Customer Reviews

Factory-Reconditioned Dyson 12446-02 DC21 Canister Vacuum

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Factory-Reconditioned Dyson 12446-02 DC21 Canister Vacuum

Just got it last Friday to replace a Sharp canister. We are in our 40's with 3 young children and a white short hair dog, with black couchs and chairs.

Negs brought up by other reviewers first:

Heavy: Yes, but it's all motor. Powerful motor=heavy weight. Since it's well balanced with good handles I didn't have a problem moving it around. It will follow you straight as long as you snap the center hose conection, (which I didn't at first). If you don't attach this it will not track you when you pull it.

Short cord: As short as the last 3 vacuums I've had. It's not a issue to me.

Plastic construction: It's acrylic and very strong. If it was metal it would weigh even more. I don't expect anything to break unless I throw it over my head down the stairs. The tube that extends seems to be made of powdered metal compressed into form. That's not cheap to do but it's lightweight and strong. Rather than cheap the light weight chassis come across as modern and high tech.

Hard to empty: Couldn't be easier. I take the canister off and put it down into a trash bin before I empty it. No dust. No issue. Easy.

Tube pinching: It can happen. You just have to unwind the tube correctly and it won't pinch for the rest of the vacuuming. Anyone who has used a canister has done this and corrected it within seconds. Really, not a big deal.

Tube collapsing: The clicks are very soft. You just have to pull hard to engage them. Once it locks you will not have this problem, it will stay locked. With my kids the house is never quiet enough to hear the clicks, so I just give it a hard pull.

For myself this is the best vacuum I've ever used. It's a smart design with clever packaging. Love the way it all attachs together for storage. You can change tools in seconds.

The Dyson pulls more stuff in one vacuuming than the sharp (bagless) did in a full week of vacuuming. That's a game changer for me. My dog shed a huge amount of fur on our black bedcover in seconds when I wasn't looking. It would have been 30-45 mins with the sharp + a tape roller. The dyson was taking it off in one pull with the hard floor attachment. Just amazing.

Same with our black couch, which is a constant battle with our white dog. The dyson makes this so easy I could kiss it. I used to put so much time trying to get the fur off before my wife would see it and be rightly upset. Now my dog (and his owner) are safe

The end of the tube is a head unit that snaps into the floor motor brush. This is the only thing you have to adjust too when your using small attachments. It would be nice if they had (I might try to make it) a hose that plugs into the end of the head just for small uses. What I do like about it is you can stand when doing things I had to bend for before. Corner cleaning, ceiling molding, couch and chairs, stuff like that.

I LOVE THIS VACUUM! NO REGRETS!!!!! :)

9-17-09 update. I put the brush attachment on and vaccumed my dog. He wasn't thrilled but I took off so much hair (like brushing) that I'm going to do it weekly. The brush is very soft and it didn't hurt him.

Hose length is very long and the motor is much quieter than the Sharp canister the Dyson replaced. It is also very easy to go from hardwood to carpet with the motorhead switch that your foot uses.

1-19-2010

Update. Going strong with zero problems or issues. Dropped it down a half flight of stairs a few months ago and held my breath but so far so good. Nothing broken or acting up. My rebuilt one came with a hard floor atachment that is very light and works wonderful. Make sure your rebuilt one has that attachment, or pick one up if you have hardwood floors or tile.

Up date. 01-7-2011. It's still going strong. No problems or issues. I love our Dyson! I wash the filters a few times a year. That's it. Great product.

Update 11/09/2011 The Dyson is still going strong. No problems at all. Same fantastic piece of cleaning artwork it was when I first purchased it. We are not easy with it but it's been a monster. I one hundred percent recommend this vacuum.

we love the vacuum. It really does suck everything up! There are a few design changes that I had to get used to but only because I had been using the Kenmore canister vacuums for the last 22 years. The cord is shorter than I would like, the on off switch is on the canister so it is a little inconvenient and to change the floor and rug heads need you to push a button to release instead of a foot release, again just inconvenient because of what I am used to. But if any Dyson design people are out there take note...
The canister fills fast for me but I have a dog that sheds and incredible amount. But without having to change a bag it really isn't a problem. The design is small and compact and very easy to maneuver. I couldn't be happier with it.

I purchased this vacuum the first week of March. After snapping the pieces together, I turned the unit on. The brush in the head spun for 15 seconds and stopped. I pressed the button on the head and the brush started spinning again... for 15 seconds. I was not certain if I was doing something wrong or if the vacuum simply did not work, so I called Dyson. The rep asked me a few questions and pronounced that the head was defective and that Dyson would ship me a replacement head. This sounded responsive so I agreed to this. Almost a month later the replacement head arrived. I snapped the new head on and when I started the vacuum the replacement head spun normally ... for 15 seconds. I then called Dyson back again. This time they said that I should take the vacuum to one of their local certified repair centers to be checked out. Again this sounded responsive so I agreed to do this. In retrospect this was a big mistake. I now realize that I should have immediately returned the vacuum to Amazon.com. Two weeks later the repair center said that the problem was a faulty electrical tube and that they had order the part from Dyson. That was three months ago. Since then the repair center has told me that Dyson promises to ship the replacement part next week ... nine times. Dyson themselves admit that they have never shipped the ordered part and has offered up numerous "the dog ate my homework" excuses such as a computer problem caused the part order to be lost, one shipping center thought the other shipping center would ship it, ect., ect., ect. It's now the end of July and the only thing I have to show for my money is a repair ticket and a great deal of my time wasted.

Dyson runs lots of ads portraying their company to be innovative and personable. Reality could not be further from the truth. Don't buy a Dyson!

Love this vacuum. Suction is incredible. I saved about $200.00 , buying it factory reconditioned. Looks like a new one to me. Works perfectly. I was happy I found one for 309.00. The only down side it doesnt store away very neat, but I dont care. I would highly recommend this product. I have had several expensive vacuums, and this is best by far.

Most of our carpeted space is either on stairs or under beds, so the canister vac was the better option. I was surprised at how few canisters I could find in the stores. I didn't want to spend $500 (or more) for a vacuum but I also didn't want to spend $150 for a vacuum that didn't work. The factory reconditioned was a great chocie. It looks brand new, it has a six month warranty, and the Dyson really does the job. A rug that we had regularly vacuumed with an old vac, quickly filled with dust. With no tax and free shipping, we probably paid half of what a new one would have cost in the stores.

I ordered this product based on the hype in the marketplace. I was very disappointed in the design and I am returning it for a refund. I saw the reviews talking about problems with the power head and decided to purchase the vacuum anyway under the assumption that people were overheating the head motors. That is not the case.

CONS:

I bought this because I needed a vacuum for hardwood floors with a few rugs. The vacuum is basically a canister version of a carpet vacuum. It does not come with a separate floor brush. You must use the beater bar with the bar turned off to vacuum a hard surface. This means that you are lugging around a heavy, compared to a simple floor brush, beater bar at all times. The extra attachments are quite small and seem fragile, but I did not test them.

I am returning the unit for a refund because of it's design and workmanship. The beater bar functioned for a few seconds and then quit. On close examination, it appears to be a design defect and/or poor manufacturing. Where the beater bar plugs into the wand is quite loose. When I examined the unit, it was clear the the plug was losing contact when the bar was twisted or shifted in certain directions. The positions where contact was lost were reasonable positions for the head. This loss of contact is probably why other people have complained about the beater bars.

The switch on the beater bar head resets to off when power is lost. Each time you lose contact because of the loose connection between the beater bar and the wand, you must reactivate the beater bar by pressing the bar "on" switch.

This problem could have been prevented through either better design and/or better manufacturing practices. I noticed two problems: first the fit between the head and the wand tube was loose. Second, the plug connection was very loose. A slight jiggle of the head resulted in power loss to the head.

PROS:
The unit is light.

It does a fantastic job of vacuuming a rug. But, you must be careful to keep from accidentally turning off the beater bar.

It is also very quiet.

The unit was well packaged and it is virtually impossible to determine that it is not a "new" unit.

I have had the chance to use a Dyson upright unit. The quality and design on that unit were both quite good. The fit of the plastic parts was quite good. The upright also appeared quite sturdy. I would buy an upright if I had a carpet. But, the canister unit's design needs to be revised.

The Amazon return process is quite good. One thing I learned was that choosing the option to have them contact the shipper prevents you from printing an airbill. When UPS came to deliver another Amazon order, I could not give the driver the unit because I did not have an airbill. Further, there is no warning that the driver is coming for the package. I was out when they came to pick up the unit. The option to print your own airbill and call drop off seems more flexible.

I had this vacuum (great price!) for about four months before the agitator/motorhead cut-out problem started happening. Very disappointed that it was not something reconditioned/checked by Dyson before it was re-sold. The fix, though, is not difficult; it requires a small star-headed screwdriver (found in most 20-30+ piece driver sets), some plyers (needlenose are the best), and about 30 minutes.

The problem is that the sleeves for the power wire connections in the hose on the end connecting to the motorhead are too loose and occasionally one will not connect adequately. Opening up the plastic compartment on the end of the hose, taking the pin mount assembly apart (this is where the needlenose plyers are helpful, and note the order of the coloured wires which is also printed on the white mount), and slightly pinching the sleeves will do the trick. Re-assemble, and your reconditioned Dyson will be as good as new.

I read a review about the DC21 and the person had trouble with the motor head. I bought one and had the same problem. The motor head would not stay running for more then 10 seconds. So I called Dyson and and they agreed to send me a new head. So I decided to take the one I had apart because Dyson did not want it back. I found nothing wrong with it. After checking the connection where the head attaches to the hose I discovered the connection was bad. I took out two screws at the end of the hose pulled out the connectors squeezed them a little tighter with pliers put it back together and it works great. If you have this problem call Dyson to get a new hose not a new headFactory-Reconditioned Dyson 12446-02 DC21 Canister Vacuum

Coming from places foreign, we were used to and wanted a canister vacuum: they are much easier to manoeuvre, particularly for use on stairs. We'd heard from a friend some bad things about canister vacuums in the US being unreliable or ridiculously expensive, and that the Dyson was a good option. So far, it's been good for us too. It's easy to move around, sucks strongly and reliably, and is easy to empty cleanly with just a couple of clicks of buttons, despite being bagless. You can't tell that it's been reconditioned: every seems as if it were new.

My only gripes would be the hose, which has a tendency to twist and should have had some sort of swivel built into it (although this is no doubt made tricky by the fact that the hose also contains electrical power for the brushes in the head), and the power cord, which is a bit too short. The latter problem is now fixed simply by using it in conjunction with a 40 ft extension lead, so we can get round a whole floor without needing to change wall sockets.

And to top it all off, the Dyson looks good too: this is one vacuum that I wouldn't be embarrased to have sitting around when visitors turn up unexpectedly.

This is a great household helper. I do dog rescue and naturally have dog hair everywhere all the time. But this little worker makes my cleanup time so much faster and easier. I used to HATE vacuuming. I felt that most of the time it generally created more work than it helped. But this vacuum cleaner really does the job!

Plus I LOVE being able to see the dirt, dust, and hair filling up the clear canister as I work. When it is full, I simply take it to the outside trash and dump it! Voila, dust and dirt are once again outside where they belong.

And because it does such a bang up job, I find that I'm vacuuming more often and in more areas that I otherwise ignored (like fans, baseboards, windowsills, upholstered furniture, backs and legs of furniture, ac vents, picture frames, walls, ceilings, etc.)

I've only had my Dyson for a couple of months, but I'm gradually making headway cleaning things (in a dusty old farmhouse) that otherwise I felt were a waste of time and energy.

There are only a few things I find I struggle with with this vacuum: 1) The cord seems to be a bit too short. I either have to use an extension cord or keep plugging it into different outlets as I work. 2) My entire house is hardwood and ceramic tile. The heads that come with this vacuum cleaner are mostly geared towards carpet. The hard floor attachment could/should be a little better designed. 3) The hose seems to get kinked rather often. I find I keep having to twist it around to keep from getting it kinked. 4) Because the suction is so great, it tends to get clogged relatively easily. It will suck up big stuff quickly, so I find I have clogged it up before I ever realize it. But generally getting it unclogged is easy enough.

The things I LOVE about it are: 1) The clear canister. You can actually see all the dirt, dust, and hair as you're working. It gives you a feeling of satisfaction after all your hard work to see all that icky stuff you've just vacuumed up. 2) Plus, as a diehard recycler, I LOVE that it is bagless so no more expensive throwaway bags 3) Like advertised, it doesn't lose suction as you vacuum, and the suction is always great. 4) All the attachments do in fact stow and go so you don't lose them in between vacuuming sessions. 5) The attachments are washable. After a particularly heavy cleaning, I will wash out all the attachments and the canister then wipe down the vacuum itself so everything is clean and fresh to start on the next project. 6) Because of the air cleaning properties of this vacuum, I often just let it run while I move furniture or dust or do something else. I would never have done that with another vacuum cleaner; but according to Dyson, the air that comes out of the vacuum is way cleaner than the air that goes in, so it actually improves the air quality in your home as you vacuum. 7) This vacuum is not a heavy beast. It's not lightweight, but it doesn't kill you to carry it from place to place either.

Overall, this purchase was money well spent. I highly recommend the Dyson DC21 Canister Vacuum.