Customer Reviews

Dyson DC21 Stowaway Canister Vacuum

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I have to admit I was skeptical at first because of the lukewarm "professional" reviews of Dyson in general, but now I'm a true convert. I LOVE this vacuum (coming from someone that HATES housecleaning).

Pros
--Canister style vacuum-great for those of us with back problems that can't push around a heavy upright for long.
--Suction power-WONDERFUL suction on this thing.
--Power brushes-stiff bristles "refresh" the carpet and can easily be turned off by foot controls (no bending down).
--Maneuverability-this has a ball style joint that makes it extremely maneuverable.
--Compact storage-it wraps around itself and is light enough to easily pick up and carry.
--No filters or belts to replace-just clean the built-in filter every 6 months with tap water.
--Quiet!-this is the quietest vacuum I've ever used.
--Retractable cord-guess this is standard on most canisters, but as a former upright user this is a nice feature to me.
--Low profile vacuum head-makes it easier to get under the couches, beds, etc.
--No bags to buy...ever!
--5 Year Warranty

Cons
--No headlight-funny I didn't realize how dark some of my corners are.
--Using attachments is a little awkward because of the larger, inflexible handle, but I imagine I'll get used to it.
--Short power cord-could definitely use a few more feet, but I suspect this was as long as they could fit into the compact unit.
--Power brushes-just a warning here, they're not for delicate carpets. They're rather stiff compared to most and I imagine could do some damage to older/thinner rugs.
--Small collection bin-available volume seems small due to the compact design, but it's EASY to empty, so not really a big problem.
--Price-it's not cheap, but I did find a 20% off coupon on-line for another store so saved $100.

There are enough cons that I can't give this vacuum 5 stars, but none of them are serious enough in my opinion to be major detractors. I'm definitely happy with my purchase.

I recently purchased the Dyson DC21 canister vacuum cleaner, and at first I was a little apprehensive of purchasing it (mainly due to the very high price of the item of $499), but after using the vacuum my apprehensions are now alleviated. This vacuum can suck the dirt and dust out of a carpet as if it was powered by the gravitational force of a black hole, yet it doesn't require significant force by the user to utilize the vacuum. I couldn't believe how much dirt and dust this vacuum removed from a "recently cleaned" carpet in a new house we moved into, it was as if the carpet was never really cleaned before.

Also, the product lives up to it claim of cleaning the air while you vacuum, as I'd always have allergic reactions after using my old Dirt Devil upright vacuum. Also, I would have thought the vacuum for as powerful as it advertised it was going to be, it was going to be as loud as a jet engine; however, it was much less noisy than my old Dirt Devil upright (which you could hear clearly outside of the house whenever it was used). Overall, the Dyson DC21 is a very good vacuum cleaner but it's not inexpensive; however, just like the old saying goes, you'll get exactly what you pay for.

*** update 6/29/07

After using this vacuum now for a couple of months here's what I like, and dislike about it.

Pros:
1. Very powerful vacuum (I'm sure that there may be other vacuum's more powerful, but I haven't seen them yet - but the selling point is suction of dirt, not raw power of the motor).
2. The dust canister is very easy to empty and clean
3. The HEPA filter is very easy to clean, and the vacuum filters out all of its discharged air.
4. Long warranty - Five years.
5. Not as loud as some vacuums that I've used in the past.

Cons:
1. The price - prohibitively expensive for most people's budget. This is definitely a pricing decision you'd want to consult with your spouse before you run out and buy it.
2. Tendency to pull carpet fibers due to its suction power. Doesn't happen a lot, but enough to make you wonder about the quality of the carpet your vacuuming.
3. Owner's manual is like reading an assembly manual for a desk from IKEA - plenty of pictures, but very few words.
4. A little bulky for most closets where you might store the vacuum.
5. The power cord isn't very long. Good for small rooms, but a real hassle if you plan to clean the entire house. Invest in an extension cable.
6. The flex hose can get into a kink somewhat easily if vacuuming around tight corners and kill any suction needed to do the job.

I'm sure that there's more nit-picks I could mention, but this is more than enough.

After all of the rave reviews about the Dyson we were actually a bit excited to buy one. Unfortunately, after less than 1 week we are returning it for another brand.
The good things about it are the same that others have noted: it has a very strong suction and the floor head maneuvers easily. And the kids think it's cool to watch.

Soon after opening it however I noticed some design flaws which are almost embarrassing given the high cost. The most glaring are:

1. The hose is made of a very cheap and thin plastic which easily kinks cutting off all of the suction. Every other quality vacuum I see has a wire-embedded hose which is strong and flexible. Dyson's, however is so cheaply made that it folded/bent in half a couple of times while doing some simple cleaning tasks. The only way to avoid this is to always be aware of your orientation to the vacuum and constantly keep untwisting the hose to prevent an eventual kink. The irony of a vacuum that "never loses suction" that actually loses 100% of its suction working around a corner is not lost on me.

2. The cannister doesn't move easily around the floor. Maybe it's the small wheel on the bottom, or the weight, but we found that the vacuum wouldn't follow us easily while cleaning. So, not only does it tend to get twisted in the cord, but it bumps into furniture a lot. This probably also exacerbates the hose twisting noted above.

3. Others have mentioned the short cord, but I found it quite problematic. We have an Oreck upright and I can clean almost the whole downstairs without having to unplug it once, but the Dyson needs to be plugged and unplugged in every room.

4. The extensible wand is hard to extend and if you don't pull on it hard enough it will occasionally collapse while cleaning. This is really very strange. If you look at, for example, a Kenmore cannister the wand extends easily and clicks into one of several positions. The Dyson's wand is unnecessarily wide, is hard to open and close, and has only one position.

5. The attachment tools don't click into place, but are held instead by friction, so they can easily get knocked our pulled out.

Inspite of the above I was hopeful that it would work out until our house cleaning person came over. I showed her our new acquisition and both she and one of her assistants immediately rolled their heads back and swore (not so) softly. As a professional she has used a lot of vacuums and it turns out that the Dyson has been nothing but problematic for her. (For the reasons noted above.) She "hates" them.
For what it's worth, her favorite brand is the Electrolux sold on Amazon.

My advice is to look and play with one before you buy it unseen. For those for whom it's a good fit, congratulations. But, for me, I can't return it fast enough to get an Electrolux.

Moral of the story: Before buying any new appliance, ask someone who works with them for a living.

This vacuum has great suction. This is not the first DYSON I bought I also bought the DC 07 but I love my DC 21 much better. The DC 21 got in the tightest corners which I could not reach before using my upright vacuum. The only thing I would recommend Mr. Dyson should do is have a good instruction book. None came with the vacuum except for a start up guide which wasn't much help. Other than that the vacuum is the best canister that I've used. On a scale of 1 to 10 I would give it a 10.

A really good vacuum as far as sucking power, maneuverabilty, and ease of cleaning go. The wand has to be pulled really hard for the three bits to 'click' into place...i think after a few times, one gets a hang of how much pressure needs to be applied to extend the wand completely.
I don't know if there is some thing to make carpeted staircase cleaning easier the head is still too big for my stairs. Overall, a great buy.
Buying tip - check online for 20% off deals....you never know when you'll land one...I did.

I have to agree with whoever called the Dyson 21's power like a black hole. I, too, vacuumed my recently cleaned home, and collected 4 times as much dust and fur than I ever got with the previous vacuum. I'm in a small RV, which has cloth walls and ceiling as well, and the accessories with this vacuum will help keep the Himalayan cat fur off of everything.

I was surprised at how quietly it runs.

My RV is quite small, so storing this unit is a challenge. I didn't wrap the hose around and hang the carpet tool. Things are tucked away here and there. Since the parts are easy to reattach, this isn't a problem.

I was pleased to see that the wand doesn't have to be extended to use the accessories.

The dirt container was very easy and clean to empty.

I've used this vacuum only once, since it arrived just today. Hope it continues to do such a good job for years. I'm looking forward to doing a little more cleaning tomorrow. (I know - get a life.)

I am a huge fan of Dysons in general due to their superior quality of dust removal. I like the handy stowaway design of this model and the colours etc are funky and modern. The only negatives are that the handle doesnt lock very well once extended and keeps sliding in, and although the size looks manageable for a small apartment and small person it is relatively heavy and not that easy to lift up stairs etc.

We can't say enough great things about this fine vacuum. We bought it mainly for our Vintage Airstream. We travel with 3 kitties and the small upright we have been using looses suction as soon as kitty hair clogged the bagless bin, which would be about ˝ way through the trailer. So we took our new Dyson in there and was shocked - like the other folks - what it picked up - the bin was full of dirt and kitty hair and we had just vacuumed it with our former vacuum! So then we took it into the house and had the same experience. Now my wife wants to use it instead of our wind tunnel. Everything in this monster is well thought out and it is very easy to take apart and put back together. Winding it up is no big chore. We thought a lot about putting this much money in a vacuum, but now am glad we did. We were considering re-carpeting the house, but now the wall to wall rugs look great with new life given by our Dyson. Our house is 3600 sq ft so we figure the Dyson saved us several thousand dollars. A big thank you to Mr. Dyson and all the folks who worked on this project!

This vacuum is all plastic and some of the connecting pieces are rather small. After 2 years, mine developed a slight crack. Unfortunately, the crack is in a place that prevents the dust bin part from fitting securely on top of the HEPA filter. Dyson will not repair the vacuum as their designated service center in my area says they have never heard of a Dyson cracking (search the internet for proof to the contrary!) and I must have "misused" it.

The warranty sounds good on paper but good luck getting Dyson to honor it. I wish I'd bought a different brand.

This is a great vacuum, very powerful and stores away nice... The cord on it is way too short and won't even make it across a large room without having to unplug and move to another outlet. They thought of everything, I am not sure why they did not think to put a longer cord on this model.