LG defeats Dyson in cordless vacuum cleaners

By Jun Ji-hye

LG Electronics appears to have defeated U.K.-based home appliances manufacturer Dyson in the performance of cordless vacuum cleaners, with an assessment by market observers that the relative newcomer to the premium cordless vacuum market has successfully proven its capability.

According to a report issued by the Korea Consumer Agency, Sunday, LG’s Code Zero A9 obtained top points _ three stars _ in five areas out of six, including floor cleaning on maximum power mode and cleaning cracks in the floor on both maximum and minimum power modes.

Other areas in which the LG product received top points were sucking in relatively large material and cleaning the edges of walls. It failed to secure three stars in cleaning floors on minimum power mode.

Dyson’s V8 Fluffy Pro received top points in four areas, failing to obtain three stars in the areas of cleaning floors and cleaning cracks in the floor on minimum power mode.

The Korea Consumer Agency said it compared the performance of nine popular models on the market, including four luxury appliances, during its evaluation, which also included noise level and charging time.

Released in June, LG’s Code Zero A9 has made waves in the cordless vacuum market, which has been dominated by the British manufacturer since its entrance in 2008. The popularity of LG’s new model boosted the Korean company to account for almost 40 percent of the market.

The LG cleaner is equipped with a “smart inverter motor,” which rotates at 115,000 revolutions per minute, the company said, adding that this guarantees maximum performance with high efficiency in a compact size.

Eyes are on whether the latest report issued by the state-run agency could affect ongoing legal battles between LG and Dyson.

Dyson filed a provisional injunction with the Seoul Central District Court in November, seeking to halt television, print and online advertisements of LG’s Code Zero A9. The British company claimed the ads were exaggerated when they said “140-watt sucking power” and “inverter motor speed at 115,000 revolutions per minute.”

The legal action taken by Dyson was seen by some as the firm’s move to keep its market monopoly.

The third hearing is slated for early February.

LG Electronics has denied the claims made by Dyson. “We described the performance of Code Zero A9 in our ads after authorized institutions conducted evaluations in an objective way,” a company official said.

She added that the company will actively respond in the legal battle with Dyson.