My experience with a Dyson upright some years ago led me to say "never again". The boast that suction does not drop was a lie - we spent ages washing and cleaning the various filters to get it to work properly. And as for the turbo brush...

We got a Henry (it's a "Harry" actually) and it works very well. It's specifically designed for pet-owners. It's also quiet.

Like you, I too have experienced problems with my Bosch vacuum cleaner, though mine isn't a cordless one - it's an earlier model bagless one. Works well for the most part, but it has a plethora of filters (including a HEPA filter) which clog up in no time at all, which shuts the unit down into low power (waste of time using it) mode.

The main sponge filter HAS to be cleaned thoroughly in soapy water and carefully squeezed dry (it'll tear/break if you wring it out like an ordinary sponge), then left to dry for at least 24 hrs until completely dry; the other small filter off the dirt bin has to be brushed clean with an old (dry) toothbrush just as often to avoid the cutout scenario. The HEPA filter needs to be soaked in soapy water (obviously rinsed as the other sponge one in cold clean water) and again left to dry for 24 hrs.

It's an absolute pain in the backside if this goes (no warning with loss of suction - that only happens when the bin is full) when you're in the middle of cleaning a room. No cleaning at all for 24+ hrs. And you have to clean up the mess from opening the unit up to remove and clean the filters.

I can't say what the cordless ones are like and if they've changed the tech, but the floor bagless ones don't look like they've changed that much in 3-4 years. I'd rather go back to an old style bagged upright from Sebo (expensive, but good quality) or floor cylinder units from Numatic (Henry and Co - never had a problem with these at more than one workplace or college residences) or Miele (above average price, but v.good).

If you do decide to get a bagged unit, make sure you source quality but value-for-money replacement bags beforehand, as some makes can charge quite a lot for them (why I went for a bagless one in the first place). Some shops like Wilko may sell own brand equivalent replacement bags that are cheaper, a bit like firms selling compatable ink cartridges for printers for a lot less than the original manufacturers.

From people I've spoken to, Dysons are great in operation, but are average at best for reliability and longevity. I'll probably get a Miele or Sebo next time. My faith in Bosch has diminished over the last few years, as they seem to be starting to reduce quality to be a mass market manufacturer (never mind their involvement in Dieselgate) - and I have an oven, fancy kettle and car windscreen wipers from them. The others seem to work fine, so maybe its only certain sectors.

Got a Miele we bought probably 10 years ago and a Miele we inherited from the parents which is about 8 years old. Both excellent machines and if you buy the bags off the web (genuine ones) are cheap to run.

We bought a Charles when we renovated the house and it was invaluable. It sucked up all the building mess with no issues and the bags are huge and cheap, even does wet if you need to. Now relegated to the garage.

MIL had a Dyson and what a waste of money. The plastic case was brittle and cracked, the suction was non existent, the noise level probably illegal and then the wheels broke off. Would not touch one, total tat.

I bought t at J Lewis. Dyson seems very expensive for Chinese goods. Bosch is German.

But where do Bosch make their products?

Our Bosch vacuum is made in China.

Also Dyson are made in Malaysia and Singapore - not China

For well over 25 years we had a Vax. Eventually SWMBO could not lug it upstairs so she bought a Dyson cordless. You do need to clean them out every now and then but she is more than happy with it and she is quite discerning. She also bought a Harry for pet hairs, although our lovely Staffy is now in the great kennel in the sky! The Harry is small, light and easy to manage too. All in all we have been happy with Dyson and Harry.

PS The Vax is still going strong as we gave it to our youngest son and they use it every day.

Cheers Concrete

I would recommend either miele bagged or a sebo upright. I got both a 11 year old miele revolution 6000 with a electro brush. Still going strong. For upright a sebo is ideal as it veru easy to maintain and does a good job.

I wouldnt toich the bagless model due to the quality of the plastics durability and also the capacity of bagless models are smaller.