 The vacuum of my dreams! |
| Review Date: December 15, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Vera Casdia, Long Island, NY |
I've owned just about every top rated vacuum that has been made. I was never satisfied, mostly because they where too heavy to handle, or the animal hair was blown about, rather than sucked up. I do have a canister vacuum that I have had for years, but I wanted a satisfactory upright that was light and easy to handle. I have a cat and a dog, and there is lots of shedding hair, all the time. Our house is mostly hard floors, stairs, and one large rug in the living room. When I saw the DC25 Animal, I decided to spend the money hoping that this vacuum would do the job. It has lived up to my wildest dreams, it is wonderfully easy to handle, so easy to maneuver, the 16 lbs make such a difference compared to those very heavy machines I had before, I had no problem carrying it upstairs. I love that with this vacuum I don't need to select different heights, it goes from floor to carpet to floor. I was even able to clean the dogs bed without the wand attachment. Speaking of the wand/handle attachment you simply flip open the top cap, pull up on the wand, and it disconnects from the vacuum and suction diverts to the wand. It took a little getting use to, the hose is a little stiff and took a while before I was comfortable cleaning the stairs. Most important, THIS VACUUM SUCKS, but in a good way!!
Assembly was fairly easy, suppose to be 3 snaps with no tools. But I had a heck of a time getting it out of the box, and being not mechanically inclined I would have liked better instructions.
I have never reviewed a product before, but this vacuum cleaner has me so excited that I had to share it with someone. I really love this machine! |
Apartment dwelling, dog owning, clean freak approved!!!
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| Review Date: February 10, 2009 |
| Reviewer: ATLsuTIGER, ATL |
A vacuum cleaner is one of those items that you "get what you pay for."
I have owned 2 cheap-o (less than $100) cleaners over the past two years. One was bagged and the other was bagless. They were both CRAP! I would have to take part the vacuum and unclog it just to get moderate suction power. In the end all i was left with was carpeting that looked clean at first glance...simply because of the vacuum track marks. But when i would closely inspect the carpet, it was nasty. Still covered in dog hair and dust! I wasn't able to vacuum our dog's hair to save my life and it was starting to stress me out. I gave in and started to research online for a new QUALITY vacuum. After hours of online research it came down to two choices and they were both Dysons. I had seen the commercials, knew people that owned them, and was always skeptical about paying so much money for a vacuum cleaner but I couldn't ignore the reviews from both average Joe's and online Consumer Reports.
It was either the DC17 Animal or the DC25 Animal.
In the end, I went with the DC25 Animal because of it's smaller profile and ease of use. I am able to vacuum everywhere in the apartment without having to move lots of things around. The ball simply was icing on the cake. I was willing to give up the smaller collection bin for the low profile and "ball." I was so totally right!!! Had i purchased the DC17, I would have had some problems getting under and around things in my apartment.
If you live in an apartment, if you own a dog/cat, if you HATE DUST, if you currently own a POS vacuum and are reading these reviews, trying to figure out if you are gonna cave in and buy a Dyson....DO IT NOW!!! BUY THE DYSON DC25 ANIMAL!!!! You will be glad you did and you won't ever mind cleaning your apartment EVER AGAIN!!! It does it all!!!
PROS:
-Cleans the carpet like a vacuum should!!!
-I got four words for you dog lovers..."NO MORE PET HAIR!!!"
-Low profile let you vacuum under and around without other attachments.
-The attachments let you clean everything from ceiling fans to sofas!!!
-Ball; the ball makes it fun to vacuum!!!
-The Dyson name...you know it will SUCK the best!!!
Cons:
-Smaller dust bin than other models. You will have to empty it 3-4 times when vacuuming a, really dirty, 3 bedroom apartment.
*****FIVE STARS*****
Even with the smaller dust bin, the Dyson DC25 Animal lives up to the hype. Trust me, just go buy the damn thing and be done worrying about PET HAIR FOREVER!!! |
Great Engineering
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| Review Date: July 30, 2009 |
| Reviewer: SkyNite, |
I've used the DC25 Animal for a couple of weeks now. Before purchasing, I read the reviews here, the negative ones especially carefully.
Regarding the broken belt reports, those just have to be false. There are no belts in this design; the beater bar is direct-drive and conveniently switchable.
The integrated handle and extension wand do seem odd at first, but they really become very easy to use after doing it a time or two. The hose is stiff, but it works and has a good reach.
While the collection bin does seem on the small side, we have found that the hair and debris becomes very compressed at the bottom of the bin, so we really don't need to dump the bin any more often than with previous vacuums.
And giving the collection bin a couple of shakes before opening the bottom cover usually dislodges the compressed pet hair in our experience. A time or two I've had to release a hair clump by hand, which is no big deal.
One reviewer said the attachments fall off of the unit while vacuuming. On my DC25, they attach to their storage and usage positions with a positive "snap," and stay snug and secure at all times. If attachments fall off, make sure they are inserted properly so that they snap into place.
I agree that the power cord is too short; it takes three outlets to do each level of our two-story house.
We have found the hand-held head (with suction-powered beater bars) extremely effective. It is not at all difficult to angle the head properly for maximum suction; I do the carpeted stairs much more rapidly -- and effectively -- with this attachment. Just remember where you put it; there is no onboard storage for this particular tool.
Those who have trouble cleaning certain surfaces with the hand-held beater bar attachment should try a variety of techniques. For example, I cleaned a fabric suitcase covered with pet hair by using a side-to-side motion, instead of front-to-back. Our mattress and cloth car seats responded best to a circular motion. Using this attachment requires a little experimentation, which is quick and easy. Just try different patterns until the crud starts coming off.
I particularly like the maneuverability of the ball design. It takes a minute or two to get used to, but it becomes very easy to maneuver, and reduces cleaning time.
The DC25 Animal picks up a lot more dirt, and somewhat more pet hair, than our previous vacuums. One of these was an Amway Cleartrack, the design of which was, IIRC, "borrowed" by the corporation from an earlier Dyson design, until Dyson prevailed in a lawsuit. We also used a couple of Hoover models.
The DC25's plastic design seems sturdy enough, but only time will tell how durable the unit will be.
It requires a little force to return the unit to its upright position, but you can lessen the force required by "helping" the wheels drop via some gentle pressure with your foot. Even without doing this, though, my wife and I have no difficulty returning the DC25 Animal to the upright position.
The unit is very light and is a beautiful piece of engineering. All seals tighten up snugly during operation, and the suction is very strong. The switchable electric beater bar is excllent, and this unit handles transitions from hard surfaces to carpeted surfaces better than any vaccuum I have used over the past 30 years.
The unit is well balanced for carrying when using the collection bin handle as recommended.
Other bagless vacs we have used have allowed a lot of dust and pet hair to make it through to the pre-motor filter(s). Not so with this unit. After many hours of use, only a small amount of very fine dust has collected on the washable cloth pre-motor filter. Dyson recommends rinsing this and the exhaust filter every few months.
This unit also draws a couple less amps during operation than our previous vac, as measured with a Kill-a-Watt.
All in all, I would say that the DC25 Animal is worth the price. It is a beautiful machine from both an engineering and aesthetic standpoint, but -- more importantly -- it does an exceptional job of cleaning multiple surfaces. |
Astonishing performance on long pet hair - definitely worth owning
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| Review Date: March 7, 2009 |
| Reviewer: PJ, Arlington, VA United States |
If you have long-haired animals as I do, buy this. It's as simple as that.
One thing, though - even if you're a fairly fanatical vacuumer, prepare to be disgusted with what you pull up the first time that you use the Dyson. I am owned by one Golden Retriever- Sheltie mix who blows coat twice a year, plus two longhaired cats that leave fur trails daily (despite frequent grooming of all three). I purchased my Dyson Animal last month after burning through the fourth belt in as many months on my old vacuum (an Oreck, no slouch in itself). I did a lot of research and decided that a Dyson that was purpose-built for pet hair had to be worth a try.
Well. I had just vacuumed the day before the Dyson arrived, but thought I'd take my new appliance for a spin just the same. I ran the Dyson over the carpet in my previously-vacuumed (and recently professionally-shampooed) living room, and the amount of hair, dust and other assorted debris that the Dyson lifted was genuinely astonishing (AND totally disgusting, when I considered that it had all been lurking in the rug!). I had to empty the waste container four times during that first use, and it is not a small container. I could have knit a whole new dog from the amount of long red hair that the Dyson Animal found.
Subsequent uses are now keeping the carpets clean, and the rooms even smell fresher. Added and unexpected bonus: my allergies have substantially declined.
I have since used the Dyson on both carpet and oriental rugs, and while it surely and quickly gets the dirt and hair, I have seen no unwanted lifting of fibers from the rugs. One note - when you first fire it up, if it doesn't seem to be picking up as it ought, make sure you find and engage the switch that turns on the rotating brush (you can turn that brush off for doing hard floors or very delicate rugs). Note that if you're used to really lightweight vacuums, this one will seem heavy. The weight actually is very useful in helping it to grip the carpet, and the ball makes it extremely maneuverable, so in general the weight isn't an issue. It would only be a drawback if you happen to have serious difficulty with lifting and if you also frequently need to go up and down stairs with your vacuum, in which case you may want to consider a lighter model.
Setup was easy and took less than 10 minutes. The vacuum is well built and based on Dyson's reputation and bazillions of other reviews, I don't anticipate any problems with its durability. I also appreciate Dyson's use of recyclable cardboard for all interior packing - no styrofoam to clog the landfills.
All in all, it's a fantastic vacuum and well worth the money, especially if you have four-legged fuzzies in your home. |
Everything they say it is and more
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| Review Date: April 10, 2009 |
| Reviewer: K. J. McGarghan, Manassas, VA USA |
| I have three cats, a poorly-insulated ground floor apartment with a heat pump, and a mostly-carpeted space. This vacuum is literally changing my life. Yes, the smaller reservoir is annoying. Yes, if you or your pets have oily hair or fur, cleaning is a little more involved. But the results are terrific. The carpets appear like new again (they also seem thicker, plusher). The air is sweeter. My air purifiers aren't working as hard. The pets are frolicking on the rugs (really -- it's fun to watch). And, at the start of allergy season, I don't seem to be getting my usual sinus/ear problems. The price is frightening, but so far it seems to be worth it. P.S.: for those of us with arthritis or other disabilities, the combination of the ball technology, lower profile, and lighter weight make this a much friendlier vacuum to use. I liked my Bissell Pet, but I love my Dyson 25 Animal. |
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