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Dyson Vacuum Cleaners ReviewsSeems like most people are never really happy with their vacuum cleaner. It is too small, too big, too heavy, too light, too expensive, too cheap, too hard to change vacuum bags, problems with air filters, it clogs, the list goes on and on.. In a lot of homes, and I know in our house, many people view vacuums as disposable products that have to be re-bought every few years. The bigs names in vacuums are Oreck, Dyson, Kirby, Eureka, Hoover, Miele, to name a few. In this guide, we will be concentrating on the Dyson vacuum cleaners. Dyson is named after its founder, James Dyson, who invented the cyclonic separation technology (Root 8 Cyclone) that powers Dyson vacuums -- basically, it means there is no loss of suction as you vacuum and it begins to fill with dirt and debris. They came on the scene in the US only in the last decade or so, after being introduced in the early 90s. Why are Dyson vacuums better that other vacuums? Dyson vacuums are acclaimed for their major sucking power, and the Root Cyclone is where the power comes from. The initial design was a dual cyclone, but today's models use 8 mini cyclones. Another big selling point is that they are bagless -- you don't have to buy or replace vacuum bags any more, just remove and dump the debris canister and reinsert into the vacuum. The HEPA filters they use are washable and reusable, and they clean the air so well they are "asthma friendly" certified. They work well on all floors - wood, tile, carpet, rugs. And they come with a 5 year warranty. But most people who try Dysons think they are the best simply because they clean the best and are the most powerful.
Buying a Dyson Vacuum CleanerWhat is the best Dyson vacuum? How much do Dyson vacuums cost? Will cover these questions next. One thing to be aware of is that Dyson sets prices that vendors can offer their vacuums at -- you are not likely to find them "on sale" anywhere, so even the big chains usually sell them at the fixed prices (though we have sometimes seen them about $25 cheaper at stores like WalMart). And Dyson vacuums are not cheap -- you'll be investing $400-$600 when you buy one. Dyson makes 3 main styles of vacuum - uprights, canister, and handhelds. The uprights include the popular DC07 ($399), the DC14 Telescope Reach ($429), the DC18 Dyson Slim ($469, weighs about 10 lbs less than the others), the DC17 Absolute ($499), and the newest "Ball" models, the DC24 Dyson Ball ($399), DC25 ($499), and the DC15 The Ball ($599). The Ball designs look like the vacuum is sitting on top of a basketball. The motor is housed inside the ball, lowering the center of gravity, and making the whole thing turn and pivot with minimal effort. Several of the Dyson vacuums are designed especially for picking up dog and cat hair, and are called the "Animal", for example the DC14 Animal. These models come with a special mini turbine head (which attaches to the hose or wand) for easily cleaning pet hair off furniture and floors, along with a low reach floor tool for getting in and around and behind furniture where pet fur can hide and build up. The Animal version is available on the DC7, DC14, DC17, and DC15. The telescope reach wand is another favorite feature that Dyson offers - it allows you to extend up to 17 feet away from the vacuum, allowing you to clean a flight of stairs for example without having to drag the vacuum up and down the staircase. The filters in these vacuums are called "lifetime" filters, which basically means you are supposed to wash them out every few months and reuse them. Replacement filters cost about $15-$20. They look like big thick discs. You can wash them but you need to let them dry out for 24-48 hours, preferably near a heater or something to really get them dry. As I say, they are thick and take time to get really dry.
The Dyson canister model is called the Stowaway, which retails for $499. For those that don't know, canister vacs are like little buckets on wheels that roll around behind you as you use the long hose wand to do your vacuuming. The Stowaway uses the same cyclone and HEPA technology found in the regular Dyson uprights, so you get the same cleaning power. The Dyson handhelds are the DC16 and the DC16 Animal, which sell for $149 and $199 respectively. These are battery powered and look like a leaf blower or something -- the batteries give you 6 minutes of vacuum time, so these are meant for small clean up jobs, not for vacuuming the house (unless you have a small house!). The Animal version comes with a motorized brushbar for picking up pet hair, other than that they are pretty much the same. The handhelds come with a 2 year warranty. One complaint you hear alot when it comes to Dysons is that they are heavy -- a DC17 weighs over 30 lbs. When you're rolling it around on the floor 30+ lbs may not seem like much, but lugging it up and down stairs can be a real difficulty, especially for some women or older people. So consider that when it comes to deciding whether you should buy a Dyson -- there are many other lightweight models out there that are 10-15 lbs or less, though they might not clean as well as the Dysons. Another complaint is common to pretty much all bagless vacuums -- emptying out the debris bin is dustry work and throws up a cloud of fine dust particles no matter how carefully you try to dump it in the garbage can. It's usually a good idea to empty the container outside into a trash can if you are able -- much cleaner. When it comes to actually buying your Dyson, you can check Walmart, Target, Best Buy, or Amazon.com (we personally love Amazon -- save gas and driving around time). When we compared prices to find the best deal on a Dyson, we found nearly identical prices at all the retail outlets, so if you find something on sale or get some kind of savings coupon, count yourself lucky! Overall, from our personal experience we can recommend Dyson vacuums. They will pick up all kinds of dirt even after you finish vacuuming with your old vacuum -- they really are more powerful. And its rare that we find people boasting that they would gladly pay $500 the next time they buy a vacuum, but we've come across many Dyson owners who swear to just that -- they paid the money, they love the product, they would buy it again. And that's something you don't find too often in the home appliance industry. Do you have a quality site or product that belongs in this guide? We are always happy to evaluate or review new products and websites. Feel free to contact us at the email address below and let us know about you. If you have a demo product you'd like us to look at, please contact us before sending anything. Thank you.
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