Opps. Somehow I posted before I was done.
I’ve pulled and cleaned the HEPA filter twice in about a year. No big deal, easy and it didn’t really even need it. Just thought I should check it.
I will say that the Dyson is heavier than any other vacuum I’ve had, except perhaps the 1950’s Kirby. The '55 Chevy of vacuums.
Indeed, when I moved to England a few years ago, my landlady was so proud of her new Dyson, it was one of the first things she mentioned to me when I went to see the place. It worked well, but was such a pain to lift up the tiny steps in our flat, and gosh darn those things are expensive.
We have the Animal too, and my real beef with it is that the “mini turbine head”, which is the thing I think that makes the Animal an Animal, doesn’t do shit. It’s a suction-powered brush spinner for cleaning upholstery, but the suction power is so weak that if you actually touch the upholstery, the brush stops spinning. Huh? Overall, the machine works better than the old Hoover we had, but I remain agnostic as to whether it’s worth the big bucks.
We noticed the same thing. Turns out that the mini turbine head needs to make a seal in order for the brush to spin. (Try pressing it against your hand or arm and it’ll spin so hard it takes your skin off.) Our couch fabric is too porous to form a seal, though, so the turbine head is useless on our couch, which is the main reason we bought the Animal model. Otherwise, though, we absolutely adore it.
We got one last year - can’t imagine life without now. The carpet in our apartment is over 20 years old. The stuff we sucked up out of there - WOW. The place looks great now, but that carpet was dingy as hell before the Dyson. All the other vaccuums we used were terrible, and didn’t clean much of anything.
Corners, sofas, under the bed - easy peasy. And it was a godsend when the cats had fleas.
Easiest machine I’ve ever used. I’ve never read the instructions. My husband has, however. The only mistake I ever made was the first time I’d turned it on, I had left it upright. My husband said, “tilt it,” and I’ve never had a problem since.
Best investment I’ve ever made.
I have one of the yellow, non-animal ones, and I love the smell it leaves behind after vacuuming. I used to have a Hoover and it always made the room smell like burnt hair. The Dyson actually outputs a nice, fresh smell.
I also like the bagless design, though it seems that many manufacturers have gone that way now.
It’s possible I may have more cat hair.
We have 4 Turkish Vans, which are from a region in Turkey where it is both very hot and very cold. They are short-haired in the summer and longhaired in the winter, with the downy texture of cashmere and very, very white. Twice a year they molt, and my Dyson is the only thing between me and choking, I swear. These cats have killed a vaccum cleaner a year. (I will say vacuuming our large cat tree with the Animal attatchment the first time was horrifying. WHERE do they get all this fur? I could knit an afghan with the canister contents)
Many thanks for all your replies. I’ve come to the conclusion that the problem lies less with my Dyson and more with myself. So I’ll have a look at the filter, see about getting a replacement turbo thingie and tackle the carpets anew.
Cheers
Really? Both my cats flee for the hills when I drag the Beast of DOOM out. And the lights flicker. 
I have 5 cats.
But when I went through my third or forth generic vacuum in a year, I borrowed my mom’s Animal Dyson and tried to steal it. Since she obviously wasn’t going to part with it, I bought a base model Dyson (since I don’t really need all the parts) and I have to say, it’s the best investment I ever made.
I don’t find it heavy at all, and I’m far from burly! Or loud–my cats were feral and skittish as hell and they barely blink at it. Odd how different strokes for different folks works. I also love how, with the hose, the vacuum base STAYS PUT. I can’t count the number of times the recoil on a normal vac has smashed my toes. I can put the Dyson at the top of the stairs (yes, I have to vacuum the outside stairs, the guys downstairs have a dog, and my cat fur migrates) and vacuum all the way down and it stays put.
I realized I was getting old when I was EXCITED about buying a Dyson.
I’m hanging out for my current vacuum cleaner to die so I can justify getting a Dyson. Should I get a barrel or upright? We have an indoor dog who sheds a fair amount of hair but the Animal Dyson is the barrel type only, isn’t it?
Storage would be a bit of a problem with an upright but I’m determined to get the bestest vacuum cleaner I can afford.
Gee, I thought this was about Freeman Dyson and his daughter Esther Dyson.
Stunned? Why observed variation between anecdotal observations and rigorous scientific evaluation surprise you, of all people? 
These things are to be expected.
That said, I sometimes wonder about CR. They seem to like taking contrarian opinions and being giant killers. I wonder if anyone has done a rigorous, comprehensive analysis of THEIR methodology.
At the risk of appearing whooshed, I’m stunned that CR’s supposedly rigorous testing is at odds with my personal observations, which are scientific enough for me, thanks. I mean, some variation is expectede, but this one seems tiotally off the mark.
Or maybe CR has a very different definition of “noisy”.
I use the attchment on the stairs, and I noticed the same thing - it has to be lined up at a certain angle to really get the stuff, but when it does form that seal, lookout, it’s a turbine alright.
Since the carpet setting is too strong for area rugs, I’ve found that using the turbine head is the thing to use there instead of setting it for bare floors.
I tend to work at the office late, and the cleaning crew goes through with vacuums on their backs, similar to back packs. There is a hose with a floorcleaning attachement at the end, although it doesn’t appear to have motorized brushes. The vacuum looks like a canister. The crew use long extension cords, and can move along quite quickly.
The concept of this really appeals to me; it seems that it would free up your hands a bit, and you wouldn’t have to bump the vacuum into furniture. It would be a breeze to work your way up or down the stairs; you’d only be limited by the length of the extension cord.
Does anyone know of a vacuum available to the public that is similar to this, but with the brushes on the carpet attachement?
I’m always hoping one of these Dyson threads will either be about Dyson Spheres or the Orion propulsion motor, but they never are. I’ll never understand getting all that worked up about a vaccum cleaner, but then after a childhood of ugly, stain-absorbing shag carpeting I’m a big advocate of hardwood floors.
Oh well…at least this gives me the chance to mention that:
The Ringworld is unstable!
Stranger
I was referring to:
“And it certainly picks up better than any other vacuum cleaner I’ve owned.”
“Whooshed?” Was that a pun???