Which? magazine, the UK equivalent of Consumer Reports, reports that Dyson, Smeg and other trendy appliance brands are less reliable than their less fashionable cousins, but are still highly rated by their owners. (also: "Smeg!")
Within six years of purchase 29% of upright Dyson vacuum cleaners and 22% of their cylinder vacuums needed repairing. The Dyson repair rate is also getting worse. A 2002 survey found that 21% of the company's upright vacuums needed repairing within six years, and a 2001 survey revealed that 14% of its cylinder vacuums broke down.
But despite ranking low in reliability, Dyson owners are still relatively likely to recommend the products to a friend. An average of 38% would recommend their Dyson, making it the fifth most popular vacuum cleaner, despite being the least reliable of those surveyed.
Separate tests by Which? have proved the Dyson cleaners to be among the most effective vacuums, despite them breaking down more. "It's a real shame [that Dysons break down]", the magazine says, "because its vacs are the only upright models we've found that clean really well."
(via Memex 1.1)
