mould theirs to make them more ergonomic. A shaped handle would be especially welcome on Dyson’s heavier, flagship vacuums – the elongated configuration of the top section means they can be especially unwieldy when used in handheld mode, with users benefitting from being able to achieve a more secure grip. Steph says this isn’t on the cards, however.
“We fine-tune the sizes of that handle depending on our 95 percentile [so 95 per cent of hand sizes can hold the handle comfortably]. We’d go through multiple testing with user trials, just to make sure it is as comfortable as possible,” she assures me. “But in terms of molding it, that’s basically as far as we’d go to try to make it as comfortable as we can.
I ask if it’s a style choice – after all, Dyson has a distinctive and established design aesthetic, one that leans heavily towards clean lines. However, Steph clarifies that it’s more to do with ensuring the handle is nice and sturdy.
“I think it’s probably mostly focused on structural [aspects] and just making sure the products are as robust as they can be while being comfortable to most of our users,” she continues. “It will go through vigorous testing, so it needs to be structurally sound. And we don’t want a visual kind of design [decision] compromising that at all.”
It looks like, for now at least, if you want the flashiest Dyson in town, comfort might have to be a sacrifice you’ll have to make.
The best Dyson vacuums
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