Vacuum Cleaners With Low Power Settings

Does your vacuum cleaner have a low power setting? According to this “Mezamashi TV” segment, that feature is pretty much unique to Japan:

Back when vacuum cleaners were first introduced to Japan, several companies offered low power settings that would not cause damage to tatami mats. Now that far fewer Japanese homes have tatami mat floorings, vacuum cleaner manufacturers say that the low power setting is for people who want to clean without annoying their neighbors with noise.

—

Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
Dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)

18 comments - What do you think? Posted by James - October 11, 2010 at 6:53 am

Categories: Technology Tags:

Rob A

Insert witty “vacuum cleaners suck” joke here.
vonskippy

I thought all nations had vacuums with a “low” setting – they’re called BROOMS.
Soen

“feature is pretty much unique to Japan” Wat?

This has been on almost all vacuum cleaners that I have ever seen.

flowby

I have to agree.

Variable speed controls or variable suction controls have been/are featured on vacuum cleaners from many non-Japanese brands.

I believe my mothers ancient hoover(or was it an electrolux?) had such a function a long time ago – a sliding switch.

Some things are Unique to Japan, but this aint.

Mark in Yayoi

How would a high-powered vacuum setting damage tatami mats? Or were tatami mats weaker in the old days than they are today?
http://whatjapanthinks.com Ken Y-N

Perhaps the brush sticks to the mats? I’ve tatami but the hoover works fine on full power – it’s for rugs that I have to put it on low.
andrew

This was complaint of Japanese about now popular Dyson orginal uk models.
They have lack of control or no low power setting. They are bulky and not delicate. Maybe better suited to bigger houses where the owners don’t give so much of hoot about the vacs bumping into the furniture and walls.

RMilner

Dyson made a special small model for the Japanese market.

The Panasonic in my Japanese house has a nice ‘eco’ feature. When you lift it off the floor for a second, the motor cuts right down to near zero, until you put it back on the floor.

Vacuum cleaners in the UK need more power because most UK houses are carpeted. This is going out of fashion, though, so lower-powered vacuums for bare floors and rugs will become more useful.

In my experience, Japanese houses tend to have bare wood floors, or rugs or tatami, rather than full carpeting.

Piglet

These kind of TV shows (usually on private channels) like to show how Japan is “unique” for many aspects. Well, Japan is all but unique: it is part of the global community and shares the same issues as any other country.
Concerning this particular (non) “issue”, there is nothing unique in variable speed controls for vacuum cleaners. Most vacuum cleaners have such a system.

http://www.billowykimono.com Senor Science

“These kind of TV shows (usually on private channels) like to show how Japan is “unique” for many aspects. Well, Japan is all but unique: it is part of the global community and shares the same issues as any other country.”

I swear, you have no “off” switch and are always “on” about some issue just like the debitard himself.

(I couldn’t think of a witty vacuum pun, somebody help me out!)

http://tepido.org/ LB

“I couldn’t think of a witty vacuum pun, somebody help me out!”

Hmmm…..

Some folks just suck stuff in through their ears and then don’t do anything with it but let it accumulate in the dust bag in their head. Since this causes a pressure difference, they then are forced to blow out a lot of hot air. This hot air contains none of the particulates or concepts that were originally sucked in – or at least, not enough to be noteworthy or add anything to a discussion.

That work?

ponta

This kind of comment like to show the clieche is right; the Japanese think Japan is unique.

Did you actually watch the video?

0140

弱モードは掃除機が日本に入ってきた当時はついていなかった。
海外にはオンオフだけの掃除機が多い。
日本の場合は畳が多いですよね。
実はもともと日本特有の畳を傷つけないためにつけられたという弱モード
畳のある家が少なくなったいまその役割は減りつつあるのかもしれません。

Where does it say or imply “Japan is unique”?

There is nothing unique about wondering and explaining why there is a function few people use.

It seems that you just want to read your stereotype off the program without observing the what it actually says.

flowby

My comment and Soen’s comment referred to the initial sentence mentioning “pretty much unique to Japan”.

Perhaps this was scribed by James or some other person.

And I agree with you Ponta, the video only refers to the power up/down mode being common due to the large # of tatami. Unique is not mentioned.

I think though, that this function is (or becoming) popular overseas due to the many different flooring situations.

Carpets(deep pile, loop, short….), floorboards, tiles, matting, rugs, vinyl etc all benefit from differing vacuum power. Also the “eco” point of using less electricity than is required for easy cleaning surfaces.

http://www.japanprobe.com James

Sorry, I was rather rushed in posting and summarizing the content of this video and used wording that could easily be interpreted to mean that the program argued that such features are totally unique to Japan.

I’m don’t always provide full translations of videos: next time, actually watch the video before commenting on how it is an example of something you dislike about Japanese TV.
ponta

“I think though, that this function is (or becoming) popular overseas due to the many different flooring situations.”

Is this function becoming popular overseas?

Whichever the case, what the program says is that just 15% are using it but a company still provide it because it is less noisy for the use at night.
flowby

James – I never said it had anything to do with disliking something on Japanese TV.

What I dislike on tv is not reflected by that video.

In fact that clip would be about as innocuous as it can get.I did actually watch it.

I was commenting on the wording used. Nothing more, nothing less. And gave a very brief description of the existance of such appliances overseas.

And I do understand that you don’t post full translations, are busy etc etc. No problems I understand.

Hi Ponta – yes, finding such functions on an overseas vacuum cleaner wouldn’t be difficult. These days – when vaccuming a Persian carpet, Mohair rug, pine floorboards or rush matting, many people would like to be able to adjust the settings.

Personally I just whip over everything – tatami, rugs, floorboards, genkan tiles… – on the same power – HIGH. Makes me think I’ve done a better job. LOL.

.
ponta

Hi flowby
“finding such functions on an overseas vacuum cleaner wouldn’t be difficult.”

Okay, I see. Thanks for the information.
Anyway, the narrator was talking about the vacuum cleaners imported into Japan in early times, and the woman was not saying that there was no oversea cleaner with the lower power setting though.

What I didn’t like was taking an innocent statement/translation out of context and interpret it through the stereotype on Japan/Japanese without actually observing the empirical evidence and the meanings in the context—nothing more, nothing less.

.

andrew

why cant i buy a variable power control leading brand vac in the UK then?

It used to be possible many years back.

Vacuum Cleaners With Low Power Settings

Recent Comments

Further Reading

South Korean Government Demands That International Hydrographic Organization Use “East Sea”

Japanese Documentary About Sea Shepherd’s Protest Activities in Taiji (English Subtitles)

Babies Born on March 11th Receive Special Present

Washington Times Freelancer Slams Former Employer, Fails to Ethically Disclose Relationship?

Christopher Johnson Attempts to Silence Criticism of His “Gaijin Gulag” Article (Legal Threats!!!)

Tabloid Reports About Yu Darvish’s Love Life: Kirara Asuka & Miho Koga?

Does K-Pop Group KARA Have Ties to North Korea?

Tokyo Gate Bridge

Sara Errani Admits She Avoided Tennis Tournament in Tokyo: Feared Radiation

Chinese Workers Who Survived March 11th Tsunami Return to Tohoku

Categories

Archives

Subscribe

Japan Blogs

Korea Blogs

Linkroll

Other Asia Blogs