Customer Reviews

Dyson DC16 Root 6 Handheld Vacuum Cleaner

5 star:		(108)
4 star:		(62)
3 star:		(28)
2 star:		(39)
1 star:		(113)

 

 

I am a huge fan of Dyson and own TWO Dyson uprights. Dyson sent me an email to offer registered owners first crack at purchasing this handheld which recently arrived to the US market, and I jumped at the offer, but I am extremely disappointed in the battery life.

This otherwise great tool is deeply flawed for running only five minutes. It's really a shame Dyson released this product with such a short battery-operated running time.

The other reviews pretty much sum it up, but I'll put my thoughts in too.

(a) It's a great vacuum. It fills the niche that I was hoping it would fill perfectly: I want to vacuum something small or far away from an outlet, and I don't feel like fetching and plugging in the upright. Suction is great, the tools are great, the canister is great, etc. 5 out of 5 stars for the vacuum.

(b) The battery life is ridiculous. I got 5 minutes of hard vacuuming. The way the charger is designed, it wouldn't even be that easy to keep a spare battery, because the actual charging contacts are on the handheld itself. Come on, Dyson, lithium batteries aren't even that heavy! You could have doubled the power with no problem. You could have designed a backup charger like all the cordless power tools have. 0 out of 5 stars for battery/charger design.

I give it 4 stars overall, despite the battery issue, because I don't ever plan on using this thing for big cleaning jobs. If it's bigger than a 5 minute job, I'll just use the upright anyway. As a light, effective portable that's easy to grab for a specific job, this vacuum is very good.

I couldn't wait to get the Dyson Root 6 - I've had my Dyson DC 07 for 4 years and I LOVE it, so I figured the mini-version would be fantastic. I have 3 Dustbusters (one on each floor) and I was looking forward to the Dyson version, which I was convinced would be top notch.

I'm so sorry to be wrong.

First off, having to press the button continuously to make it work is a pain. And speaking of pain, the Root is so heavy and unbalanced - all the weight is in the back which puts a lot of strain on your wrist. I haven't noticed any difference in suction to a Dustbuster, but then again, I don't suck up bowling balls. A Dustbuster picks up lint and cat litter just as well.

Save your money - this Dyson ain't worth it.

When I first heard that Dyson was going to make a hand unit, I was very excited, but excitement has turned into bitter disappointment as this product has failed to deliver on the most basic requirement: FUNCTION!

It simply has terrible battery life, in fact its worse than my old Black & Decker products from five years ago. I think it lasts about FIVE MINUTES, even if that. In this age of iPods with 24 hour batteries and mobile phones that last over a week, you would think Dyson would have at least develop a battery that could last an average house cleaning of say one hour.

Shame Dyson, shame.

For those who cannot read, I suppose this review will be pointless; but, perhaps someone else can read it to you ---- which, incidentally, is what you should have done before purchasing this gorgeously designed tool! ON THE BOX, it says "6 Minutes" --- and, yet, there are so many, many, MANY complaints about it 'only' lasting 6 Minutes!!!! Gee . . . Dyson SURE FOOLED YOU!!! -- I mean, they said 6 MINUTES, and, oh WOW! -- It only lasts 6 MINUTES!!! --- AMAZING! ;-)

Okay, here is my review . . . I purchased, along with the Dyson, the top-of-the-line Black & Decker for $65, and a lower version for $20. The more expensive B & D worked better than the $20 model (naturally), but, both were COMPLETELY blown away by the Dyson. In addition, the Dyson's long, skinny nozzle gets behind (and under) so many things, it is truly indispensible. Another thing to note, my $65 model says it takes 21 Hours, TWENTY-ONE HOURS!! to charge -- now, even if I got the 20-30 minutes out of this machine, lets see --- 24 hours, divided by 3 is 8, times 6 minutes --- is 48 minutes of time, versus 30 minutes of the other---- okay, so Dyson still wins, by 18 minutes! ;-) . . . Another consideration, it picks up TWICE as much, TWICE as fast -- so, that 6 Minutes, is like 12 minutes with my $65 model--- which really gives my Dyson 96 Minutes, to the Black & Decker's 30 -- So THERE! The ROOT 6 WINS!!! :-)

I really like the trigger hold -- it only requires a light touch, and is a part of the grasp, so that, it is precisely where you would have placed your finger anyway! The weight is EXCELLENT -- compared to the other 2 Black & Deckers I tested, it weighs about the same as the $65 model, but is balanced so much better, that it feels to weigh about a third less -- so impressive! (Note -- probably too heavy for great-grandma -- but 'light as a feather' for those accustomed to toting way heavier things -- like, 30 pound briefcases or toddlers! ;-)

Plastic is -- plastic. But, the Dyson plastic is FAR-Superior to the B & D -- much heavier weight -- and smoother/more attractive in appearance. I share the same sentiment as other reviewers about the inadequacies and inherent cheapness of plastic, but it appears to be a necessary evil -- and I will say that the Dyson plastic is TWICE as nice as the $65 B & D -- none of the rough edges from the molding process, and the paint is glossy and has depth, as opposed to cheap, and easily scratched off. Very well done -- if it has to be plastic (of course, can you even imagine the weight, or the heat transfer for that matter, if this thing was made of metal??! ;-) . . .

Last thought -- as a busy mommy of 2 toddlers -- I need a handheld that moves fast, works fast, and recharges fast --- the Dyson was the only one that could do all 3 -- sure, it would be great to make that 6 minutes into 20 (without sacrificing power), but, honestly -- if I left my two (ages 2 and 3) unattended for 20 minutes, I would be needing the upright vacuum instead! ;-)

LOVE IT.

I read almost all the reviews here and wasted $60 a couple weeks ago on the top-of-the-line Black & Decker handheld because of the complaints about the DC16 battery life. Earlier today I vacuumed with the B&D. I had to go over and over each little spot on each rug to get up the dust and cat fur. Sometimes I had to pick it out of the rug and stuff it into the vacuum nozzle. During cleanup I got wet power-spraying the dust out of the miserable little filter from the B&D. Every time I used the B&D, the filter had to be washed. So I sat down and reread these reviews, looking for the positives. One thing that occurred to me was that 6 minutes is a long time for my space.

One of the reviewers mentioned Bed Bath & Beyond's liberal return policy, and I had a 20% off Linens n Things coupon, which B3 honors (sorry Amazon) so I picked up a DC16. Charged it up and revacuumed the same space that I had just done with the B&D. It took 1/10 the time to clean the rugs well, and, like another reviewer noted, it was embarrassing how much extra dust and fur the Dyson picked up.

I think the hold and vac button is smart, because it's easy to release to save battery time while moving from spot to spot or changing attachments. I'm 64 and didn't find the pressure required or weight of the vacuum a problem. Emptying the dust chamber is so much easier than cleaning the B&D. Granted, the release button is a bit tight, but I think there's a technique to releasing and reclosing that I'll figure out.

As for the 6 minutes, I was running out of things to do. I was about to start vacuuming my socks just to run down the battery. Decided to give up instead. I have a 24' motorhome with cloth walls, which also need the Himalayan cat's fur vacuumed off now and then. It worked great, and the narrow wand got into little spaces.

I'm relieved to be back to a Dyson. I feel things will be clean again. The Dyson canister I had before was just too large and cumbersome for in this small space, but this handheld is perfect. The attachments provided are sufficient. The wand could be a little longer. They might consider a short, maybe 2 feet long, 1 inch in diameter, flexible hose attachment to which the other attachments could be added. I found such a hose quite handy vacuuming under car seats. I've used the Dyson flexible wand and found it pretty awful.

The DC16 motor is surprisingly muffled. Much quieter than the B&D.

I think the suggestion to make an a/c adapter to attach to this vacuum is quite apparently worthwhile. I would hate to see such a good handheld discontinued because so many people need more run time.

Having owned probably a half-dozen handheld vacuums, the Dyson Root is by far the best. Simple reason: It provides massive suction at 100% power time and time again. I'd rather have a vacuum that sucks powerfully and consistently for 5 minutes than one that limps along at 30% power for 20 minutes.

When you see some crumbs on the floor, or have a spill, you want something you can reach for, make ONE pass over the mess, and be done with it. To me it is much more frustrating to have to brush over things 3-4 times than to know that I can't do my whole house with it. It is NOT a replacement for an upright vacuum, a Shop-Vac, a lint brush, etc.

It recharges in 3 hours and has a clear set of LEDs showing power level. If you need to more than 5 minutes of cleaning every 3 hours, then you've got an environment this wasn't designed for. The Dyson Root also has some neat design concepts: e.g., two attachments cleverly combined into one, so less to carry/lose.

(We also have fallen in love with the Dyson upright vacuums which also beat all other vacuums we've owned hands-down, again due to consistent power and clever design.)

I have read all of the reviews both here at Amazon and on other websites bashing the DC16 Root 6 handheld and I had mixed feelings about them. I own a Dyson DC17 Absolute Animal and think it is the best vacuum money can buy, so I personally couldn't see why the Root 6 would be so bad.
After a week of using my new Root 6 (I actually have the "Animal" handheld with the motorized brush bar), I can't understand why anyone would give it a negative rating. Maybe I have Dyson bias, but I don't see it that way. I prefer items that just work. I look at three things when I purchase any type of electronic device:
1) It is well made?
2) Does it perform the function intended without a bunch of fluff, or overly-engineered crap?
3) Is it worth the money?
After actually purchasing and using the device, I have to say yes to all three. Here is my reasoning:
1) It is a true Dyson. It is VERY well made. I've read the reviews from people saying that the plastic is cheap on the handheld. If there is a better-built handheld vacuum out there, I haven't seen it. Not to say one doesn't exist, but they don't sell it to consumers and I would bet it would cost a few thousand dollars. I have owned several B&D handhelds, a dirt devil a Kenmore and a Panasonic. None of them comes close in overall design and build quality. Just like the Dyson upright, the Root 6 screams good design, excellent attention to detail and superb build quality.
2) The suction is far and away superior to any handheld I have ever used. Period. It takes a couple seconds for the motor to spin up, but once it does, the suction is about half of what my DC17 upright is, which is VERY good for something that small and battery operated. Sure, any $30.00 battery-operated handheld can do a similar job, but what really separates the Dyson from the competition is that unlike all other handhelds, the Dyson runs at full power 100% suction for the entire run life of the battery. My last handheld was a $55.00 12.6v B&D cyclonic. That same handheld got a better user rating on this same website (go figure) After a full charge on a clean filter and an empty dirt bin, the B&D only kept operating at around 100% suction for about 30 seconds before starting to slowly loose suction. After about 2 and a half minutes of sucking up cat hair and slowly clogging the filter, the suction was down to about 40% at best. Once I got to about 5 minutes of run time, the suction was around 5% or so of the original strength, to the point where it could barely pick up anything. The Dyson on the other hand maintains 100% to 95% suction for the entire run life of the battery (around 6.5 minutes for me so far). I have NEVER seen or used a battery-operated handheld that maintained that level of suction for over two minutes and definitely nowhere close to six minutes.
3) I personally think the device warrants the price. $200.00 for the Root 6 Animal is a lot of money, but you do get what you pay for. You get a lot for the price. For one, the device comes with three bundled tools (the motorized brush bar is only on the "Animal" version). Second, it comes with an adapter so you can plug any tool or attachment available for the full-size Dyson uprights. Third, you don't have to pay for additional filters in the future. And fourth, it comes with a two year warranty, where others stop at one. The price to some seems steep, but if you are one that holds quality, longevity and functionality higher than price, it is a sound investment.

Pros: No loss of suction, build quality, functionality, design, ergonomics, warranty, bundled tools, motorized brush bar on Animal is excellent and class-leading.

Cons: A little bulky and might be too big for small women or people with very small hands. Slightly heavy. Wall-mounting bracket well made, but poorly designed.

We are still in love with our Dyson Animal vaccum, which was way worth the overpriced ticket price of $500. So, when we spotted this hand vac, we were so happy and did not hesitate to splurge for the way overpriced handvac because we love our other Dyson vacuum so much.

I am writing my review, as so many other reviewers, to prevent another consumer from throwing $150 out the window. We are just so unhappy with this handvac. Like all the other reviewers, we couldn't believe how fast the battery life was. We were using the vac for spot jobs, so we never knew about this problem. Then last week I wanted to vacuum my mini-van. Halfway through the job, the vacuum stopped. I figured the canister was full, so I emptied it. But, it would still not power on. With all our previous handvacs, the machine would slowly lose power. This vac just stops. So, my minivan is still half vacuumed because I never found a free moment to go outside to use it.

Just now, I wanted to vacuum my stairs. There are 14 stairs to vacuum... I was only able to vacuum 8 stairs!!!!! The vac cut off after three minutes of use. I am putting this problem on my list of things to do: contact Dyson, express my disappointment and try to return it to them for a refund.

Also what we didn't like about this vacuum is that you have to hold the power button down while you're using it!! After about a minute, your hand is killing you. But luckily, since the vacuum cuts off about three minutes into your cleaning process, your hand will only hurt while using it for a short time.

DO NOT BUY!

i agree with other reviews that the battery life is sub par. the thing is, you have to realize that this is for quick cleanups (well, that's what i think it's for), and not big jobs. i have a floor vacuum that i use every week. the handheld dyson is just for times when i see an extra build up of dust behind the tv, behind my computer, in the corners of my rooms, etc, that i feel is a waste of time to whip out the floor vacuum for. i have the dyson mounted in my closet so it is very quick to just slip it out if its holster and vacuum up the dust/hair balls that accumulate throughout the apartment. it's trigger operated, so 6 minutes is a decent time (you're only powering it when you're actually picking stuff up).

overall, if you're going to use this for a pick-a-target-and-shoot type of vacuum, then i think you would be pleased with it.

my next purchase is going to be a dyson floor vac which i hear nothing but good things about. i think the combination between the handheld and upright would be perfect.