Customer Reviews

Dyson DC33 Multi-Floor Upright Bagless Vacuum Cleaner

5 star:		(66)
4 star:		(37)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(15)

 

 

I have tried both of these, and have come to the conclusion that the DC33 is superior. Here's why:

-The suction and brush bar are clearly more powerful. This is what sold me. I can see the difference in carpet lines (medium pile carpet) when I use one or the other.
-35ft cord is a significant benefit over the 25ft cord. I can almost do the entire floor by just plugging in a single outlet. Two would cover the whole house. With the DC25, I had to constantly unplug and replug.
-Larger dustbin means I can keep vacuuming for longer without emptying. Also, the design on this one seems to keep the shroud (the perforated shield inside the canister) freer of stuck-on dust.
-Quieter
-Although a bit larger, it is a similar weight to the DC25.
-Critical sections can be easily taken apart to clear blockages.
-The DC25 has a tiny plastic piece that keeps the vacuum from tipping over in upright mode due to the ball mechanism. If I tilt the vacuum to the side while it is close to being upright, I can hear a loud snap as the plastic piece is forced into a position where it shouldn't be. I can see this breaking really soon.

There are some shortcomings:

-The wand is a clear cost cutting measure. It is plastic rather than aluminum. Also, the handle is missing (present in the DC25) a contoured plastic piece that makes it much more ergonomic to hold when using the wand. It also requires an extra button to release AND another button to retract the wand. Lastly, when you release the wand from the hose, there is just a bare hose, rather than a similar cuff as the one at the end of the wand with a release button as on the DC25. It is still usable, but not as nice. It just adds to the already cumbersome wand system on the Dysons.
-The DC33 switches suction to the wand when in upright position whereas the DC25 switches it when the wand is drawn. A minor annoyance, especially if you're wearing a long sleeved shirt; it may get sucked in when you hold the handle.
-No ball, but to me the difference in maneuverability is negligible.

Update 3/4/2011: I have used this vacuum for a few months now. I returned the DC25 and do not miss it at all. The DC33 continues to perform admirably. True to Dyson's claim, the suction is as good as new. I've washed the filters once and the process was simple, much simpler than going to the store and buying filter bags. Vacuuming is a pleasure, due to getting the instant gratification of seeing the the dust collect in the bin, and the clean exhaust. It's probably subconscious, but as a sufferer of seasonal allergies and constant nasal congestion, I feel like I can breathe better when I vacuum.

The only pain has been removing hair from the brush bar. It doesn't pop off, unlike the DC25, so removing hair can be a cumbersome process.

I did a lot of research before I bought this Dyson and almost got the DC28 Animal one because I have a large dog that sheds. After doing some reading online, I found out this is the exact same machine as the animal except for the attachments! That's the only difference! So I decided for $200 less than the Animal one I could do without the "special" attachments. The very first time I pulled this out of the box and used it in my living room I wasn't all that impressed, especially with the suction but I decided to go over my floor again and practice with the attachments. Well, it must have just needed to warm up or something being brand new because the second time the suction was amazing!! (and ever since!) It left the lines on the carpet from where I had vacuumed (I love that!) and it also fluffed up the carpet and made it feel like when we first bought the carpet and our feet sank down in it a bit!! Very cool!! And the best part - it picked up the dog hair!!!!! With my old vacuum I would still get dog hair on my clothes even after vacuuming but I tested my Dyson: After vacuuming with it the first day I had my toddler drag a clean black shirt all over the carpet - and guess what? - not a single dog hair was on it!! Every time I've used it since the suction has been amazing!

Below I wanted to address some of the negatives I have read in reviews about it. I was glad I ignored them and bought this anyway! :)

- I was impressed with the suction from the side of it. With the front you can't get right up to the baseboards but if you can run the side of the vacuum against it, it works good (or just use the wand). On another note about the front - no it won't get under furniture or the edge of things. The high profile of the front of the vacuum prevents that but that was ok with me. With this kind of strong suction I wouldn't want to be vacuuming where I can't see what it might grab anyway! And you can tell by looking at the picture that it won't do this before you buy.. not sure why some people are surprised by this.

- THE WAND: this did take some practice but I like it fine. Some have said the vacuum tips over when you are trying to use it but I haven't had that happen at all. In fact, when I've been using the wand on the baseboards and walk and pull, the vacuum has actually rolled along behind me like a canister vacuum would do following me! Just make sure the back of the vacuum where the wand was is facing you so it can roll along with you while you walk. I also read several reviews saying the wand will suck your shirt sleeve in (because the wand is the handle and the suction switches to the wand when the vacuum is in the upright position.) But I have a very simple fix for this - TURN THE VACUUM OFF BEFORE putting it to the upright position. Not sure why you would need or want it on while getting the wand or attachments out and ready anyway. Just turn it off before switching. (and the same when starting to vacuum - recline it first, THEN turn it on.) One more thing on the wand - I will say that it would be easier if the long end piece was flexible or if the hard section wasn't so long. It is a bit awkward at first figuring out the best way to use it. I found that if you just back up a bit from what you are trying to vacuum it gives room for you to manuever the long wand. Just don't get so close and it's no big deal. I will say it IS nice though to have a long hard section wand to get cobwebs on high cielings.

- Unlike what some have said, this vacuum is NOT heavy! They must have been comparing it with a swiffer mop or something because as far as regular vacuums go I was very happy with the weight! (go to a store and pick them up to compare.) It's actually much lighter than most I tried out in the stores. It is easy to push even on my thick carpet! It's not bulky either and I find it very manuevarable. In fact I tried out the 'ball' dyson in the store and didn't think it was any more manueverable than the regular one. I also didn't like the release on the ball one (that reclines it to vacuum than clicks it to upright.) I had to use such force to push on the foot lever to get it to recline that I could see it breaking after awhile. Not sure if that was just an issue with the floor model or what but I'm very glad I didn't get the ball type. (the canister is smaller on those too!)

- THE CANISTER: is VERY easy to dump. My old bagless vacuum you had to take the top off the canister and actually dig out the junk. This one has a very handy release on it: You take the canister off the vacuum (with one hand at the click of a button!), and while holding it down in the trash can, you push the button that opens the BOTTOM of the canister letting all the junk fall out the bottom down into the trash. Now you do have to use your fingers to then close the bottom up, but come on - two fingers with a little dust is much better than most! And it's easy enough to just wash my hands afterwards.

- NOISE LEVEL: It's pretty quiet as far as vacuums go. My young kids used to be afraid of my vacuum and would run for cover every time I got it out. The first time I used this one they not only came out in shock that it wasn't some monster going to eat them but they actually skipped across in front of it playing while I vacuumed!

- BARE FLOOR TO CARPET LEVER: Some have said this is a hard thing to do... that confuses me because it is just a wheel like switch on the front of the vacuum that you just turn to 'bare floor' or 'carpet'. Ok, so you do have to bend down... is that a problem? .. I don't think so. (sorry for the sarcasm. lol)

OK, so after all the good now I will share the short bad. The ONLY problem I have had with this at all:
It tends to leave a clump of dog hair at the last place it was standing when I'm done and turn it off. I realized though this was probably because I was turning it off so fast when I was done that the last thing it picked up hadn't made it up into the canister yet. I solved this problem by letting it run for a few seconds in the same position when I was done before turning it off. That lets all the last stuff it picks up get up into the canister so when I turn it off there's no clump left. It was a simple fix I just remember to do each time when I'm finished. I'm happy to do that little thing for the benefit of all that dog hair being gone! :)

So overall I am VERY pleased with this vacuum and highly recommend it - especially if you have pets.

I have read many many reviews on the Dyson DC33 before purchasing. While the majority of them are positive, and I agree, there are a few negative reviews that are just ridiculous.

First, I agree that the extension arm does appear cheap and is awkward to use. Does it work, yes. Does this bother me? Not enough to give the vacuum a terrible review. This is the only reason I give it 4 stars. The handle to the wand is a bit flimsy. I get around this by actually holding the wand itself and not the handle.

Other than the above, the suction is fantastic. We purchased this vacuum for our new home. The previous owners had pets and vacuumed and shampooed the carpets before we moved it. The DC33 still pulls up dog and cat hair that the previous owners could not get out of the carpet. I have used this vacuum to clean my car and vacuum up dust from sanding our walls. I havent found any other flaws in it, other then the extension wand.

As for the other negative reviews. Someone stated that they were disappointed that they had to unravel the cord themselves? Cmon... You cant expect your vacuum to do everything for you. This just screams lazy. Others have commented that it wont reach under the couch. Well, Then move the damn couch. You can effectively vacuum under your couch completely without moving it anyway. There was one other that states that Dyson was liable for damaging hardwood or linoleum floors because their floors weren't level. How is this the fault of the vacuum? Sounds to me like someone didnt install your floors correctly. Last on that list, the attachments are too complicated to use for your maid? Are you kidding? This thing is really easy to use. Why not try reading the instructions.

Why did I get a Dyson? Simple reason, my mother. She has had pets all her life and I have never seen a vacuum pull as much hair out of a rug as her Dyson Animal does. I got a good feel for the vacuum at her house while visiting. We decided on the DC33 because we do not have pets and the Animal was overkill for us.

For the best pricing out there, go to banksvac.com. We got our DC33 for $309 shipped. Free shipping, No taxes and at least $90 less than anyone else that has this vacuum for sale.

Is it perfect, no. But it is still a damn good vacuum in my book and I would buy another one if I needed to.

I've been using this product for a month now, and am satisfied overall. Its suction is incredible, the beater-bar does a great job on big carpets. Emptying the canister is genius simple - just hold it over the garbage can, press the button, and you are done! It is relatively lightweight for an upright, and the way it all clips together it is very easy to carry around and up/down stairs. It also looks cool for a vacuum, so my kids want to play with it (for now, anyway). Way less hassle than my old FilterQueen with four seperate pieces to lug around!

Here's what I would have liked to have known in advance: The super suction means it tries to eat small throw carpets, and you have to ackwardly put a foot on both ends of the carpet to keep it down while you vacuum it; Although it does have a very long reach when the wand is removed from the upright, the flexible tube is so springy it pulls back on itself and drags the upright part around while you are trying to use the wand part. It says it reaches 17ft - but effectively it is only usable for about 6-8 feet because of the springiness. It is really only a FLOOR vacuum, as it cannot be used for things like vacuuming the car, or dusting around stuff on top of the piano or mantle, as the business end of the wand is a four foot straight tube - the flexibility is all at the motor end of the wand. It does not go under any furniture, but I can live with that.

This vacuum is AMAZING! My husband and I had a Eureka Maxima, and it clogged all the time, lost suction (from the clogging), and the hose kept falling out. You can only blow a vacuum out so many times with an air compressor before you get sick of it. So, one night, we went shopping for a vacuum. We've wanted a Dyson for so long, and we pushed different models around the store for hours. We finally decided on this one.

Pros:
-Big canister makes it easy to vacuum for awhile without having to dump (this canister is also bigger than the Ball models).
-15 foot cord!!
-Quiet. Yes, this vacuum is quiet.
-Unmatched suction
-Picks up cat hair, dust, dander, dirt, and everything else without a hitch. You only have to go over a spot one time!
-Very, very long hose and attachments
-Easy to empty canister

Cons:
-Once you buy this vacuum, you will find it hard to stop using it!


Yes, this vacuum is pricey. But it is definitely worth the price. We have 4 long-haired, shedding, exploding cats. They have sterlite tubs as litter boxes and get litter everywhere. It gets into the carpet (we live in an apartment), behind baseboards, just everywhere. Our old vacuum picked up the surface litter but we just couldn't get the embedded litter out no matter how hard we tried. Our house smelled like cat, even after scooping twice a day. We had no idea that a vacuum could take care of such a problem. We come home now and don't smell cat, or cat litter. The carpet looks newer. The couch looks great!

This vacuum is worth it, I doubt you will be disappointed!

My new Dyson DC33 arrived today. Though it has some strongly positive features, overall I am disappointed.

PRO's:
- Great suction
- Pretty quiet
- Big canister for vacuumed-up stuff; easy to empty the canister
- The filters will be very easy to rinse
- 5-year warranty
- Easy to carry around with a well-positioned handle

CON's:
- Worst thing is that it does not fit under dressers, beds, benches, coffee tables, sofas, etc; basically can't vacuum under most furniture
- Next complaint is that it is awkward to turn the carpet brush on/off; there is an awkward lever at toe level that is hard to move with my foot
- It's heavy and takes muscle to push/pull it on oriental carpets
- The telescoping wand tends to pull the vacuum over; perhaps that will stop in the future, once the hose is less stiff

Luckily, I have a small floor vacuum that will go under furniture. But for $399 I wish I didn't have to use both.

UPDATE (same day): Dyson will allow me to exchange it (I bought it on the Dyson website rather than Amazon). I am going with the DC23.

It's a 4 star rating, but that's only because I'm one of those that reserves 5 stars for the most amazing of things.

This review will have two parts. First, just an overall review and second, why I chose this over the DC25 (which is what I was pretty much decided on until I ran across a DC33 on the floor at a local store).

This is my first Dyson, and after reading all the reviews it seems like the majority of people love it, and a few hate it and it seemed like mechanical problems were pretty common. I've only owned for a short time, but I just don't see this vacuum giving me any problems **assuming you take care of it like you would have to any vacuum***. The sucking power is amazing, we vacuum our home once a week and after giving the dyson a quick run over all our floors (carpet, tile and wood); i ended up having to empty the canister 3 times. On tile and wood, you can see hairs being sucked in from a few feet away. From carpets it picked up very very fine dust. Emptying the canister really is extremely easy. Reaching the filters to wash (at least once every 3 months) is incredibly easy and it even has easy ways to check and clean the vacuum for possible clogs.

The main negatives of this vacuum is the wand can be a little awkward to use. I think that's just inherent in any wand tool. It's definitely not "useless" as I always use it here and there, just be prepared for the sucking to start as soon as you put the vacuum upright which other reviews have noted. You can either just be aware that it'll happen, or you can turn off the vacuum before switching to the wand. (the on/off button is easy to reach so it's not much of a hassle really)

The actual vacuum is a little bulky so you can't maneuver underneath low furniture. It did go underneath my dining table with no problems. and I don't really have any other furniture that i need to go under.

those are really the only two cons i see for this. some people complain that it's made of "cheap plastic". It's made of polycarbonate plastic. Known for being incredibly durable yet being extremely light. And the vacuum is indeed pretty light for the size. It glides just as easy as any other vacuum i've used.

Now, why did I choose this over the DC25? Wife tried pushing both around the store and didn't find the DC25 any easier to maneuverer. Some people do, so just give it a try. But honestly even if the DC25 does move easier, it's a $100 more. Second, the DC33 has more sucking power. It's a vacuum. It needs to suck, more sucking power = better in my book. Third, it has a much larger canister. I think twice the size if i remember the numbers correctly off of dyson's website. Fourth, it's electric cord is 10ft longer. I can vacuum my whole master bedroom and bathroom without unplugging the thing once. These 4 reasons just made it a much more practical buy than the D25 in my book so that's why I went with this model instead.

Either way, after being hesitant for a few months by some of the bad reviews Dyson gets, i am throughly satisfied. The wand isn't as easy as I wish, but wand use for me is very secondary and it still has its use. It almost seems like the air in my house is cleaner after getting rid of all the dust embedded in my carpets / rugs. The design of how to clean the canister, filters and vacuum itself makes usually very tough tasks, quite simple.

This is a great sweeper, and it really excells at cleaning floors. The 2010 holiday cyber week saw a handful of retailers discounting the DC33 heavily, which made the deal hard to ignore, especially since the motor bearings on my 25 year old Eureka canister vac were shot.

The construction of the DC33 is mostly of well fitting high quality plastic parts that look like they should hold up well to a number of years of use. The ergomics of the machine are pretty good, especially for floor cleaning. When the DC33 is parked upright, vacuum is vented through the handle, which doubles as the dusting wand. Some users reported that was off-putting, but it doesn't bother me. That keeps a good air flow to the high speed motor and prevents burning out the motor with over speed from too much suction. And, yes the TV ads seem to be correct in that the DC33 has a lot of suction power. I've previously had serveral upright sweepers, and they're quite wimpy compared to the DC33. While the others relied mainly on the brush roll to kick up dirt, which was lazily scooped into a bag, the DC33 really pulls the dirt. The fist time I went over my carpet with the Dyson, I was surprised at the amount of crud it pulled out. The really long 35 foot power cord is a nice touch too. I can reach most of my house without having to re-plug the cord. The motor isn't silent, but it is quiet enough that it doesn't send my cats running when I switch the DC33 on.

The DC33 is bagless, but not totally maintenance free. There are pre and post filters that need to be periodically washed. I've used the DC33 several times, and the filters still pretty much look pristine despite having dumped dust collector quite a few times. The manual is a bit dodgy on how often the filters should be washed, but does give a good illustration of the procedure for doing so.

While I am cheery about the quality and power of the DC33, it isn't all peaches and cream. There are a few week spots. The bulk of the design makes it hard to sweep under beds or low furniture. It is better to move things like coffee tables and beds if you need to clean far underneath the edge. The wand's combo brush/crevice tool isn't much help in the cleaning underneath department becuase the brush is pretty dinky; you'll spend a lot of time with such a small brush. That's where a canister vac will do better. If cleaning under things frequently is a must for you, then you might want to consider one of the higher end Kenmore canister vacs as an alternative. The other mote in the DC33's eye is the somewhat clutzy design of the wand. While the wand is a bit more convient to stow than the likes of Hoover attachment tools, the problem stems from the rather long wnad stowing inside the hose. When the wand is extended, it sticks way out from the end of the hose, and it is hard to get a good angle for dusting bick-a-brack on dresser tops and waist level flat surfaces. On the other hand, the wand is really great for reaching up and nabbing cob webs from high ceiling corners.

Over all, the DC33 is a good bargain when it is discounted. It would be hard to find a better machine for carpet cleaning. I'd have to think twice, however, at the list price of $399 -- I would have to give consideration to the very capable Sears Kenmore canister vacs at that price point becuase they're be handier for cleaning under beds and doing stairs.

EDIT 14-February-2011

I figured out that it is possible to detach the wand and sick the crevice tool or upholstery tool directly into the end of the hose. I'm not sure that it is what Dyson intended; the manual doesn't say anything about attaching the tools that way, but it is unbelieveably easier than trying to use the tools on the end of the wand (except for stairs and ceiling corners).

Since figuring this out I will up my rating of the DC33 to 4.5 stars. The DC33 still loses half a star becuase it is too bulky to sweep easily under low furniture such as beds and coffee tables.

Overall Dyson DC33 is a good product.
The good: strong cyclone effect, clean medium pile carpet very good. Work flawlessly with carpet, laminate wood floor, tile floors in bathroom. Work best when vacuum wood and tile floors. For kitchen, as long there's 4-1/4" clearance from top of floor to bottom of cabinet, DC33 will clean everything. Test with small size cheerios, pick them up with no problem. Long electrical cord, bigger trash bin than DC25, clean air exhaust. Light weight.
The bad: stiff hose, hard to use wand.

I recently purchased a DC25 which went back. Lots of reasons why (read my review) but suffice to say it just didn't met our needs; so I bought the DC33.

First the downside. If you have a deep pile carpet-this is NOT the machine for you. As an average guy (yes ladies I do the vacuuming) I was surprised how difficult this is to push on deep pile. This isn't some 2" 70's shag, but it actually makes cleaning this room a chore.

As you may read on a lot of sites-with the angle of the head you won't be cleaning under many pieces of furniture.

Third, as the owner of 4 dogs, 5 cats and an African Gray Parrot-I not only need to keep a clean house but I know what picks up hair. Don't be misled-if you have animals you will be sticking your fingers in the canister to clean it out. Fur gets caught not only in the grate inside the canister but along this "ring" around the bottom of where the grate ends. Hard to clean-no....but you will be cleaning it.

Some people complain this has too much power and sucks up area rugs. I experienced the same thing (and the really loud noise) but when initially lowering the head to vacuum. I found the key was tilt the cleaner back first, then lower the head. The machine has enough power and the brushes engage fast enough my foot was sometimes on the head too long (like half a second) and the brushes catch.

Don't be fooled. The Dyson works well-but its not magic. Areas where our cats leave the litter box obviously have a lot of litter in the carpet. The Dyson does pick all of it up-but its not one pass...or two...or even four. Granted, our old machine never seemed to get all of it.

Now the good news. Its cheaper than the 25, has a longer cord, more power and bigger canister. The very first thing I noticed when I turned it on was how quiet it ran; you can hear the T.V or actually hold a conversation.

The stair cleaning tool (the hose minus the wand) works REALLY well. Honestly, our stairs have never looked better.

Its light and doesn't seem to leave vacuum "marks" on our carpet.

Some people mention its pricey-we got our during a Kohls 30% off sale with Kohls's cash as a bonus so our net price was around $270. Expensive for a vacuum but a 5 year warranty means Dyson stands behind the machine.

Would I buy it again...yep