A very rare Dyson DC12 in the UK
If you are a Dyson collector or enthusiast you probably don’t need me to tell you what the DC12 is.
For those of you who don’t know, here is a brief synopsis: The DC12 Turbo and DC12 Plus are small cylinder machines that were released exclusively in Japan. Launched in June 2003.
The digital motor fitted on these machines is about half the size and weight of conventional motors but with 50% more power.
This is an extremely rare machine to be found in the UK because any you will find here are imported from Japan.
Because vacuum cleaners in Japan run on only 100 volts, if you intend to use this machine in the UK you must use it with a transformer or a converter box of some kind.
The voltage in Japan is 100 volts, which is different from North America (120V), Central Europe and the UK (220-230V) and most other regions of the world. Japanese electrical plugs and outlets resemble North American ones. Plugs come in various versions, but most commonly they are non-polarized and ungrounded with two pins. Grounded pins come either with three pins or with two pins and a ground wire.
The machine you see in the pictures here was imported to the UK by Manchester Vacs about five years ago for the museum in their Stockport premises.
However, a 2021 restructuring and expansion of the business and subsequent lack of space in their current 3000 square feet premises has made them take the difficult decision to reduce some of the machines in the museum. What this means for collectors is that there are some unusual and rare machines coming onto the market right now.
The DC12 is a must-have machine for collectors and vacuum enthusiasts who like to collect every model of Dyson they can.
The DC01, DC02, DC03, DC04 and DC05 machines were sold in the UK.
The DC06 machine was a robotic machine that was never officially launched in the UK, you can find out all about those here: The Dyson DC06.
DC07 and DC08 were UK models. Dyson never made a DC09 or a DC10. They did make a DC11, an unusual twin canister model and the next one in the range that the collector seeks out is these very rare Japanese DC12 models.
Edit: This machine has now been sold.
So… Apparently I’m the lucky(or in my case unlucky) recipient of a Dyson dc12 plus. I can’t complain, because it was free and works absolutely wonderfully. However, i am in the US and literally cannot find anything at all on this vacuum, including replacement parts. When i was given this vacuum it did not have the attachments, so i can’t use it as it should be used… There is no floor attachment. Basically it’s like a shop vac with a very hard telescoping end on the hose. Can you possibly tell me if any of the American model attachments will interchange so i can use it?
IIRC, DC26 floorhead will fit. Is it a 120v version?
How much would a working prototype Uk model cost now? Asking for a friend.
@Angus Black hey there I’m sorry i had forgotten i posted here lol. I honestly don’t know, but it does work in every outlet I’ve plugged into. Most of which were installed in the late 1980s. I do appreciate the info about the dc26. Thanks!