It all started with Teylor Johnson, who posted a semi-shirtless photo of her husband using their new Kmart vacuum on her public Facebook page.
“Holy mac it’s a beast,” Johnson writes. “Most people were saying its better than their Dyson or Kirby and yeah I’m sold on this Kmart one.” [sic]
Johnson jokes that her husband must like the vacuum even more, since he vacuumed the whole house with it.
The post was removed from the Kmart Mums Australia Facebook group and Johnson was later removed from the group entirely, but the hype around the vacuum cleaner didn’t die down.
Within days, the 1200W upright vacuum was sold out around Australia.
“I’ve had a Dyson and now have this, 100% recommend!” one Facebook user writes about the vacuum.
One person has stopped using their new Dyson vacuum cleaner altogether after buying this budget version – and their carpets are softer and cleaner for it.
While some Kmart-lovers are disgruntled about the weight and manoeuvrability of the product, a heavily pregnant mum claims it’s easier to manage than her Hoover barrel vacuum.
Some members of the group are reminding users that every vacuum works well to start with, and that loss of suction from a Dyson or other more expensive brand could be due to clogged filters – something many people don’t check for when emptying their vacuum.
And, of course, there are always some faulty products somewhere along the line. One woman reports that she returned one faulty vacuum and when the replacement was assembled “smoke started pouring out the power head”.
There’s some contention over whether the product works on surfaces other than carpet. Apparently a dial on the vacuum allows you to turn off the power head and switch functions for better use.
One woman confirms that most of her house is tiled; the vacuum “works great on all floors” and is 100 per cent better than her Dyson, she says.
Many of Kmart’s most popular products sell out quickly, but the Kmart website currently states that the product will be “back online soon”. Kmart-addicts are already waiting on tenterhooks for the next batch so if you see one in your store and want to give it a try, don’t hesitate – it’ll be gone before you can blink.
This article first published on Starts at 60.
