dragonfire88's Full Review: Dyson DC14 All floors Bagless Upright Cyclonic Vac...
Just about everyone needs to vacuum at some point even if they don’t have much carpet in their home. I have used many vacuums over the years, some of which were better than others. I was very happy when I first got a bagless vacuum because it did a much better job. When that vacuum stopped working after several years, I knew I was sticking with a bagless vacuum and I was really wanting a Dyson even though I knew they were more expensive. After doing some looking around, I settled on the Dyson DC14 All Floors Bagless Upright Cyclonic Vacuum.
I have carpet in almost every room, so I need to vacuum on a regular basis. I also have two dogs and four cats, all of which shed to varying degrees. I vacuum several times a week, so I wanted a vacuum that would hold up well and also deal with the pet hair. At least one of my cats tends to kick litter out when using the litter box, so I needed a vacuum that would easily pick up the litter that was either tracked out of the boxes or kicked out. My previous vacuum did have some issues with picking up the litter. The Dyson DC14 has handled the litter and pet hair wonderfully, picking it all up with little effort. I think it picks up more than my previous bagless vacuum did.
I had to do a little bit of assembly when I took my Dyson DC14 out of the box. The owner’s manual shows how to put everything together. The hose had to be attached on the bottom of the back of the vacuum. It will click into place, and it is important to make sure this is inserted all the way to get full suction. The wand, which also serves as the handle, slides into the other end of the hose and clicks into place. There is a large white button on the front of the wand, below where the handle is and above the power button. When that button is pushed, the wand slides all the way down into the handle. It should be in that position unless using the hose and wand with attachments. The hooks to hold the cord are on the back of the wand/hose. The cord has to be fully unwrapped before the wand can be extended.
There is a little cap over the top of the wand that should be closed when vacuuming. To use the wand, flip the little cap up and raise the wand up out of the hose. Pressing the same large white button on the front will allow the hose and wand to be lifted out. The wand can then be used alone or with attachments. I like to use the wand to go around the edges of the floor or furniture like my computer desk that I don’t move. I also use the wand along the base of the cabinets in kitchen. The wand works very well to pick up things that way and I don’t find that I need to use the crevice tool for those things. The Dyson DC14 came with a stair tool and a brush tool. Mine also came with another attachment, the mini turbine head as part of a special version of the DC14 only available at Sam’s Club at the time I got my vacuum. All of the attachments can be used on the end of the wand or on the end of the hose after the wand has been removed. I have used them both ways, depending on what I was cleaning and how much reach I needed.
I use the mini turbine head more than any of the other attachments. It works very well to clean pet hair off the furniture. I attach it to the hose when I’m using it on different furniture. The mini turbine head does a great job of picking up the pet hair. I’ve never been able to pick up that much pet hair with a vacuum and attachment before. I also use the mini turbine head on the throw rugs that are around the house. When I’m doing that, I attach the mini turbine head to the end of the wand and then run it over the throw rugs. By doing this, I don’t have to take the rugs outside to shake like I had to do in the past. The mini turbine head can become clogged. When that happens, the little brushbar won’t turn. It is easy to clear out a blockage by removing the plastic plate on the bottom of the attachment. I sometimes use the stair tool attached to the hose to suck dust off curtains. It does a very good job and I don’t have to constantly take the curtains down to wash.
There is a small knob or dial on the bottom of the Dyson DC14 that is used to change between carpet and hard floors. There are only the two options instead of there being some for different carpet thicknesses like previous vacuums have had. It is very easy to turn the knob and the vacuum works wonderfully on carpet and hard floors. There isn’t a button that allows the vacuum to tilt back for regular sweeping. Instead, you place your foot lightly on either side of the front of the base of the vacuum to tilt the handle back. There are small spots on both sides of the front of the base, so it is clear where to place your foot.
The Dyson DC14 has very strong suction, so it has no trouble picking up pair hair and other dirt around my house. When I go over the high traffic areas, the carpet looks better after I’m done, like it has been fluffed up or something. Since the suction is so strong, I have accidently picked up something I didn’t intend to. That usually happens to me when I’m using the wand. Usually it has just been small bits of paper or plastic from some wrapper, but once it even sucked up a AA battery. I had to take the hose off at the bottom to get the battery out since it got stuck there. If something too big is picked up, it can clog up the vacuum and there will be a noticeable decrease in the suction. I have never had trouble in fixing that situation when it has come up. It is also a good idea to clean hairs or lint off the brushbar every so often. There is a small belt that is protected by the cover, so it is highly unlikely that it will break. With my previous vacuum, I was lucky to go a month without the belt breaking. That tended to happen if I got too close to something, like a blanket or throw rug, and part of it would be sucked into the vacuum. The Dyson doesn’t do that. If it starts to pick up something like that, it makes a horribly loud ratcheting like sound. That is done to protect the belt and let the user know that there is some sort of obstruction with the brushbar. The sound makes it clear when something is wrong so I can quickly deal with it before it becomes more serious, like a broken belt. The owner’s manual says that the ratcheting doesn’t hurt the machine.
The clear bin on the front of the Dyson DC14 is what holds the dirt. The lifetime HEPA filter is above the clear bin, so the dirt never comes in direct contact with it. With my previous vacuum, the filter was inside the bin so it would be covered with dirt all the time. The filter should be washed at least every six months to maintain the best performance. To clean the filter, the clear bin has to be detached from the front of the vacuum. That is done by pushing the release button that is at the top of the handle for the clear bin. There is another button at the bottom of that handle that will cause the top of the bin to flip open, exposing the filter. It can then be removed and rinsed off with cold water only. The filter and case need to air dry at least twelve hours before they are put back in their spot. They may need to dry longer to ensure that they are completely dry.
There is a line on the clear bin of the Dyson DC14 that indicates the maximum amount of dirt that it should hold before being emptied. The bin does hold less than my previous bagless vacuum, so I have to empty it more often. That doesn’t bother me since it is much easier to do with this vacuum. To empty the bin, it should be removed from the front of the vacuum. Hold the bin over a trash can, with the bottom of the bin slightly inside the trash can. There is a button on the backside of the handle of the bin that will cause the bottom of the bin to flip open when pushed. The dirt will then fall into the trash can.
The Dyson DC14, along with all the Dyson vacuums, uses something called root cyclone technology that was first developed by James Dyson thirty years ago. Since then, engineers working for Dyson have continued to improve the technology, getting many patents to protect their technology from being copied by other companies. No other vacuum works like a Dyson. The root cyclone technology spins the air at very high speeds so that the dirt and dust end up flung to the bottom of the collection bin instead of blocking the airflow. When using Dyson DC14, I can see the dirt and pet hair spinning around inside the collection bin.
I haven’t had any trouble moving my Dyson DC14 around the house. I don’t think it is heavy, but it isn’t exactly light either. Some people might feel that the vacuum is too heavy. I haven’t had any trouble maneuvering the vacuum around when using it, but anyone that has some tighter spots that need to be vacuumed might find that slightly difficult. There are some smaller Dyson models available that might work better for some people.
I have been very happy with my Dyson DC14 All Floors Bagless Upright Cyclonic Vacuum and wouldn’t hesitate to buy another Dyson in the future if necessary. It cleans up all the pet hair, dust, and dirt that gets tracked into the house easily. It is also very easy to empty the collection bin and clean the filter. This is the best vacuum I’ve ever had and I can’t imagine using a different brand in the future. This vacuum, like all Dyson models, does cost more, but it is well worth it.
I got my Dyson DC14 All Floors Bagless Upright Cyclonic Vacuum at Sam’s Club in the summer of 2007 for $389. It was a version exclusive to Sam’s Club that included the extra attachment. Sam’s Club doesn’t sell that one anymore, but they have another Dyson.
Information about all the current Dyson models can be found at their website. There are also some video demos for certain things that can be watched there.
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