IFA 2019

[nick]

IFA topics

The reason cordless stick vacs have suddenly exploded in popularity in Europe is regulatory...all the mains powered vacuums now have an energy label on display in the shops (cordless battery ones don't have to), and the regulation is strict, with the brands not able to use a motor over 900W anymore. Energy, carpet cleaning, hard floor cleaning, filtration % efficiency and noise are all formally declared on this label for a mains powered product, and energy maximum legal thresholds are painful - causing a balancing act, and floor heads that grip the floor like their lives depend on it.

This energy label is not flattering...meanwhile the Lithium battery tech has gotten a lot better (and cheaper) so these cordless beasts are within spitting distance of mains powered performance (for 7~8 minutes anyway), and they are not forced in the shops to display a tag that reveals to the consumer their weakness (the brands for the mains powered machines can choose a graded label that, in effect, says either "I am inefficient", "I am noisy" or "I am pathetic at doing the job"). Hence Cylinders and Uprights are crashing, and this unregulated battery product is really popular...and robot cleaners are also growing fast at the same time.

Did anyone get good details in Berlin for Siemens/Bosch laundry quick wash stories and the wash capacity it relates to? I am struggling, may need to speak to their European office.

I am finding a lot of confusion around claims made that the 59 minute cycle is A grade wash performance at maximum capacity (9~10KG) which was the story at the show (this is important as a much needed and long overdue answer to Samsung Q-Drive with the split drum). The manuals and backup files seem to indicate these quick claims are actually 5KG (which is not as good as Samsung) but it is crazy confusing between documents/human reports.

This wash tunnel and 4D wash system story involves:
Accelerated 200 RPM rotation during normal wash phase for extra mechanical action - hence how it creates the "tunnel"
More water with heating, thus more energy use
The spray nozzles from above that speed up detergent dissolution and increase soaking etc
The recirculation pump

4D is applied to speed/quick to boost performance in a limited time, 4D is applied to Intensive, adding extra 30 minutes (approx....its guided by turbidity) to boost end result.

I am finishing up a monster IFA review for a client...if you have questions about what was at the show, fire away...I have a laundry/dish and smart home focus, looking at appliances, detergents and 3rd party implications, my background is product management, R&D and strategy...I am fairly fluent in marketing and can speak a little engineer...

 

[logixx]

Yes, the manual and the press release both state that the 59-minute cycle is rated for up to 5 kg - which is on par with similar cycles by other brands.

From what I have seen on YouTube, a large load will increase the cycle time on the Q-Drive models as the backplate action is reduced. A full 9kg load at 60C resulted in a cycle time of 2:03 hrs in this Samsung washer.

 

[donprohel]

Energy label for vacumm cleaners...

...is dead and buried, does not exist any more.

I have only found this article from Which?, but I am sure a little Google-ing would deliver further information.

Best vacuum cleaners 2025: tested by experts for a tidy home - Which?

The best vacuum cleaners efficiently clean your home without breaking a sweat, or causing you to do the same. However, our expert tests expose vacs that come unstuck on even the simplest cleaning jobs

www.which.co.uk

 

[nick]

Thank you for that donprohel - European appliance brands will be even stronger EU commission haters after that...how much wasted R&D effort, and how big a swing will happen back towards traditional units now? Man, they messed that one up so badly.

 

[donprohel]

You are welcome, Nick

However, I am not sure there has been any R&D effort at all.

In my opinion, EU appliance brands have just used a cheaper and less powerful motor using the "Energy label" to advertise how good their under-performing vacuums were

 

[lowefficiency]

The biggest problem with the Dyson handhelds is that as each generation becomes larger and heavier, they become more cumbersome to use.

DC59: 4.6 lbs
V6: 4.9 lbs
V7: 5.45 lbs
V8: 5.63 lbs
V10: 5.9 lbs
V11: 6.68 lbs

Sure the V11 can for most folks replace their plug-in vacuum... but what replaces the compact and lightweight handheld that the Dyson itself once was?

 

[vacerator]

Well,

as cars got better, they also get a bit larger, or at least used to. I dunno what I'd expect a company to do, other than improve a design, and run out it's planned obsolecense life of a decade or so before debuting an altogether new model, though they tout each new facelift as "all new". Most things have been done before.
I uesd to say a car was all new when the undercarriage frame, or platform, and suspension parts were totally different from the previous generations. This usd to occur about every 5 to 7 years, when we were a more throw away society, and sales were much higher.

 

[lowefficiency]

>> Well, as cars got better, they also get a bit larger, or at least used to.

The difference, of course, being that people don't routinely climb into vacuum cleaners, nor do they carry cars around with their arms.

 

[miele4life]

great selection of machines at this year's IFA, I quite like the new Vestel models with the fun to watch JetSystem, as well as more Hoover/Candy models getting a Bianca-style scrolling-text display across the range too, the new Bosch/Siemens models with the JetSystem looks good and I look forward to seeing 1 in action too, I also noticed that the Serie 2 models are being updated as well using the WAE/WAN design. Not a bad selection this year.