Customer Reviews

Dyson DC28 Animal

5 star:		(145)
4 star:		(36)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(19)
1 star:		(44)

 

 

I don't know exactly where to start. I've owned a Sears, a Hoover, and an Electrolux (sadly, Electrolux isn't what is used to be). I researched and read reviews on at least 100 vacuums, watched unbiased youtube reviews, and talked to sales associates. After several months, I narrowed it down to the Dyson DC28 and the Miele Titan. I won't waste your time talking about WHY I chose the DC28 over the Miele Titan, but if you would like me to elaborate, please leave me a comment and I will promptly respond.

As far as the DC28 goes, it truly does have incredible suction! We have a longhaired Australian shepherd who sheds hairs sometimes a foot-long, and we regularly have guests, and I admit I'm a clean freak and I vacuum once a day. Yet, with all that daily vacuuming, I was missing SO MUCH, it sickens me. I vacuumed my whole house right before I vacuumed with my DC28, and I filled the canister past maximum capacity, then halfway full again the next day. It's amazing all the dirt and dander and tiny particles that this vacuum kicked up, it was like a fine powder(see my photos above for proof). I also cleaned 1 level of my girlfriend's house, who has a Samoyed, and we filled the canister 5 times on a once over and emptied maybe 2 pounds of hair, dirt, dander and tiny particles (she uses an Oreck XL pro plus I believe). Despite other reviews, this vacuum is not difficult to maneuver; the incredible airmuscle technology suction that this machine has DOES make it *different* to maneuver at first, but I got used to it after a half hour. The machine is stiff at first but if you buy something new, that's very common (mine loosened up after a few days).

The 4 height options are bare floor (lowest/no beater brush), low-pile, medium pile, and high pile. I have medium carpet and use it on the low pile setting to really get that beater brush down in the carpet! My carpets look freshly shampooed everyday. You can feel the suction power in your hand, like using a shopvac in the garage-you know you're getting it all! This machine also has a huge 35 foot power cord that is soft and easy to wrap up on the back of the vacuum, with a strong clip to secure the cord. For floor cleaning of any kind, it's superb. As far as the tools go, it comes with four which I will go over. The MINI TURBINE HEAD(retail 70 bucks separate) works great for cleaning the mattresses, cloth bean bags (lovesac/cordaroys), cloth furniture, small hard to reach spots between furniture, and stair cleaning (attaches to the pop out handle connected to the 17 foot vac hose-perfect for cleaning the whole staircase without moving the machine). Second, it comes with the FLAT-OUT TOOL(retails 50 bucks separate) and this is great for vacuuming under tables, chair legs, and under furniture when attached to the pop out wand. It also comes with a CREVICE TOOL which is a combo STIFF BRUSH TOOL, as well as a soft, wide angled tool with soft fuzz on the bottom to carefully clean delicate surfaces or furniture. The HEPA filter is easy to wash, just rinse it out every 3 months, let it dry for a day then pop it back in and keep cleaning!

I hope this review is helpful to someone and don't forget to look at the product images I posted above. I know the review is lengthy, but I wish I would have had a detailed review like this to guide me while considering spending 600 bucks on a vacuum cleaner, but it really is worth it. I use it everyday and I'd be happy to answer any questions/comments anyone has about my experience with this vacuum, or the vacuum itself. Thanks for reading!

This whole time I thought I was vacuuming my carpet...what was my weak vacuum doing and why was I wasting my time?

I picked up the Dyson from a popular retail home goods store for 20% off the MSRP. Assembly was simple. Snap the Quick-draw Telescope Reach(tm) wand into the flexible hose and fit the wand onto the body of the vacuum. Remove various pieces of cardboard. Vacuum.

I live in an apartment with two cats; one of which sheds a lot (we call him fur pants). I had been using a Dirt Devil Featherlite Bagless Upright Vacuum for about 3 years. It picked up large pieces of dirt, and sometimes the smaller pieces. We used it a lot to vacuum cat litter in the cat's room as well. I've used the attachments a few times as well. One thing I noticed about the Dirt Devil is that whenever I wanted to use an attachment or empty the canister, I had to practically prepare myself for an asthma attack. Dirt and dust everywhere. And the thing is...if I pull out an attachment to clean, the first thing I clean is the dirt that's made by disconnecting the hose from head to the attachment! Anyway, ol' devil started to burn plastic and rubber when I ran it and I'd been looking for a toy. I did a lot of research and almost went with the Bissell 5770 Healthy Home Bagless Upright Vacuum, but I'm a man who demands the highest quality products with proven results and reputation.

The Dyson DC28 Delivers. My wife had vacuumed with the Dirt Devil 3 days before I vacuumed with the Dyson. The Dyson picked up so much hair, dirt, dust, and debris embedded in the carpet that I filled the canister when vacuuming my living room and office. Mind you, my apartment is only 720 sq ft. I vacuumed the living room again to pick up even more dust, dirt, hair, and debris! Amazing. The flat out tool that comes with the DC 28 is amazing and is the most useful vacuum tool I've ever used. Between my long arms and the reach of the telescope-reach wand, I was able to get all but 8 inches from one side of the bed. I quickly went to the other and finished up the job. The power of the machine is amazing, as well as the versatility of the machine and accessories. My wife even dusted her shoes with the multi-use attachment brush head!

As you power on the machine and select the depth of carpet from the buttons on the base of the handle, the vacuum adjusts it's posture such that you can feel it literally clamp itself to the floor with relentless grip. The power and weight remind me more of a carpet shampoo machine because it is so firm and weighted in it's engagement to the floor. Some might complain that this vacuum is too heavy. I would complain that they are too weak. I am not a body builder - I am a regular person. It's a little rougher, but I'm not soar or requiring days of recover to rebuild my muscular tissue. It's not as big of a deal as some reviewers would have you believe. The weight is a plus when using the attachments because you are less prone to knock it down when demanding reach and flexibility out of the hose. If you're a lightweight (being less than 130 lbs) or are in horrible physical shape, get yourself a Dyson DC24. If not, get the DC28.

This is the first time vacuuming has been both effective and fun.

I bought this vacuum from HSN when they offered a deal with additional accessories and an extra filter. Well, the vacuum is heavy as a previous reviewer noted. However, when placed on the proper setting, it behaved almost like it was self propelled. The key is to follow instructions and set the vacuum on the proper setting before turning it on. It works well on my bathroom tile floors in picking up hair. I'm pleased with the ease of use and the telscoping handle. The accessories are easy to handle. The only cons are the lack of on-board tool storage and the hefty price. My carpet looks soooo much better after using this vacuum for a short period of 1 week. Worn areas look so much better since the vacuum's powerful suction have dislodged packed fibers. I have no regrets buying this vacuum at all. My only regret is not buying a Dyson sooner.

We bought the Dyson DC28 after considerable research on line. The Dyson is certainly the most expensive vacuum we ever had but our first cleaning indicates its worth it.

I have read other reviews complaining that you need to empty the canister after each room. We live in a home with two indoor cats both of whom shed. When we put the Dyson to work in our living room, the results were simply put...astonishing! We didn't get one canister of dirt; we got THREE! Cat hair mostly that the Dyson pulled up out of the carpet. It will be interesting to see how many canisters we get next time we vacuum. Since our house has always been regularly vacuumed and did not look dirty when we started, I would conclude that the Dyson performed in A+ fashion.

One reason we chose the Dyson is because I'm an asthma sufferer and the last time I ran our old vacuum, it generated so much dust I had an attack and had to use my inhaler. Dyson offers a HEPA filter and specifically advertises that their machines are very friendly to allergy suffers. I was extremely pleased that in spite of 3 canisters of dirt and cat hair sucked up by the DC~28 in my living room, I experienced no discomfort whatsoever while using the unit, or thereafter. In fact, after completing the vacuuming, we removed the filter (it just pops out) and inspected it. There was almost no visible dirt on it...indicating that the dust and dander was going in the canister, not into the filter.

The fit and finish of the machine is very good. One thing I appreciated was that it came in a box with a carry handle. The manufacturer had set the handle slightly offfrom the center of the box so that the box containing the vacuum balanced nicely when carried. This is superb attention to detail...just what you expect when you buy the Rolls Royce of vacuums.

Pro's of the DC28

I have never seen a vacuum do such a good job. When Dyson refers to 'AirMuscle' techology, they are not kidding. This machine cleans like a banshee.

Allergy sufferer friendly. The HEPA filter plus design of the machine sends dust into the canister...not into the air. Great for allergy sufferers like me.

All controls are accessible while standing upright or bending only slightly. No need to bend down low to adjust anything. Saves your back.

The 'brushbar' automatically adjusts for different floor surfaces. A nice convenience.

The 'Flat out' head attachment provided with the machine really works well, especially for vacuuming under beds and furniture. It is designed in such a way than it can get into very tight spaces...even under chests of drawers and dressers with little clearance between the floor and the bottom of the furniture. This attachment also worked really well with throw rugs that the regular brushbar head tended to roll up off the floor

The cord is extra long...35+ feet. This proved to be very convenient.

Cons

Expensive...this is hardly a cheap vacuum. However, in the last 10 years we have had three vacuums which wore out or deteriorated to the point they had to be replaced. The Dyson machine has a 5 year warranty. None of our other machines lasted for 5 years...never mind had a warranty period that long. Interestingly, Best Buy didn't try to sell us an extended warranty. The salesman who sold us our machine told us simply that the manufacturer's warranty was so good that no one would consider buying and extended warranty; therefore Best Buy doesn't even try to sell one with the Dyson's.

Heavy...at 20+ pounds the DC28 is not a machine I would want to lug up and down stairs very often. We have a single level home, so that is not an issue for us, but it will be for some people.

Conclusion

After initial use, both the wife and I are very pleased with our purchase. We will of course keep an eye on how well the DC28 holds up and what our experience is if and when we need service. But our first impression is that we have never seen a vacuum clean as effectively or as conveniently as the Dyson DC28.

I purchased the Dyson DC28 animal with some hesitation because it is a little expensive and I read reviews mostly of other Dyson models which were mostly good but the negative reviews are the ones I like to read first. Some reviews say Dyson vacuums are hard to set up. This one took me only 1 minute to set up. Some people say that their belt broke almost immediately on first use. The belt on this model is covered and is impossible for hair to get to. Some people say that Dyson feels cheaply made. Compared to a Mercadez maybe but for vacuums this is top of the line. I did look at a DC14 and it is a lot cheaper looking than the DC28 or some of the ball models. This is a very high quality top of the line vacuum at any price.

Cons: Heavy if you have a two story house, cost is up there but I would buy it again.

Pros: Self propelled so weight is not an issue, newest air muscle technology, great handtools, only Dyson with height adjustment with the touch of a botton, telescoping wand is easy to use, easy to empty dirt container, very easy to clean components, lifetime filters, access to clean brush with three screws that you turn with a quarter or a nickel which allows you to remove the hair with ease (do not use a screw driver or you will damage the plastic screws) & all the problems from past Dyson models seem to have been remedied in this model.

I would Highly recommend this model.

Ok. I know what you're thinking. 600.00 for a freaking vacuum cleaner? Are you serious? I thought the same thing. But year after year of going through sub-par Hoovers and Eurekas or however you spell it, I needed something that offered a good warranty but most of all I was looking for a vacuum cleaner that would pick up. I cannot tell you how many sub-par vacuum cleaners there are out in the market today that are junk. The Dyson DC28 is FANTASTIC! I'm an Engineer, so I'm super detailed and very critical of everything. It's just my nature. The packaging was excellent and some serious thought and research went into protecting the DC28. Just my observation. I know, who cares about the packaging right?

I will be honest and say the directions/manual are average at best. But it doesn't take a rocket scientist to assemble and get the vacuum cleaner ready to go. I'm very allergic and sensitive to dust, so I decided to vacuuum my bedroom first. I read plenty of reviews where I saw they indicated you would need to dump the canister numerous times. I was very skpetical but oh boy is this true. Granted, I'm a "clean freak" and my house I thought was spotless. Man was I wrong!! I vacuumed my bedroom and I ended up emptying the canister 3 times. I could not beleive the dust and dirt I had in my carpet. The suction power is 245 Air watts which is incredible. Very impressed with the performance and ease of use on this vacuum cleaner. From emptying the canister to attaching the additional attachments, this product is top notch.

I saw numerous comments about the weight of this product. Come on people!! This is not that heavy. Unless you are a Senior citizen maybe. But when the power is on, it's not that bad at all. Don't get me wrong, it's not as light as a feather but if you have a dissablity or weight is an issue, go check it out at a store first. Common sense right? I mean, it is a 600.00 vacuum right? :)

I am a fan of Dyson for sure. I cannot beleive how much dirt and dust was living in my carpets. I love to vacuum now. Crazy, I know. I would reccomend this product to anyone if your budget permits. Just remember, It has a 5 year warranty and most of all the performance is bar none. If you have any questions about this vacuum, feel free to ask me.

We've had a DC17 for years, and loved it. The DC17 picks up our cat hair like nobody's business. We decided to buy a DC28 so we'd have one Dyson upstairs, and one in the basement. The DC28 should have worked even better than the DC17 we figured...

But it barely picked up any dirt from our carpet. It was so bad, we sent it back for repair within a week. Dyson sent it back to us saying there was nothing wrong. We did a test, vacuuming the same carpet with the DC17 and DC28. The DC28 barely had anything in it, then the DC17 filled up three times.

Don't know if we just had a bad unit, or if the DC28 just doesn't do a good job on carpet - but for us, it was certainly no DC17.

And BTW, we bought directly from Dyson, and their return process is unbelievably cumbersome. If you want to buy this unit, buy it from Amazon, or a local big box store.

Hi!

We have always had the typical Hoovers and Eurekas. Sadly, these vacs start losing power and having to buy filters gets expensive. My husband finally talked me into a Dyson vac. I am tight with money, so spending $500 for a vac seemed stupid to me. Well, I had to eat those words.

We vacuum every day as we have a large house and a couple of pets. I "thought" my house was clean. I was wrong. My husband kept on talking about a Dyson. I finally agreed only if we did not buy any other gifts for each other and this would be our Christmas present to each other. Last week, the Dyson DC28 went on sale at Best Buy for $479.00. I am still having to swallow spending that much money for a vac. For that amount of money it better last for 50 years!

We used our previous vac on Sat night (12/12/2009). It picked up the usual amount of dirt. We bought the Dyson on Sunday (12/13). We vacuumed the entire house. We had to empty the canister THREE times! I could not believe this much stuff was left behind by our other vac. Too, this does not make the air smell like with most all vacs spewing dirt and dust right back into the air and of course into your carpet all over again! After we finished vacuuming, the air seemed to smell lighter if that makes any sense at all. I cannot describe it. The house seemed cleaner both air and carpet.

Suction? This thing will suck the fur off a donkey's rear!

My hubby has allergies. This vac seems to have really made a difference and I kind of look at this like buying a car. If you go with a cheap car, then you stand a good chance of having lots of repair bills and it may not be dependable, whereas if you buy a Mercedes or Lexus, you know they are excellent cars.

This Dyson vac is a Mercedes as far as vacs are concerned. If you want to have a really clean house, this is worth the money and I look at it as an investment.

The cord is long and we vacuumed the entire house without having to pull the plug from room to room. This is the quietest vac I have ever owned! It does not lose suction when the canister gets full.

Again to mention...no buying filters that normally run around $20. They are only good for a short time. Think of how much you spend over a few years and it comes to a few hundred dollars. Basically, you could buy the DC28 for what you spend in filters. The Dyson has permanent filters and you simply rinse them out with water.

Look, going cheap is not the best sometimes...you are talking about your health here. Spend the extra money. Too, buying it from Best Buy allows you to use it for 30 days. If you do not like it, then return it and get your money back. I bet you won't let go of it once you use it.

Merry Christmas!!
Pat

We heavily reviewed the DC17 and the DC24 Animal after we had a Kirby demo at our house. Not really willing to pay $ 2000 for that vacuum we decided to buy 'at least' a Dyson. We realized that we probably spent $ 1000 over the last years replacing almost yearly what we had. Even there was not more than a hand full of reviews we bought the DC28 Animal.
One of many things I read was that the cord of the other models was very short. The DC28 has a cord that long I did the stairway all the way up to the second floor while it was still plugged in downstairs in the living room. I also did the stairway without using the attachments either and it worked like a charm and it didn't hurt my back which does give me trouble quiet often. The carpet looked like it was steam cleaned after the first use. It was pretty amazing and no dog hair smell from the vacuum either.

We clean our ceiling fan and loft balcony without 'rebuilding' or attaching anything to the DC28. We pulled the extension piece right out of the handle with the hose already attached and that was it.
My husband was amazed by how much dog hair and fine dust we vacuumed out of the carpet the first time. The DC28 is not a light weight vacuum but I don't really 'feel' that since it seems to want to take off by itself when you turn it on. That way you don't have to do all the pushing anyway. When I do the stairway I hold it by the handle on the container and the suction does the rest to keep it straight. We did not try the hand piece for the pet hair yet.
Our carpet used to look old and tired, almost flat but has been fluffed up by the DC28 big time. Another plus we love about this vacuum. The container is super easy to empty and the 2 filters easy to clean. Overall we are very happy with this so easy to handle vacuum and would buy it again.

I purchased this in Late January and now it wont power on. Dyson customer service was very rude and told me that Amazon is not an authorized reseller and this $600.00 purchase was not covered by warrenty. The lady that I talked to basically told me not to be so cheap and buy one for full retail. I told her that I did pay full retail and I was told I was lying and then hung up on. When I called back to file a complaint the supervisor hung up on me. After having to call back several times they finally acknowledged Amazon.com is a authorized reseller and after paying my own shipping my DC28 is in for repair. I will never buy another Dyson again!