I have a Dyson, the canister type that you drag around behind you so it can snag on doorways and corners. I have just spent the last two hours hoovering, and I did it all on my hands and knees using the tool that I think is really meant for upholstery. Why? Because when I use the floor tool for carpets, it doesn’t pick up diddly squat. I’ll see a piece of fuzz, run the hoover over it, and hey presto, it’s still there. Thinking it’s embedded in carpet fibers, I’ll stoop to pick it up only to find that it’s merely lying on the surface and I can retrieve it with no effort with my fingers.
So why does everybody sing the praises of the Dyson? I don’t think it works any better than the $30 one I bought from Target years ago, or any of the other cheapo ones I’ve had since. We’ve had this Dyson for a little over a year, so I don’t think it’s a question of age. And besides, Dyson claim that their machines never lose suction.
So am I doing something wrong? I feel it’s almost sacrilegious to say that (gasp) I’m not pleased with my Dyson, but I don’t fancy another 2-hour crawl around my house next time I do the hoovering!
We do have a dog, and most of what I’m hoovering up is his fur, but shouldn’t the Dyson do dog hair too?
I love ours. Two dogs and two cats. It does great on the fur. But it’s an upright type. I really don’t think canister type vaccums are designed to do carpeted floors.
I think the best thing about it is how easy it is to empty. I used to let a vaccum bag go through many cleanings. With the Dyson, I empty it a couple of times during one cleaning.
I also like the suction wand that’s built right into the machine. Very easy to use. It’s nice not to have to drag out the shop vac to pick up a bit of dust in the corner (not that I would, now however, it’s so easy, I do)
Consumer Reports did a report on vacuum cleaners a few months ago, and the Dyson did not do particularly well when compared to other vacuum cleaners on the market. This is particularly noteworthy considering its much higher price than most of its competitors.
Anecdotally, my stepdaughter married a British guy, and he insisted they get a Dyson. She has been very unimpressed with it.
From my own point of view, when I watch the Dyson commercials, I’ve always been a bit confused by them. Mr. Dyson (in the commercials) bemoans the fact that all other vacuums “lose suction” as the bag fills. I, on the other hand, have never noticed this to be a problem. In the engineering world, this is referred to as a “solution in search of a problem.”
All I know is that the wife has tried multiple brands over the years, including some of the top-rated ones in Consumer Reports, and also more than one Kirby. She’s pretty knowledgeable about 'em, and she thinks that the Dyson is the best ever. We’ve got tons of sand and pet hairs to cope with, and she’s pleased as hell with the results vs. our old cleaning equipment.
I know this rises to the level of a testimonial, but when she’s happy, I’m happy.
My wife says that the most important factor for her really is the weight (she used to clean professionally). She refuses to have anything other than an Orek at home. It’s somewhat pricy ($300 or so), but it is very lightweight and it is professional quality.
We once handled some Dysons at Macy’s and she was aghast at the mass of the thing – it weighs at least twice as much as the Orek. She said that she couldn’t imagine herself hauling one all around the house.
Robby, you may be onto something here. I married a British guy (a Scot to be exact) and he’s the one that insisted on the Dyson. The problem here may be that his standards of cleanliness aren’t quite the same as mine. This has been proven, and this is why I do most of the cleaning now (so who’s the clever one?). Sigh…
I’ve got two dogs who shed a simply astonishing quantity of hair, and a few months ago when my old (piece of crap) vacuum died right in the middle of cleaning my house as I was moving out, and not having the funds for a Dyson, I got a Bissell.
And I absolutely LOVE it. From what I can tell, there’s nothing a Dyson will do that my Bissell won’t. It picks up dirt and dog hair beautifully. It’s balanced so well that it moves almost effortlessly. It’s got easily cleanable filters to make sure it’s always in peak working order. The main part of it is a snap-out canister, so I can take it out and hang it off my shoulder to do stairs and such.
And it cost under $200.
At this point I feel absolutely no need to get a Dyson.
The Dyson has no filters. I reckon it probably sucks no better than any other good vaccum cleaner, but the thing about it is that it continues sucking full blast even when the refuse chamber is almost full. And when it’s full, push a button, pull a trigger, and dump it. I don’t know what Consumer Reports said, or what kind of review it did, but if it dissed Dyson, then all that does is lower my opinion of the publication.
Well, actually it does have a HEPA filter, but that only needs cleaning every six months, and all you do is wash the sponge.
We’ve had ours just under two years. I agree it is heavy and hard to move about, so I get stuck doing the vacuuming as my wife can’t handle the thing. It does indeed do a very good job, is easy to empty, and has such weird colors you’ll never misplace it.
What I don’t like is all the plastic parts that snap together. Seems too easy to break something. Also, I still can’t figure out how to change the drive belt, probably have to pay to have that done, which is silly as they always wear out eventually.
On the impressive side, with only a short time left on the 2-year warrantyh, it suddenly started making a huge ratchetting sounc when turned on with the carpet setting, and the brush roll bar would not turn.
Called their number and was told to try a couple of things, none of which helped. They gave me the name of the closest repair place and faxed the work order. Took it there, next day it was fixed (needed new clutch) at no charge.
Good as it is, if and when it needs replacing, will look at other of the bagless types to see if any are lighter but work as well.
Well, actually it does have a HEPA filter, but that only needs cleaning every six months, and all you do is wash the sponge.
We’ve had ours just under two years. I agree it is heavy and hard to move about, so I get stuck doing the vacuuming as my wife can’t handle the thing. It does indeed do a very good job, is easy to empty, and has such weird colors you’ll never misplace it.
What I don’t like is all the plastic parts that snap together. Seems too easy to break something. Also, I still can’t figure out how to change the drive belt, probably have to pay to have that done, which is silly as they always wear out eventually.
On the impressive side, with only a short time left on the 2-year warranty, it suddenly started making a huge ratchetting sound when turned on with the carpet setting, and the brush roll bar would not turn.
Called their number and was told to try a couple of things, none of which helped. They gave me the name of the closest repair place and faxed the work order. Took it there, next day it was fixed (needed new clutch) at no charge.
Good as it is, if and when it needs replacing, will look at other of the bagless types to see if any are lighter but work as well.
Inkleberry and I got our Dyson last Christmas. We’d been living in our place at the time for about 6 months, and we vacuumed regularly. First thing we noticed was the Dyson filled up with pet hair of some kind. We owned no pets at the time. I was sold after that. This thing rocks, and I love having all the accessories that it comes with. Makes cleaning blinds, corners and stairs to easy. I’d recommend it to anyone.
Ours picks up so much more than our old one did that for the first month we kept asking if the old one did any good at all. And, as noted, it continues to pull even when the chamber starts fillinmg up, is easy to clean, and doesn’t require bags. I was stunned to see how low CR rated the Dyson, even going so far as to call it “noisy”. Our Dyson is so quiet it doesn’t even scare the cats! And it certainly picks up better than any other vacuum cleaner I’ve owned.
My son slept through it as 3 weeks. This thing is so quiet I can watch TV while vacuuming. I wouldn’t have bought it myself because of the price, but I don’t know how I could ever own something else.
We have the Animal, the purple one that is designed for pet hair. Much of the copmplaints here can be traced to a probable lack of maintainence of the vacuum.
