Hey, thanks for this review Jeremy! I had seen some of the buzz on this unit, went to their web site, and it really looked good.

We bought a $300 upright three years ago, so I wasn't ready to toss it and invest in a Dyson right away. Figured that when my Panasinic "Performance Plus" started to fade I'd look at the Dyson again. This will be sooner than I thought as the Panasonic is already doing a mediocre job, and the smell of burning rubber belts is getting old. It's a poorly engineered vaccuum.

Your review has convinced me that I was on the right track.

Thanks!

killer review Jeremy, thanks and welcome!

My wife is the vacuum cleaner expert in our household, and says she expects a machine to last one year for every $100 she spends on it, so Bennett's vacuum seems to be nearing the end of its expected life, if my wife is correct. Our Hoover is nearing the $100/year limit - maybe I'll surprise her with a new Dyson. If I do, it's a result of this review! Thanks for taking the time to give us your opinion.

Wonderful review, and it's so nice to hear about a product that actually meets or exceeds it expectations. Next time I'm in the market, I'll be looking for a Dyson.

I vacuum our house with a giant Rigid shop-vac and it does a better job than any of the household units we've owned for about 1/4 the price.

Dave

gees dave, i hope ya wear earplugs!

Actually, I leave the body of the shop vac out on the deck and run a really long hose inside. Reminds me of the old days when my grandparents had a central vacuum system in their house.

Dave

good move. when i use my shop vac (usually out in the shop/garage) i have to hunt for the ear protectors first. them things is loud!

Being loud means its doing its job.

Dave

same as no pain no gain, so lame. Can you make my amplifier go to 11?

good review. i've seen it at Target, and some of the details are pretty nice, definetly different. i've heard it doesn't "suck" the most though.

My parents bought a Dyson one year ago and they love it. I was impressed when I saw my Dad running it. Yes, my Dad... He actually enjoyed doing the vaccuuming. I saw the results firsthand of the dirt and loose carpet fibers it picked up (they had brand new carpet at the time).

If you could tolerate the noise you might even go with a Wet/Dry vac so you can clean up the errant spill as well. For me there's just something wrong with that level of noise.

..and yes, I have used a shop vac many many moons ago and it doesn't get through to the dirt as well as the top of the line models like the Dyson or the Rainbow.

Good luck to everyone that this article has influenced. may you all have great vacuuming experiences. (Man, that just sounds strange. Vacuuming and great experience in the same sentence...)

Yes, Jeremy, the shop vac I use is a wet/dry vac. Pretty much sucks up everything put infront of it.

Dave

Dyson vacuum cleaners have come bottom for reliability in a new Which? consumer survey but Dyson owners are still likely to recommend the products to a friend... Read more and add your comments at
www.handyspares.com/dysonblog.html

It's wonderful there are still thinking inventors making life better! I bought the top of the line Dyson and love it the more I use it; he has thought of everything. No more crappy Walmart vacuum purchases again! This one is destined to last a long time!

Jeremy! I am with you on the Dyson. We owned a Rainbow vaccuum for years at twice the price of a Dyson. The thing that I loved about the Rainbow was the fact that everything got trapped in water. Once we tried the Dyson, however, we found a machine that was quieter, more efficient and much easier to empty. Our Dyson is well worth the money and will save us money in the long run.

While I am sure the Dyson is a decent enough vacuum cleaner (although Consumer Reports rated it pretty low, especially when you consider the price), I am dumbfounded by the ads for these machines. Mr. Dyson appears and describes the lengths he went to in inventing the "first vacuum that doesn't lose suction." Interesting. My first reaction to the ads was to question whether "losing suction" was really a big problem. I mean, ads can be terrifically successful if they can convince consumers that there is a problem that the product has a solution for, even if the problem is more an invention of the product manufacturer or ad agency. I thought about my own situation. I own a Dirt Devil $129 upright bagless vacuum, which I have had for three years. It works great and it doesn't "lose suction," or at least it keeps working until I am finished with my vacuuming, at which time I clean out the dirt and wash the filter.

Over the past year or so I have informally surveyed many friends and acquaintances, including sometimes spontaneously asking people on the elevator or wherever else I run into them. It seems most people don't really have much problem with their vacuums "losing suction." Several persons I have asked who said that their vacuums "lose suction" said that either: (a) they have or had an old-fashioned bagged vacuum cleaner; (b) they do not clean the filter/empty the vacuum after every use; or (c) admit that they didn't really quantify the problem that way until after they had seen ads for the Dyson. I know all this is rather unscientific, but still it's an open question whether the problem as stated by Dyson is a real problem, or more one that he invented so that he could solve.

Again, I am sure the Dyson vacuum is a decent enough product, but is the problem of losing suction more his invention than a genuine problem experienced by vacuum users?

Patrick Rogers

I just got Dyson and the only way you will really know how well it works is to use it after you vacume with your old vacume, you will see the Dyson pick up stuff that will amaze you, We have 1 year old carpet and My wife vacumes all the time (we have 2 cats) and our carpet looked clean, We were amazed by what we saw it picking up, and I have been a mechanic for years and the way its built and the ease of operation of every aspect is great! So much though was put into how it works and ease of use. If you are not mechanicly inclined you may not understand the cyclone part of it, but if you do you will see NOTHING on the market compairs.

Well - I have to differ in my opinion. I suspected from the title that the author had the same low opinion about this piece of &*%$ that I read further.

We just purchased one of the "Purple Pet" versions of the Dyson, with the attendant $120 additional cost and am amazed no one has sued this company.

First, the thing weighs more than my boat anchor, and seems to have about as much suction. (Yes, I did empty the cannister, even though it is supposedly not a factor.)

Second, my 15 year old Riccar seems to pick up scraps of paper and the like (I have a 3 year old) better than the purple monster.

Third, the vacuum is so thick it cannot get under the front lip of a couch without changing over to one of the attachments, and it only gets within about an inch of a wall!

For a product that costs more than 1/2 a Grand, I am sadly underimpressed.

I was planning on buying a Dyson DC14 complete but now I'm confused. I've read that Dysons are very low on reliability, i.e., break down, need repairs, etc. Any more recent opinions?

Can't comment on the newer products - Dyson, various bagless machines, but I can comment on Riccar.

I've had my Riccar 2150 for ten years. It works as well today -- and that is VERY well -- as it ever has, has never had to go in for repair. In ten years I've had to replace the belt a grand total of twice. The metal brushroll still has its original (replaceable) brushes and they still look almost like new.

The Riccar replaced a Eureka that constantly required expensive trips to the shop when inadvertently picking up something like a penny that one of my kids left lurking in the carpet. The bypass motor in the Riccar is immune to that damage.

For my money, I'd shop for a used Riccar before spending a dime on a new department-store vac. Just my experience, but these things do the job.

I've had a Dyson for about 8 years now (they have been around for longer in the UK). It has never broken down, never failed to clean a carpet thoroughly, and never been a chore to use. It is easy to clean and maintain, easy to clear blockages and easy to manipulate.

It is heavy - my parents have one and my mother insists that my father does all the vacuuming as a result. But thanks to the well-designed concertina hose you never have to balance it halfway up the stairs like most other brands.

It isn't all that quiet, but it is much quieter than older designs/makes. And noise is more than just a nuisance - it's wasted energy.

From the maintenance point of view, if you take it apart - every removable bit for a non-technician uses fingertip clips (and one coin-turned catch) and foolproof locators.

Possibly of most importance, the revolutionary design elements have shaken other manufacturers out of their complacency. If you've bought a modern design of another make, you can expect a significantly better machine than five or ten years ago. Dyson made that happen.

I am the owner of a vacuum store and I am currently an authorized Dyson service and warranty center, but I will not sell them in my store. These vacuums are a joke. We have the ability to see how vacuums perform after the first few months of use by having an authorized service center that works on all makes and models of vacuums. The Dyson at this point has an average life of three years. The belt will break or the bearings in the brushroll will seize (due to hair being caught in the roller) after about two years of use. The repair bill on either part is over $100. Another thing that is mentioned in earlier posts is the amount of dirt that these vacuums catch in the dust cup. A bagless vacuum is a gimmick. It fluffs the dust, similar to a cotton candy machine, to make a small amount of dust, dirt, and carpet fuzz look like a larger amount. A bagged vacuum with the new style hepa bags will hold about 30 times more dirt than a bagless vacuum's dust cup. This is because it compresses the dirt, rather than filling it with air. People who purchase bagless vacuums, most notably the Dyson, are impressed with the amount of dirt they are seeming to get out of their carpet the first time they use it, when in actuality it can be less than their old vacuum got up, but it looks more impressive. A company representative from Hoover once told me that their company knows that bagless vacuums blow out dust and don't deep clean, but it is "what the consumer wants". It looks nice on the shelf." Bagless vacuums also blow out dust. Once a Dyson is used for a few months, the seals that hold the dust in start to break, and dust leaks from the cracks and crevices in the vacuum. Bagless vacuums are very bad for people with allergies, asthma, and respiratory problems because it puts fine dust particles into the indoor environment which can cause pulmonary irritation.
Another claim that Dyson makes, their vacuums do not lose suction. Well that is great, but suction is not what moves dirt. It is AIR FLOW. Dyson's claim about suction is true, but it doesn't matter how much sealed suction a vacuum has, it is the amount of air flow that determines how well a vacuum can deep clean. Dysons DO lose air flow. A new Dyson will pull a 5 on an air flow meter, but a used Dyson (less than 3 months old), will only pull a 2 1/2 on an air flow meter.
What is the point of vacuuming if you are not deep cleaning, holding in the small particles of dust (down to 0.3 microns), last a long period of time, and be convenient to use??
Dyson will never be sold in ANY reputable independent vacuum dealer, and we are the experts in the business.

Update - If you want a good deep cleaning machine, look for Riccar, Miele, and Sebo.

Eric,

I wish that I would have read your post 2 years ago before I purchased the heap of junk. It cost me upwards of $600 and lasted just on 24 months before the suction almost dropped to zero, the noise eminating from the motor was deafening (I had to wear ear protection), it started to smell of burning and finally gave up on me. I would advise anyone considering one of these engineering nightmares to drop the idea immediately and look elsewhere.

Have just purchased the Purple Pet DC 14. The high pitch noise over and above the motor noise is horrendous! I have to shove ear plugs in when using it. Dyson are unhelpful - have sent an engineer to sort it out - and after a new motor having been fitted the noise is still persisting. Dyson do not own up to it being a fault and are wriggling out of any obligation to the consumer (me) to take it back to their factory in the UK and to put it through a sound test. They say that some people have different tolerances to the noise and are blaming my ears!. Do not waste your money on a Dyson! My next step is to contact the Trading and Standards to see if I can get an independent sound check done on it.

If you want a good vacuum that will hold up to it's name, get a RAINBOW. My mother got one when I was in high school, some 20 years ago. Hers finally wore out this year. Her house is never dusty, the Rainbow doesn't blow dust back out into the air. I had one for a few years, until Hurricane Ivan destroyed my house. I recently purchased a new one and can't wait to get rid of all that dirt my "other" vacuum didn't collect. No more dirty house for me.

I've had my Dyson for over 2 years & it is still kicking ass. I have 5 cats & 2 dogs. I literally vacuum every day, including a large sectional couch & ottoman. I have never had a vacuum that did as good of a job as my Dyson does. I've yet to have to invest any money in repairs & it works as good as the day I bought it.

The ball design makes it a cinch to move around. It takes so little effort to vacumn.

The telescoping handle is awesome! I can reach my ceilings, ceiling fans, etc. Very nice to use for high places as well as when vacuuming the couch.

So the "experts" have their opinions & I have mine based upon my own experience. I'd recommend a Dyson to anyone. My brother, sister & mother all have Dysons as well & are extremely pleased.

Buy a Dyson, so you too can be one that can say, I have a Dyson. It doesn't matter that it is actually inferior to vacs far less in cost. If it was so dependable it would not require five year warranty, from its previous two year warranty.
The sheep mentality, you all deserve each other!

I'm so happy to hear that other people have had problems with their Dyson. It does loose suction, needs repair often -- and if you live in NY you can't buy parts from dyson direct! They can't even figure out how to collect sales tax in NY, what makes you think they can figure out how to fix a vacuum. I too, was enamored by the product to begin with. Now, after 3+ years, i'm so sorry i didn't invest that money in a really good product, because the handwriting is on the wall -- i will now have to spend at least what i spent three years ago to replace this junk. I initially loved the design, and the ability to use the vacuum on the stairs without hoisting the entire chassis up. Problem is, the hose pulls the chassis and tips the machine over when you are vacuuming using only the hose and attachments. The canister is so flimsy, the plastic breaks off when it hits the floor! The trap door on the canister bottom breaks (2x), the hoses have gotten holes in them (2x) -- oh, and did i mention, you can't get parts in NY????? The service center never seems to cary the parts i need either. If you are thinking of a Dyson, talk to someone who has had theirs more than a month. Oh, I forgot to mention the screaming motor noise that started several weeks ago. Not just the sound of the motor, but a high pitched screech that we can't figure out where it's coming from. Think twice.

All of the women in my family own a Dyson! We each had different vacuums prior to this and my sister was the first owner. Now she has one for upstairs and one for downstairs. It was the best investemt any of us ever made! I don't care what consumer reports says. I have two cats, two dogs, two little boys. It's awesome! Like Jeremy, the first time I used it I couldn't believe what it got up. Thought that the second, third, etc time, it would collect less dirt, but it still finds so much to pick up. It is the best! By the way, have you ever priced a Kirby????

My parents actually owned a demoniacally heavy beast people call a Kirby. I remember it being twice as loud, dirty as hell and three times as expensive.

By the way, my Dyson still sucks as much today as it did when we first bought it. Just remember to wash the filter once every six months.

After a long time with it the only major drawback I've had has been the retractable vacuume handle. The location of the handle portion makes it difficult to get into tight places. The plastic material in the handle is also soft and scratches easily...like when you're jamming it into ceiling corners to get cobwebs.

So, in four months it will have been three years since I purchased my Dyson and, other than easy cleanings, it has worked flawlessly.

==============================================

One item I've recently discovered is the simple way you take the hair and junk off the roller. Just twist three or four switches on the bottom and the plate comes off, revealing the brush bar attached to a rubber belt. It took maybe two minutes with a small knife (I might have used scissors) to get all the hair off the bar. Putting it back on was just as easy as taking it off.

If I have any problems with it I'll post again. However, it's not looking like there's going to be any.

After reading some of the comments I can state that the roller issue Eric is talking about is comical at best. I just made mention of it. You...clean...the...roller.

If the repair bill on the drive belt is $100 you're being robbed. After a quick google search for stores...
Hrm, 30-40 bucks for a brush bar.

The belts are about five bucks, unless you have a DC-17, then you're paying all of..oh wait..$5 again.

Something else I'm confused about are these bearings he's talking about in the brushroll (aka brush bar or beater bar). The last time I checked it was a single solid piece of plastic with no bearings.

"The Fluff" I've had in my Dyson is much denser than I've had in other bagless vacs that I've owned. It's also one heck of alot easier to clean than the bagged vaccuumes I've owned. (It also saves money on buying the bags.)

At first glance it looks to me like our friend the vacuume salesman is honest and forthwright about things and Dysons are worthless pieces of crap. Upon looking at the claims he makes I would wager a guess that they're bogus claims in an attempt to steer people away from a legitimately good product, because dyson won't put their product in mom & pop operations. It helps his business to hurt his competitors.

I could be mistaken though. I'm not a professional in the field. I compared this bagless to a bagless I had before and the difference between those two was phenomenal. I've never really had particle sensitivities or run a particle test in a closed lab so I can't speak to that either. Mine simply does a good enough job that other people I know have bought their own and enjoy it just as much as I do.

========================================

One other item of mention. After 2 2/4 years the handle has started to stick a bit when pulling it out. The entire replacement assembly costs about 30 bucks. Not bad for an entire handle assembly.

Well I've read all the comments, and I'm glad some have enjoyed and loved their Dyson. I haven't been so lucky. I have 2 Dyson's. A dc07 animal, and recently purchased a dc14 animal. My mom has a dc07 and talked me into one. I have 5 dogs and 3 cats in my house. I clean every day. I've had hoovers, eurekas, and a rainbow. The rainbow was great for a while, but started to stink. So I listened to Mom and bought a Dyson. My dc07 started shutting itself off after about 30 minutes of use. This started about 12 months after I bought it.I Took it to the nearest repair place(50 miles away)and when I got it back 10 days later, it still had the same problem. I called Dyson again and they told me to take it back to the same repair center who said they couldn't find a problem. Then my husband accidently sucked up a little water in it, and it started smelling bad. I did like the amount of dirt it picked up when it worked, so I thought I would try another one and just keep it away from my husband. Within 2 months of use, this new one has started to smell. (nothing wet has been sucked up in this one that I know of) I clean my canister after every use, and I even take compressed air and blow out the cyclone after every use now to try and get rid of the smell. After every use, I wash my filter and let it dry for days before reusing it. I bought another one to swap out with the original so I wouldn't have down time. I have asked Dyson to send me a repair manual so that I might be able to repair them myself. I'm waiting for a response. My advice to those needing a vacuum cleaner, is the Dyson is good for a while, but if you have a lot of animals, you might want to save your money, and just plan on buying a lesser expensive one every year or so. I've spent about a thousand dollars on my two, in the last year and a half, and I don't feel they've been worth it. However, my mom (who has one dog that doesn't shed bad) still loves hers!

To Eric, on your comment above-
"I am the owner of a vacuum store and I am currently an authorized Dyson service and warranty center"

You certainly are NOT an authorized Dyson service center. All repairs/warranty are done at head office in Toronto and the 5yr warranty is void if you attempt to randomly fix it at your shop. If you sold Dyson, you would know this.

Also, Dyson would not commit to having their product in your independent store. Why don't you mention your store's name? It's probably an authorized Meile dealer, or some other major competitor.

Yes, my Dyson is a really piece of crap. It bought bran new Jan 2006 from Sears. And, the cluch part that moves the brush went. I called to get repair cost $70. to $90. And, the ads on TV how wonderful it is. This will be the last Dyson I buy. And, I paid just over $400.00.

Bought a DC17 Animal. NOT worth the money.