Customer Reviews

Dyson DC18 Slim All-Floors Cyclone Upright Vacuum Cleaner

5 star:		(112)
4 star:		(38)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

Vacuums often disappoint. They're either unwieldy in size, take too much work to change out longer hoses or put on attachments, etc., need costly bags, or they're heavy or take up too much storage space. And, lastly, they frequently don't live up to performance standards. Well, the Dyson Slim delivers in all but one small category.

As the Cleaning Editor for BellaOnline, I look at cleaning equipment with a serious eye. The first thing I noticed about my Dyson Slim is that performance-wise, it delivers, pulling up cup-full after cup-full of hair, dust, and everything else you find in carpets -- even the ones I had just vacuumed with my regular vacuum (I had to perform a quick "quality assurance" test).

The Dyson Slim also delivers in several other categories, such as storage (it takes 1/3 less space than a regular vacuum), and ease of use. It has the "flick of the wrist" action of the Dyson Ball without the massive weight of the Dyson Ball. This is important to me because I broke my wrist last year and had neck surgery in February. I need a vacuum that I don't have to muscle around the house and that torques my wrist and lower back.

Another spot where it delivers is the size of the vacuum head. It's not as wide as regular vacuums and I was reluctant to buy it because a wider head means more coverage; or so I thought. Actually, the shorter vacuum head, combined with the low profile, means the vacuum gets into very small spaces and underneath sofa skirts, etc., easily and more proficiently than a standard-sized vacuum, helping you to vacuum more quickly and with greater agility.

Where didn't it perform? The attachment heads were a disappointment. There's not a good-sized brush or wide head attachment. The attachments seemed a little cheap and overlooked -- with one exception. The crevice tool/brush combination it comes with is absolutely perfect for vacuuming baseboards (Halleluiah!). But, I also find that I need a nice-sized brush for areas like wood shutters and a wide head attachment to do places such as stairs and tiled areas. However, you can always buy the Dyson wide attachment ($50) and brush separately. Or, I just bought the Kenmore brand attachments that fit the Dyson perfectly. The wide head was only $9.99 -- and it fits in the slot for the Dyson attachments on the vacuum body.

For a vacuum that's easy to maneuver, easy to clean and maintain, takes up less space and gives all the power of a regular-sized Dyson vacuum, the Dyson Slim is a hands-down winner. The only drawback in my mind (better attachments) was no problem because I found an inexpensive work-around. Besides, I'd rather have an easy-to-use vacuum that works well and has chintzy attachments than great attachments on a so-so vacuum. I'd recommend this vacuum to anyone, especially if you want all the power at half the size.

My previous vacuum was a Kenmore canister, which was good for its time, but it was starting to show its age and being a 'bag dependent' vacuum was no help either.

The Dyson Slim first caught my eye a couple months ago, but unfortunately it was only available in the UK and Europe at the time. When it hit Amazon I snatched it up quickly. I was at first a bit unimpressed by the all plastic design, thinking that it will break easily. However this was an after thought when I started using it. The first thing you'll notice when using the Slim is its weight. For an upright it was very surprising. If you currently have a canister vacuum, yes this will feel a bit heavier, but keep in mind you won't have keep tugging like you would with a canister vac.

Now in terms of suction this is where the Dyson shines. I have tile floors with some area rugs. When I first turned it on it was something like this: I had the Dyson on my rug, turned it on, it was immediately picking up dust and I didn't even move the vacuum yet! I couldn't believe how much it was picking up. The vacuum picks up dirt and dust so fine you can't see. I have a chinchilla, whose fur is very fine, almost like spider web, and he takes baths in dust or ash. While I try to keep his dust baths contained to his cage the dust travels. Also when he's out of the cage doesn't help either. This vacuum gets both his fur and dust with not problems at all. As for maneuverability, its smooth and the 'ball' is a nice feature.

The only thing that disappoints IMO is the attachments. While the two attachments that come with it are good, I feel at this price point and considering the Slim is smaller than other Dyson's, Dyson should include the low reach floor tool, for example.

Overall I like this vacuum a lot. It cleans very well and the HEPA filtration is very good. The place seems to smell cleaner, but that could just be me. The cord length isn't much of an issue for me, or the canister size. Longevity of the Dyson remains to be seen, but right now this is a very good vacuum.

I'm really disappointed with my Dyson Slim. I would not recommend buying one.

At first we were very happy with the equipment. It was light, maneuverable and very good at picking up everything on the carpet. We had thought we gained a second cat with all the hair collected in the dirt chamber.

However, after a month or two, the stand started failing. Six months later, the machine will rarely stand up on its own - it will just flop over if it isn't propped up against something else.

Contacting Dyson was nice at first. But then they forwarded us to a less than responsive repair shop. The shop reluctantly called us back after 10 days of attempts to contact them. Bottom line, they want $80 to fix our six month old vacuum cleaner that is supposed to be under warrantee.

I re-contacted Dyson, who said that they could do nothing for us. It's the shops call as to whether a plastic stand part is under warrantee. Yes it's under a 5 year warrantee, but anything that did not break within the first few weeks must not be a defect according to their help line.

So the Dyson Slim works great initially. But even though it has a price in excess of $400, it has a lot of cheap plastic parts in its construction that Dyson will not cover. Buy it and use it until it drops, but don't count on Dyson to back their product.

We got this vacuum soon after our wedding, and not long after we got a cat. I vacuumed the floor with our old vacuum cleaner, and then used this Dyson. It picked up SO MUCH hair and dirt! I was amazed. I like the way the vacuum can turn and swivel, and do both our carpeted and hard floors. Also, I was having some allergies to the cat, and this Dyson has helped that considerably. I highly recommend it.

I echo what everyone else has said but no-one has mentioned what I consider a drawback. There is no headlight. The convenience and flexibility of the unit are great. I purchased mine at Sears when it was on sale for $422.00.

After comparing it to our old Eureka Whirlwind (as far a suction goes), it's easily obvious the DC18 has more suction. It's a nice benefit that our Eureka attachments do fit on the DC18's wand, so the tools can be repurposed to the new vacuum. The carpet pick up is not quite as good as I think it could be. I tested it by sprinkling various things on the floor like dirt and crumbled up crackers and chips as well as play doh. It did pick the items up and put them in the bin but I had to make two passes over the crackers to get them up. It seems that the vac doesn't pick up everything directly under the brush roll drive.

The vac comes completely apart. You can take the machine apart all the way down to the frame easily. The hoses come right off as well as the head and the bin comes apart easily. The wand detaches from the hose so you can easily use it for detailing your car. This is one of the nice benefits to the vac, the versatility I mean.

I ordered the dusting brush and the stiff brush as additional accessory items to go along with the DC18. I feel you need a dusting brush for TV and electronic items which atract static dust and I got the stiff brush to get those stubborn areas of the floor boards and bathroom corners.

The hose will stretch long enough for you to clean a flight of stairs (13 steps). It's a wonderful thing to be able to stretch the hose that long and still maintain strong suction.

It's a LOT of money for a vacuum and I'm banking on the durability as well as the "no loss of suction" claim. 5 years warrantee is a strong statement but as I think about it, our Eureka Whirlwind is 5 years old and I've only replaced belts on it and it was $149. So maybe 5 years warrantee is not saying much? I don't know just yet if the Dyson is worth the big $$$

*****Edited*****

OK, I've had the vac for a couple of months now and can say that, although its pretty good, it's not worth the extra money. If I had to do it all over again I'd have gotten the Kenmore because it's got better suction and is a more substantial vacuum cleaner. Kenmore model #36933. The dyson is OK but I'd consider it not better than the old Eureka whirlwind bagless we had for years. It is no to good for carpet. You have to go over and over the carpet because there is so much of the brush that is covered by the brush guard and the vac does not vac where the brush guard is. If I could change my score I'd change it to a 3 star.

I first purchased the Dyson Animal shortly after it first came out years ago. I had 5 cats & 2 Ferrets so you can image the mess I was dealing with. I moved a little over a year ago & could not believe the mess behind my furniture & down in our family room & this animal worked just like that - an animal. For the past year & a half, it still has peformed like when I first purchased it, even after all the abuse of animals. My oldest son informed me that his vacuum quit working, since he took 2 of the original 5 cats, I decided to give him my animal, I wasn't too sad because I decided I wanted the Dyson Slim. I live in an apartment now, with only a Bird & thought this was the smart choice for my next vacuum. I bought it a retail store nearby & got a $100 gift card for buying, so I also purchased the car acccessory kit & the soft dust brush. I wasn't worried about the attachments or the plastic design of this machine because as I said, I had already owned a Dyson & new that it was sturdier than any other vacuum I had ever owned, & believe me, I have owned about 5 others, from a Kirby to Filter Queen & the most expensie Hoover & none has ever been able to live up to this Dyson. It cleans like a dream, & very easy to disassemble to clean the moving parts or any clog you may get. I only clogged it once & that was when I was cleaning right before my move, I don't blame the vacuum, but after I cleaned it, it worked just like the first day I bought it. I was pleasantly suprised, that they have made several improvements on their original vacuums, I love the slim design, it's lightweight & manuevers very easily & picks up the same as my animal. It is much easier to use & takes up less space & I have found it to be quieter than the Animal. I have never left any opinions on anything before, but I had to leave one on the Dyson name. This is more than a vacuum, it will be your best friend & will never let you down! If you are hesitating because of the price, DO NOT! It is worth every penny & will never have to purchase another vacuum, believe Andrew Dyson, this is the best machine out there for the price.

i've always been a canister person. i started out in life with cheap and used canisters which were hard to use because of not enough suction--exercises in futility that made me hate vacuuming--then, about 10 years ago, after a bad experience with a reconditioned vacuum cleaner that was so loud, ear covers should've been used, i was looking, once again, for a used vacuum, in the Recycler, and i got very lucky, i found a woman selling a Miele canister for $100. It was only a year old, it came with the store receipt, she'd paid about $550 for it, and it was the first vacuum i ever had that had powerful suction and was enjoyable to use. It was quiet, and i loved the retractable cord. It had a real quality feel about it. It worked perfectly for about 10 years. Then, several months ago, it lost suction. I took it to a repair place and was told the problem was caused by pet hair. In fact, early last year, i got a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, they have very long hair. Previously i'd just had a small short haired cat. Still the Miele worked well, but then this year, i also took in my daughter's Cavalier King Charles, so i had two. So, apparently, sadly, that really impaired the much loved Miele. I had it repaired, but it still doesn't seem to be as good as before, and, it is much louder since the repair. Bummer. So, i began looking for a good "pet hair" vacuum. A couple of days ago, i read the reviews for this one. I was attracted by the look of it--i always hated uprights (I've owned a couple, both of which were given to me) because of their bulkiness, the space and footprint factor, and also, just maneuverability, too hard for me to deal with. But the reviews of the 'Slim' Dyson and the look of it had me thinking it might be different from other uprights. I went to a vacuum store and tried one out. I loved how it felt, how easy to turn and to have it go where i wanted it to go. It was actually fun. I fell in love. Powerful suction and easy to maneuver, that's all i ask. I got one at Circuit City online because i could go pick it up in the store and if it turns out that i'm not satisfied for any reason, i can return it within 30 days. I can also do that on Amazon, but i would rather not have to deal with shipping a vacuum cleaner. but i don't think i'm ever going to return this vacuum cleaner. I vacuumed as soon as i got it home. wow, it got so much dirt, dust and hair. Wonderful feeling to see what a deep cleaning it did, while being easy to push around and quick and fast to finish the job. Problem: I got finished too soon, ending the fun. Me? Loving vacuuming? i never would've believed it. I vacuumed several more times, carpets, floors, furniture, over the next few hours, even though it was redundant.

The things i don't like as much about it include:

i was frustrated with the instructions, they are minimal at most, not even--there are very few words that don't tell you anything, and then there are drawings that for the most part have no detail and i spent a fair amount of time trying to figure out the mystery of what they meant. But once i figured everything out, i could see that it's straightforward, very well designed, just simple buttons in convenient places.

I find the wand/hose to be stiff and unwieldly, hard to use--but i am used to a canister so compared to that, it's definitely not as useful. Still, i've gotten a lot of use out of the wand on the upholstery, maybe i'll get more used to it, and it does accomplish the purpose. I figured i could still use the Miele for certain things, but the Dyson is my powerhouse work horse for the pet hair that accumulates daily. Very clean vacuum. Very happy with the freedom from filthy vacuum cleaner bags.

Those are the only things that i had a hard time with, everything else was easy and quite enjoyable--to feel so empowered over dirt. I love this vacuum cleaner. I ordered the soft dust brush attachment on Amazon. I'm hesitating on ordering the low floor tool because I may not want to use the hose/wand that much, i'm not sure yet, but if i do get used to it (and when i spend this much money on something, i am motivated to try to like everything about it) then i'll get a low floor tool and the mattress tool. I just wish i already had the soft brush tonight because i would LOVE to dust right now.

I am a housework hater. I pay someone else to clean my place. So it's a tribute to the Dyson Slim that i would rather vacuum than do anything else tonight, and sadly have done all the vacuuming that needs to be done, and then some.

I miss the retractable cord that my Miele has. I know some uprights have them, but perhaps not having it helps to keep the vacuum small and easy to maneuver--for me, that's an acceptable trade off.

Edit: A few days later, i want to add that i did get used to the hose and i like how it works. It felt so tight and stiff at first that i was afraid to stretch it out, i didn't want to break it, but now i see that it's strong and doesn't seem fragile, it's made to be stretched out and to bend. I have an upstairs with a carpeted staircase. I couldn't believe that the hose would stretch the whole way to the top, but it does, barely. The last step is hard to reach, but i can bring the vacuum upstairs and do the top stairs. All but the top step were easy to reach with the hose though. Before i got used to it, i was afraid if i stretched it too far, i'd pull the vacuum over, it would fall, but not so. It stays upright no matter how much i pull, as it was designed to do. So i give using the hose a high rating. I like using this upright much better than using a canister. I have changed.

Edit: a few weeks later. more in love than ever. Love to vacuum. makes me happy.
I got almost all possible accessories for it. Most of them work, some wouldn't fit, even with adapters. The two that didnt' fit were the flexible crevice tool and the stiff brush. These came with the car kit. The mini car turbo attachment does fit, no adapter needed. i use all the attachments when i vacuum around the house, all well made and extend the potential of this way cool vacuum cleaner. It has good suction with all the attachments. I have really enjoyed using the soft dusting brush and the mattress tool with it in particular. The two attachments that come with the vacuum cleaner get a lot of use too. Excellent, versatile.

I have had the occasion to take apart the bin and the beater to clean them. Very easy and straightforward. This is an extremely user friendly vacuum cleaner.

One problem i've had with this vacuum cleaner is that I'm not used to needing to empty the dirt so often, my previous vacuum cleaners didn't need emptying very often, they could be used several times without getting full. The Slim needs to be emptied sometimes several times when i vacuum. I don't mind this at all, it's fun to empty it because it's so cool and easy, i empty it outside, no dust in the house. But, the problem is that i have tended to forget that it needs to be emptied and this has resulted a couple of times to filling it with dirt way higher than the fill line, and this is supposed to be very bad for the vacuum cleaner. The last time, it was so bad that i had to take the bin apart to clean it, feeling horrified that i may have permanently damaged it. I felt so bad, i think i'm now cured of forgetting, i've gotten into the habit of checking it from time to time, and emptying it even when it doesn't need it. Why not? It's so easy.

Despite my regretable neglect, it continues to work very very well, and i find myself saying, "This is the best $500 i ever spent."

Update 10/3/10
Just want to say that it's 3 years later and i'm still in love with this vacuum cleaner, great ease of use, great power, cool looking. i still love to vacuum with it, and i was always a real vacuum hater before. I have two of them now because i have two homes. i have both of them at my apartment right now, one is upstairs and the other is downstairs, The place has wall to wall carpet. I just love this vacuum. Once or twice i had a problem with it, not sure what it was, i think i couldn't turn it back on, it shut down and wouldn't go back on. I called their customer support and the rep was knowledgeable and walked me through a process of checking and emptying different parts. After that it's continued to work fine for another 6 months or so. I was afraid i'd have to send it for service but it just needed some simple de-obstructing. A+ for Dyson Slim

Update 4/24/11
Now it's been 4 years since i got this vacuum cleaner and i see that they are discontinued. That's too bad. Awesome design and function. I'm glad i have two, but i am now shopping for a bigger Dyson and probably will get a DC33. I looked at one at Bed Bath and Beyond the other day. They also had a DC24 which i think is the newer version of the DC18, it seems to be the same 'slim' size, but it has ball for steering. I tried it out and do not like it as much as the non-ball version that i have. It was very similar to mine for maneuverability, light and easy to turn, but it felt a bit loose or slippery compared to the DC18 when turning. The DC18 has a tighter more stable more precise feel. Both of my 4 year old DC18s are working great, as powerful as ever, the suction really cleans the carpet. They work just like when they were new and have been trouble free. So in looking for a larger vacuum for my now bigger residence, i don't hesitate to get a Dyson, and one that does not have the Ball technology.

Key points:

* It has the ball. It manuevers like a sports car in our narrow back hallway, and thanks to the swivel, we can vacuum against the bottom molding with no effort.
* It has power. It pulls up things that our Oreck won't even touch. Like some other reviewers, we were shocked to find out how much more dirt, dust, fuzz, and--whatever that was--came out of just the back hallway. Today is Sunday, and it had been vacuumed on Friday. That's just scary--but in a good way!
* It's easy to dump the dirt bin; it empties off the bottom, and we just carry the container out to the trash can in the carport and pop the bottom off--dirt goes in the can, never to return inside our house.
* Overall, it just couldn't be easier to use.
* It's very quiet for a vacuum with this much power.

Oreck vs. Dyson DC18 Slim? Dyson wins by five lengths, easily. Somebody get David Oreck an aspirin and a glass of water, he's going to need them.

We have been eyeing the Dyson vacuums for a long time but always thought they were a bit too large and heavy to handle. I liked the design/idea and frankly the looks of the Dyson line. Dyson answered our prayers in this high quality but compact lightweight vacuum. This Dyson is noticeably slimmer and lighter than any of the other Dyson uprights. It easily fits into the corner of the closet and it's quite noticeably easier to handle if you try the other models back to back. I could go on and on about the Dyson advantages with its "no loss of suction" but I'm sure you are aware of all that now thanks to Dyson's widespread marketing.

But I'll cut to the chase....so how is this thing?

- Noticeably lighter (around 4 lbs less) and very slim profile (low profile head, slim canister) compared to other Dysons
- Pivots using the "The Ball" feature. The DC18 has a small version of The Ball which is a central roller wheel that allows you to turn the vacuum by leaning the handle to one side. The only other wheels that touch the ground are on the head and the ball is the primary mechanism that allows you to roll the vacuum on the floor. As you tilt, the head also turns and it helps you steer the vacuum. It works quite well, you can actually snake the vacuum pretty easily around corners, or obstacles on the carpet. I like it. When you release the vacuum from its upright position using a bar at your feet, the rear stability wheels release and completely retracts and folds upwards leaving you to support the vacuum otherwise it will fall over. The wheels are plastic so it is conceivable they could scratch delicate floors but I haven't noticed any damage. You can turn off the brush rotation by pressing the top mounted button. Very convenient to use overall.
- You can push this vacuum moderately easily but the vacuum itself has no tendency to "assist" you. I'd rate this as average effort to push (for its size). I found our larger Sears vacuum a bit easier due to the assisted forward stroke (but harder to reverse). The vacuum is very heavy compared to other much lesser "stick vacuums" but is still better than other larger vacuums overall in ease of handling. But I guess I did find it a bit harder to push than I would have guessed otherwise.
- Has no height adjustment. The head is supposed to adjust itself to the height of the carpet, but it did seem quite hard to push on heavy shaggy carpet. I noticed the vacuum did pretty well and the bristle bar didn't get bogged down much when hitting the heavy shag. The head is quite low profile and I can vacuum a little bit under our beds with no problem.
- I find the detachable wand a bit of hassle to use. First, your cord must be unwound in order to release it. Then you pull up the extension. Once you pull it up all the way, the wand releases from the body. You can snap on the crevice tool or fabric head to clean other surfaces. The wand is long and a bit unwieldy (good for reaching things but not as good for spot cleaning). If you aren't careful when you put the wand back, the flexible tube gets kinked a bit and you must straighten it out a bit before the wand will retract. You are supposed to use it with the stair/fabric tool to clean stairs, and the hose is attached to the bottom of the vacuum so it doesn't tip over easily as you are going from step to step.
- The canister is fairly small and fills up rather easily, but it's so easy to empty (release the canister, push the button to release the bottom, shake out the dust) that I consider this a non-issue. I find it absolutely no hassle to empty it every time I use it.
- The vacuum does feel powerful, I think it's at least as powerful as our larger paper bag Sears vacuum. And yes it really doesn't seem to lose suction.
- I haven't gotten to the point where I need to clean the filter, but the process looks easy from reading the manual. No replacement filter costs -> happy me.

All in all, I'm quite happy with this. Don't need to replace filters. Cool looking. Good warranty. Easy to handle. I can't believe I'm happy about buying a vacuum cleaner, but it's true, this vacuum is what we've been secretly praying for. I almost look forward to vacuuming now.

I researched and reviewed so many vacuums before deciding on the dyson slim. I really like canister vac because of my stairs. I had my eye on the dyson canister vac for quite a while, but I did what one person said and went in to get a feel. It looked nice but I didn't like the feel for $500. I have carpet and hardwood floors,so I was concerned how this dyson slim would do on the hardwoods. I really could not find a good review for that. Everything said it worked great on carpet. Here is the answer. It works both great on hard floors and carpet without any extra attatchments. I bought the hardwood floor attatchment that one of the dyson reps said would work for this model. It works ok... not worth $50. Don't bother. I found my kenmore attatchments fit tight and work just as well if not better. Is this better than my old kenmore? Feels like more suction and I like being able to see everything in the bin to dump. It sure looks like it picks up alot more. I did like the red light system on the kenmore dirty areas showed 3 red lights and less for less dirty areas.
This is a pretty light weight vacuum for an upright. The swivel head is WONDERFUL. It moves right with you. Other than the crappy attatchments the only other thing I did not like is if I pull out the wand to cleaning on harder floors I feel like I am bending over more than normal and can feel it in my back. I feel like the hose doesn't flex that easily but maybe this will become less the more it is used. It has been three weeks.
Over all it is a great vacuum and I am glad I purchased it although I am extra glad for LNT 25% off.