Customer Reviews

Dyson DC17 All Floors

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

HOLY COW is all I could say after using it for the first time. The amount of "stuff" that came out of our carpets was astonishing. I also feel like I got a great deal on it, on sale for $299 at best buy. That was about the maximum of my price threshold having never seen one in action. Well let me tell you at $499 it would have been a good deal based on how much suction power this thing has. I feel so fortunate to have gotten one for such a good price.

After reading some reviews and product comparisons I decided on the DC17. We needed a new vacuum as our old one was around 8 years old and a lately it seemed to suck at sucking. We have 2 kids and a Labrador Retriever who are constantly tracking dirt and such into the house as well as the animal hair and dander...OMG the amount of hair and dander was astonishing...the carpets after one vacuuming were noticeably cleaner and looked to my wife and I as if they had been steam cleaned.

The only problem with getting this vacuum is that we are now aware of the filth that was residing unseen in our carpets for all those years and the shame that accompanies it is almost unbearable...but persevere we must!!

One note that I read elsewhere and again in the documentation was not to use carpet fresh powder or things like it.

All you ever need. I already had a Dyson Animal and I bought this for my daughter. I recommend against paying extra for the Animal tag because it's the same unit minus a couple useless attachments. Once you use one of these you will not buy anything else. It does such a wonderful job and you will be amazed at all the dirt your old unit was missing. No need to purchase fancier models from Dyson. The basic unit is the same in all of them. Amazon is able to connect you to much lower prices than anyone. They know the way around the legalities of the franchise stipulations on pricing.

I have always preferred canister vacuums but when my rainbow gave out after 20+ years, I thought I'd try this one, especially since it has 5 stars and I like the bagless concept. It has amazing suction and seems well made but that's about all I can say for it. Actually, the suction power is way over kill. It's great for carpet and fairly thick rugs. It does well on hardwood floors with the brush turned off. However, the suction is too powerful for thin area rugs (i.e. my 8 x 10 jute rug)and it does not clean well on these with the brush turned off. Also I have a couple of flat big dog beds which I have always vacuumed fine wiht the canister rug attachment. The dyson has too much suction to work on these and again with the brush turned off will not clean them. The profile is too high to get under anything at all and the hose does not work well for this chore as the tool hose is a springy type so when you use the tools, the vacuum follows you around and hits you. Plus, the tool hose is so tightly wound, I was having to keep constant pressure on it to keep it from retracting. Finally, I thought the technology re weight would have improved over the years but this vacuum is so heavy it made my arm, wrist and back hurt even though it is self propelled with the brush on. Actually, this feature is also way over kill as I was fighting to keep the vacuum from running away from me. If you are thinking of switching from a canister, don't go with this vacuum. If you have hardwood/tile floors with area rugs, it's too expensive and too much vacuum for the job.

** Note ** - As of this writing, Amazon is pricing the DC17 "all floors" model higher than the DC17 "animal". While the product nomenclature is a bit confusing, as far as I can tell (and based on other reviews), the only difference between the two is the Animal includes an upholstery brush attachment. Even if you don't want said attachment, there's no reason to pay more for the DC17 All Floors than the DC17 Animal. **

While I purchased the DC17 Animal, it's largely the exact same product as this DC17 "All Floors", with the exception of the upholstery tool, which I didn't even mention in my review. Thus, my review is applicable to the All Floors, too.

I was recently in the market for a vacuum to replace my aging Bissell bagless unit, which even when it was new was just a mediocre product. I didn't know much about vacuums, but based on customer reviews and word of mouth, I was under the impression the Dyson was one of the better products on the market. I debated between the DC17 Animal and the DC25 Animal, and ultimately decided to go with the former because I have a single story house, so the added heft of the DC17 (which seems to be the main drawback vs. the DC25) wasn't that big an issue. Note I live in a ~2000 sq ft single story ranch, with mostly wood floors and area rugs with some tile (bathrooms, kitchen), and I have a large dog that sheds a lot. At the time of my purchase, I didn't know much about the pros/cons of certain types of vacuums (i.e. upright vs. canister, bag vs. bagless), but the product description for the Dyson said it works well on all types of floors and my previous vacuum was an upright, so I figured the DC17 would be a good choice and purchased it from Amazon.

I used the Dyson for 2 days before returning it to Amazon, and I have to say overall I think this product is mediocre at best and is dramatically over-hyped, the result of a very effective marketing campaign. The primary reason I returned the Dyson is because I feel it is too harsh on many types of floors. Many of the other reviews complained that the Dyson sucked up large quantities of carpet fiber, and this didn't really bother me since all rugs/carpets do shed to some extent and a vacuum picking up fibers doesn't necessarily indicate damage to the carpet/rug. Well - after vacuuming my expensive persian area rug only twice, I noticed the rug was starting to fray in certain areas. The damage wasn't terrible, but the fact that it was apparent after using the Dyson only twice was extremely disconcerting - I imagine within a few months the dyson would completely destroy the rug. The problem, in my view, is the brushes are too stiff and the brushing mechanism is too strong. While it is true that the brushes can be turned off, I found that with the brushes off the Dyson didn't do a very good job of picking up pet hair on the rug. Additionally, the brushes turn on automatically every time you turn on the vacuum, so it would be extremely easy to accidentally run the brushes on floors that could potentially be damaged (wood floors in addition to rugs). I also ran the Dyson over a small, cheap bathroom area rug and the Dyson literally picked it up and tore out the fibers in only a few seconds - not a big deal since it was a cheap area rug, but highlights the disadvantage of having only suction setting - you can forget about using the Dyson on any small, lightweight area rug, it will pick it up.


Pros:

1) Strong suction, although this "pro" can easily become a "con" because it cannot be adjusted

2) Amazon has a relatively painless return policy


Cons:

1) DC17 is, in my opinion, way too harsh on many types of flooring. It can damage rugs, and I didn't feel too comfortable using it on my wood floors, either.

2) Terrible included instructions (no mention of what types of floors the brush should or should not be used on, or what the various attachments are intended to be used for)

3) Overall cheap build quality and materials - this was a bit of a surprise given the price. The machine doesn't feel very well put together, and is constructed mainly of extremely cheap feeling plastics (of the brittle type that typically don't last long).

4) Overpriced

5) Large, cumbersome, and not very maneuverable. This lack of maneuverability is a big issue given the brush is so harsh - for example if you want to avoid a certain area (such as the tassly fringe of an area rug - no this is not the part that I damaged) while still vacuuming the surrounding area is not very easy. You'll have to use the want for such areas.


In the end, I returned the Dyson and purchased a Miele S4212 Neptune Canister vacuum (All New Miele S4212 Neptune Canister Vacuum Cleaner With STB 205-3 Turbo Tool). While it's a bit of an apples to oranges comparison (bagless upright vs. bagged canister), I feel the Miele is a vastly superior product in virtually every way - it also has strong suction, but the suction is adjustable, it's infinitely more maneuverable, employs better materials and has overall better build quality and fit & finish, and it's suitable to a wider range of floors (includes both a parquet attachment for wood floors, and a turbo brush for rugs/carpets - and the turbo brush is much gentler on rugs yet still picks up the dog hair).


I will admit, there are certain situations where the Dyson would be a suitable choice, and for that reason I give it 2 stars rather than 1. In my opinion, the ONLY situation where I'd recommend the Dyson is if a) your home consists almost entirely wall to wall carpeting (with maybe a little tile, but no wood floors or rugs) and b) you have messy people and pets living there and need the above average suction. For example, the type of apartment a lot of college kids live in typically has entirely wall to wall carpeting and lots of big messes, but what college kid drops $400 on a vacuum? And even if you do have such needs, there are surely better built options in this price range.

Conclusion: Overhyped, overpriced, and in the end just not that good of a product. It has a narrow range of situations in which it excels (wall to wall carpeting with lots of dirt and pet hair), and a lot of situations in which it really isn't the best choice (wood floors, rugs, anything that requires maneuvering in tight spaces, and any task that requires the ability to turn down the suction such as vacuuming drapes, furniture, light area rugs etc.). It's a sledgehammer (and an overpriced, cheaply constructed sledgehammer at that), and unless you want a sledgehammer for every cleaning job, I'd consider other options.

We got 4 of these vacums for a wedding gift. I guess everyong thought we needed a Dyson. At first I was a little apprehensive, since I had read a few reviews a couple of years ago. I am so happy people got us this vacum. I was actually shocked by the amount of dirt it pulled out of carpet I use to diligently vacum 1-2 times a week. My husband is in love with the machine and has made it clear it is his machine if we ever go our seperate ways (LOL).

I love how it auto adjusts the height based on the floor level.

The wand cleaverly hiddening inside the handle is a great feature.

I love my new vacuum! we just got new carpet and decided that we needed a new vacuum too, we bought and we love! i think the capet looks great, we had just vacumed with my parents orek which we wanted but am certain the dyson did a better job. Also liked that you can turn the brush off to do the tile. Am incredibly satisfied!

I bought the Dyson DC17 in 2009 from another site. My Dyson has broken down twice in about 20 vacuums of my house. We have no pets and only three of us living in our home. I find myself going back to my old reliable vacuum everytime I sweep. The person repairing the vacuum, via phone, was short and preoccupied with something else when I called for help. She rudely states that the vacuum was clogged and that I must need to unclogg the vacuum every couple times that I vacuum. I haven't even filled the dust canister once yet and have had to have it worked on twice. I am very disappointed in my Dyson. I hope others have better luck.

The Dyson DC17 pulled so much cat fur and litter dust out of what I thought were reasonably clean rugs that I was a wee bit sickened. Suffice it to say, all other brands are now dead to me.

I was in the market for a new vacuum. I spent 200 dollars for a Bissell and after 4 years, the love and suction for pickup was gone. I've had several vacuums in the past and wanted something that would hopefully last for years to come. Stopped at Target and saw the DC17 All Floors on clearance for $224!
I got this monster home and plugged it in and went to work. The container had to be emptied 3 times after vacuuming just the living room and dining room.
I am extremely happy that I've decided to go with the Dyson name despite my misgivings about the price. I never fathomed that I would purchase a vacuum that's regularly priced at over $400 dollars but with the price point I got it for, it's all good!
Be careful with emptying the canister. I emptied it in the kitchen trash can and dust and dirt flew everywhere. It also took time for me to figure out how to use the hose; the instruction booklet gave plenty of illustrations, but I would have also liked a few paragraphs detailing on how to use the vacuum. The hose picks up just as well as the regular vacuuming function.
I would definitely recommend the purchase of this vacuum! It works like a champ!

I admit I'm cheap. I was very resistant to paying so much for a vacuum. I was happy with my Bissell Pet Hair Eraser and used it until it burnt up. I was given another bissel and no matter if I cleaned the filters every time I used it I just wasn't happy with the lack of pet hair removal. I researched, read reviews on the Dyson on tons of sites. I finally gave in and purchased the Dyson DC17 all floors from Target on Black Friday. I did the test, I used my old vacuum on my living room rug. Went over it twice. Then went over it one time with the new Dyson and holy cow. It picked up TWICE as much as the old one (even after going over it twice!) I never thought I would say I love my vacuum... But I love my Dyson. They are expensive and if your considering it I'll tell you they really are worth it if you really want your carpets clean.