Paging ALJDEWEY, please... (or any DYSON owners!)

[Lynn B]

Our home has a central vac system which (IMHO) is a royal pain in the patootie. I dislike dragging out all 50 feet of hose every time I need to vaccuum.

I would like to get a regular vaccuum cleaner, and I *think* a Dyson is my first choice. Do you guys who have them love them? Would you buy the same thing again? How does your DYSON compare to "regular" vaccuum cleaners? Advantages? Disadvantages?

Since we have the cat, I thought the Animal would be our best bet. But (according to the Bed, Bath & Beyond website, there are FOUR models of the Animal alone!) Plus the non-Animal models. OY! I am SO confused and don't know which one would be best for us.

We have 2 large carpeted rooms, lots of hardwood (with stairs) and vinyl flooring in the kitchen. I'd like to be able to use it on all those surfaces. Is that possible? I would also like the attachments for corners, baseboards, and furniture. And I need to be able to lug it upstairs.

Any advice? Recommendations? Please and THANK YOU!

 

[neatfreak]

I don''t own one (yet!), but we are strongly considering getting the Slim after reading all about them on a number of different animal owner websites.

Apparently the Slim is really nice because it still works on all surfaces, is great with pet hair, but it''s much lighter weight and easier to carry around than some of the other models.

A few dog owners I know have Dysons and don''t ever stop raving about them.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

We have the regular animal and LOVE it. We have two cats and it does such a great job. My MIL and mom also have the animal and are quite happy. My MIL loves dysons so much she has the red version up at their lake house (though she said she likes her animal better)

Be sure you use a 20% off coupon if you buy it at BB&B. It says you can't but they will let you.

ETA: I use it on my hardwoods, baseboards and even my sofa.

 

[sumbride]

Love love love my Dyson! We have the animal, but really the only difference between the animal and the regular yellow one is an attachment that you can buy separately... so get whichever one you want... coordinate with your house, whatever. If I had to buy again, I''d probably go with the ball version but I don''t think it scratches our floors since we turn off the roller bar. And the wand is fab for stairs. Go Dyson and you won''t regret it!

 

[diamondfan]

I have a central vac system too, and got the Dyson, both the yellow and the animal because of Maya. I love them. Best vacuum ever in my opinion. Used to think Miele and Electrolux were really great...but this tops it. I had decided my central vac suction was bad, discovered the two huge cannisters in the basement were way over due for emptying over two gigantic hefty bags were needed to do so) and even paid about 1500.00 to have the company send me new hoses and new nozzle units, I had a set for each floor, but just got two and put the older two in the garage etc...and I still was not 100% thrilled...but the Dyson blows me away.

 

[Lynn B]

Thanks, everyone, for their reviews and opinions! I appreciate it! It''s looking like everyone loves theirs!

Date: 7/14/2007 5:17:20 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring

ETA: I use it on my hardwoods, baseboards and even my sofa.

Tacori,
When you use it on the hardwood floors, do you just run the whole vaccuum over it, like on carpet? Or are you using an attachment? THANKS!
L

 

[Hest88]

We have the purple and red Dyson which we use on our hardwood and area rugs. Our two cats really generate a lot of hair, so we really love our Dyson. The only thing is I wish it were lighter but if you got the Slim that would probably solve that issue!

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 7/14/2007 5:17:20 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring


Be sure you use a 20% off coupon if you buy it at BB&B. It says you can''t but they will let you.

2nd to the coupon. I used one last week and got $94 off the Slim version.

 

[TravelingGal]

I LOVE the slim! Love it love it love it! It''s fab. Light and still does a great job.

Keep in mind with the slim the cord is shorter, but that''s not a big deal for us. Also the hose is a bit shorter, but it pretty much clears our stars.

BTW, the BB&B coupon does not exclude dyson. I believe it used to but no mention of it now.

 

[aljdewey]

Hey, Lynn - sorry for the delay - didn't see your post until this very moment! Yanno, funny that you say that about central vac, because I have always wondered if I would regret not having central vac in our home, but I figured I'd find dragging the looooooooooong hose around to be a pain. Glad to hear my instincts were on target on that one - LOL!

The situation you're describing is precisely the same as mine......hardwood on the first floor except for the kitchen, which is vinyl. Hardwood stairs, and carpeted in the 3 upstairs bedrooms.

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE my Dyson (Animal) and would buy it again in a minute. We bought it at the same time we bought the house (2.5 years ago), and it's been a GODSEND. We have a sheltie (think looooooooong hair), and two cats (one long haired, one short). The hair can be a HUGE PAIN at times....and this vac keeps up with it no problem. When the canister gets full and we empty it, all I can think is ewwwwwwwwww - what if we didn't have this?

How does it compare to other vacs? Very well, actually. Things we've liked:

Never had problem with the belt drive as we have on other vacs.....in fact, it's been totally repair-free since we bought it.
Never run out of bags (since it's bagless)
NEVER had it get clogged where it won't work (yes, the commercial really is true).

The only thing I WISH someone could come up with a fix for is long hair getting wrapped around the beater brush (the dog's). Unfortunately, that's true for ALL vacs, and I still have to sit down and clear out the beater by cutting out my dog's long hair periodically.

I have the first-gen version, the DC07. It wasn't the most intuitive thing to use at first when switching from upright use to hand-held hose use, and I think they improved the 'ease of use' with their next release, the DC14. The tooks were relocated, and converting from beater to hose use seemed easier on the DC14. That said, we've stuck with our DC07 and we love it. I don't think it would be worth it to me personally to pay nearly $100 more for the ball version (feel like that's a bit gimmicky), but that's really a personal preference thing.

On the DC07, the 14' hose is long enough that I can put it at the foot of the stairs going to the second floor and the hose will reach all the way to the top, so I don't have to haul the vac up while doing the stairs. (The DC-14 has a 17' hose; the DC-17 has a 16' hose). I do haul it up to bring it to the second floor, and it's a bit cumbersome, but no more so than other vacs. As noted, most of the 'animal' versions come with the attachment you mentioned wanting.

For me, I just use the upright on the hardwood too....switch it from carpets to bare floors to turn off the beater. I use the hose with attachment to vac the CAT HAIR off the loveseat! and the other attachment to clean the hardwood stairs.

It's way worth the money, in my opinion. I've had cheaper vacs, and they just didn't do as well as this one. Good luck, and lemme know what you end up getting!

 

[Lynn B]

Date: 7/16/2007 12:02:18 AM
Author: aljdewey
Hey, Lynn - sorry for the delay - didn't see your post until this very moment! Yanno, funny that you say that about central vac, because I have always wondered if I would regret not having central vac in our home, but I figured I'd find dragging the looooooooooong hose around to be a pain. Glad to hear my instincts were on target on that one - LOL!

The situation you're describing is precisely the same as mine......hardwood on the first floor except for the kitchen, which is vinyl. Hardwood stairs, and carpeted in the 3 upstairs bedrooms.

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE my Dyson (Animal) and would buy it again in a minute. We bought it at the same time we bought the house (2.5 years ago), and it's been a GODSEND. We have a sheltie (think looooooooong hair), and two cats (one long haired, one short). The hair can be a HUGE PAIN at times....and this vac keeps up with it no problem. When the canister gets full and we empty it, all I can think is ewwwwwwwwww - what if we didn't have this?

How does it compare to other vacs? Very well, actually. Things we've liked:

Never had problem with the belt drive as we have on other vacs.....in fact, it's been totally repair-free since we bought it.
Never run out of bags (since it's bagless)
NEVER had it get clogged where it won't work (yes, the commercial really is true).

The only thing I WISH someone could come up with a fix for is long hair getting wrapped around the beater brush (the dog's). Unfortunately, that's true for ALL vacs, and I still have to sit down and clear out the beater by cutting out my dog's long hair periodically.

I have the first-gen version, the DC07. It wasn't the most intuitive thing to use at first when switching from upright use to hand-held hose use, and I think they improved the 'ease of use' with their next release, the DC14. The tooks were relocated, and converting from beater to hose use seemed easier on the DC14. That said, we've stuck with our DC07 and we love it. I don't think it would be worth it to me personally to pay nearly $100 more for the ball version (feel like that's a bit gimmicky), but that's really a personal preference thing.

On the DC07, the 14' hose is long enough that I can put it at the foot of the stairs going to the second floor and the hose will reach all the way to the top, so I don't have to haul the vac up while doing the stairs. (The DC-14 has a 17' hose; the DC-17 has a 16' hose). I do haul it up to bring it to the second floor, and it's a bit cumbersome, but no more so than other vacs. As noted, most of the 'animal' versions come with the attachment you mentioned wanting.

For me, I just use the upright on the hardwood too....switch it from carpets to bare floors to turn off the beater. I use the hose with attachment to vac the CAT HAIR off the loveseat! and the other attachment to clean the hardwood stairs.

It's way worth the money, in my opinion. I've had cheaper vacs, and they just didn't do as well as this one. Good luck, and lemme know what you end up getting!

Hey, Alj, thanks for the post! Lots of GREAT information -- just what I was hoping for!

Yeah, the central vac has it's advantages (I suppose?!) but it is a pain. It came with the house -- I wouldn't have bought it! It was just something I never coveted (and still don't!)

I really appreciate your explaining the differences between the different models, I wondered about that! Thank you again for all the VALUABLE information.

Well, next time I get to the "big city"

I believe I'll be marching right to BB&B with my coupon and buying one!

Thanks, all!

 

[TravelingGal]

I think you will love it LynnB! I just vacuumed right now, and still love how easy mine is to steer around.

And to note on what Alj said, I do love the "ball" feature that comes with the slim, but I am not sure how I''d like it on the bigger models, as they are heavier. Now that I am used to the wristflick to get it to move left and right, regular vacuums seem so stiff and restrictive to me.

Also I agree on the newer hose thing...most of the reviews I read while researching all point out how the newer style hose is much easier to use.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Date: 7/14/2007 8:54:00 PM
Author: Lynn B
Thanks, everyone, for their reviews and opinions! I appreciate it! It's looking like everyone loves theirs!

Date: 7/14/2007 5:17:20 PM

Author: Tacori E-ring


ETA: I use it on my hardwoods, baseboards and even my sofa.

Tacori,

When you use it on the hardwood floors, do you just run the whole vaccuum over it, like on carpet? Or are you using an attachment? THANKS!

L

There is a little dial where you can turn it to bare floors so that is what I do. I then sweep like I do on carpet. Our entire first floor is HWs. Sometimes I use one of those mop dusters (big things) and then sweep up the pile with my dyson. I also (get lazy

) and put my sofa cushions on the floor and lift my dyson on top. Switching to the hand held hose is NOT the easiest but it does such a good job I don't regret having one. We got ours a year ago so I don't know about the new models.

ETA: I spoke with my mom today and she said she was using her dyson (the hose) to clean out her car so it can be an all in one unit.