Over the years, I’ve heard great things about them, and I saw that a rechargeable stick model is on sale at Ollie’s (Good! Stuff! Cheap!) for $299. They’re refurbished, and the reason I’m hesitant is that I see that they have lithium-ion batteries.
I do want to stop using my big old lug of a machine, which does work but it’s awfully heavy. What do other Dopers think?
I’ve had good luck with Dysons, but my pair were corded. These are very strong vacuums.
I don’t really like or trust Ollie’s, I would be leary of a refurb from them.
I like ours for quick once over of our laminate floors, or the stairwell, or a bedroom, etc. but the charge just doesn’t last long enough if you wanted to do some extensive thorough house cleaning. You kind of have to have a corded backup.
Yep. And mine does a pretty lame job on rugs. The brush roller spins from the suction of the vacuum, not by a belt, so anything like a slightly high pile will stop it spinning. It’s easily the worst vacuum I’ve ever owned, but it’s also the most convenient. But I have only a few area rugs so I don’t need anything stronger. And it’s so convenient that I vacuum more often, and my kid even vacuums all the time now.
My co-worker has a newer model, and she says they’ve improved.
We have two Dyson battery stick vacuums. Mostly used for picking up dog hair (Aussie Shepard) and minor stuff on the floor. Not used for full on rug cleaning, though that does happen on occasion. We’re happy with the performance, though if replacing I’ll take a look at Shark.
I’ve been to the Ollie’s across town a few times, and don’t like it. The store is dimly lit, poorly organized, and not the cleanest. This is a new store near my place, in an old JoAnn’s Fabrics and presumably at least has linoleum flooring.
My apartment is all carpeted, except for the kitchen and bathroom.
We have a decent sized house, but it is all wood floors or tile, with a couple of area rugs. We LOVE our Dyson cordless vacuum. It can do everything we need on one charge and it does it far faster than our old corded Dyson vacuum which we also loved. Gave it away after we got the cordless.
I do maintenance on it about twice a year: Pull the filter and wash and dry, clean the hardwood floor cleaning head, etc.
I had a friend who worked for a company and he explained what a refurb is. It is NOT a used device that was sold and returned to the maker. Those cannot be sold as new/refurb. A refurb is when a defect has been found enough times that the entire batch of unsold appliances is pulled from inventory (and recalled from warehouses), opened, the old part removed and replaced/repaired and resealed.
He said that often it was only a matter of checking to make sure a part was tightened correctly or indeed, installed to begin with. The refurbs are inspected and marked then sold with the original warranty in most cases,
I think all my Bosch electrical tools are refurbs from the local Bosch distributor and I have decades of use from them.
If you want a recommendation for another vacuum, I really like our Miele. Although they make some very expensive models, I got their least-expensive unit and have been very happy with it for more than seven years. Well-designed, small and light, rugged, and good performer. It was $240 when we bought it in 2019, and the manufacturer has it on sale for $320 now.
Dyson has its own site for refurbished products in different countries. You can look that up. And as you are aware, there are also other sellers. I’ve bought 2 refurbished Dyson vacuums, both from the Dyson site. I’ve had them awhile, so older models. A V6 and a V8 I believe. Both arrived as brand new as far as I could tell. Both still perform well, although I’ve had to replace the batteries. Just like any other battery, they eventually die.
Replacement batteries & other parts (power heads etc.) can be had for 1/2 or less than what Dyson charges for parts. You have to weigh cost against possible performance.
There are sites where you can look up the differences between the various models. For example; some may come with powered heads, some may be vacuum driven and not as strong. Their latest model may not be best suited to your needs. Older models can be less $. I see no need to ‘upgrade’ from my older models (as much as I’m sure the folks at Dyson would love to have me on the treadmill).
I used to have a corded model. It was more powerful and had a much larger waste bin, but after getting the smaller, lighter ‘stick’ models I stopped using it and eventually sold it.
If you have animals, hair will fill the waste bin quickly because it’s comparatively small. It’s still easier to empty more often than lugging a corded model up & down stairs.
With my 2 vacuums I keep one on the charger upstairs and the other downstairs. However I can do the whole house easily on a single charge from either of them—mind you, it’s not exactly Buckingham Palace. Also handy to take outside to use for a car.
I’ve had a Dyson stick for the past seven years or so. I know I’ve replaced the battery on it once; easy to do but not particularly cheap (I don’t remember the price but I do recall debating whether it was worth it vs. just buying a new vacuum).
That said, I do like it. It is very convenient to use, and it really sucks (in a good way).
I should mention, though, that I only use it as a supplement to my two robot vacs. I would not use it as my primary vacuum.
mmm
Not immediately relevant to the Dyson question, but a point worth noting about stick vacuums is not just the battery capacity, but the storage capacity for the crap they pick up. I have a Shark cordless stick vacuum which I would like except for that limitation. The brush roller is independently powered by a separate motor and it cleans well. The problem is that the canister that holds the detritus fills up so quickly that it’s only useful for spot cleaning – I still have to use my regular vacuum for any serious cleaning. Also, some vacuums are better than others at avoiding the roller brush getting clogged with hair and pet fur, so that’s another thing to look out for.
I bought my Dyson from Woot!. I generally try to buy household goods from them in the January/February timeframe, because they get a lot of Christmas returns. It’s a great way to get unused good for less than half price.
The Dyson Ball Animal was the one I bought, after I hurt my back. The regular vacuum hurt so much wrestling it sideways from one row to the next. The ball is lighter and super easy to maneuver.
We have a stick from a different brand. I like that one too for quick kitchen spills, and for chasing down bugs. But I wouldn’t waste time doing a whole carpet with it. Much better to use the ball for that.
My wife and I were members of the Dyson fan club for many years. We had the corded model, the pet models, the battery powered stick models. You name it.
We eventually realize that the maintenance on them was fussy. Even the pet models were difficult to get all the hair out of the brushes and various places in the mechanisms. It eventually seemed like the build quality wasn’t worth it once was either.
We eventually just bought a much less expensive but higher rated Shark from Costco. And you know what? It really was a lot better. It picks up more, is easier to clean, it cost a ton less.
When our dies I’ll probably get a Miele canister just so I can see what all the fuss is about also because I like that format.
My Dyson is very top-heavy and topples over easily. I’ve had to replace the dustbin lid several times because the latch snaps off when it falls over. They’re inexpensive on Amazon.
I did stop by Ollie’s this afternoon, and they didn’t have any Dysons but they did have a few other things I could use. I probably won’t buy a new vacuum at this time.
Thanks, everyone, for your input.
I’ve owned 2 Dyson V10s and I will never buy another one. They work great, especially if you have dogs. But they are a pain to repair. The first one got replaced when it got impossibly clogged by a wood chip - I took everything apart and still couldn’t unlodge the wood chip. The second one failed recently when the plastic trigger piece broke and during the course of trying to remove it (my intent was to superglue it, because of course that part is not available anywhere) one of the screws on the circuit board became rounded off, rendering the entire thing useless.
I am replacing it with a Dirt Devil cordless that retails for $165. If that breaks after a year of use it won’t kill me to replace it, and I’ll bet it is a lot less complicated to repair.
I have a 10-year-old Dyson V8 cordless stick and I love it. I did replace the battery once, a few years ago, but everything else has always been 100% great.
For any stick vacuum, you should at least have two batteries on hand, so factor the additional purchase if it doesn’t come with one.
Dyson as a brand seems to rely a lot on old reputation and are often more expensive than comparable brands. Stick vacuums themselves aren’t as good as big heavy vacuums, but on the other hand they’re damn convenient, and in my experience makes vacuuming less of a chore so you’ll do it more often.