Dyson DC14 Animal: The Best Vacuum Ever

We bought one last week and love it as a carpet cleaner, but I find the attachments kind of fiddly... With three dogs, we get tumbleweed-like balls of hair blowing across the livingroom floor. :-)

Have you used the "mini turbine head" attachment, yet? I'm not sure if we're missing a piece or what. It doesn't seem to attach to either the hose or the extended tube like I would expect, and when I try to use it on the couch (after shoving aside a couple of dogs) the spinning brush stops dead in its tracks as soon as it contacts the material. It seems completely worthless, but I'm thinking I've gotta be missing something. Any thoughts?

We got one of these about 6 months ago. We have 2 cats (one is black and we have white carpet) and it's friggen' amazing. It's also a lot easier to dispose of the stuff it picks up than other canister vac's we've had.

Good to know. I've always wondered about these. I've got 4 cats and two messy humans. :-)

My gripe about most vacuums isn't it's carpet cleaning abilities, but it's bare floor vacuume abilities.

Nothiung irks me more than vacuuming a bare floor with cats rock crumbs on it, and the vacuum just spits it out the back of the brush rather than catching it in the suction; even with the brushes set fo bare-floor.

I've heard good things about these, but I couldn't go back to manually vacuuming again. My Roomba has spoiled me.

What's up with this on the amazon page?

"Centrifugal forces of 150,000 g's spin out the tiny harmful particles."

How many things can you find wrong with this sentence?

Yeah my Dyson picked a 'hidden carpet' of latent dust and hair the couple times I used it. They rock.

I don't have any hairy pets, so I bought the red one instead. When it comes time to clean the house, my wife says she's actually heard me say under my breath: "Oh! I get to use the Dyson!" - of course I deny this, but happily vacuum the entire house (carpets, rugs, and wood floors) anyway.

We're looking to get the rumored Dyson "Roomba" clone as well...

I got mine @ Target.com, using a %10 off coupon. It was $529 with tax and shipping. I have two 100lb black labs, who shed a LOT. This vac does an insane job of getting the hair, and the dirt they drag in. If you can get over spending that much for a vac, I wouldn't hesitate.

This has to be one of the few cases where a product that really sucks is a good thing.

Ditto most of the above - we now have a Dyson and it picks up all manner of gunk that our old vacuum missed.

Dyson also now do washing machines, which again have better cleaning performance than many of their rivals.

Thanks for letting us know your vacuum sucks! :)

"Centrifugal forces of 150,000 g's spin out the tiny harmful particles."

-->-->

"Centripetal forces equivalent to 150,000 g remove harmful particles."

I wonder if the Dyson is really worth $200+ more than my $300 Hoover WindTunnel vacuum. I had the same experience every Dyson owner reports, "ohmygod look at all the stuff it picks up," and that includes cat hair from my kitty that died two years ago and I've vacuumed over for 2 years since then.
It seems the main feature here is the HEPA filter, these vacuums are designed for getting your house down to almost clean-room conditions. But alas, there are some problems. My Hoover kicks out so much exhaust, when I take it into my tiny office, most of the dust gets blown around and goes airborne, it's like trying to vacuum in the middle of a hurricane. And the powerful motor kicks out so much heat in the exhaust, it gets up to 90 degrees before I'm halfway done cleaning. Does the Dyson have these problems in small rooms?

Dyson is often cited as a homegrown British business success story, and I recall it being a big deal when they launched stateside.

Thanks for the review. I've been looking at these since just before Christmas. I almost ordered one through Amazon but then saw them at Costco for less. Looks like it's time to "suck it up" and lay out the cash!

I bought the DC-07 Animal last week, refurb from Amazon.com with a coupon for about $300 shipped. I vacuumed a small patch of carpet about 18 hours after our housekeepers vacuumed it with a "normal" cleaner, and I took a picture of the dust chamber.

It's a lot quieter than our old vacuum as well.

For an even cheaper option grab one of the Bed Bath and Beyond 20% off coupons and use it at the store. The coupon says it excludes Dyson's but the store manager let us use it. When the vacuum's ~$500 20% isn't a bad discount.

The question is, does it work for long human hair - think head to knee long. I've spent a lot of time cleaning and/or replacing broken belts and brushes.

You know, my only thought about the bagless beasties is the fact that when you do clean them out, there's dust all over the place. Granted, I don't have a Dyson, so I might be missing something key here, but I'm also glad that I don't really need the five levels of HEPA filtering on my machine. Empting out the container is like setting off an M-80 in a bag of flour, only far grayer.

oh my gosh....a vacuum that actually works....my mother-in-law gave me mine for christmas....we have 1 long hair cat and 2 dogs in and out....this thing has such suction you can actually see the carpet move!!!! worth every dollar!!! has oreck beat hands down :)

jr, the first time I emptied the Dyson, I made a nice big mess on the floor. There's a little trigger that drops the bottom out of the removable canister, and I pulled it while mistakenly trying to remove the clear part. (Hey, there was a clip/handle bit on it!) My wife reminded me that reading the instructions would have prevented me from making a dusty pile of lint, but it merely gave me an opportunity to try the Dyson on another surface.

In the latest Consumer Reports issue....

"Dyson's new DC14 upright, bagless vacuum cleaner, $570, is the latest in the British Manufacturer's highly touted arsenal of colorfl uprights. In recent tests it proved very good overall, but neither as good nor as low-priced as plenty of other vacuum cleaners we tested."

"....we can point you toward less expensive upright models that worked better overall than the DC14. They include the Hoover WindTunnel Self Propelled Ultra, Eureka Boss Smart Vac Ultra, and Kenmore Progress with Direct Drive...."

Sounds to me like you're a slave to the marketing. This company is somewhat like Apple in the "let's throw multiple standout colors on the product and charge a higher premium" category.....

Zotter:

What marketing?

I had *never heard* of Dyson before Derek pointed the vacuum out to me. Did you not read the story?

Dyson = Brilliant.
20% off = $100 saved and a Dyson deal.
I could echo the positive comments above, but that would be a waste of your time. Instead, I have a suggestion on how to save $100 on a new Dyson.
My wife (her idea) used one of the 20% off at Bed Bath, Beyond, or whatever the place is called, coupons and voila, $100 saved on a fantastic vacuum.
BTW, it's true and amazing what you will find spinning away in the little Dyson dust bowl. And it does not let dust exit to mess up the room again. Wonderful.
Can't wait to try Dyson's new clothes washer...wonder if they take the 20% off coupon for that as well...

My system, is generally to vacuum once every day, and clean the filters twice a week. Then I steam-clean the carpet once every other month, and that's really the BEST way you can go.

No question - they're good. The best? Dunno, but definitely good. Living in the UK, we bought one several years back, so here's the warning: they need to be treated with a certain amount of gentleness; those plastic parts can (and will) break. The UK support people are pretty good at dispatching replacements, though: I expect the same will be true of the US.

Having said that, we switched to an Oreck. While it may be slightly less effective, it fantastically light, something I could never say for the Dyson.

JZ:

What marketing?!?!? Dude, you work for Yahoo!

The "word of mouth" marketing... the buzz..the endorsement.. from your blogs and others.

Marketing isn't all advertising... or TV commercials, it exists in other forms. One of the strongest forms is "word of mouth" marketing.

It is widely known that Dyson is copying some of the marketing strategies of Apple to create buzz... centered around design elements allowing for premium pricing.

No worries Jeremy, all the cool kids like the brightly colored, high tech vaccum cleaners.... ;-)
I wasn't trying to slight your posting. Only pointing out that Consumer Reports ranks other vacuums as better value.

Your endorsement...and links to other endorsements of high profile geeks are probably more valuable than the TV commercials about the product to our demographic.

-David

When the advice of a friend or family member is considered "marketing", you've bought into the "marketing" paradigm a bit too much.

You confuse making a good product that people are enthusiastic about with making a crappy product that requires an exstensive marketing campaign to trick people into buying.

As Derek has no connection whatsoever to Dyson, his reccomendation could not be considered "marketing". It's called "advice". If the distinction is lost on you, I might suggest taking some time off and getting the hell away from whatever has corrupted your worldview.

You must have skipped your business electives in college.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marketing

Why do you think the original purchass occured?
The vacuum cleaner wasn't downloaded from sourceforge through divine intervention.

There are entire companies that track consumer opinion and reviews. Companies are bending over backwards to improve customer experience. Why? Mass communication is no longer controlled by major media outlets or the thinking elite. It is shifting to those with strong opinions anywhere. Even opinions about a friggin bright blue, super suck vacuum cleaner. Funny in itself that people are envangelizing vacuum cleaners on their blogs!!?

Verbal recommendations or advice from a family or friend is different once it becomes posted/published on its own and then propogated. It is almost like a tribe of dyson vacuum cleaner owners...the digital elite of anal retentive people.

The world is changing for the best.

The unique colouring could also be considered marketing. The product itself stands out when compared to your average black or silver vacuum.

Color is a funny thing.

But Derrick's opinion was not published. It came up during a conversation. Myself, I was visiting Jeremy and saw it, talked to him about how it well it worked. In niether of these conversations which motivated a purchase was marketing per se involved. You may spin anyone who buys based on this blog as being subject to marketing, but you are, by your own explanation, incorrect when you said initially:

"Sounds to me like you're a slave to the marketing."

Of course, not technically incorrect, since it probably is what it sounded like to you. But you were mistaken concerning Jeremy's motivations.

And FWIW, Business Classes were for people that didn't belong in college in the first place.

I am probably going to get my wife that vac too. We have three dogs (male black labs) and three cats, combined to about 300 pounds of hair. I think our pets killed our Roomba(s), which we are now on our third of.

I know other vacuums can do as well in most cases, but I've never seen pet owners talk as well of any other vacuums.

I'm going to chime in here briefly, as a CS major with MBA. The entire thing is marketing fellow technocrats!

I would wholly recommend that you consider a few business courses to understand the other side of the fence.

Now to Dan's lastest point. I disgree.
The marketing message was simply regurgitated from one consumer and passed along to another.

Jeremy's points exactly match and follow the primary marketing messages promoted by Dyson as key differentiators. Coincidence?

He *IS* a slave to the marketing, just as you apparently are. Whether it originated from word of mouth, blog, or online review you are all eating the same dogfood.

1) dyson isn't more powerful than other models or more efficient at picking up dirt, dust or especially things like pet hair than models
2) the design isn't actually better, as proven by Consumer Reports labs
3) it weighs quite a bit more and takes up more space for storage, among other issues.
4) it doesn't have as many attachments, instead they split the various attachments across models. Other models have ALL attachements with their models.

There really aren't many differences in features between the Dyson and other models on the market. Most of the points are not actually true. Instead, they took a luxury product approach as pointed out by another post.

I'd argue that the comparison to Apple isn't necessarily accurate because Apple products are superior in most cases (except for that piece of trash new flash IPOD that looks like a cheap walmart import). Apple has good design, Dyson just tries to project good design and sophistication (e.g. British guy preserved for marketing message).

Jeremy's pal started drinking the Dyson Kool-Aid and then passed along the marketing points to Jeremy. He bought into them and verified them in his posting and went as far as saying, "it is the best vacuum ever". Is Jeremy qualified to make such a judgement. Is a connoisseur of fine sweepers? Maybe he is getting bored with mysql. ha, we have openings in our dept.

In comparison to OLD sweepers, obviously they are better. However, that's like someone claiming that their new computer is better than their old one. Of course it is... it should be!

How many modern sweepers has Jeremy compared the Dyson to? Sure it is the best sweeper he has ever used. How could it not be? Jeremy an expert in mysql and a fine technologist for a very well known internet company, he isn't a janitor for a very well known internet company.

Dyson vacuum is doing well because of the marketing which grew out of several marketing research studies.

Those studies concluded that people could not distinguish because vacuum cleaners on the market.
A key concern identified in the studies is that consumers have difficulty understanding how much dirt, dust, and pet hair is actually collected by a vaccum. If a sweeper cleans what is visible, how can you distinguish between one that does a great job and one that doesn't do such a great job?

MOST of the blog reviews I read show pictures of dirt in the collection chamber.
With older model vacuum cleaners, people never see the dirt. The motivation by these early product designers and marketers was to hide the dirt. Electric vaccums are better than a broom because it is easier than cleaning and "less dirty". The problem is that people never realize when the bag is full or that it should be changed.

Now the motivation is to make it appear through the sweeper that a whole truck load of dirt is collected. Interestingly, Jeremy even mentions that he had to empty it twice.

I'm getting off topic.
The point is, someone crafted those messages you've bought into - even though they are technically not correct.

The perception is the marketing has shifted due to the buzz around the product multiplied by word of mouth marketing.

Everyone is influenced by marketing, whether you are willing to admit it or not. Some even want to be apart of something. For some reason, people want to associate themselves with premium brands. Even neato sweepers.

Furthermore, you would be foolish to believe that companies aren't posting opinions in forums, blog comments, and other new 'online' mediums to shift perception. A lot of cash is being directed towards shifting perception of people online.

Don't eat too much brand dogfood.

I look forward to reading the shaver posting.

Kind regards.

P.S. I own a Dyson. My own review differs from Jeremy's. It was an Xmas gift. It is cheap feeling and definately doesn't feel like my grandmother received her $500 worth of plastic. The long term use is questionnable, the fact it has broken at least 3 times in under 6 months. Good thing the warranty is good.

Take your $500 and spend it on YHOO stock instead. You'll be much happier in the end.

I'll spend it on NTAP, and be happier still. ;)

Now, an MBA, I won't shake a stick at. But undergrads that fill the business "school" are the intellectual equivilant of Jello. Spend a few minutes talking to one of them. And don't let the topic wander off of "beer" or "fucking", lest you confuse them.

I'm impressed, but not suprised, at the willingness of the Marketing crowd to take snippets of the post to support your thesis that he was duped by marketing. The full quote is:

"This vacuum is far and away the best I've ever used or seen."

Now, clearly he was not making the unqulified assertion you claimed he did, which supported your entire thesis. Nobody here has said it was better than Product X. Only that it's the best thing we've used. I'll presume you learned to twist facts to support your position in Business School.

What is "interesting" about your assertion is that we've not made a single statement that you attribute to us. You seem to be projecting onto us some ideal dimwitted consumer persona. It's insulting.

You are confused.

The title/headline of the post is, "Dyson DC14 Animal: The Best Vacuum Ever".

"However, my old vacuum was badly in need of repir or replacement."

The old vacuum needing repair must have been the prior 'best vacuum ever'. Otherwise, I would assume he is making the unqualified assertion posted above.

Guys! It is a vacuum cleaner. A $500 vacuum cleaner!
I think of a lot to do with $500 that is a hell of a lot more fun.

Advertising, blogs, word of mouth or whatever. You still spent $500 on a sweeper! A $500 sweeper!
Someone did a mind f*ck on you.

A.
Sweeper.
500.
dollars.
to suck.
dust.
off.
the.
floor.

People at Yahoo must make too much money.

Seriously, have you guys tried the new google toolbar? It is worth at least $300. The reviews are awesome. It is the best toolbar ever. Shaves close as a blade, or your money back.

Oh, just read the headlines and draw conclusions, in spite of the text which fleshes out what is really meant. Such study habits must be enough to get through business school.

I think you've assumed that the opportunity costs of that $500 (or really, $200, the delta between the Dyson and the competition) is much greater than it really is. Actually, you presume it had any real opportunity costs to begin with. As that seems to provide the foundation of your position, I find your post to wholly lacking in merit. Much like a BA in Business.

>slave to the marketing
>$500

with the current rankings (http://www.google.com/search?q=Dyson+DC14), possitive statements, personal voice, and AdSense ads I am betting that this post will pay for a good bit of those $500.

Let me step away from the "Is it marketing or not" discussion or not to bring up a technical point. Dyson's big marketing claim is "The world's first vacuum that doesn't lose suction". My question is: Is this sentence true? If it is, I think that's a worthwhile benefit. Perhaps other vacuums are more powerful initially but quickly lose suction as they collect dust. I don't know, but I'd be interested if anyone else can attest to the validity of this claim.

I don't get some of those comments about Dyson and its marketing approach as their products are doing a great job.

At least that is what Jeremy experienced and shared with the internet community. If it provides a valuable service for years, $500 is not much for a cleaner. In addition to this, there are some machines on the market that cost far more than this Dyson model.

Disclaimer: I do own a Dyson, too.

Let us agree on what "marketing" is. Define our terms.

It's my understanding that for your actions to be considered "marketing", you would have to have something vested in that message being accepted and acted upon. If I were to talk about how great NetApp storage is, I could accept that to some degree I have something to gain from that message being accepted and acted upon.

But if I talk about how great my Tivo is, I'm just offering an assessment. Much like Consumer Reports, though admittidly not as broad or systemically informed. Just as CR gains nothing from it's opinions save the inherent value of them being trusted, so too is the proffered opinion of a consumer limited in its reward to the esteem others would hold for future opinions.

To market, you must be selling something. There has to be a product. You must be vested, and you must care if your message is accepted or not.

Am I mistaken about what marketing is?

Just recently bought a DC07 Animal, for much the same reasons, two cats. What was scary was having to vacuum our floor twice because it picked up so much dirt. Picked ours up at Sears and the sales person told me that the majority of sales came from referals from other Dyson owners.

By contrast, we have not been pleased with our Animal. I wrote a review of it recently (google search for 'holbrook dyson'), but the gist is that it doesn't work well on the carpet we bought last year; the auto-height adjustment keeps adjusting too low. (The quality of the carepet was less than it should have been, and I'm sure that's the major reason.) But the bottom line is that we're not that happy.

We currently own a Phantom Thunder. It was the best of all vacuums several years ago when we bought it. We thought spending $250 then was alot on spend on a vacuum.

Now we are considering the Dyson for $500!!

Our Phantom Thunder is now on its last legs.
2 young kids and a long hair cat and especially a big furry Alaskan Malamute dog make for alot of mess.

$500 is a alot of money for this family to spend on a vacuum!!!

I like the reviews of this vacuum but it will take some serious savings per month to purchase it!

If my old vacuum "bites the dust' before I have the money to purchase a Dyson..

I would like to know what the close second or third models are after the Dyson.?

Check out the Jan. Consumer Reports. Your library should have it if you don't subscribe. They list a few from 2-300 that compare favorably in their estimation.

Dan. I take issue with your Jello representation. Not particularly clever or witty and somewhat insulting, to me at least.

My business major from BGSU has suited me very well.... very well, without question.

As a fellow BGSU Alumni (?), I'm not certain why you would be attacking ALL business majors b/c someone doesn't agree with your knowledge of marketing (or lack thereof) in the comments of a blog? Ease up, everyone can express their opinion. :-)

You know, I spent a lot of time in the cellar, attics, and labs of Hayes Hall as most other geeks on campus... and even tooled around on pizza.bgsu.edu once upon a time. I wouldn't have traded my time there, just like I wouldn't have traded my time in the BA building. Both categories of knowledge were (and are) useful.

Jeremy is a great guy. Obviously his intent was not to market ON BEHALF of Dyson directly, even if the message originated from there indirectly through word of mouth. Sorry if this is the way it was interpreted.
There is nothing sinaster with liking a nice product and evangelizing it.

Anyway, enough said. If you guys are around for Homecoming any year, I'll buy you a pint at Myle's Pizza.

Be good. Good is good. Evil is not.

-David

I'm thinking about purchasing the Dyson but wondering what if anyone has actually used the DC07 and the DC14 and has seen the differences between the two. Of course the newer model is more expensive. Thanks.

OMG - That Dyson vacuum cleaner is the best vacuum cleaner I have ever used! We got "The Animal" (at Target for $499) and it's waaay worth the money! We have 3 cats and a very big, very hairy collie dog (and 2 elementary aged messy kids!)- and this machine does wonders.
It's wonderful and it sucks - all at once!
This was our best investment of the year!

If you want to know what the difference is between the DC07 and DC14, you have simply to look at the product. The DC07 suffers from a fudamental design error in the cyclones. Mainly, by inverting the cyclone, Dyson has created a colgging situation. Speak to anyone in England that has owned a Dyson DC07 and they'll agree. The unit clogs then the motor burns up. This is one of Dyson's biggest reliability problems in England (That's what I was told by one of their technicians when he fixed mine). The DC14 returned their cyclone to the proper orientation but at a loss of efficiency. If you notice, they took the numbers off of the graph on the new DC14. Why? Could it be that the performance is not as high as the DC07? Also, it's interesting to note that they are advertising the suction power at the hose not at the nozzle. Isn't the nozzle the main interface to the floor that is being cleaned. They are implying that they have more power for cleaning at the nozzle. As for no clogging, look at the instruction manuals. If the unit does not clog, why do you have to wash the filter every 6 months or more often when cleaning fine particles. Why? Because they clog. A chap appeared on a consumer complaint show over here in England with a complaint about the DC07. He purchased it, cleaned his auto, and then sucked up some plaster dust from a little project in his home. His DC07 died. When he called Dyson, he was informed that his warranty was void because he used the product in a manner not consistent with household use. He took his complaint to the TV and Dyson reversed the decision and his cleaner was replaced.

As for cleaning, the Dyson does a decent job removing pet hair from carpet and cleans bare floors well. How well does it do at removing the dirt trapped in your carpet. If Consumer Reports is correct, which I don't doubt that they are, it doesn't do as well as MOST of the cleaners tested. This is the dirt that you have to really worry about. It includes all of the nasty stuff that causes wear to your carpet and ill health effects. Based on those results, I would have stuck with the Hoover or the Eureka (if I could get them).

My advice (based on personal experience) is to avoid the Dyson and put the extra money to better uses. Also, rethink the bagless thing. While I understand the common complaints about bags (messy, cannot find them, etc...) in reality, they are less messy and more hygeinic in the long run. Bagless units must be thoroughly cleaned or they soon begin to smell like the animals that are creating the mess you are cleaning. Replace a bag (HEPA preferably) and the smell is gone. I, personally, will NEVER go back to a bagless vacuum cleaner again.

Cheers!

I don't own a Dyson, although I am considering sinking some of my hard earned cash into the purchase of one.

A question to Dyson/pet owners out there - do you EVER have to stop vacuuming to cut, pull, or in any way extract pet hair from the machine in order to continue vacuuming? If you don't, then I say the machine is worth the money.

I used to own a Miele. Everyone told me what a great vacuum it was, including little old ladies at the vacuum store. Of course, I hated it, and dreaded every moment I had to use it. I was constantly stopping to cut my dog's hair (we have three variations of Border Collies, & at the time lived in AZ, where they were shedding all year long) from the vacuum. Paying nearly $14 a package for those #$&% bags didn't make me all that happy, either.

I don't like spending that amt. of money. However, in order to keep my home clean (we now have wood floors, and scatter rugs), I need to use Swiffers every day to keep the house clean of pet fur and dust. If I compare the price of the Dyson to the expense of the Swiffers (at $8 a package), this vacuum will be paid for in less than a year.

As far as the reliability of Consumer Reports.... I have disagreed with many of their opinions of things they have reviewed in the past -do you REALLY think that any organization is above getting paid off??!! Maybe my belief system is just too tarnished.

I take their (along with any other organization) info with a grain of salt..

Hi Guys! I am in the process of shopping for a new vac. I currently own an electrolux and I am looking at the dyson and miele. I have 2 dogs and 2 small children...I am a stay at home mom who vacuum's every day. My first question is ...How come all the feedback I'm reading are from men....no offense but I liked to hear some comments from the women. Secondly, does the dyson animal really pick up dust and dog hair on tile and wood floors?

Thanks.

Okay, so the Dyson Animal is fantastic. My question is the Mini Turbine. After use (or maybe a few uses) do you have to turn it over and clean out the long cat hair from the brushes?

The Dyson is great on carpet for dust and pet hair.

Other than that I am truly disappointed. On wood floors the wheels will leave marks. It cannot pick up small pieces of plastic or dirt or even a dried piece of macaroni. It will drag little pieces of plastic around and scratch your floors.

You cannot get under the kitchen cabinets because the front is too high and bulky. The edger does not work, it just pushes particles around.

I had a central vac system in my old house and I will probably sell this Dyson and by another one.

I bought the Dyson DC14 Animal based in part on Jeremy's review and my experience has been different from PG's. Our floors are all wood and in the month and a half we've had it, t the DC14 has sucked up more dust, dirt, and dander from them than I would have believed possible. It's depressing to see how much detritus accumulates in a week, but I feel healthier and happier knowing we have this product.

There are so many good things said here about this vacuum that it seriously makes me wonder if this blog is just for advertising purposes.

If this vac does everything you all say it does, I'll be using it 2-3 times a day every day, as I have 3 cats and 2 dogs and all the dusty furry filth that comes with them. I currently have a Kirby (don't laugh) and it was a huge waste of money.

My main frustration with CU is: if they test a dozen vacuums and they are all a POS they will not say this; they just tell you which is best. Maybe they are not smart enough to establish a minimum level of performance.

We once bought a vacuum on their recommendation. For years, when we needed to do some serious cleaning, I lugged my shop vacuum into the house. We now use a Fein--a small shop vac--in the house; it is not really suitable but it cleans.

Well, if this is an Ad it's a freebie for Dyson.

i bought my dyson new but it didn't come with an owners manual. can anybody tell me how to change the belt????

We just bought the Dyson animal vacuum.
I love this vacuum's ability to get ground in dirt and pet hair up out of the carpet!!

We have a big concern though and wondering if there is a problem with the vacuum....
There is a very high pitch wineing sound that we have never heard before in a vacuum.

We called Dyson and they told us it was most likely just due to the newness of the vacuum and that it should go away.

Has anyone else experienced this sort of sound???

Curiosity about how my experience with a Dyson "Animal" purchase might compare with others, I found this forum. I was not suprised when I found so many other owners who were blown away by the preformance.
I have owned my Dyson since August of 2004. I have aprox 2,400 sf of newly re-finished hardwood floors, lots of area rugs, a Carolina Dog, indoor model (look it up) and a short hair Kitty. They generate plenty of fur as do we.
I am as gentle as a buffalo as my wife would say and vacume twice a week without breaking any part of the Dyson or ever maring my wood floors, and believe me, I was concerened about scratches as I have had other units that have scratched the bejesus out of floors in the past.
If you can read the instructions before using the unit and pick up some objects with your hand that it may not, like bowling balls (cool little finger holes to pick them up with), sharp plastic, etc.. your experience should be very positive.
Dyson makes an excellent machine.

Just another sucker for a good product.

Not sure if you guys know this or not. Dyson is now the number one selling vacuum cleaner company in the US. They took over Hoover just a few months ago.

Coming soon.

http://ivacuumetc.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=82

Yep, the animal rocks. Forgive the self-reference, but here's my own voyage of self-discovery...

http://emmanate.org/wretch/archives/000027.html

I would like to see some more feedback on the Dyson DC14 and its performance on wood/tile flooring. We just purchased a 5,000 sq. ft. home with all wood and tile flooring. We have the opportunity to install a central vac system and I am still unsure of which way to go. Has anyone tried the DC11 canister?

Laura,

The DC11 canister is now history, soon to be replaced by a new canister. No idea when it's coming though. The DC14 All Floors would be a good choice for you.

Chris

As to the Dyson being the first non-clogging vacuum cleaner - in the late 1980s I was so poor I tried selling vacuum cleaners door-to-door. It was the outrageously priced Filter Queen($1500-1800). I quit before my first week was up.

But wow, what a vacuum! Its basic design resembled a Shop Vac. It was a bucket with a very powerful motor mounted on top. A flat round filter fitted over a cone-shaped frame around the motor. As air came into the machine the "cyclonic" action of the air scrubbed the filter and prevented clogging. The dirt gathered in the bottom of the bucket. When we did demos we put another small filter on the machine's exhaust. The exhaust filter stayed almost completely clean. In fact, the machine could also function as a very quiet room air cleaner.

Another demo was to pour some baking soda on a carpet and then "vacuum" it up with the power brush head. The soda would disappear. Then we'd show the potential customer the fact that the brush head was not connected to the vacuum. The power brush had just shoved the soda deep into the carpet.

We'd ask the customer to vacuum the soda spot with their machine until they felt it was clean.
Then the hose would be reattached to the Filter Queen and the soda spot re-vacuumed. When its cannister was opened, lo and behold, there would be all the soda and some extra dirt.

And as to sturdy-it could be fed a big steel bolt with no damage.

And then there was the "see if your vacuum can out-suck mine" contests. A note card was placed across the mouth of the hose of either machine and the Filter Queen would always win the card. Our trainers told us that only a big Shop Vac or a brand-new (I forget the brand)other over-priced monster could defeat the Filter Queen on that one.

I wonder sometimes if the new generation of "cyclonic" vacuums has anything to do with an expiration of a Filter Queen patent or two?

Oh, yeah, emptying the canister could be a dusty mess. Only thing besides the price that I didn't like about the Filter Queen. I have asthma. Ker-choo!

If you like the Dyson, you will love the Riccar. A bit more expensive that any of the Dyson's, but it will suck up a Dyson no problem. Riccar is the best, hands down.

Plus the Riccar is American made.

I've been thinking about getting the Dyson Animal. Tried a bagless vac once (don't remember the brand) and hated it because it would clog after less than 5 minutes of use. Went back to using a Sears Whispertone Canister Vac, which did a much better job picking up cat and dog hair, but I'm still frustrated by the tendency of the hose to get clogged with fur in inaccessible places (e.g. the plastic elbow).

I have three dogs, six cats, a parrot, finches and two messy humans. I need to be able to vacuum up unbelievable quantities of fuzzy fur, bird seed, chips of whatever the parrot was chewing on and threw at the dogs, etc. And I would like a vacuum that I don't have to shut down, take apart, and then dig through the hose with a coat hanger every other time I use it.

So, can anyone tell me how the Dyson is in terms of the hose not getting all stuffed up? Consumer Reports' review didn't seem to address this particular concern.

Regarding the vacuums. I bought the Hoover Wind Tunnel for about $200, I have two dogs, small dogs who shed. This vacuum started out not too bad, but it does not pick up pet hair from the carpet, it is very frustrating. I want a vacuum cleaner that has good suction, suction staying power and I am no longer concerned about price, after buying my fourth crappy cleaner. Dyson is sounding good, from other people's comments, not the advertising.

Denise and Karen,

Before you get a Dyson, go to a professional vacuum store and check out their brands. Usually the Meile and the Riccar will be the top brands. Try them out and compare against the Dyson. I bet you will not buy the Dyson. Dyson makes a lot of marketing claims, but they just do not live up to expectations.

Check out the reviews on Amazon. Last year it was the most loved home and garden product reviewed on Amazon.

I have 4 longhair Maine Coon cats. My cats are LARGE. Maine coons are the largest domestic breed in the usa. I can blow out a vacuum in 2 weeks after I buy it. I have gone through so many of them. I kneel down and pick up everything but the cat hair, and they still die.( the vacuums) We clean them out, and they still die. I am sooo tired of buying vacuums. Im now looking at the Dc14. Yeah, the hoover cyclone was the FIRST to die.. what a waste of money...I dont break parts, I dont scratch up my vacuums either, I am gentle but vacuums dont like my cats long hair.

I heard the dc14 doesnt do well on low low carpet- IS THAT TRUE?
I did- just today find something that actually works well on pet hair- and its only 10 bucks. Its the one sweep broom that is advertised on an infomercial. I got mine at bed and bath. It took up EVERYTHING HAIR,and all carpet fuzz and tonight my carpets look brand new. It doesnt pick up dirt- just pet hair. So now, Im going to use the one sweep first, before I vacuum, but still need a good vacuum on the dirt, and anything I miss.

Whats up with the low carpet issue?
If it does break, how hard is it to get warranty replacement?
1. I dont care about the price if it lasts.
2. I dont care about bagless or not, as long as it lasts.
3. I care about it working on low low carpets.. does it?

Please answer my question. Thank you.

I have owned Hoovers, Eurekas,Sears, refurbished Kirbys, and it was time for ANOTHER vacuum...So I did my time researching-poured through all the postings here(too many of you worry way too much about being marketing pawns)consumer reports,found the Good Houskeeping article that says the Hoover "savvy" is better than the Dyson, and then went to the store to actually see all these wonders. The conclusion that I've come to is that after using the display models in the store, the Dyson sucks more than any of them(I mean this in a good way). I haven't always agreed w/consumer reports and I guess we are parting company once again. I bought the Dyson, took it home and immediately fell in love-nothing kinky here folks- I have a hairy German Shepherd who has a fondness for my furniture when I'm not looking,a teenager and a husband and everybody always seems to be dragging something in on their shoes/paws. We have a combination of wood floors, tile and carpeting throughout the house. The carpets haven't looked this good in ages! I can go from carpet to wood to tile without any performance problems, no marks or scratches on the wood floor. While I have to angle it a bit to get under the kitchen cabinets, if I can't reach into a corner its just a click of a button to release the wand and I suck up the crumbs that way. As for the bagless feature, it couldn't be easier, one pull of the trigger and the debris drops out the bottom, minimal dust, very slick!It out performs any other unit we have ever owned for stairs and getting the dog hair off the furniture. Hope it continues to suck for a long time to come...

Went to Sears over the weekend to check out the Dyson Animal. I even brought a baggie full of my own "real" dirt to test. This included lots of fluffy cat fur from our long-haired psycho tortie cat, bird seed and husks from around the parrot's cage, and even a few stomped-flat styrofoam peanuts. I don't really expect a vacuum to deal well with styrofoam peanuts, that's a sampling of what's on our floors.

The DC-14 blew everything else out of the water. When we told the sales clerk that what really drove us nuts was that our old vaccuum kept getting plugged up in the elbows where you can't get to them, she showed us how the elbow thingy pops right off the Dyson so you can tap it out.

We bought it on the spot and added a 5 year warranty for $99.

Took it home and were amazed and disgusted at what it pulled out of our carpets. We have 3 dogs and six cats and I think we could have made ten more cats out of what came up in just one room.

Bakersfield is also an extremely dusty place, and it pulled incredible quantities of plain old dirt out of the rug.

After vacuuming with the Dyson, I went over the carpet with our steam-vac. Usually when I use the steam-vac, even though I've just vacuumed, the steam-vac gets clogged with hair and the dirty water bucket gets full of debris the vacuum missed. Really, really disgusting debris, like bits of kitty litter that got tracked out of the box, etc. After using the Dyson, the steam-vac had nothing but dirty water in the bucket and it only generated one or two pinches of hair per fill. That's pretty incredible!

The only time the Dyson "clogged" was when I tried make it suck up strips of wood the parrot had chewed... these strips were too long to make it through the "u" shaped tube and too solid to just break into smaller pieces. However, all I had to do was pull the u-tube and remove the stuck pieces. Very quick and easy. And you really can't expect a 4 inch long piece of wood to go around a corner like that.

Needless to say, we are very pleased with the Dyson.

I do not have animals, but my vacuum died. I bought a lower model Dyson (the yellow one) for under $400 at an HH Gregg sale.

This thing is great. My favorit part it the way it is so easy to empty it out (one handed!).

This is an answer to Pam's query, on or about March 15th. Pam wondered if anyone else had an experience with the noise associated with the yellow Dyson DC07. I have! OHMYGOSH! It's an obnoxiously loud and irritating grating/whining noise that terrified me the first few times I heard it. I called Dyson's help line, and a kind lady said that was "normal" because my carpet (it only makes the noise on the carpet) level was higher than usual. Well, my carpet is not shag, and I wouldn't refer to it as a "high" level fiber ... but this was the answer I got. Maybe your carpets need to be very low nap to avoid "the noise." Stopping the noise is difficult. You have to lean the vacuum to the side to interrupt the suction. Over and over and over again. Nevertheless, it really does do a good job of cleaning. I use it 3-4 times, then I get out the Rainbow for really deep, down, effective cleaning. The Rainbow is probably the best machine for MY money, but filling it with water and being extra careful about not dumping the canister over while vacuuming makes it a pain. As for the colors Dyson comes in ... my take is that if you have to do a chore, why not have a bright color to beat the boredom? Marketing, perhaps.

UK DC07 Absolutely the worst buy I've ever had - in 18 months it has been a nightmare - Split hose, clogged cyclone chamber as per previous post and now the motor has burnt out.
Yes when working it sucks great but the fact is it spends more time being repaired (and it's EXPENSIVE to repair) than working - Poorly made as well - the rubber seals are a joke and are far from airtight.

Back to Electrolux/Panasonic I suspect for me......

While my Dyson DC08 is great, I find it a little unwieldy. Another problem, it tends to spread dusty smell in the room when you vacuum with it. To answer Charles' question, the Dyson DC08 has a quite tightly focused exhaust blowing diagonally upwards in the rear. It tends to blow things around when I'm vacuuming. But it doesn't overheat.

I found a Panasonic MC-E8001 bagless vac in an electronics store. The MC-E8001 has one interesting bullet point in its sales pitch: The air travels through the filters so that it does not pass through the dust container. Hence, no dust smell. So I thought, why not; it was the last one available of a model that had become obsolete, so I got it really cheap.

Yes, it's a lot cheaper than the Dyson, and kind of flimsy. But it's quieter, a lot lighter, hence wieldier. And it's faster to use, because it's really easy to replace the suction heads (you con't have to fiddle with any locking mechanisms).

The MC-E8001 is likely to clog, because the filtering is a combination of mechanic and electrostatic filtering (in addition, the biggest and heaviest dirt is cycloned out of the airstream, like in all bagless vacuum cleaners - Dyson has only patented the Dual Cyclone techology - all bagless cleaners actually start with a rough cyclone).

When I bought it, it was full of dust - it had been on display in the store and used for demonstration. It still sucked pretty well. After emptying and washing the container and the filters, it sucked a lot better. As I said; because it's small, simple and lightweight, I actually find it a lot faster and easier to use than the Dyson. I don't have any carpets that would gather a lot of dust, so I probably made a bad decision buying the Dyson - a smaller vac would have done just fine.

Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but don't cyclones need very precisely set velocity and airflow to work properly? James Dyson needed thousands of prototypes to get his design work correctly, which kind of indicates that the numerous variables have to be *just right* to work properly. In other words, if the airflow gets slowed down, doesn't the dust travel straight through the cyclone? I think this is why Dyson have placed those airflow holes in all of their tools: they're not there to "beat dust out of the surfaces", they're there to prevent the airflow from getting completely blocked. I have a bad feeling that whenever the Dyson *does* get blocked, a puff of dust manages to pass through the cyclones and ends up in the washable HEPA filter. That's why it's there. Also, I think this is why the Dyson's suction power cannot be adjusted (other than letting more air in through the trigger). Mechanical filtering may get clogged, but it's also more foolproof.

I have read James Dyson's autobiography, "Against the Odds". That vac, and that man, have quite a story.

I now own two vacuum cleaners, both of which I bought because I was fascinated by their operating principle. Am I a vac geek or what. :)

I just used my Dyson Animal for the first time today and I have a new god and his name is DYSON!!!!!
The vacuum is beyond incredible!!!

In all fairness, I felt I should leave a second post explaining what I found out. I complained in my April 22, 2005 post about the noise the Dyson made. After I posted, I sat on the floor with my Dyson and using a knife and scissors, carefully cut away all of the human hair (no pets in this house) that had accumulated and wrapped around the beater bar. (Not sure of the exact name of that part?) It was a considerable amount of hair, and that MAY have been the reason my Dyson was making the obnoxious noises. I'll give it the benefit of the doubt, since I turned it on after I removed the hair, vacuumed the entire house, and it never made that noise even once. So ... my advice is this: if you have hair longer than 2" long, and you hear an obnoxiously loud and grating noise coming from your Dyson, you may want to see if any hair is tying up the beater bar. There were also some strings, too, I guess from clothes. From now on, I'll check the beater bar the next time I hear that noise. Hope this helps someone who has had the same problem.

I just bought a Dyson DC14 Animal last week. I bought one after borrowing my sister's for a few days to try it out. It is easily money well spent.
After having used 3 different vacuums in the last 5 years, varying from $150-300, and all having issues I really disliked, I decided to spend the money and get the Dyson.
It picks up everything! We have 2 cats, and one is a long hair. I had to empty the canister twice in one room it picked up so much stuff. Our bathroom is carpeted and has a very tighly woven and hard carpet. The Dyson worked great on it. It picked up a ton of crap even from a carpet with almost no pyle to it at all.
The attatchments that I've tried so far work great. I've noticed no real difference in suction than from the vacuum itself. Sucked up dead bugs from inside the window with ease. Sucked up paint chips and small stones with ease, all through the hose. I even vacuumed my matress with the attatchments and it got stuff off that I couldn't pick off with my hands.
I would recomend it to anyone looking for a good vacuum. As to Consumer (false) reports, I stopped believing anything they had to say years ago. I saw so many complete crap reviews I wonder why anyone even bothers with them.
Real world usage and word of mouth from known people and actual users mean more to me than ANY consumer report bullcrap article any day.

ITS PERFORMANCE IS SECOND TO NONE IN THE SUCKING DEPARTMENT, AND IT CLEANS PRETTY WELL TOO.

DYSONS SUCK WELL, OH YES THEY DO!

AN EXTREMELY SATISFIED CUSTOMER I AM.

I too countered Consumer reports and bought a Dyson DC14 yesterday based on my wife's experience with my daughter's unit despite some misgivings I have with the physical unit. Those misgivings center on the quality of the unit i.e durability in actual use over time. Some previous experiences include: Bissell steam vac fell apart after a year. Two hoovers died within six months of each other. That is my primary concern with consumer reports. Their tests are not life cycle tests. Although they do ocassionaly have historical data on companys. I and i am sure others would be interested in return comments after say six months of use. Cheers

In regard to Consumer Reports and Hoover wind tunnel vac, I have a Hoover wind tunnel model UC8140 which is two years old, broken again, and I will not fix it. The thing vacuums ok, only ok, but I had to replace two of the beater brushes a year ago, remeber it is only two years old, and now one of the brushes is bad again and the direct drive transmission is broken. What happens is the bearings wear out and the plastic material of the brushes and the transmission gears melt to their housing. I am tired of fixing it and plan to get a Dyson.
I agree with the lady who said she no longer reads Consumer reports. Many of the reviews I have seen are not real world. I think as a group CR has gotten caught up in their own importance and lost touch.

Want a great deal on a Dyson? Best Buy currently has a 15% off coupon on BestBuy.com that you can print out and take to the store to get 15% off any open box Dyson. I got my DC14 Animal for less than $400! Check it out: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?type=category&cmp=&id=pcmcat54100050023

I vacuumed earlier today with my Orek. It has been slowly falling apart for a few years now. I was thrilled when the cord finaly failed so I could feel justified in buying a vacuum that actually gets stuff out of the carpet. After surfing the web for a while, I ran out and got a Dyson Animal.

Well, I just vacuumed with it for the first time. After reading the posts on this site, I'm not suprised that I filled the cannister with schmootz left behind by the Orek. I'm not sure how large the cannister of the Dyson is as compared with the size of an Orek bag, but it was sure cool watching the cannister fill! And emptying the cannister was so unbelievably easy! (Even in the wind - I just reached down low into our outdoor bin before hitting the release button.)

The carpet looks so much better now that the pile has been pulled up by the Dyson - it even feels softer when walking.

So am I happy because of the hype or because the Dyson is an incredible vacuum? Answer - I don't care. Anything that can make the drudgery of housework this much fun is worth every penny, and any vacuum that can get this many guys talking about cleaning - well, its just a bit of a turn on!

Arrrrgh!!!! Trying to find the perfect vacuum is a maddening experience. I've gone bagged, bagless, hepa filtered, not hepa filtered, jeez louise how do you KNOW which is best without buying one of each and testing them yourself for weeks if not months on end?!!! I had a Eureka bagless and hated it! I went to a Hoover canister and hated it from the second time I used it. We just purchased an Orek XL a year and a half ago and I thought it did a great job; plus it was extrememely light. Now I'm not so sure it pulls as much dirt from the carpet as it used to. I may need to change the bag but it doesn't look like it is even close to being full.

I've heard mostly good things about the Dyson product but the thought of spending $500+ on another unknown just makes me sick. My parents owned a Rainbow when I was in high school and it seemed to vacuum better than anything I've used since but who wants to fool with nasty water every time you need to vacuum? I own a steam cleaner but don't use it that often because of the water and cleanup issue.

My question is, is there anyone else who has traded an Orek for a Dyson? If so I'm interested in long-term impressions not OMG this is great first experiences. Most vacuums I've used seem to be better than the last for the first few months.

Thanks.

I can't believe anyone would by a Dyson after just going to a store and looking at how cheap the plastic is that makes up the unit. $500+? For what? Note that my Hoover Windtunnel actually caught on fire, so I am looking to be loyal to some other brand, (Hoover will fix the defect that causes this if your vacuum hasn't actually had the defect yet, but if it has, well, since they can't fix it, you are out of luck :-)).

Seriously, I have checked these things out at the store, and they seem incredibly cheap, just what are you getting for your money?

My poor old electrolux vac seems to be dying slowly; so I just bought a DC14 after hearing loads of people going on about Dyson Vacs. I wanted to believe and be one of the crowd so i could join in all those conversations in the kitchen (NOT!) but the reliability issues i was hearing about and a few other people telling me that the suction wasn't all that great, and the PRICE made me consider other brands.
In the end i found a web offer & there wasn't too much difference (about £30 or $55) so i decided to get one- my thinking being that the cost will be spread over the next 8 years.
Anyway ... i used it the other day and i was pleased to see that the canester filled up after 3 rooms.... but then i thought about it and ...
1. realised that the space ocupied is about 1/6 of the size of my old vacs bag and the rubbish doesn't get as compacted.
2. because the base is bulky it doesn't get close to the edges of cupboards etc.
3. so you say - use the hose ... well i did but unlike my old vac where you can easily pull it out and suck up the stuff and put it back and carry on vacuuming on the dyson it takes ages - and as the hose forms part of the handle it's not easy to move about.
4. the suction is so good that the hose can't extend fully - i was forever turning around to give it a tug to get up the stairs.
All in all it's good but too much effort - i wanna do the vac (up to the edges) and get out of the house.... so i'd go for a new version of my old vac at half the price.
Cheers!

On the comment of the Dyson being cheaply made I'll have to disagree. I have owned a Dyson for 4 months now and am very happy with it. On my recommendation a friend of mine began checking them out. We went into BestBuy and got the best demo ever. The salesperson must have just received training on it. He knew the thing inside and out. Most everything I had already heard but then the guy took off the canister and stood on it. He was 6'2" and weighed about 220lbs. He didn't just stand on it, he bounced. The canister is clear plastic, the rest of the machine is even tougher grade ABS.

Hi - bought a Dyson DC14 All Floors a few weeks ago and I am delighted with the cleaning power and the durability. Used to have a bagged cylinder (Vax) 2000 watts which would suck the wallpaper off the walls when it was new but which began to fall apart from day 1. It was no cheaper 3 years ago than the Dyson was last month. I had been using the small attachment on my hands and knees (due to spring in telescopic thing breaking) but the gunk came out of the carpets the first time I used the Dyson was incredible! Also, here in the UK, there is a 28-day try-out policy AND a TWO-year PARTS AND LABOUR warranty, which is very reassuring when you spend that much.

Hi - can I ask a question and be totally upfront about why I'm asking it? I've got a meeting later this week with Dyson and I'm trying to figure something out regarding the advertising. (and if this means that I get kicked off the site now then please accept my apologies up front)

Here's the q. - was the James Dyson talking head campaign on TV the first introduction to the different functionality of Dyson or was it reminding you of what somone else had already told you about it? It seems like there's a lot of recommendation going on rather than a lot of marketing in the old fashioned sense. Does it even need to be marketed?

The second part is that if you accept that Dyson found a better and different way to do something what else could you apply Dysonness to? (I've got an immediate need for a non-kinking garden hose but that's just me) - thanks - john

I've been lusting after a DC14 animal. Problems is my other half doesn't want to spend the $$ on it when we have a perfectly good working vacuum. I can't stand the thing tho. I used to have a Hoover Windtunnel about 2.5 years ago and then got a Filter Queen. The Filter Queen gets it done. What I hate about it is that it's a canister, and I much prefer uprights. Has anyone used both that could describe how they compare?

If the Dyson really cleaned better than the FQ and if I could sell the FQ on eBay or craigslist for close to what the Dyson costs (cheapest this minute is $469 at Costco) then I'd do it in a heartbeat.

TIA
Mimi

I want to buy this vacuum becuase it gets the job done and has a patented design that keeps it from losing suction. But what I don't want is a huge vacuum that is heavy and hard to store. I want Dyson to come out with something more compact.

All this debate made me a little anxious to say something. I agree with the opinion that Apple is not just hype in a white box. Apple is much better at a lot of things, and if you know anything about processors you'd know MAC's have one of the best. I am a Mac user myself and own an iBook G4 that I insisted on getting. I like the company, the service was great for apple.com and Mac's are the first.

There was one thing I didn't hear anyone say though. The Dyson is like the Apple computer in that they are both the more unique faces in their markets for whatever reason. I just want to name a few things that are exclusive to MAC and Dyson:

*IPOD Shuffle
*Mac Mini
*No loss of suction
*8 different awards for the Dyson

They stand out for a reason. And one other thing...haha. The idiot who said word of mouth was marketing...please. Now really... please. Maybe patronizing but not marketing. Idiot (The way Napolean Dynamite would say it). You idiot (Now the way Ren would say it from Ren & Stimpy)!

I bought my DC-14 based on everything I have read. I must admit that I was hesitant to spend this much on a vacumn. I even bought one of the Consumer Reports recomended ones but returned it after reading other online reviews.

I LOVE THE DYSON.
A heads up. Go to your local Costco. They have the DC-14 Full Gear for $469.00. They also may have the DC-07 for about $429.00 (not sure who would buy that after doing the comparison research). Costco is much lower than regular retail.

So does the "Animal"'s little turbo attachment thingy really work? Please market it to me if you know. :)

Someone asked whether they should get a built-in system. My parents installed a built in when building their house in 1980. While the technology has improved a lot, here are the disadvantages:

1. The hose is not just an inconvenience. It is difficult to vacuum around a corner from an outlet because the hose scrapes the walls. The base moldings around their house are totally trashed at the corners.
2. Lugging the hose around is a lot harder than moving even a big vac around.
3. It would be quiet if it didn't create this horendous ringing noise throughout the house. Maybe new ones don't do that, but this one always has.
4. Repairing it may cost more than buying a regular vacuum cleaner.
5. You are stuck with a big investment that might not be the best solution in the short term or long. I personally find the outlets to be a bit obrtusive, too.

Alas I had a top-end Hoover Windtunnel about 25 months old it suddently made noise and smelled. Bottomline was that the four screws anchoring/aligning the beater bars' bearings are anchored in turn to plastic. Half of the female thread of one was gone--and the screw too. So a very expensive fix with no assurance it wouldn't recur. No satisfaction from Hoover despite a 24 mo. warranty and an obvious defect (my wife's not a bodybuilder).

Bought a Dyson 15 and a REAL joy; easy to maneuver 10# lighter and 2 amps less electricity consumption (mebbe Hoover needs it for the extra noise and friction from the extra weight).

Anyway, like other posters, I've found that the Dyson picks up a LOT of stuff the Hoover didn't. Will never go back to Hoover. But then I guess its caught the same affliction as its parent, Maytag--quality issues.

Coupons??!! Yes, use a 20% off coupon for Linen's & Things. Got the DC14 (not the Animal, which is just the same vacuum with more attachments) for a final price (incl. tax) of about $380. Niiice.

The "Ball" version is not worth it, the regular models (without the ball) move beautifully and very easily. We (my wife and I) also felt that the extra attachments you can get in the "Animal" version were not worth it. It's the same vacuum. If you decide you want the attachments later, use another 20% off coupon and go get them. It would cost about the same, but can save you $100 today.

Used this thing for the first time last night. Holy crap, THIS THING SUCKS!!!! I had just vacuumed with our old Panasonic a few days earlier, and you wouldn't believe what it left behind. I am SOLD. This thing is amazing.

Dyson Dc07 informational: I have been reading testimonies. I really want to try a Dyson. Today I found Overstock.com item # 424902 $319w/FREE SHIPPING, also offered a 2 yr extended warranty plan (accept in VA) $24.99 parts and labor included...+ + + + an offer to buy it now and pay later thru Chase, 90 days same as cash. I like Overstock, and I like their return policy so if this helps anyone....here ya go.

Okay, I left out one major detail. The Dyson Dc07 at Overstock.com is a "factory reconditioned" item.

I've noticed a couple posts on this, but no one has provided an answer...
We recently bought the animal version, but we're a bit confused as to how the mini turbo attachment works. What, exactly, is it supposed to connect up to? If I put it on the hose directly so that I can vacuum the tight corners of our stairs, the rotor stops rotating on occassion (maybe because the hose gets kinked up?) Put it on the wand, and it's unwieldy and I can't get into the corners on the stairs.

Just bought the DC14 at Costco for $469. I have always been fussy about vacuum cleaners since owning a carpeted restaurant some years ago & really getting a crash course in vacuum design & quality.

Costco (Redwood City, CA) has 5 or 6 bagless machines right now and I spent a long time pulling apart and reassembling every one. The Dyson is shockingly more pricy but after a very close inspection I bit the bullet and bought it. After a marathon vacuuming session I am stoked. Very well designed and durable (I predict) machine.

For the last few years I used a decent Hoover upright and a pretty sweet Simplicity Prowler canister vac. The canister was north of $300, if not $400, 4 or 5 years ago.

The DC14 seems to have resolved all the issues I had to date with my old vacuums. Filtration, ergonomics, efficiency are all great.

I vaguely remembered seeing something about Dyson's somewhere but didn't really know much (except hearing that bagless wasn't all that) about the category or individual models
before today. I normally would go home and research a purchase like this but it seemed solid enough to take home for a test drive, Costco does have a pretty safe returnn policy.

One day & I'm hooked. This is a solid machine.

Cheers,

Ian

Damn this vacuum is awesome. I had a 20% coupon, $125 gift card, and a merchandise credit all for Bed Bath and Beyond, and didn't need anything besides a vacuum, so I figured I'd get the best one there.

I have a rottweiler/belgian shepherd mix. She blows her coat every summer. You cannot lie down on the carpet in my house without her fur ending up stuck to every inch of your bare skin. This is especially annoying when you are sweaty and trying to do a round of sit-ups.
I went around ONCE with the Animal and did the lie-down test and absolutely nothing was stuck to me. I used to spend one hour trying to pick up all the hair in just one large room in my apartment. This thing sucked it all up in 5 minutes.

I admit, my previous vacuum wasn't all that great. As somebody mentioned before of course any vacuum that you buy that is newer than your last one will seem "amazing" to you. That person's point is that a less expensive vacuum may do just as good a job. MY point is, if you need a vacuum, why not get one that has been getting raves from everyone who owns it. Spend a little more and get the Animal. The $$ will even out in the long run, and you'll be happier for it.

backseat bangers

We are getting our basment finished and I am looking for a vac. to keep down there.
I currently have 2 Fantoms ~ Lighting and Thunder.
I have read some bad comments on line about Fantom since it was taken over by another company.
I am intrested in another bag less canister vac. I have seen that Dyson makes a few, but I can't seem to find them here in the states. They are available in the UK.
Does anyone know where I can find the Dyson Dc08 Cylinder bagless Canister cyclonic vac her in the USA!?

If so please e-mail me at Vonnies_Voice@verizon.net
I have checked Amazion and Overstock and haven't had any success.
Thanks!

I'm reading all these reviews and I think if you really want a super strong vacuum go to Home Depot or Lowe's amd get a Shop-Vac for less than $200. Yes I know they are big, ugly, and loud but boy do they suck. These things pick anything on the shop floor including nuts, bolts, wood, metal, and liquids. And they have attachments.

HANG ON TO YOUR SMALL PET.

We bought our DC14 several weeks ago to replace our Hoover v2 Windtunnel (which we had just over two years, the manufacturing warranty expired at two years). The Windtunnel uses two belts to drive the brush, one on either side, and one of the belts must have popped or something, because it smoked up and the brush on one side doesn't spin, while its next-door neighbor brush continues to function.

Combine that with our two-dog house (one of which, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, sheds daily in large quantities) and we needed a quick replacement.

After researching and researching, we decided to go with the DC14. As some of these posts indicated, ours likewise filled up over three times the first time we used it (within a week of the carpet being vacuumed by the Windtunnel), and the carpet has never looked better.

This is the way to go, and well worth the money, in our opinion. Sure, I bet there are other alternatives out there, but everyone's house is different, and for our house (and our dogs shedding habits), this is the way to go.

It handles easier than the windtunnel, was lighter than the windtunnel, and performed better than the windtunnel. All in all, it is worth it.

I'm almost sold, but I'm wondering why the Costco website says the DC-14 full gear has a 2 year warranty, but the Dyson site says it has a 3 year warranty (the only Dyson that has a 3 year). Does anyone know which it is?

I too have gone through too many vacuums and would love one that works, and a 3 year warranty makes it easier to spend the money.

Also, does anyone know of a list Dyson of Dyson authorized service centers? I can't find that information anywhere, and Dyson didn't answer my e-mail.

I am looking for an answer to the same question Cheeni posted on July 12. I recently purchased a DC14 Animal and am wondering how exactly the mini turbine attachment connects?? It will fit on the end of the wand, but not securely. It obviously has a locking device, but I don't see a matching piece to connect. Can anyone help with this?
On another note, I can't deny how great it cleans my carpet, but I'm wondering... Should it be so difficult to manuever? I do have very thick, plush, freize carpet, so I turn the beater brush off. I find it very difficult to push.
Any suggestions and/or advice is quite welcome. Thanks in advance for your time.

Well I got a response back from Dyson; there's no authorized service center here, but after talking to Dyson I feel quite sure they would assist me in getting it fixed should something go wrong after warranty.

And the 3 year warranty applies if you purchase from an independant dealer instead of a "chain store", even though the chain store's version might be cheaper (with only a 2 year warranty, though). With the independent dealer I chose, if I don't like it, I can return it no questions asked within 60 days for a full refund less restocking fee. I plan on liking it, but it sure eases my mind to know that if this vacuum breaks like the other two did, I at least have some recourse and time to make sure it works correctly. I'm tired of throwing out vacuum cleaners, so i'm pretty excited about getting this one.

I've owned my dyson animal for over a year now and it works just as great as it did new. I purchased it at Costco and used my year-end Executive Member rebate check towards the purchase. Costco guarantees their sales for any reason indefinately (even if you just don't like it after a year!), as long as you have your sales receipt, so I felt comfortable spending the $$$. I will never return this vac!! I owned a Kirby for years, then switched to an Oreck for the lightweght feature. The Dyson outperforms both!!

My daughter and I both have very long hair, so I have to clean the rotating brush often. But, I have to do that on every vac. We also have 2 shedding dogs, a cat, and a bird that likes to throw seed. The Dyson takes care of it all! It cleans steps like no other, too!

If you are concerned it may break or you won't like it, it will be worth the $30 to purchase a Costco membership and buy it there. You won't need any other warranty! You also won't need any other vac!

I've just spent the last hour reading this whole blog from start to finish, including the arguments about marketing this and marketing that. What I've read has convinced me to go purchase a Dyson to replace my Eureka Boss. I bought this Eureka about a year ago even though all of my friends and co-workers said they loved their Dyson's. I didn't want to pay that much, so I went with one of the cheaper alternatives that Consumer Reports says "does just as good a job if not better than Dyson and costs less."

This Eureka gave me the same reaction that many of you had the first time you tried your Dyson (I vacummed my whole house twice, filling the clear canister three times with dust and pet hair). I was very happy and my world was at peace. A couple months later, however, my Eureka began to show its true colors. The filter that sits on top of the canister now has to be cleaned every other time I vacuum. This takes about 30 minutes if I do it right. I don't enjoy spending 30 minutes every couple weeks getting dust particles out of this filter. To add insult to injury, my vacuum on/off switch just broke so that the only way I can turn it on and off is by plugging/unplugging the vacuum in the wall outlet (make sure your hands are dry!). This conveniently happened about a month after my 1 YR warranty was up.

I was leaning toward a Dyson to replace my Eureka hunk-of-junk, and this blog has helped me make that decision. It also lets me know that the Dyson is not indestructible, it's not quite as cool as all the marketing says it is, and that I had better get the good warranty with it. As long as I don't have to spend 30 minutes cleaing a dust filter, I think it will be worth the money.

The sad thing about that Dyson needing emptied 2 or 3 times is that it really isn't a true representation of how well it's working. I challenge you to take a bagged vacuum and suck up the contents of that dirt cup. What you will find in the bottom of that bag is a tiny little wad of dirt and hair. The bagless vacs seem to fluff up the dirt. Don't believe me? Try it. I'm glad you all have enjoyed your Dysons. We all want a clean house, but I'm sticking to my bagged Lindhaus. I bet in 15 years I'll still be using mine and still satisfied that my floors are really clean.

I'm afraid what you bought was exactly what they wanted you to and that was their line. I'll bet their marketing department is very well paid.

I'm no fan of uprights or canisters... just got my new house and will be getting a nice powerfull, quite and convenient central vac installed. The hose weighs less than any upright ever could, no noisy canister to tote around and it farts the dust outside where it belongs (no annoying HEPA filters to change, filters to clean, or bags to purchase).

Empty it once or twice a year - if that. Motorized beater bar for carpet, floor brush for hardwood. Hand attachments for dusting furniture and the stairs. Heck, I'm even going to splurge and get one hose for upstairs and one for downstairs - might even go crazy and get one that retracts into the wall.... Get a cloth cover for the hose and it doesn't scratch the hardwood either.

Grew up in a house with a central vac, and have waited 10 years to get my own house to get one in - can't wait to ditch my upright and canister vac's. Oh, and I'm going to get an outlet in the garage so I can vacuum the car out too - I really am looking forward to ditching my current vacs!

The HooverWindTunnel finally died today in the middle of a job. I am a residential house cleaner. I swore I would never in a million years own another bagless vacuum. Great idea at the time considering how much of course I vacuum, not having to buy vacuum buy bags; bad idea for too many reasons. But I keep seeing this commercial with the really cute inventor, and now I am searching results. Need a vacuum that will do everything: pet hair, wood floors, vinyl, carpet, stairs, low furniture, and furniture itself. How heavy is it? Is it quick and easy to change, inter-change parts, and empty canister? And most importantly, does it suck? I would pay anything for a good vacuum. Please help!

caninefurlien PLEASE CAUTION!!!! You say you have pets and use a Swiffer regularly. I don't have the details anymore but I recently saw a news story and confirmed by a vet friend that Swiffers have a chemical that if directly ingested by pets (i.e.by licking area recently Swiffered) can cause severe illness and death!!!

Quite some time ago, someone asked:

"Dyson's big marketing claim is 'The world's
first vacuum that doesn't lose suction'. My
question is: Is this sentence true?"

Well, it's partly true, but nowhere near entirely true.

First off, although the Dysons will not normally lose their suction anywhere near as rapidly as an ordinary bagged, or bagless but filtered, vacuum cleaner, they CAN lose their suction IF the user either:

(1) fails to clean the filters on schedule; or

(2) vacuums a large quantity of the wrong kind of debris (evidently things like drywall powder or baking soda) and does not clean the internal filters ahead of schedule.

In particular, the inner chamber -- the one that is designed to collect the finer particles of dust and debris -- can fill up without the user realizing it, because its wall is opaque rather than transparent.

Moreover, even insofar as the Dyson CAN fairly claim not to lose its suction the way previous, ordinary vacuum cleaners do, IT DEFINITELY IS NOT THE FIRST VACUUM CLEANER THAT CAN MAKE THIS CLAIM.

For starters, the Rainbow by Rexair retains its suction, and has had this capability since 1938. In the case of the Rainbow, it retains its suction because it uses water -- rather than any sort of dry, porous bag or filter -- to wash the suspended particles of dirt, dust and debris out of the air that is drawn inside. Just as with the Dysons, there is no bag or filter to become clogged.

And with the Rainbow, this is ENTIRELY true, whereas with the Dysons it is merely LARGELY true. As already noted, the Dysons DO have one or more internal filters that CAN in fact occasionally become clogged. It simply does not rely on these filters to do the bulk of its cleaning work.

My own not-yet-completed research suggests that the Rainbow is even more thorough and effective than the Dysons at removing debris from the air BEFORE it gets passed on through the machine and out through the last-stage, HEPA filter that each of them has. That is why the Rainbow's final filter needs to be cleaned even less often than the Dysons' -- once every 3-5 years, instead of once every 6 months. However, one should take what I say with several grains of salt, as I have not yet completed my inquiry into the matter (and the rest of you do not know me from Adam!).

Moreover, the Rainbow is not the only vacuum cleaner out there that uses water to filter the junk out of the air. I know of at least one other brand that also uses water (Karcher), but have no idea yet whether it works the same way and has the same doesn't-get-clogged, doesn't-lose-suction property.

So there we are.

We just got the Dyson last night after our Rainbo went kaptuz. The motor was all rusted up and running rough after my wife ran it without putting water in the tank. Also, I hated the rainbow because you always had to stick your hand into stinking wet dog hair to remove the solids into the trash before dumping the water and mud into the stool. The thing always had a bad smell in our closet as well.

The Dyson is picking up lots of stuff the rainbow missed, and the container is so much easier to dump into the trash.

I, too, owned a 6-y-o Hoover Wind Tunnel and was sick of it. Felt like it wasn't cleaning well, hated dragging it with me when I vacuumed the stairs, couldn't stand the smell, wished it didn't take up as much space in storage, wondered if it could possibly be any louder. It started making strange noises, and I started eyeballing consumer feedback and reliability data.

I bought my Dyson 07 Animal last month at Home Depot. All of them were yellow-tagged at $349 - Hellooooo? A mistake? I wasn't asking. I threw that puppy in my cart so fast before I could talk myself out of it. For that money, I could have bought another Wind Tunnel. But why? Exactly.

I LOVE this vacuum. It cleans WAY better than the Wind Tunnel ever did. (I have two dogs - one longhaired - , a cat and two kids. I'm amazed at the stuff the Dyson pulls out of my carpets every time I vacuum.

My carpets actually feel softer when I walk on them barefoot, and they look better too. The Dyson is quieter, so the kids don't freak. I can clean my staircase (save for the top step, which I just do when I move the cleaning party upstairs) with the extender hose. The Animal is much lighter to use, and doesn't take up as much storage space. I dump the canister after each cleaning - just pop open my trash can, open the canister - it's done. No mess at all.

I've read the discussions here about the Dyson colors and their impact on marketing the product. The genius in using color has nothing to do with sales, per se. Frankly, when I walk into my laundry room and see my purple Animal, I actually don't mind the thought of vacuuming. That dark green/grey Wind Tunnel looked too much like the almost-40, drab, bulky housewife I'm trying not to become, so I never felt motivated to clean. So if a product can have THAT kind of effect on me regarding its practical use in my home? Call me a sheep and let me baaaaahhhhhhhh with the rest of the Dyson converts.

I still need to figure out the mini vacuum and the other extra attachments for our hardwoods, but my husband has used them and likes them. I'm also looking forward to trying out the Dyson carpet care products that came with the Dyson.

Did I buy my purple Animal because I drank Dyson's purple Kool-Aid? No way. I've listened to friends rave about theirs for years. Nobody I know gets excited about their Wind Tunnels. And for the price at which I found my Dyson? Can't beat that for a new Dyson product, or for many other new vacuums on the market.

Marketing ha