Juicefairy Review of the Dyson DC25 Animal

One of the things that I registered for was the Dyson vacuum cleaner.  I didn’t expect that I would actually receive it as a gift since it is $549, and I didn’t, but by putting it on my registry I knew I could get a discount when I bought it (Bed Bath & Beyond gives 10% off purchases you have on your registry after the wedding).  We ended up having enough Bed Bath & Beyond gift certificates after the wedding to get the vac after all, and we got 20% off (the store let us use one of their weekly circular coupons).

The reason I got the Dyson DC25 Animal, instead of another brand, was that it came highly recommended by three of my friends that all had this model.  Their faith in the Dyson helped me trust the product, despite being skeptical of something with such a big price tag.  Now that I have had it for a couple of months I figured I would give you the low-down on what I think the products pros and cons are and give you my honest take on it.  It might help another bride registering make a decision.

Pros:

• The one thing this baby does great is suck up dirt - and lets be frank, that is what the thing is made to do.  You can actually see the dirt on the floor being sucked into the machine.  Before I had this vacuum I spent a lot of time chasing down tumble-weeds of pet fur.  With the Dyson I can be about 6″ away and watch the cat fur get sucked into the machine.  The rolling brush for vacuuming carpets does a great job picking up dirt dust and fur that I can’t even see.
• It works just as well on floors and carpets.  My last vacuum claimed to work on floors but I usually had to sweep before I did the floors because it did such a poor job.  I haven’t used a broom since I got the Dyson.
• The Dyson ball is the best design ever!  My vacuum can get right up against all of the cabinets and baseboards, and turn with a turn of the wrist around furniture easily.  I barely have to move anything out of the way!  It is really brilliant.  Too bad that they probably have a patent on that darn ball. The other vacuum makers are out of luck.
• The Dyson empties easily and from the bottom.  I HATE getting dirty when empty the vacuum and it defeats the point of vacuuming if I release a bunch of dirt back into the air trying to do so.  With the Dyson I go outside to the garbage and hit a button and the bottom pops opens, releasing all of the dirt and fur without me touching it.  I shake it once or twice and I am done.  No filter falling out or rinsing.  Easy!  (I do suggest that you empty it outside though.  Dust is dust.  If you empty it indoors it is going to get into your house no matter how careful.)
• No buying of filters!  This saves a lot of time and money in the long run.  The directions suggest that you rinse the filter once every three months.  I haven’t done this yet but it looks pretty simple.
• I think that the Dyson is a nice and light.  Although it scares me that the thing looks like it is made with flimsy plastic, it is easy to move around which is nice.

Cons:

•  I think there are a couple of design flaws with the Dyson that annoy me a bit.  The biggest is the darn pole that you use to reach high places.  It is not adjustable and I find the wand is a bit long.  So it makes it a little difficult to get under the couch and the furniture.
• The hose is too tight. The wand is attached to a retractable hose that claims it stretches 25 ft.  I am sure that it does, but it is bound pretty tightly so I have to use quite a bit of my strength to stretch the cord out.  Combined with the fact that the vacuum is light, I find that when I stretch out the hose all of the way the vacuum wants to follow behind me or topple over.  I am getting used to it but I would suggest to Dyson to give the tubing a little more give.
• Pet hair cleanup is not as easy as I thought it would be with the Dyson.  It is pretty easy to clean things like couches and flooring with the Dyson and it even comes with a rolling brush attachment, but because the suction is so strong I can’t use the Dyson on drapery and bedding.  It tends to just suck the fabrics so I can’t move around and get the dirt.  It would be nice if there was a fabric attachment that made this easier.
• Swedish directions.  You know how Ikea has all pictures and no words.  The Dyson directions are like that!  Some words would be nice!  It doesn’t have to be a book but some description of what the attachments are MADE to do would help.  I can guess most of it but I guarantee my mother would be frustrated.

So as you can see from my pro and con list here, the pros have outweighed the cons.  With the 20% off coupon from Bed Bath & Beyond I think that the price is not that bad, considering how reliable of a vacuum it is.  Bottom line is that it picks up dirt good, which is what a good vacuum is made to do.

P.S  On the Bed Bath & Beyond coupon it claims that it excludes the Dyson.  When I went to BBB they accepted it anyway, saying that Dyson now allows them to take these coupons.  So try the coupon despite the fine print.

Disclaimer:  I was not paid or asked by Dyson to make any of these claims.  They did not give me a vacuum to try.  Although, Dyson, it you are listening I wouldn’t mind trying your hand vac