So, I think I need a Dyson. My Windtunnel has fought the good fight, but it just can’t deal with the cat hair anymore. I’d knit some more cats out of the clumps of cat hair the vacuum brings out of the carpet and leaves lying around, but then those cats would shed, and then what?
So… Dysons. I see there’s a wide product range with a wide price range, too. Do I need the super-expensive “best for pet hair!” Dyson, or will the cheapest Dyson fit my needs? Smallish house with hardwoods and rugs, just two rooms of wall-to-wall carpet. Mainly the living room rug is the cat hair depository, but in the dining room the vacuum also needs to handle stray litter. Advice?
My wife and I bought the Dyson DC 15 Animal and spent $435 on it all said and done. We got a $135 mail in rebate from Target… It was originally $550 … Love it. The lifetime warranty is nice, it never, ever looses suction but we still have to go over, and over the cat hair to get it up…same with any vacuum I would imagine.
I got the normal DC07 (the yellow one) a couple of weeks back and it seems to be taking good care of the cat hair in my apartment. I think I could make an extra cat from all the hair I picked up since I got it.
I have 5 cats. I’ve had both the Animal, and the base model. Well actually, my parents have the Animal and I used to borrow it, till I bought my own base model. I now own my own base model yellow Dyson.
Don’t bother with the Animal. Buy the base model. The only difference is the attachments, so you’re paying how many hundred dollars for attachments that you can… IF you need… buy for much cheaper on their own. The two models are exactly the same.
I’ve heard really good things about the Dyson Sphere, but I understand that at this point it’s mostly conceptual. I don’t think they’ve even built a prototype yet.
Even the least expensive Dyson (which will still be pretty pricey in terms of vacuum cleaners) will pick up pet hair like no one’s business. I have the DC-07 Full Kit (it came with a bunch of extra attachments), and I love it!
The only reason we wanted a 14 and above (we ended up with the DC17 Animal) is because of the built-in attachments - my parents’ Dyson is the one where you have to take out the attachments and hook them up - ours, you pull the hose out and attach whatever - I’m probably not explaining myself well (sorry, long day), but have them show you at the store where you’re looking to buy. If the difference with that isn’t a big deal to you, then the DC07 should be good - Animal or not. But yes, with the amount of cat hair we pick up, I could have built several new cats.
We love our Dyson - we actually got a 30% off coupon from BB&B, which didn’t exclude Dyson products (in fact, at checkout, we had three different employees extolling the virtues of it, and telling us we were smart to use the coupon), so we ended up spending $430 (with tax) on a $550 vacuum. Even buying the DC07 elsewhere without the coupon wouldn’t have been cheaper.
I have the DC-14, and it sucks dirt out of the basement when I use it on the second floor bedroom. Husband bought it at Costco, for my Valentine’s Day gift. Isn’t that romantic?
Yeah, a friend of mine had a 15% off coupon at Kohl’s, plus it was on sale that day. The sticker price was $449 and I got mine for $347, couldn’t beat it.
Justabout the exact same post as mine, with the discount and everything. They are great vacuum cleaners, but surprisingly they are not the tops according to consumer reports. They say there are vacuums that are the same or better for a fraction of the cost. Perhaps one of Dyson’s best virtues is the nifty ads from the Swedish (?) inventor…saying, …"the best vacuum eva built…Eva…" or something to that effect.
I agree. The vacuum is great, great, great. The Animal comes with (IMHO) some worthless attachments. Don’t need 'em. And they really don’t work well at all. Just more stuff to store and trip over.
I guess that would depend solely upon the attachments.
When our last vacuum died after cleaning up after the 4 cats, I strongly lobbied for a Dyson. Unfortunately, there was only one brand my wife would settle for:
I bought the Dyson Animal DC14 about 3 years ago and love it. I don’t have any issues with it all. I love it. It still works as well now as the day I pulled it out of it’s box and it receives a lot of use.
I have a black lab that sheds everywhere and I’m amazed at how much that vacuum picks up.
I may be the only person on the planet that hated their Dyson. It does pick up pet hair. Unfortunately, it didn’t pick up most of the other crap around our house, was loud, too heavy, had awkward attachments, and the first one we had was in the shop four times before it was declared a lemon and replaced (the new one didn’t work any better, but didn’t grind its gears).
We just gave ours away and replaced it with a Meile.
Actually, I know I’m not the only one who hated it, apparently, they get returned alot. There are cheaper vaccuums that Consumer Reports rates better (the Meile is a more expensive vaccuum).
I’d really recommend borrowing one and seeing if it lives up to your expectations.
I vacuumed YESTERDAY with my Windtunnel. I did the living room twice. It’s only, like, 8x10. One turn around with the Dyson and it’s up to the fill line on the canister. Grossssss!
I did as suggested and picked up the base model with one of those Bed Bath and Beyond coupons. Saved 80 bucks. Going to vacuum everything in sight now. (Starting with the cats. Then on to the boyfriend.)
If it is indeed him doing the ad, I’m surprised you can’t hear the difference between British English and a Swede speaking English as a second language! Sure you’re not thinking of Electrolux?
We thought that the Dyson was the best, but we have now bought a Henry .This is one powerful machine. It’s so rugged that many “professionals” such as office cleaners and builders use them. And the bonus is that they are half the price of a Dyson.
One word about cheaper vacuums that Consumer Reports rates as at least as effective as a Dyson: I had one. A bagless Dirt Devil. It did work as well as my Dyson, as long as the belts and filters were less than one year old. So I paid $120.00 for the vacuum, then had to pony up another $70.00 each year to replace filters and belts. It doesn’t take long for the cost of new filters and belts, in addition to the cost of the vacuum itself, to add up to the price of a Dyson. Plus, the Dirt Devil clogged at the drop of a hat, and wasn’t nearly as easy to pop apart and clean as my Dyson is.
