Dyson Medic

The Dyson DC04 is one of the classic Dyson models of vacuum cleaner dating from the late-nineties that is what we call the Ford Transit of Dysons: It does everything you want it to, and doesn’t break down very often if you do simple maintenance.

It does what it says on the tin. Decade after decade.

The Dyson DC04 is a SUPER vacuum cleaner. One of the best there ever was.

The vacuum monolith that is Dyson, that controls over 50% of the UK vacuum cleaner market, was built from the profits of machines like the DC04. And many thousands of DC04s are still in use today.

Quite rightly so.

However, a couple of years ago, Dyson discontinued all parts support for the DC04 and basically hoped to relegate them to history.

Of course, Dyson don’t really want you using a twenty year old vacuum cleaner, they want you to spend £300+ on a new one.

For them, this is perfectly logical. They now reckon we all need “Cinetic” machines with no filter, a robot or a cordless machine that can be over £400.

These machines are all mostly capable for their intended use. If you have a few hundred quid spare, why not buy one?

But what of the people who are quite happy with the old DC04 they already have?

What of the people who simply want to fix it or buy a spare part when it breaks?

Is “Sorry, that part is no longer available” a satisfactory answer?

Not really.

Enter what is known as the “after-market”.

As with cars, a couple of years after they come out, you can buy a “genuine” oil filter for £20 or an “Aftermarket” one for £8. They both do the same thing (often made in the same factory) but one costs less and comes in a different box.

We see the same with vacuum parts. When the original manufacturer stops making them, very often an after-market manufacturer will make them instead. This is why you can still buy parts for 1970s Hoover Juniors. Or spares for the Dyson DC01.

So what about DC04 wand handles? 

Over a decade or two, we saw weaknesses in the DC04 wand handle. The tool holder on the back breaks. Sometimes they snap altogether halfway down. This isn’t bad design, this simply aged plastics doing what they do beyond their expected service life. Dyson offer a five year warranty. Your wand handle broke after ten years, so it happens. Time to buy a new one.

But Dyson won’t sell you one because they are now “obsolete”.

But they are not obsolete if someone in the aftermarket decides to pump the money in to make that part again.

That is what has happened with DC04 wand handles.

Today, we at Dyson Medic got some aftermarket prototype DC04 wand handles to test for a UK manufacturer. We tried them on range of clutched machines (they dont fit the green/grey or Constant Max variants unless you change the hose) and they work just fine. Here are the photos.

These are now in manufacture since we gave them the green light.

I will update the topic here when they become available in the UK in a couple of months.

Edit: These are now available. You can find them cheapest >>here<<, but for those who prefer to use third party platforms, they are >>here on eBay<< and >>here on Amazon<<. Trade can buy in 5s >>here<<.

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