Dyson gets rid of filter in its newest vacuum

Dyson, the company that makes vacuum cleaners has announced that they have figured out a way to get rid of the filters in its machines, meaning that the claim that it will never lose its suction, will no longer have to come with an asterisk.

Dyson pioneered the idea of a vacuum cleaner that did not need a bag when it introduced the idea of cyclone technology (where air is rotated in a cone as it is pulled into the inner chamber via centrifugal forces, creating a vortex and associated vacuum, similar to that which occurs inside tornados or cyclones). Subsequent research by the team revealed that smaller, tighter cyclones meant faster air and thus more suction. That led to vacuums with multiple small cones, but also, that asterisk problem.

Since the invention and development of its new kind of vacuum, the company has promised customers that its machine would never lose its suction (which meant it would continue to pull air through the carpet at the same rate) for the life of the machine. When they started putting smaller cones on the machines, however, the company discovered that a clogging problem would occur over time. To overcome that clogging problem, they put filters in—filters which the vacuum owner would have to clean periodically for the machine to maintain its original suction levels—thus the claim came with a stipulation. That must have irked British founder and inventor James Dyson (of television commercial fame) as the company details on its website the great length its engineers went (six years and $12 million) in developing a fix and then testing it.

The solution, it appears, was to install flexible oscillating tips inside the cones vibrating at 350 times per second—dust cannot stick, thus there is no need for a filter. The new product line name reflects the new technology: Cinetic—and the vacuums will come in various sizes along with the high prices customers have come to expect. Dyson claims the machine will not lose suction for at least ten years (at which time the vibrating tips might need replacing, presumably). The company plans to first introduce the new design to customers who shop on the cable commercial channel QVC later this month.