Customer Reviews

Dyson DC15 "The Ball" All Floors Upright Vacuum, Steel/Yellow

5 star:		(99)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

Ok, so I went today to pick-up my ordered DC-15. Experiencing a bit of buyer's remorse (599.00 for this smallish box??), it was loaded into my car and I headed home.

My husband, already won over by the design and "look" of the machine, immediately pulled it from the box. He was busy packing for 2 weeks of Army Reserve summer camp, so he told me to do as much as I could to set it up, and he would help later. My 9-year-old son and I read the 3 steps to set-up. No tools...no mystery...no weird pictures to decifer. In about 3-4 minutes, we were ready to turn the big, yellow, baby on.

The amount of pet hair suctioned up in one quick run around of our downstairs filled the clear bin. Emptying it was a breeze and the technology, clever. Later, I took it upstairs. Whoa...serious cat and dog hair (that didn't even look like it was there in the first place!!).

I love the ease of using the features. Tools gently slip into place and click. Release buttons provide immediate results. The Ball feature makes moving around corners much easier, although I am still working on my wrist movements to master the turns. The only feature I am still struggling with is the wand release--but, maybe I have to practice a bit more.

My brother came over a day or so after I got the machine. He walked in and almost immediately asked me if we had gotten a new rug. I just had to gloat over my new Dyson and he, an engineer, was pretty impressed.

My husband took 2 old vacuums to the dump this morning. After he replaced the belt on my Oreck, and before the Dyson arrived today, I vacuumed (within the past 12 hours). That Oreck missed a lot.

Go for the Dyson--it's definately a lifetime machine.

The Dyson Ball is a great vacuum cleaner that features two major improvements. The ball itself is the first major change and it does make it much easier to get the vacuum around furniture. The even more important improvement is the direct drive of the brush. The two major failure points of traditional vacuums such as my old Hoover wind tunnel were clogging (and with a German Shepard and a cat we had lots of clogged bags and hoses) and the belt. The big problem with belts is not breakage, but slippage. As they grow older, the grow slick and slip when vacuuming the carpet. The result is poor performance. They are also a pain to change when you finally realize they are not the problem. Direct drive solves this one and for all. You can elect to turn the drive off with a simple switch when you do not want the brushes turning on hard surfaces, and then turn it back on when you get to the carpets.

The performance of this machine is marvelous. It did take up a great deal that my Wind Tunnel had left behind. It is quieter. Emptying the dirt container is much easier than changing a bag and obviously less expensive. You switch to attachment use just by lifting out the accessory tube. Instantly all the airflow goes to the accessory tube and the brush stops. With 17' of tube you can reach virtually anywhere. The attachments stow neatly on the body of the machine. In summary, a superb design, well executed. You will be very pleased if you elect to buy this machine.

The Dyson Ball is a great vacuum cleaner that features two major improvements. The ball itself is the first major change and it does make it much easier to get the vacuum around furniture. The even more important improvement is the direct drive of the brush. The two major failure points of traditional vacuums such as my old Hoover wind tunnel were clogging (and with a German Shepard and a cat we had lots of clogged bags and hoses) and the belt. The big problem with belts is not breakage, but slippage. As they grow older, the grow slick and slip when vacuuming the carpet. The result is poor performance. They are also a pain to change when you finally realize they are not the problem. Direct drive solves this one and for all. You can elect to turn the drive off with a simple switch when you do not want the brushes turning on hard surfaces, and then turn it back on when you get to the carpets.

The performance of this machine is marvelous. It did take up a great deal that my Wind Tunnel had left behind. It is quieter. Emptying the dirt container is much easier than changing a bag and obviously less expensive. You switch to attachment use just by lifting out the accessory tube. Instantly all the airflow goes to the accessory tube and the brush stops. With 17' of tube you can reach virtually anywhere. The attachments stow neatly on the body of the machine. In summary, a superb design, well executed. You will be very pleased if you elect to buy this machine.

Question: Why spend $500+ on a vacuum? Answer: Don't. The Dyson may resemble a vacuum, but it's really a compact, easy to use system for cleaning just about everything. The DC15 Ball creates astoundingly powerful suction within well engineered tools and brushes. I have bare wood floor, carpet, stone, tile, shutters, blinds, cat hair, chimney dust, areas rugs, couch crevices, car seats, car carpets, deck grooves, etc. and the DC15 cleans it all, and I do mean clean. As other reviewers have pointed out, the DC15 pulls a surprising amount of stuff out of just-hoovered carpets. Amazing what 150,000 g's can turn up.

What I like best about the DC15 All Floors is centering it in a just Dysoned room and then having a 17-foot reach to go after corner cobwebs, dust bunnies, curtains, whatever needs cleaning. Even stairs are easy if you follow Dyson's instructions. The DC15 is a system of cleaning devices in one very cool looking package, so cool I keep it in my home office--no closet for this baby.

The DC14 also does many of these things, so why buy the Ball? As another reviewer points out, one major reason is that the main rotating cleaning brush of the DC15 is now directly driven by its own motor--no more stretching, slipping, breaking belts. And Dyson has moved the main brush's On/Off button from near the floor to near your hand, perfect for transitions from carpet to wood and vice versa. Another major difference is The Ball's dexterity. It still surprises me. With little practice I've mastered the 90-degree turn with a flick of the wrist and I'm now working on S-curves. When I first heard about The Ball, I figured it was mostly hype, but trying one out convinced me otherwise. The Ball DOES glide and seems lighter when it's powered up. And The Ball is somehow quieter than the DC14; don't know how Dyson pulled that off, but it's easy to hear the difference. The Ball is clearly a bounce up from the DC14 and worth the price difference. I thought long and hard about going for the DC15 Animal but am glad now I bought the DC15 All Floors. Most of us will have little use for the Animal's $100 of "extras," especially the almost worthless Mini Turbine (see its awful reviews).

Whatever Dyson model you're considering, you might consider the following. (1) TRY IT OUT FIRST! On paper the DC14 clearly seemed best to me, and I couldn't shake the review that said pushing the DC15 Ball was like pushing a wet noodle. Luckily I went to Sears, and in 15 minutes I could see why for me at least the Dyson's Ball beats the DC14 hands down. (2) Amazon.com isn't a bad company from which to buy a DC15. With free shipping and Amazon's "Save $25 when you spend $125 on Kitchen & Housewares or Bed & Bath products" promotion (good at least through August 2005), the total damage will be $574.99, $50 cheaper than from major retailers (after taxes/shipping). Plus you can return the Dyson. Plus you know you're getting Dyson's 2-year warranty. (3) Even Amazon's $575 may tempt you to buy a DC15 from a venue like eBay. Before you do, however, make sure the seller is an authorized Dyson distributor (and make sure the freight charges include shipping insurance.) Even with a $100+ discount, you may need Dyson's 2-year warranty, and you may also want the option of returning the Dyson if it's the wrong model or just not for you.

Speaking of warranty, a word about Dyson customer service. I've called Dyson's reps both weekdays and weekends and have had only one sketchy experience among many good ones. The sketchy experience involved a pre-sale question, namely how far the DC15 handle could be lowered before the business end of the unit started to pivot off the floor. The rep told me only 45 degrees. When I said no way, she said, yes, she was lowering the handle of a DC15 even as we spoke, and it would only lower 45 degrees. Well, folks, that's wrong: the handle of a DC15 can be lowered at least 80 degrees, maybe 85, a fact I discovered at Sears and a fact later confirmed by a second, more attentive Dyson rep. Still, it's the only misstep I've seen Dyson's Customer Service make.

Two weeks ago, I began searching for a new vacuum after my six year old Kenmore Progressive broke once again. After reading the most recent Consumer Reports on vacuums and talking with friends, I went shopping. On my first outing, I didn't even give the DC15 Ball Vacuum a second look because of the price. Instead, I compared the newest model Kenmore Progressive upright bagged vacuum to the Dyson Animal model (purple). I didn't like the bulky canister on the Dyson animal model, so I bought the Progressive simply because I had purchased one in the past and the lastest Consumer Reports ratings again placed it in the top three. MISTAKE! After just a few days, I took the Progressive back to Sears, ignored the sticker-price of the Dyson Ball and brought it home. OH MY GOSH! Who knew that vacuuming could cause such joy. It cleans beautifully, is easy to operate and does a far superior job than any other vacuum I have owned or used in the past. Also, the bulky canister that prevented me from purchasing the less expensive Animal Dyson has been redesigned on DC15 Ball model, making this version much easier to use for daily cleaning. Our family consists of four indoor cats, including three long-haired darlings, and I was simply stunned to realize how much hair and dust our old vacuum had left behind when the carpets appeared to look clean. Don't let the price deter you from trying this product -- it's worth every penny. And, if your significant other likes a clean home as much as I do, make her a "happy girl" by buying her the absolute best vacuum on the market!

I bought the DC15 about a week ago. The first time I vacuumed the house it filled the bin 5 times. The 1 year old carpets were looking a little matted and I thought the installer had charged me for premium carpet and switched to something cheaper since they weren't wearing well. After using the Dyson my carpet looks new again.

We have a golden retriever. I had her in the kitchen for a few hours and even though I couldn't see any dog hair on the floor I thought I'd do a little experiment and see how much the Dyson sucked up. I got about 1/3rd of a container full of dog hair!

The ball feature is great for maneuverability. There's something very satisfying about being able to vacuum around a corner without moving :-) I'm 6'1" and 235lbs so its easy for me to use but I can see where it may be a little less useful to a smaller person with less wrist strength.

I love the wand that stows inside the hose. It looked complicated to use at first but in 5 minutes I was a pro. It makes sucking up dust on the baseboards or cobwebs in the corners a breeze without bending over.

I've seen reviews that rate other vacuums just as good or better but I wonder if they tested them long enough for the bags to get a significant amount of dust in them? I think its hard to objectively rate features like the integral extension wand since its much more usefull to some than others. For me that feature puts the Dyson in a league of its own. No bags is a great plus along with being able to see everything you caught. It may be an inate male hunter-gatherer thing but I love the feeling of accomplishment I get when I see everything the vacuum picks up in a short amount of time.

I tried the vacuum powered rotating brush attachment (an additional $60 attachment)that is used for small items like a couch or stairs but I took it back. It was easy to stall the beater brush and it didn't work half as good as the brush attachment that comes with the vacuum. I was able to take it back to the store without the package and they gave me a full refund with no hassles.

I'm not a big vacuum connoisseur but I've loved using this one. I think the fact that it has pulled out 10x as much out of the carpet as my Oreck, being able to see the catch, not having to spend $$$ on bags and the ball feature make it rewarding to use. Its expensive but do a calculation on how many bags you would have to buy over the life of the vac and I would bet that bag costs will be more than the vacuum. Remember, this vac sucks up so much more debris that you would need 3x as many bags as you would with other vacs.

I give it 4 of 5 stars. The only reason that I don't give it 5 is because based on the reviews I've seen there are other vacs that will do just as good a job for less than half the price... at least until the bag starts getting a little clogged. My 11 year old daughter saw the vacuum and said she wouldn't mind vacuuming with a vac like this one. I guess that's worth something too... at least for a week or two :-)

I have never written a review in my life but I felt compelled to let you people on the fence know how good the Dyson is. I was where you are; doing my research and testing the vacuum at the local store and finally the time came to try the Dyson on my floors. I have not been disappointed. I have concerns about the canister material being a little thin and the hinge on the bottom a little flimsy but I purchased a comprehensive 5 year warranty for a reasonable price from the seller and don't expect to pay for the first one that breaks. I like the way the DC15 (The Ball) handles over the other Dyson models. We have two large dogs and they leave hair everywhere you can imagine. If you're anything like me, you do all of your homework and then put your money down. If the product doesn't meet expectations, as advertised, it goes back, it's as simple as that. It sends a strong message to the stores about the products they choose to carry. Have no fear, the Dyson is all it says it is. I have been using my Rainbow for 10 years and this beat it by a considerable margin on my bare floors. Nothing even came close to it until Dyson. I needed something equally effective on bare floors as carpet since I just tiled most of my house and the Dyson has outperformed any vacuum so far and it is much easier to use than my Rainbow. Ever smell the 'stuff' in your vacuum bag when you turn it on? Always shop Amazon during your research, they often have surprisingly low prices to offer. Wherever you prefer, buy the Dyson, once and for all, and if you're disappointed, send or take it back. But don't miss another opportunity to profoundly change forever the way you clean house. You'll be amazed.

SIX YEARS LATER, November 2011: Was browsing my Amazon account and found this review I wrote. I am still using the Dyson Ball; one dog is gone and we have another to replace it. Even more hair than before. The Dyson does the job with ease. Have never had a single problem with anything on the entire vacuum and I tend to be hard on things I'm pushing around on the floor. The new Dysons seem smaller than the one I have, but I'm sure there have been improvements. We have had, and killed a Roomba robot vacuum, but the Dyson rolls on.
I see several people found this review helpful, I'm glad. It is 2011 now and the Dyson still goes strong. Today I'm an Amazon Prime member and we buy just about everything from Amazon except our groceries. I've never had a problem, ever. I am placing my order now for my fourth Kindle, the Kindle Fire, the rest are scattered around the family and everyone loves them. We love Amazon, Kindle, Prime Shows and without a doubt, our Dyson Ball!! You will, too.

With a yellow lab, the shedder of the century, my Oreck wasn't cutting it any more. My husband thought I was insane to pay $500 for a vacuum cleaner, but with 2 small kids (including a crawler) and our dog Colby, I needed to make sure things were cleaned more thorougly. Besides, I called it my "Valentine's Day gift." (Hey, a diamond bracelet would have cost more than $500. (I think!))

I was planning to purchase one of the purple ANIMAL vacs, but after reading many reviews, there were still more kinks that needed to be worked out with that one. I wanted the maneuverability of the BALL, and the Animal Ball was $600. (Yes, even I have my limits!)

This vacuum is incredible! Before using it, I vacuumed the house with my Oreck, just to see how much more the DC15 could get. The amount of sand, dust, dirt, and dog hair was unbelievable! I had to empty the canister 3 times while vacuuming our 3 bedroom, 1 bath house.

It works great on all floors, though the results are most noticeable on wall-to-wall carpeting.

I now have OCD. (I've never heard of getting OCD from a diamond bracelet. Have you?) Whenever I see a crumb drop, I can't wait to drag out my new vacuum and see how much stuff I can get. It feels great to walk into a home with items off the very clean floor. I would like wall-to-wall carpeting throughout the house now, because I know it will look brilliant for a long time.

Here's what Dyson really should improve upon:
1. The NOISE. This vacuum isn't terribly loud, but there's a ringing/whistling sound that actually hurts my ears (and I'm not sensitive.) I called Dyson on the day I received the vacuum (not even a week ago), and they said that I may be describing a sound that will go away after several uses - just due to the newness. (?) Hasn't gone away yet.

2. The ATTACHMENTS don't stay attached to the vacuum very well! I know it's a minor detail, but I hate to go back searching through the house to find my crevice tool, you know? I like to have them available at my fingertips.

3. It's HEAVIER than what I'm used to. Then again, if it takes a big machine to do a great job, I'm willing to deal. (It's not THAT bad anyway. I can still get it up a flight of stairs with my baby on the other hip. It's just not effortless like it was with the Oreck.)

I'm so glad I have this item. Hope this helps you with your decision!

Yes, I was a little skeptical about the reviews regarding this vacuum. Yes, it is a bit expensive. Yes, I have to give it more time. But....

We had an old Hoover canister vacuum which worked fine for many years. Eventually, my wife got tired of lugging this thing around and wanted an upright. Then, the wheel broke off...So, we bought a Eureka whirlwind... What a piece of junk! Didn't work well, lost suction, dust everywhere...

So I read the reviews, hemmed and hawed, and eventually took the plunge for the Dyson vacuum. It arrived today and after 3 minutes of putting it together, went to see how it worked. Well, I tell ya, it was amazing. One room (relatively clean carpet) later, the dust bin (canister?) was 1/3 full. Unbelievable how much was sucked into this thing. The suction also lasted throughout the vacuuming - the filters did not get clogged (unlike the Eureka which lost sucking power after about 2 minutes). The ball also makes it extremely easy to maneuver with the flick of a wrist.

Definitely worth the money, so far. Great vacuum. But will give it more time if problems develop.

I love this vacuum, but it's not perfect.

Pros: Picks up dust, hair and dirt unlike anything I've ever used, and I'm a vacuum cleaner addict!! Well worth the money and people think my five year old carpet is brand new. My mom said she never saw my house so clean, and the only thing I did differently is switch from my pricey Riccar vacuum to this one. It's also a super-cool looking thing, and pretty quiet for a vacuum cleaner. My newborn baby loves the sounds it makes, but it scares my three year old twins. They think it's some sort of scary robot monster, so when I put it on, they instantly run to the couch and behave themselves (not sure if that's a pro or con). I like the ball since I can easily twist and turn around furniture.

Con's: Where's the retractable cord??? For this much money and high design, why do they have a cord on it that's dated to the early days of vacuum cleaning?

The tools fall off quite a bit, I've gotten to just storing them somewhere else because it's so annoying.

It weighs a ton. Although it's ergonomic with the ball/twist mechanism, carry it upstairs and you'll kill your back. The bin gets filled up quick, not only do I have to constantly clean it out, but I have to take it apart and clean out the inside (where the cyclones are), and there's a ton of dust in there (which is probably a good thing). I just wish it wasn't so cumbersome to clean. Some of the grime and dust gets stuck to the inside, so I have to run the whole bin/cyclone mechanism under running water., almost makes me wish for a bag version, so when they tell you that you never touch the dirt, that's not true. If you want your suction to be acceptable, I recommend cleaning it (cyclones and all) after vacuuming the house twice. I empty it outside since the dust it picks up is so fine, it spews all over.

I wish I could get under coffee tables and low furniture, but I have a roomba for that (which is all a roomba is good for anyways).

Conclusion: Get a retractable cord, make it more lightweight but keep the ergonomics, and affix the tools in a better way, and you've got the perfect machine!!! I hope Mr. Dyson reads these reviews.