Customer Reviews

Dyson DC23 TurbineHead Canister Vacuum

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

The purpose of this review is not to be complete, but rather append to Keith Rogers' thorough review.

Before the DC23, I owned the Dyson DC08 cylinder vacuum with a Root Cyclone and a mini turbine head attachment. The DC08 mini turbine head ground constantly to a halt if you held it at a wrong angle to the surface. This got very frustrating. Fortunately the design of the DC23 mini and large turbine heads have fixed this issue and no longer get stuck. This was achieved by giving the turbine a separate airflow from the brush head so it won't get blocked.

What I still don't like, however, is that like all Dysons, emptying the dust bin is a messy business. The bottom of the bin flips open at a press of a button - but a lot of the fluff remains stuck between the outer wall and the inner cyclone. The outer wall must be detached and the whole apparatus knocked vigorously to make the dust come loose. You may even want to use a brush to clean the small holes. All of this is rather inconvenient to do indoors over a dustbin. This won't be a problem for people who have a backyard and can do it outdoors, but for me it is. And do hold your breath while you're at it.

Also, since the design is more compact while the 3-stage Core Separator design takes up more room, there is actually less room for dust in the bin. This means the bin fills up faster and needs to be emptied more frequently.

Other than that, this is a great design and a joy to use. It looks like a futuristic alien gizmo, which is always a plus.

Instead of writing a long paragraph, I'll just jump to the pros and cons

Pros:
- Amazing suction: The amount of dirt and lint it sucks is incredible. Compared to my old hoover where I had to go over the carpet few times to suck out all the dirt, the DC23 is so powerful, I only have to run over the carpet once or twice and the carpet is clean. This is primarily due to the strong suction but also to the very powerful brush.
- I have very expensive and old rugs with tassels. When the motorized brush runs over the tassels, the brush shuts off. My old hoover vacuum would either gets intangled with the tassels or the rubber band connected to the motor would snap.
- It has a telescopic rod. When fully contracted, the DC23 is ideal for cleaning steps.

cons:
- VERY BIG WEAKNESS: The motorhead is so strong (a plus as I described above), it sucks in my delicate and fine rugs. Not only it sucks it in, but it's also stripping some of the threading from the 100 year old rugs. I wish Dyson had put a level to control the rotator head instead of just providing an on/off switch.
- Again, because of the strong suction, I'm having to empty the canister 3 or 4 types every time I vacuum my whole house, 2300sf. This is pretty minor actually but it was worth noting because my wife was complaining about it. I didn't seem to mind or care about having to empty out the canister frequently.

I would definitely recommend the Dyson DC23 to anyone looking for a bagless canister vacuum that is very powerful, efficient on all types of flooring, compact for easy storage, and great at deep cleaning carpet pile. I use my DC23 almost daily, and I am amazed to see how much deep down filth like sand and grit it accumulates every time I vacuum. This Dyson is a very powerful machine that is very efficient at cleaning both hard flooring and carpets, comes with a wonderful assortment of attachments for cleaning floors, carpets, and hard to reach areas, and its very compact for easy storage in small spaces.

The design of the DC23 is as impressive as its performance, with much function behind its draconian appearance. I absolutely love the "Telescopic Wand" that extends to full length in less than a second for use with the Motorhead, or bare floor tool(s). I retracts back inward for easy use with the stair tool, crevice tool, and dusting brush. In addition to being impressed with the Telescopic wand, I also found myself quite fond of the Motorhead power nozzle attachment.

The Motorhead impressed me with the way it moves on carpet, as well as with its aggressive brush roll that deep cleans carpets quite well. The Motorhead moves and corners with ease with a design Dyson calls the "Tri-Ball Arrangement"; this is a motion apparatus that consists of a low wide roller, accompanied by a small wheel on each side of it. The three wheels work in concert to allow the user flexible steering of the Motorhead, much like the Ball uprights. Left and right turns are executed with a simple flick of the wrist. The brush within the Motorhead is driven by a powerful 120V 60 Hz 80 W motor that sends power to the brush roll via steel gear drive, eliminating the belt altogether. The gearbox also results in no lost torque. The brush roll rotates in excess of 5,400 RPM (think about it, that's 90 rotations per second), which is the reason why this machine deep cleans carpets so well.

Another key design element of the DC23 that I should note is the Level 3 Root Cyclone filtration system. The new Level 3 Root Cyclone performs brilliantly at separating dust, sand, and large debris from the airstream more efficiently than past iterations of Dyson cyclone technology. It works with three stages of separation: the low-speed outer cyclone separates fluff and large debris from the airstream, the inner "Core Separator" removes a large bulk of sand and dust that bypasses the first stage, and finally the air is divided through 14 high speed cyclones that subject microscopic contaminants to over 150,000 G-forces. I have been using this machine for over six months, and the pre-filter is still very clean, with no visible signs of contamination. Dyson recommends that you clean the pre-filter every three months, however, I can easily go six or more months before ever having to clean the filter.

There are a few minor issues that I should address before I conclude my review, which in my opinion my not matter to some readers out there, but I feel I should note them anyway. First of all, the Motorhead is an abundantly powerful electrified device that generates extra noise in addition to the sound produced by the main vacuum motor. Those of you that are moving up from cheaper, less powerful machines may find the noise somewhat loud (from my experience, good power nozzles from all high-end makes like Sebo, Miele, Rainbow, etc. are rather loud). However, new users will eventually get used to it. Second, some of the previously sold attachments, such as the old style "Turbine Hand Tool" will not work with this machine. I found the hard way recently when I purchased the now discontinued turbine tool, which appeared to be compatible because it uses the same latch release mechanism as the other attachments provided with my machine. Be sure to buy accessories specifically made for the DC23, because most of them on the market will not fit. In addition, Dyson now sells a second generation Turbine Hand Tool that will work with every Dyson model, just be sure to look for the smaller new all-clear version, and not the discontinued version that is bulkier with purple/clear plastic.

Overall, I am extremely pleased with my Dyson DC23, and I will not recommend anything other than a Dyson to all my friends and family. Consider me a Dyson owner for life.

The Dyson DC23 motorhead is a huge disappointment. I have owned a Dyson upright for years and was so happy with it that when I decided to buy a canister to make it easier to vacuum under furniture I immediately chose Dyson. Big mistake. The first thing you notice is that Dyson could not have chosen a cheaper made hose. My Dyson uprights hose is reinforced with a wire strand. This hose is so thin that it actually kinks and shuts off suction as you manuever it. I would compare the hose on the canister to what one would expect from a cheap $50 bath tub bubbler that they use to sell many years ago. Dyson could not possibly have made this hose any thinner or cheaper. The lowest supply bidder definately got that contract. It had to have cost Dyson just pennies to buy. But thats not even the real disapointment. This vacuum will convince you not to buy a bagless unit. The suction unit inside the plastic dust collection reservoir is very narrow along the top (only about 1/2"). If you have high pile carpet, the carpet fibers and dirt get lodged between the suction head and the plastic reservoir case. So when you empty it the dirt at the top of the reservoir does not fall out. So now you have to insert something like a knife to force it out and dirt gets everywhere. If everyone made a bagless canister like this one, no one would ever buy a bagless model. Dyson will correct this issue in future models, wait for the engineering changes! Wish I never bought this model.

I've just started using my DC 23, and I find that it works very well overall - especially at picking up pet hair. It's much lighter and more convenient than the Hoover bag canister vacuum I used to use, and not having to replace (buy) TWO filters at least once a year is nice too. Getting rid of the bag is also a great step up - and I don't know of any other bagless vacs offhand that actually manage to not blow huge amounts of dust into the air. I can only think of a few slight quibbles, but here they are. As someone else noted, the dirt does tend to get wedged up into the narrow space near the top of the canister, which sometimes requires you to poke around and pull it out with something like a pencil when you empty it, which does tend to get messy if you're not careful. Also (and this is a problem with other bagless vacs as well), the canister itself, being plastic, tends to build up a bit of static - and then, when you empty it, you tend to get some dust finding its way onto the outside and getting stuck there... so you end up having to clean the outside of the vacuum after you empty it or it drops dust here and there. (Truthfully, it wouldn't be that big a deal, except that Dysan makes a point of NOT spreading dust around. It partly defeats their great air filtering if the outside of the vacuum itself will end up tracking dust around the house.) The other thing I've noticed is that the unit I received is slightly different than what appears in some of the pictures - it looks like they've modified it a bit. I wouldn't mind the color changes, but it looks like the new hose is quite a bit shorter than the one pictured. (Some user pictures show the hose wrapped twice around the head unit and using both the little clips on the rear of the body. The hose on mine isn't anywhere near long enough to do that.)

Lastly, and more of a clarification than a problem, the DC 23 is not all that small, or all that light. I've seen comments that might lead you to think it's so tiny and light you can just drag it up the stairs behind you by tugging on the hose. Well, it isn't quite THAT light or tiny. It is smaller and lighter than a full sized Hoover canister, but it's not anywhere near as small or light as some of the small "portable canister" vacs out there. You shouldn't expect to walk up the stairs with this puppy in one hand and the handpiece in the other - unless you're into weight lifting.

Pros:
- good suction
- No bag

Cons:
- Cumbersome
- Very noisy
- Heavy
- The brush is too thick to go under most furniture pieces.
- Messy to empty
- Tube is flimsy
- The regular brush seems harsh on wood floor - the special hardwood floor brush works well, but I have to change it for every area rug!
- Expensive (was $530) - the price of 2 roombas.
- Damaged fine rugs.

Conclusion: I end up using my $100 PortaPower by Hoover, which doesn't do as good a job, but is light and easier to handle.

I bought it after trying what I thought was the DC 23 in Europe. Turned out, it was a DC 19 with a flat brush. I should have paid more attention to reviews and the Consumer Reports analysis.

This is the only vacuum cleaner that I have ever owned or seen that actually works. The usual routine is to push the vacuum three or four or five or more times over the carpet and then give up, bend over and pull the fuzzy or whatever out of the carpet.

Never again with this MOTORHEAD Dyson vacuum.

The motorhead is designed perfectly to clean carpets. It digs everything out of your carpet and leaves it clean and looking new. And here I'm writing about carpets that are over twenty years old. This vacuum would be worth a thousand dollars easily.

Don't buy the turbine, buy the motorhead. It's worth every penny extra.

If Dyson stops selling it here because Americans won't pay an extra hundred for the only vacuum that works and five years from now I need to buy another, I'll pay five hundred dollars extra to have a Dyson motorhead shipped from Europe, because it's the only vacuum that actually works.

One pass and the carpet is clean. There is no other vacuum that can do that.

I wish I could give this vacuum a rating of six stars.

After 14 years of needing a good vacuum cleaner, I've FINALLY found one! I've gone through about 5 vacuum cleaners over those years and have experienced nothing but frustration with every one of them. Probably becuase they were all cheap. My husband & I starting looking at a Dyson. Reading reviews and inspecting it carefully, we decided it was time to get one and WOW!!!!! I LOVE THIS VACUUM CLEANER! I love to vacuum now! It cleans the way a vacuum should clean. I decided on the canister instead of the upright, just because I'll use it to clean out my vehicles too. This really is an awesome vacuum! THANK YOU DYSON!!!!

This vacuum is fabulous!! I originally bought the dc23 turbinehead and after using it a few times I found that we really needed a more powerful unit. My home is over 3,000 square feet, with additional square footage in the finished basement. Most of the home is covered with hardwood or ceramic tile, but all of the bedrooms upstairs are carpeted. In addition, we have quite a few area rugs around the house. The dc23 turbinehead would be a great option for a home with very little carpet, but for us the motorized head on this vacuum is a must. The dc23 motorhead vacuum is extremely powerful, after using it the carpets in my seven year old home look almost brand new. Other reviewers have mentioned rugs getting pulled up, I have not had that problem at all. I just step on a corner of the rug I am vacuuming and it works just fine. As far as the tubing, perhaps they could have used a sturdier material, but I have not had any problems with it at all. I love the fact that it is bagless, and yes it can be messy to empty. What would you expect though? It's dirt. I don't see why it's such a big deal to remove the collection container (it's very light weight and easy to remove) and empty it in a garage or outside. This is a small price to pay for the convenience of not having to buy bags. The hepa filter on this machine is wonderful. I have a son with health issues, and many family members with allergies. This vacuum leaves the rooms feeling clean and fresh. It was worth every penny.

Purchased a DC23 Animal to replace a Kenmore Canister Vacuum that had fallen on hard times. I was hesitant to purchase the Dyson due to my belief that "bagless" was not for me and that I questioned whether all the claims were accurate. After 3 weeks, I have contacted Dyson to ask if they will allow me to return the unit. Keep in mind that we have a large, long haired dog and a small parrot, so we need a good, reliable vacuum. Most of our house is hardwood floors, hence the preference for a canister vacuum. For carpet, the vacuum driven Motorhead on the DC23 is just not effective when compared to electrically driven powerheads as found on most other canister vacs. It clogs easily and is only effective (marginally) on very low carpet. Although it is very light in weight, it actually takes more effort to move it on carpet than a good electrically driven powerhead. The standard attachment for hardwood floors to use in lieu of the Motorhead does not suck up very well. Dyson draws from the sides and the middle of the attachment is left with minimal suction. The plastic used for the whole machine is extremely sensitive to static and the vacuum itself must be vacuumed as it attracts dog hair like a magnet. Never seen this before! Regarding the bagless design, Dyson is not alone in this respect and I don't single them out, I can only say that, for us, a bag is a far simpler, cleaner way to collect the dust and dog hair. When it's full, just throw it out. We empty the canister on the Dyson after every use and it is simply not convenient nor is it easy to do without spillage. Just our preference. One last note and it involves Dyson's claim that their vacuums do not lose suction. The laws of physics say this is impossible and I don't want anyone to buy into this hype. The "Maximum Fill Level" on the canister is quite low and I'm sure if you empty the canister when the level of dust/dirt/hair reaches this mark, you will never notice a decrease in suction. But if you allow the canister to fill up completely, it will eventually lose suction, plain and simple! Just like a bag in a vacuum that uses one, it will eventually fill and the vacuum will cease to work. Apparently we are one of the few people who have purchased a Dyson who are not completely satisfied. If you need a canister vacuum, my recommendation is to look elsewhere.