Definitely a 5 star vacuum!
Written: Oct 22 '03 (Updated Feb 06 '06)
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Pros: Solidly made.
Easy to use.
Even easier to empty.
Incredibly powerful!
NO CONSUMABLES!
Cons: Initial expense is high.
Cord holder placement not optimal.
Belt drive not optimal.
The Bottom Line: If you need a vacuum and prefer uprights, this is the vacuum to get! No other vacuum compares.
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| pruss's Full Review: Dyson DC07 steel / yellow Upright Vacuum |
UPDATED [February 2006] - See end of review body for details.
I think it is very notable that within 2 years of Dyson's initial product launch in the UK, Dyson had the majority of the vacuum cleaner market, bumping staunch old market leaders Hoover, Electrolux, and others... That record has repeated itself as Dyson introduced their vacuum products across Europe.
Now onto my experience with the Dyson DC07. I bought my Dyson in April 2001 (note, this was corrected from "about a year ago" - We Found the receipt from Sears when looking for the warranty on our Range) . A the time, they were only available at Sears, who was the first US retailer to offer their product. In the time I have had this vacuum, it has been used two to three times a week to vacuum most of our 2700sf house, and never ceased to amaze me in it's suction power... Additionally, it's ease of use is simply unmatched.
Side note: From mid-august through mid November, we are temporarily living in a 900sf apartment. We have two large cats (Maine Coon and Norwegian Forest Cat) who have their cat box in our bathroom. When we first moved here, we switched from the old smelly clumping cat litter to the pearl type litter, which aside from all it's pluses has one negative... the cats have long hair so when they come out of the catbox, some of the pearls get tracked with their fur and roll around on the floor, and those little pearls are nearly invisible on a while linoleum tired bathroom floor, so I take the vacuum out of the garage for a 2 minute vacuuming using the floor attachment and the crevice tool every single day. I'll come back to this point later in the review.
Some of the things that another reviewer mentioned erroneously are cited (and corrected) here...
* Difficult to open grill on the top of the handle: It's only difficult if the user didn't know how it opens as it simply slides into the handle, out of the way... there is only slight resistance holding it back.
* Whistling noise: yeah, it's apparently designed that way for exactly the reason he mentions... When stood up erect, and without the arm/hose combo extended, there is no reason to leave it on, so what? It works.
* Flimsy construction: This one I really take exception to... The plastic the Dysons are made of is the same stuff they make motorcycle helmets from... which is also the same stuff they make bulletproof windows out of... How tough are those $100 vacuums? Grab one by the handle and extend it out horizontally and then waggle it up and down... The handle WILL break...
* It is heavy: compared to $100 cheapo vacuums, yeah, it is heavier... that's because it is better made. In actual usage, due to the care taken to balance the weight at the handle, using this vacuum on carpets and hard floors is virtually effortless.
* Handle release: I agree that it is a little peculiar of a method for releasing it from the upright position, but upon closer inspection, I came to realize it is truly brilliant... Being a mechanic myself, I can honestly say this design is far less likely to give the owner problems in the long term.
It's quieter than any other vacuum I've tried but can vacuum up a ton of dirt after any other vacuum has vacuumed all it can pick up! The Dyson DC07 series vacuums are rather peculiar to look at, but who cares about looks? It's a freakin' vacuum!
What would I change about it? I like to ask/answer this question because it is where the reviewer really tells the whole story.
* I would change the tool end of the hose end cap to have a flare to it which would force the hose to flex in a more controlled manner, lessening the likelihood that the hose will stretch and eventually tear (added after my update below)
* Find an even tougher material to make the hose out of, or coat the hose structural wires with a thick coat of whatever plastic the hose is made of and bond the hose to the wires that way... Unfortunately, that would probably defeat the collapsible effect of the hose.
* I would like to see a shorter, extensible handle rather than the long one it has, and I feel it should not need to be inverted to extend fully.
* I would relocate the power cord holders so the cord would not need to be fully unwound to use just the wand. That would make it better for quick, grab the cord, unwind a loop, plug in, and use the wand/hose. This quickly came to light as a minor annoyance when vacuuming the cats litter pearls every day for the last couple months (sometimes even twice).
* Finally, I would make the beater brush bar easier to remove to ease cleaning (like any other beater brush, long hair gets wound around it). However, it is no more difficult than any other vacuum on the market.
Ironically, I looked at their UK home page and they have a new easy-carry size canister vacuum (the DC11) that pretty much has all those improvements and more, though it can't be used as an all-in-one upright, which judging from the variety of upright vacuums available in the stores these days, most most American consumers seem to prefer.
Anyhow, it isn't as if Sears or Best Buy won't take it back as a return... They let you try the thing out for 30 days or return it, no questions asked, no return charges. Sears will even take it back without the original box... just a receipt... they even prefer it that way as they will put the return on the floor for discounted resale, unless it is broken, of course. (no, I don't work for Sears)
UPDATED -Since originally posting this review, Our vacuum has just sustained it's first first damage... However, considering the amount of usage it gets, I'm surprised it hasn't happened earlier...
The hose, which has a wire structural support within, developed a little tear, more a split at the seam of the wire than a tear really. It happened right where the hose gets stretched and curved tightly into a sharp angle, really close to the end of the hose end-piece. It's not big, and only opens up when the hose is bent sharply and will still last a couple few weeks before replacement would be necessary, but I think this tear was inevitable, though perhaps it could have been put off if the end-cap of the hose had a slight flair to guide the hose, instead of let it just bend sharply and grab the plastic ring. I added a couple "What would I change about it" item as a result of this.
When this happened, my wife was at Sears having the oil changed in her car, so I called her cell and asked her to go to the parts department and buy the hose there. It wasn't in stock, and is shipped direct from the manufacturer, and is priced at $52.99. Shipping direct to our house was $11.99 and as my wife had a -$5 coupon for purchases in the store on the same day as the service, the subtotal came to $59.98, plus 3.59 FL sales tax, for a grand total of $63.57.
Now you have an idea of a one year cost of ownership... Just calculate the price of the vacuum as you pay for it, add nothing for bags and filters, and add $65 for a new hose at 1-2 years, depending on usage. I still feel strongly this is a 5-star vacuum. Not 100% perfect, but definitely the best made today.
Update [February 2006] - Other than the hose which developed a small tear in it over two years ago, this vacuum has been absolutely perfect. No damage whatsoever... With about five years with this vacuum now, i can honestly state that it's key weakness is with the beater bar... It is the same problem with most vacuum beater bars... Difficult to get hair off of when it gets wrapped around it. Otherwise, this vacuum has worked perfectly and still gets used 2-3 times a week.
interestingly, I let a Kirby salesman doe a demo in our house the other day, and I compared the Kirby to the Dyson and quite simply, they were neck and neck on vacuum and cleaning performance, but the Kirby is much more troublesome to configure (the Dyson is a breeze), is ridiculously heavy, and despite a heavy metallic body, the handle and some of the attachments seem flimsy. But, most importantly, the Kirby requires bags, and they WILL clog and suction WILL be lost, and this does not happen with the Dyson... ever. Also, the Kirby was being sold at $1895 with a slew of attachments including a really cheap paint gun (you'd have to be a fool to use that to paint your house!!!!), a leaf blower (huh???), and a complex carpet shampooer, which the Zorb powder from Dyson does as good a job as, and is water-free.
Simply put, the king of conventional vacuums (or so the Salesman told me) simply cannot compare to the Dyson at about 1/3rd the FULL price, or in cost of supplies, and the Dyson is lighter, easier to use, and despite some people's concerns with durability (and the hose proving that point over two tears ago), nothing else has broken, become overly worn, etc. The Dyson will likely last another five years, but even if it did not, I would just buy a new Dyson DC15 Ball (My neighbour bought one months ago, and I am still tying to persuade her to write a review here).
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 399
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Epinions.com ID:
pruss
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Reviews written: 3
Trusted by: 1 member
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