Customer Reviews

Dyson DC07 Cyclone Animal Upright Vacuum, Purple

5 star:		(431)
4 star:		(54)
3 star:		(22)
2 star:		(22)
1 star:		(34)

 

 

I cannot even begin to tell you the number of vacuum cleaners I have had over the years. I take in abandoned an abused animals.
Usually within 6 months the motor would go out. I have a Oreck and a Fantom Thunder. The Oreck worked great for awhile but the motor did go out and had to be replaced. I didn't like the fact it had no on board tools and the bags are expensive and hard to find. The Fanton is heavy and it started leaking dust around the dust cup. Both of these vacuum cost amost $400.00 at the time I purchased them.
After some research I purchased this Dyson. I am so glad I did.
This vacuum is a pet lovers dream. Before I used the Dyson for the first time, I vacuumed my carpet in my family room several times with 2 other vacuums, then I went back over it with the Dyson. I expected a little more pet hair after all it was a new vacuum, but it is what else I get that shocked and embarrassed me. In the vacuum cup there was a little pet hair but there was also this ultra fine dirt, it almost looked like powder. There was so much of this dust I decided to put it in a bag and weigh it. The embarrasing part is it weighed 4#, I couldn't believe it. You must understand I vacuum twice a day everyday and I shampoo my carpets once a month. I take pride in the fact my house has no pet odors, I work hard to make sure of this. But, all this was in my carpet. After I finished vacuuming my carpet look renewed like it was freshly shampooed.
I love this vacuum and wish I would have purchased it sooner. It is well worth every penny and then some. If has every attachment you could ever want. It took a little time to figure out how to attach them but once I did it was wonderful. The powerhead upholstery tool is fabulous.
Take if from the queen of vacuum cleaners, this is the one to buy.

*
My last vacuum, prior to finally purchasing a Dyson Animal, was a top-of-the-line Hoover WindTunnel V2. When it was new, the Hoover performed well, and I really loved the Turbo Tool (a smaller version of the similar attachment which comes with the Dyson); but the main H.E.P.A. filter cartridge was clogged and ruined in short order by the super-fine local dust in my carpet (I live on a hill, surrounded by protected, undeveloped County land, in a semi-semi-semi-rural area, and there is always a fine coat of dust on everything), not to mention the dog hair and cat hair, the parakeet down and birdseed, dried bits of grass, burrs and foliage which get dragged-in stuck to the cats, and the dirt left behind by a messy plumbing contractor husband (he comes home with his jeans covered in clumps of dried-on mud, which of course flakes off and crumbles all over the place as he walks around the house, and he wonders why that upsets me).
In my house, the Hoover H.E.P.A. filters only lasted about 20% of the recommend filter life. After replacing the filters only 5 times, I had already nearly doubled the original cost of the Hoover vacuum within about a year!
I had known about the Dyson for quite a while, but was reluctant to invest the extra money...until I allowed myself to face the fact that replacing the Hoover filters was costing an arm and a leg on a fairly frequent basis, and continuing to buy filters was just dumb, when there was an alternative.
I started searching for the best price on the Dyson (I'm virtually always a staunch comparison shopper anyway, just on principle). I shopped and shopped and waited and waited and finally got the Dyson Animal on sale.
Man, I wish I had just broken down and bought it earlier.
What a difference! Like another of the Reviewers here, I tested the Dyson by first vacuuming with the Hoover WindTunnel (new filters installed), and following immediately with the Dyson Animal. The Dyson made the Hoover seem like a toy! It removed 2 times over again the amount of dirt, dust, lint, fuzz, bits of dried grass and leaves, crumbs and pet hair from carpet I had just vacuumed with the Hoover moments earlier! And I had thought that my carpet was pretty clean after vacuuming with the Hoover WindTunnel. YUCK!
The Dyson grooms the carpet really well, too; lifting the nap and making it appear all plush and nearly new. Must be that constant suction power.
Any other readily available vacuum, bag or bag-less, upright or canister, just cannot compete with the modern Dyson cyclonic technology.
A Dyson is also simple to operate, rolls smoothly, doesn't tip over, and is not heavy (once you get it out of the box and assembled). The controls, multiple functions, cord holder, attachments, etc. are well designed and easy to manipulate. It is easy to lift (has a strategically placed handle) for moving about or to carry upstairs. The "Lifetime" filters can be easily cleaned just by rinsing or washing in mild sudsy water - follow the instructions and the recommended timetable; it even has a built-in reminder of when the filter should be cleaned.
The Dyson is also a lot easier to clean, and to empty the catching bin. It seems to generate far less static electricity than other plastic-housed machines, and dust doesn't build-up on it as readily.
It is far more versatile than most other vacuums, especially with the accessories that come with the Animal model, and - considering its power - IT IS VERY QUIET! You can actually carry-on a conversation while vacuuming with a Dyson, by speaking only a little louder than normal, instead of shouting "WHAT?!" or having to stop your cleaning when somebody just simply cannot wait to ask you something.
Based on my experience, I would highly recommend a Dyson for anyone who is shopping for a full-sized vacuum cleaner.
Yes, it seems quite a bit more money to spend for a small household appliance, and is even very expensive for many people; save-up for it if you can! It will be well worth it. The Dyson cleans better than any other vacuum currently on the market, and keeping your carpets and upholstery clean will extend the fabric life, and help keep them looking in top condition.
I can hardly wait for Dyson to come up with a compact, "light-weight", "stick" version. Wonder if that's in the works?

Let me begin by saying that I have three dogs and two cats. Pet hair is the biggest cleaning challenge in our house.

After convincing my wife to discontinue our professional cleaning service, due to increasing costs, I volunteered to take the cleaning duties related to the floors and the furniture. My wife foolishly took on the kitchen, bathrooms, and dusting. What my wife didn't know was that I had been reading up on the Dyson "Animal".

The "Animal" arrived just two days after our last professional cleaning. I immediately vacuumed the entire house and was absolutely amazed at how much pet hair and dirt I pulled out of the carpets and off our hardwood floors. Our house has never been so absent of pet hair. Even my pets were beside themselves. My wife was thoroughly impressed. She said that the house looked and smelled cleaner than ever!

The "Animal" is a total cleaning machine. It easily attacked hardwood floors, carpets, curtains, furniture, and stairs. It's the best cleaning machine I have ever used. Adding a sixth animal to our family was the best thing I ever did!

If you have pets and need a high powered cleaning machine, get the "Animal"! It's worth the money! I donated my old cleaning machines to our YMCA.

I first read about the Dyson in PEOPLE Magaine last year. It sounded incredible--but wasn't available in the US. Came across it yesterday in a home catalog, and that in turn sent me to the stunning Dyson website. Came to Amazon and started reading reviews. My, my, I thought. Sounds too good to be true.

My hobby is breeding/showing Cardigan Welsh Corgis. They have thick double coats, and when they shed out for the season, there's a lot of hair everywhere. Especially when one owns NINE of them. The dogs bring in a lot of dirt and grit; the wind does the rest. (Plus two indoor-only cats.)

I vacuumed first with my top-of-the-line Hoover Windtunnel. Then vacuumed with R2D2's younger, fancier brother, the Animal. (When switched around, the wand puts me in mind of a lightsaber!) In a 12x12 carpeted den, just rug-raked and vacuumed, the Animal pulled up three canisters of grit, dust, dirt--and hair!

I say unto you: Go thou and buy.

Positives: It's every bit as good as advertised and reviewed.
Negatives: I'm used to a canister with a retractable cord, which the Dyson machines lack, so there's time spent keeping the slack cord out of the way. But who cares when everything else is so great??

Dyson is smart to highlight the story of the invention of this vacuum. It really appeals to me that someone took a hard look at a product that wasn't working to its capacity and redesigned it, then fought against the big boys to sell it.

First of all, this vacuum is so beautiful that we keep it out all the time. In the main room of our house. The colors are a matter of personal taste, to be sure, but it really is a thing of beauty.

My previous experience with bagless vacuums left me feeling they are rather cheaply made. The Dyson is a rock. The tools fit snugly and smartly. Once you give the instructions a careful read, everything makes sense (unlike when I first looked at the machine in a store, pressed the wrong button and the canister fell off).

Not only is it easy to empty, but when you decide to give the canister a thorough cleaning, that's easy too. There is also a washable (HEPA?) filter, but I haven't had to wash that yet.

Here are my comments:

1. Strange as it sounds, I like the sound of this vacuum.

2. I had an Electrolux with a retractable cord. That is in some ways nicer than a wind-around cord like the Dyson has. No big deal.

3. If I were elderly, I might balk at having to carry this upstairs. Maybe it's for younger and stronger folks.

4. I got the purple monster because we are considering getting a pet and I thought the pet hair attachment would be useful, but I haven't used it yet. Furthermore, I think I recall looking at the literature that I could have ordered it separately from the vacuum. I guess my point is that if you prefer the yellow or red models, you could still get the pet attachment at a later time.

5. I only have one real criticism of this wonderful product, and that concerns the hose and long wand that forms the handle. There are three ways to use the attachments:

1. Wand mode: this is where the attachments go on the end of the wand handle and you draw the whole thing out

2. Hose mode: you remove the wand and the attachment goes right on the end of the hose.

3. Reverse wand: you remove the wand from the hose, attach the hose to the end of the wand handle and put the attachment on the silver end of the wand.

COMMENTS:

1. Wand mode: I find that when I'm using the attachments, the hose angle sometimes is too much at the end of the wand and suction gets cut off.

2. Hose mode: this is my favorite way of using most attachments because I can hold the attachment close to its end for maximum control.

3. Reverse wand mode: this is useful for stairs, and I don't seem to have the problem with the hose angle as with "wand mode"; however, it's hard to use the brush and crevice tools in this mode because you're holding onto a wand that is like 3.5 feet long, and this little tool is at the end...it's hard to control.

It's not often that a product you purchase not only delivers what it was advertized to do, but actually does more. I have owned many vacuums over the years, but I could never honestly call them cleaners. The Dyson DC07 Animal is the first true vacuum cleaner I have owned. We have seven indoor cats and I wore myself out trying to get the carpets clean of all the hair they shed. I could tell that I was not doing a very good job and so we purchased the Dyson based on their consumer information. I was amazed to see just how much hair was not picked up by my former vacuum. The carpets actually are a lighter color now and when you run you hand over them, you do not come away with a hairy hand. Not only is the Dyson a excellent cleaning machine, but it is also well designed. The hose and wand are part of the handle assembly and the tools are within easy reach when you need them. Everything is well thought out and extremely easy to use. There are even parts that are easily removable to check for plugs should you suck-up something you shouldn't have. Besides its terrific RootCyclone suction power, the Dyson also has a very easy to empty clear collection bin. You just press the release catch and remove the clear bin from the machine, pull the trigger to release dust directly into the garbage, then press firmly on the center of the base to close and snap it back onto the machine. How simply is that! You never have to buy bags again. It's hepa+bactisafe system has a Lifetime pre-motor and post-motor filter which means you never have to buy expensive replacement filters again, you just rinse the Lifetime pre-motor filter twice a year and you are go to go. Even though this vacuum is initially expensive, it is really a bargin if you think about the fact that you will never have to buy another vacuum, bags or filters again. I love my Dyson Animal and am very grateful to James Dyson for his excellence in engineering this product and his honesty in producing a product that he knew you would only have to buy once. Shame on Eureka, Hoover, Orick and the rest of you for sucking consumers into your eternal vacuum.

This review was posted for the DC 07 YELLOW ALL FLOORS cleaner but since the All floors and the Animal Vac are the same machines but with a different vacuum head, I felt that some of the information might be useful here as well:


We bought the Dyson DC07 in Dec. of 2002, and it gets used for approximately 1 hour x twice a week on carpet. Our unit is out of warranty.

In the vacuum cleaner market that, in our opinion, is dominated by poor product design, plastic parts that break easily, motors that burn out, belts that stretch and break, expensive bags that fill up virtually instantly, and a very short useful life, our Dyson has acquitted itself rather well.

Many of the other favorable comments about this Dyson apply and will not be repeated here.

We would add that Dyson has good telephone customer service as well as an on-line diagnostic guide.

We note the following negatives:

- The "off the floor" hose suction is not as strong and is much more awkward than with a "tank type - non upright" cleaner. If you are doing mostly off the floor cleaning, probably no upright is recommended.

-While it is NOT in the instructions, customer service will tell you that vacuuming up powder (plaster, carpet cleaner, carpet deodorant) will clog the hepa filter and eventually destroy the machine. If you plan to do this kind of work, get something that uses disposable bags.

-It is also not in the instructions, but DON'T run water thru the fully assembled canister to remove dust and dirt. The air flow will eventually gunk up and make the vacuum unusable. Use a compressed air can to blow out the dust or occasionally remove and clean the lower section (see below).

While the parts that you can access are easy to remove for cleaning and unblocking, there are some critical non user serviceable parts on the Dyson. Even the drive belt and hepa filters are supposed to be changed by a service center. So keep the box in case you have to ship the machine back to the company and hope you never need to use it

The problem, however, is really not with this Dyson DC07 (and probably other models as well) when it is under warranty. It is after the two year warranty expires and you are dependent on their expensive and sparsely located dealer network. I would guess that with parts and labor, a major repair could easily be between a quarter and half the price of a new machine.

We believe that Dyson should do a much better job in providing owner repair instructions, especially for machines that out of warranty.

In that light, we are providing information on two common repairs that the owner can perform. We would hope that at some point, Dyson would provide information on other repairs:

The hepa filter, which is supposed to last the lifetime of the machine, doesn't. But it can be removed using a screwdriver to release the cover catches on both sides and replaced by the user (special replacement filter must be purchased from the company or from a dealer). We found it necessary to replace the filter (ourselves) when the machine constantly cut off due to overheating.

However, you may also come to the point, as we did, where the cylinder gets sufficiently clogged that there is suction to the intake (which means the motor is working) but there is no suction to the hose or floor and the vortex dirt isn't spinning.

Customer service will first tell you that you have to bring or ship your Dyson to a dealer who will charge for parts and labor. Alternatively, a new canister will be $86.00 including shipping from them.

Forget it. You can clean the unit following these instructions (note; this probably will make little sense UNTIL you have the canister in front of you when it will become more obvious).

Be aware that you may well void any warranty if you do the following and, in any event, you do so at your risk but if it works, it can save you from an expensive dealer repair or part replacment.

-Remove the canister and clear plastic bin. Remove the bin and set it aside.

-The "cage" (part with the little holes) and the part with the vanes are held on with the black rubber ring at the bottom of the canister. The vane piece has to be removed before the cage by first easing out the rubber piece. Note the orientation of the rubber piece for reassembly. Removing the ring, vanes and cage is NOT dependent upon removing the handle (see next step below).

-Using a torx (star) #15 screwdriver, remove the 3 screws on top of the canister handle.

-Reach through the bottom of the unit and note how the long rod that opens the base flap fits through a guide slot.

-Pull out the handle assembly that includes the long rod. Do not remove the rod completely. Also, do not damage the large O-Ring and note, for reassembly, that there is a "flat" side to the handle assembly. Ignore the 3 screws inside the canister; they don't seem to do anything. Also, the upper and lower plastic parts of the canister cannot be separated.

-Wash the canister unit using a high pressure hose or faucet and a bottle brush. Wash thru all the vortex openings at the top, the cage, the vane part and everywhere else. Run water through the unit until no more fibers, dirt, etc. come out and then a little longer. You will be amazed at how much stuff can accumulate in this canister.

-Allow everything to dry. When reassembling, make sure that, by reaching though the bottom of the unit, you guide the rod through the rod slot.

If you cleaned out all the accumulation, the air flow should work almost like new after the vacuum is reassembled.

Notwithstanding the above, the Dyson DC07 is probably a better and more reliable machine than anything else available (which, as noted, says something about vacuum cleaners in general), so with reservations and the hope that Dyson starts treating its customers like adults by providing information about user service, we recommend it.

A couple of years ago, after my family and I moved from the U.S. to England, I was advised by many friends to "buy a Dyson" when assembling our new house of (UK-compatible) appliances. I shrugged off the advice until I went to the electricals shop and was confronted by a stunningly beautiful lineup of high-tech, ready-for-action Dyson vacuums. Wow: I had to have one. It turned out to be one of the highest quality household products I've ever used.

Great design: all the handles, switches and latches work as you'd want them to. Any nook or cranny where something might get stuck is user-accessible: you can take off various bits of the vacuum (without tools) to get into any place where objects might get lodged. The cleaning power is impressive, too. The bagless suction technology works as advertised, and it's so convenient to just dump out the dirt instead of fiddling with new bags.

We especially liked the way that ALL of the tools and attachments are actually connected to the vacuum. With other uprights we've owned the hose and tools end up cluttering up the back of a closet and we can never find them when we need them. With the Dyson, as you travel around the house with the vacuum all of the stuff you need for any cleaning job is with you (the hose and "metal" wand are built into the handle of the vacuum; you just unhook the handle and suddenly you have a quite long hose and handle to fit all the tools to; the tools are attached to the body of vacuum). I found it especially convenient for vacuuming the car -- instead of having to hunt around the house for attachments and drag them outside, you can take the Dyson outside and then you can detach all the tools you need to clean out the nooks and crannies of a car interior.

Having been alerted to the magic of this vacuum cleaner, I started paying attention to Dyson and his company -- he's something of folk hero in the UK, after turning something mundane into an innovative product that (really) works better and deserves all the success it's had in the UK and Europe. Now it's being launched in the U.S., and it will be interesting to see how it does with Americans. It's pretty pricey, but (in my opinion) worth it.

Meanwhile -- we've moved back to the U.S. and looked at some of the bagless cleaners on the market here. I haven't used any, so I can't speak to their cleaning quality, but in terms of design and appearance, they just don't measure up. So we made do with an older model until -- hooray -- Dyson launched its line in the U.S. When ours arrives I'm going to dump a bunch of dirt around the house just so I can use the Dyson (come to think of it, I think the dirt is already there...).

Two weeks before Thanksgiving, my Hoover Windtunnel Mach 7.0 upright died in the middle of vacuuming a rug. This was the fourth time in the four years I'd owned it that it had conked out on me. I switched with reluctance to my wife's Miehle upright (which I referred to as "that worthless hunk of junk" due to its low suction even with a fresh bag installed). A week later, that one gave up the ghost too. It was less than 2 years old. We obviously needed a new vacuum cleaner we could both use.

I did the research. We'd seen the ads for Dysons, and thought it was too good to be true. Despite the fact that Consumer Reports rated it as 14th out of the uprights they tested, enough people on this site raved about it that we felt it was worth considering. What held me back from an online order was the price tag. My first car cost less than what a Dyson Animal costs! A field test seemed indicated before forking over that much money for a vacuum cleaner.

A local big box store was selling Dysons. I went in and tested one by the simple expedient of vacuuming a high traffic area in the store, them dumping the dirt out of the canister and trying it again on what I'd dumped. It picked up every speck, no muss, no fuss. The price tag notwithstanding, I wrote a check and mindful of what some reviewers have said, insisted that the salesman help me assemble and test it before leaving the store.

Assembly was easy. I agree that the diagrams molded into the Dyson's plastic are cryptic, but the instructions and illustrations in the manual are perfectly clear; we had no trouble putting it together. I took the Animal home and tested it on the living room rug, which had been vacuumed a week before.

We have 8 cats. The Animal sucked a cat's-worth of hair and enough dirt to fill the collection bin in 5 minutes out of an 11 x 16 rug with no fuss at all. I also decided to test the animal hair pneumatic attachment. The test subject was a cat condo of 5 shelves that had not been vacuumed since it was put up. Even on the top shelf, which had turned a gunmetal gray from accumulated cat hair, the Animal had no trouble pulling the hair off the flat, though the head wouldn't reach into the corners. When it was done, the cat condo was the same color it had been when new. Even my old Windtunnel could not have done as good a job!

I also discovered that the people with long hair and/or small area rugs are correct in their assessments. The Dyson does not like small area rugs that are not anchored. If you try to clean them on the 'Carpet' setting, it will give you the warning 'granch' noise. Shift to the bare floor setting or use a head on the wand, and it will clean a small rug just fine.

If you are dealing with a household that sheds a lot of hair, you will have to shut down and use scissors to clear the beater bar fairly frequently. This does not take long, and the beater bar bearings are designed in such a way that hair cannot get into them. What's more, the casing that holds the beater bar is intended to be user-servicable, unlike any other vacuum I have used.

I will agree with some posters that a retractable cord would be desirable. Also, the Dyson could use a headlight, possibly two; the second being an ultraviotlet light that would show where pets have been naughty so you'd know where to apply carpet cleaner or a carpet steamer. I'll also agree that the Dyson requires you to move chairs to clean under them unless you use the floor attachment, which means having to shut off the vac for all of 30 seconds while you extract, connect and put the floor head on the wand and hose. These are not, however, fatal flaws in day to day vacuuming.

The Dyson is not as quiet as a Miehle, but it's nowhere near as loud as a Hoover. You do have to raise your voice and listen sharply, but it is possible to carry on a conversation with someone standing 6 feet away while you are vacuuming. In terms of weight, it's lighter than any upright I've used except a Miehle. In terms of maneuverability, it is superior to any self-propelled vacuum I've ever used. Single-hand operation is possible and even pleasant. The hose setup does take some getting used to, but it's not as cumbersome as some posters allege. It's a sight easier than fiddling with multiple wands!

The bottom line is that the Dyson performs exactly as advertised. Take the time to read the manual before you use it, and it will do any household vacuuming chore you ask to to do. Its suction is superior to any vacuum, canister, upright or shop, that I have ever used. It is unmatched in accessibilty to the places where clogs might occur, and its design is such that opening the accesses to check for clogs is intuitive even if you haven't bothered to read the manual.

The Dyson's one drawback is its price tag; but in this case if you pay the price you WILL get what you paid for. Its performance is worth every penny and then some.

Picture this: I'm vacuuming the living room one humid August day. When I look back over the area I've covered, I notice that there are still cat hair "tumbleweeds," lint, and other unwanted particles. So I go over and over those spots with my vacuum and make absolutely no progress. So after some choice phrases and throwing the vacuum around (ok and kicking it a bit too), my wife and I went out and sprung for the Dyson. With four long-haired cats, we needed a seriously powerful vacuum. And man does the Dyson deliver! I filled up the dust chamber on the Dyson 6 times! The animal attachment is a must have for anyone who lives with hairy little pals (I'm talking about pets here). A great feature too is the release button that allows you to empty the vacuum without ever touching the dirt. You just detach the canister, hold it over the trash, pull a little tab and it empties right out! My wife and I are thrilled with how clean the carpets are. While still a heavy duty cleaner, the Dyson is also surprisingly light and simple to maneuver. With all the attachments and buttons and cool features, this vac is kind of like a toy for clean freaks. I honestly can't wait to use it again! I can guarantee that this will be the LAST vacuum we ever buy, which makes the price tag much more reasonable. Having clean floors and furniture that are free from kitty hair and dust is TOTALLY worth the price. Buy one and enjoy!