The Slow Demise of the DC01 and the DC02
A few months ago, Dyson UK pulled all support for their first flagship models – the Dyson DC01 and the DC02.
The DC01 was the first model that Dyson produced in the UK. Launched in 1993, that makes early models now nineteen years old. That’s pretty old for a vacuum cleaner, but there are still untold thousands of them still in service today. The DC02 was Dyson’s first cylinder vacuum cleaner.
The DC01 was a particularly good seller in Scotland (no – I don’t know why either), perhaps it was the simplicity of the design and the no-nonsense engineering that appealed to canny Scots? The Scots love an invention: everything from penicillin to telephones to antiseptic was invented by a Scot.
Perusal of Dyson’s website tells us this about the DC01 and DC02:
Important Notice
Dyson machines are built to last. However, from the beginning of July 2011 we will no longer be able to supply spare parts, or carry out service or repairs for DC01 and DC02 machines.
As the owner of a DC01 or DC02, you can receive £100 off selected Dyson Ball™ vacuum cleaners, or £70 off selected other Dyson vacuums. We’ll also collect and recycle your old machine.
If you’d like to take advantage of this offer, or would like to discuss it further, please call 0800 954 0153.
So, where does this leave the owner of a DC01 or a DC02 today?
Well, much stuff is still available after-market. However, not everything is.
There are only a handful of large suppliers in the UK that control the after-market vacuum cleaner parts supply. Almost all parts sellers – unless they have stuff manufactured themselves or import – source from one or more of them. These same suppliers are also the conduit between Dyson and the after-market trade. Almost all of the after-market suppliers suddenly began to reduce supply on almost all of their after-market DC01 and DC02 parts too.
Industry watchers say this is because after-market parts are often made by the same factories overseas that make for Dyson. If Dyson cancel their orders, they demand the tooling be destroyed (because they paid for it and the factories still want to supply Dyson in the future so they comply) and the after-market cannot manufacture any more without making fresh tooling – which costs many thousands of pounds for each component.
It has been six months since Dyson withdrew support for the DC01 and DC02. We in the trade are now starting to see the effects. Stuff we are used to being able to source without difficulty is now going on backorder at the suppliers. Often, there are no due dates for fresh supplies. That usually means they are finished.
Up to now, the list is pretty short: DC01 fixed sole plates part number 900774-01 (not the one with the pivoting cradle – the other one) have already gone from the supply chain at the time of writing. I was told by the owner of Manchester Vacs – one of the the North’s largest independents – this week that they had sourced a few from around the trade and from overseas to meet demand and their waiting list and prices had doubled. They are down to their last handful. When they’re gone, they’re gone. They tell me their suppliers now all list this part as obsolete. They told me they will keep a waiting list from those who telephone them and serve them from used machines they get to dismantle as and when stock arrives. If you need one, get on that list!
New DC01 YDK motors (part number 911927-01) have also vanished in recent months. The Ametek ones (Part number 911928-01) are also unavailable and obsolete. As before, good used ones are starting to command a premium as that’s all that is available. The YDK ones are the lesser popular or the two types and are now commanding up to £30 for a good used one. Unthinkable a few short months ago!
DC02 white Antarctic Solo and De Stijl red handles are also obsolete; suppliers are still showing after-market grey ones (that will fit) in stock. Mint used ones in red or white are commanding a premium.
The DC02 motor 911929-01 is obsolete as well. However, a DC05 YDK motor can be shoehorned in there if you are determined enough.
Over the coming months, a lot of DC01 and DC02 parts will start to disappear. Manchester Vacs told me that they have spent thousands of pounds buying up almost every new DC01 and DC02 part they can find to ensure continuity of supply to their customers for as long as possible.
It is my prediction that in two years from now, the DC01 and the DC02 in good working order will be a rare thing. Grab one now if you want a piece of Britain’s domestic appliance history. Remember the Hoover Junior? Of course! We all do. Now, do you remember when you last actually saw one?
Comments and questions welcome as ever.
DC02 cable rewinds are currently available from here: DC02 Cable Rewind.
Popular in Scotland because Scottish Power Retail (now defunct) were early adopters and dyson enthusiasts. I got my first one from them in 93. I suspect they sold more than any other retailer that year.
“It is my prediction that in two years from now, the DC01 and the DC02 in good working order will be a rare thing.“
That was in 2012. Fast forward 9 years and my DC01 is still working flawlessly without any spare parts having been needed since it was bought in 1998. Same with my mum’s. It’s had a beating too as I often use it for outside jobs and in my workshop.