New research by Consumer NZ shows Kiwis are let down by how long their stick vacuum cleaners are lasting. Most people expect their stick vac to go for more than six years, but a third fail before then.

"That's double the failures reported for corded vacs," Consumer NZ chief executive Jon Duffy said.

Surprisingly, stick vacs from the best-selling and best-performing brand, Dyson, stand out for their failure to go the distance. Dyson is the least reliable of the leading cordless vacuum brands.

Consumer NZ research shows most people choose vacuum cleaners based on good reviews and reputation, ahead even of price. People assume big name brands last longer, but that's not always the case. Consumers need information from manufacturers on how well their products last.

"That's why we're doing a major project to make it easier for people to buy more durable products and brands. The #BuiltToLast project, partially funded by the Government's Waste Minimisation Fund, means we'll be doing more product durability testing, more research — and encouraging manufacturers to address the problems we find in their products. We've contacted Dyson to let it know our tests show its stick vacuums do a great cleaning job, but suck at durability," Duffy said.

"Three-quarters of Dyson stick faults are related to the battery or charging. Dyson sells replacement batteries and chargers, which is great, but we don't think owners should be saddled with parts that fail so soon or have to fork out to replace them."

Consumer NZ is asking Kiwis who have a broken vac to let them know all about it at consumer.org.nz/built-to-last.

The Consumer campaign #BuiltToLast and associated e-waste project is made possible by partial funding from the Waste Minimisation Fund. As part of the wider plan to reduce the amount of harmful rubbish ending up in landfills, Associate Environment Minister Eugenie Sage recently announced electrical and electronic products as one of six priorities for a regulated product stewardship scheme, under the Waste Minimisation Act.

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Source: Consumer NZ