Customer Reviews

Factory-Reconditioned Dyson DC 07 Full Kit Upright Vacuum, Purple/Blue

5 star:		(78)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Wow! This vacuum is FABULOUS! Not only is it way cool looking with its metalic purple and turquios colors but it also makes cleaning a breeze! I should start by saying I have two large dogs (one short haired and one long haired) and two cats (one short haired and one long haired) so there is always lots of pet hair, and I have a toddler so with them all, there is always lots of stuff being tracked in. I don't have any carpet but I have lots of short pile area rugs (actually interface-flor carpet tiles -housepet), hardwood floors and ceramic tile. This vacuum works with ease on both my rugs and bare floors without loosing power when switched to bare floor mode. Everything gets sucked right up. I also really love the versatility of all the tools that come with this unit. When it says full kit, it means FULL KIT. I don't believe there are any other add ons that don't come with this unit. All the tools are easy to use in a number of ways, and to see exactly how each tool can be used, as well as how this vacuum can be transformed in so many ways go to www.dyson.com, there is an animated user guide which I found very helpful.

Now, for the reason I only gave it four stars instead of five. The manual that was included was for the DC11, not the DC07 which rendered it useless for me. The extra filter was used with large clumps of dirt still on it. The dirt bin was clean but very scratched up. Granted you do have to be somewhat forgiving for refurbished items, but it still should be restored to like new condition. I got over the filter and bin issues quickly since the beater bar and the rest of the vacuum still looked perfectly new and the vacuum worked great. Although when I emailed Dyson about the manual and asked them to mail me the correct one, they suggested I download and print it - which is not the same. And lastly, the reconditioned Dyson vacuum only has a 6 month warranty, unlike the two year warranty listed in amazon's description.

Otherwise, I am very happy and very glad I purchased this vacuum. I had been wanting a Dyson for a long time and the reconditioned model provided it at a price I could finally afford.

Factory-reconditioned is the way to go! I received mine in perfect condition. Well worth the extra $40 to get the Full Kit model with the extra tools over the basic yellow model. I was amazed at how much the Dyson picked up from my relatively (5 mos.) new carpets with just a quick "test vacuum" around the house. I have a large dog, 2 long hair cats (one with a skin condition that causes him to shed large clumps) and 2 small boys. The Dyson is far superior to my old vac in sucking up fur. It was definitely worth the $300.

This is a competent (albeit overhyped) vacuum cleaner that does its job in terms of vacuuming and with a clever technique to keep the dust off of the filters so it doesn't require constant maintenance like other designs. For someone asking for nothing more, this is a good but overpriced vacuum cleaner.

Despite claims to the contrary (and perhaps fueled by the transparent canister that lets you see the dust which is equaly brilliant marketing), this does not seem to have more suction compared to other vacuum cleaners that are well maintained or new. Its only claim to fame is that it doesn't get clogged. But to get this feature you give up a number of things especially if you compare to the advances in vacuum cleaners in the last twenty years.


If you ignore the anti-cloging feature, this vacuum cleaner for the money it commands is built cheaply (if you compare to the fit and finish of some of the high-end vacuum cleaners in this price range, the plastic pieces on this vacuum look like they came out of a Walmart toddler section), is louder than many of the high-end vacuum cleaners and more importantly does not incorporate any of the advances in features that vacuum cleaners have incorporated recently - retractable cords, ergonomic design features such as swivel handles to be gentle on the wrists, dust sensors, edge cleaning enhancers, carpet pile thickness adjustments, etc. The hands-friendly emptying, and large wheels are good things on this vacuum cleaner.

If you want to switch to this from a high-end canister vacuum, note that you will be giving up a lot in comfort and convenience that canister vacuums bring over uprightwhich may not justify the anti-clogging feature.

I like vacuum cleaners to excel in three areas - cleaning power, comfort/convenience to use and durability. This satisfies the first, fails the second at this price range and the third is yet to be established (I have this nagging question as to why there are so many of these reconditioned ones always offered for sale). The reconditioned product only has 6 months warranty and if it fails soon after, you have purchased a very expensive vacuum cleaner. Most of the money you are paying now is for the patent on the anti-clogging design and the marketing costs than the value you get from the vacuum cleaner.

I would still recommend it as a reconditioned product if you are Ok with the above compromises (the vacuum cleaner was in reasonably decent condition althouh they could have cleaned some of the attachments better before repackaging) but it would be foolish to buy this at new prices for what it offers at least until it catches up with convenience features in addition to the anti-clogging feature.

I've adored the Dyson brand since borrowing my mother's DC 07 early this year. Prior to that I watched the ads on TV and thought 'Yeah... right."

After a ten day trial while I puppy-sat her Pomeranian, I was hooked! I have a cat, two dogs, a messy husband and a 7 year old. We live in the country and life gets...'dirty'. I have tried many vacuums, but never been pleased with the way they cleaned my floors until now.

I took a run through my house with my other vacuum only 12 hours before I put the Dyson to the test and I was disgusted by the amount of fine dirt and animal hair it got out of my carpets. I found that it did equally well on hard floors and never kicked back particles towards my feet like other vacuums have in the past.

The Dyson full-kit comes with an extra life-time filter (one is alreay in the machine and easily accessible to take out and clean once every 6 months or so),and every possible attachment. I tried the power head on my furniture and was amazed by how well it worked! Powered by the Dyson's suction... this does better than any of my other vacuumes, including the handhelds that I bought specifically for this purpose!

The Dyson is big and fairly heavy, and my refurb came without a spring to keep a specific part in place. It looked like brand new, and since it worked great I knew I would keep it, but I did call Dyson about the spring and was UPS'ed a brand new wand portion of the Dyson for free, under the refurb warranty.

The Dyson, attachments and manual come with the Dyson in a brown box. The book that comes with it tells you how to assemble it and how to clean the filters. You can also find the book in PDF format online.

With the prices of NEW Dyson products being so high, the refurbished units were the only option for me. I'm so happy with my purchase and as always, Amazon is the place to get them!

This Full Kit is the best buy at $295 delivered. Check out the price on a replacement lifetime filter, the power head and other parts and you'll soon be convinced of the deal.

The other GREAT thing I love about using the Dyson is that you never 'smell' the stuff that the Dyson is stirring up! The carpets look cleaner, the house smells better and I have noticed that the amount of dust in the house is much less.

If you are an allergy sufferer or have pets and kids... buy this vacuum. You will NOT be disappointed in the way it works or the overall value from Amazon.

I have owned almost every brand of vacuum cleaner and am happy to say my search for one that really works stops here. This is the best vaccumm cleaner! I have 4 cats - in a house with a mix of laminate floors, carpeting, and ceramic tiles - and my Dyson keeps them all free of dust, dirt and cat hair! I use my Dyson in every single room - including on bathroom tiles. The only improvement I could recommend would be to make the hose a bit more pliable - I truly get a workout pulling on the hose whe cleaning the stairs. Cat hair is a killer for vacuum cleaners - I have had several that cost more, picked up less and wore out very quickly. I am truly thankful that I purchased this Dyson 6 months ago - and at a time when Amazon had a sale on it to boot.

This reconditioned model is exactly the same as offered by one of the major warehouse stores. It ships with both a floor tool, the turbo (animal model) hand tool and an extra filter. the standard equipment includes 17-foot hose, crevice tool, dusting brush, and upholstery attachment.
Out of the box there were a few scuffs on the machine but it operates flawlessly. With the current savings, it is over $125 off of the warehouse club price. Or you can look at it as $40 more than the standard yellow model reconditioned for the floor tool and the turbo tool. Either way it is a good value.

OK, I've had this thing one day and I can't wait to share my opinion - it is just that good.

My old Hoover bag vacuum cleaner blew up and I needed a replacment fast. I decided to do some online research focusing mainly on Dyson because I've heard such good things. I found the DC07 Full Kit refurb at a great price and decided to go for it - even though it was a little more expensive than I would normally think about for something like a vacuum cleaner.

I am SO glad I went with the Dyson. It came nearly completely assembled - just had to put on the attachments, so it was a breeze to set it up. It came with like 5 different attachments and an extra lifetime filter - which is great! And it picked up so much dust and dirt in my house, I was amazed - and only 4 days after I swept with my old hoover vacuum.

Also, the stair tool is awesome! I was able to leave the vacuum at the bottom of my 14 stairs and use the stair tool all the way up to the top of the stairs. Way cool. My old vacuum I had to carry up stair by stair to use the accessories.

Some of the reviews I read had a couple of "cons" about this vacuum and I want to share my thoughts on those:
1) Many reviews say: its heavy -- WELL, I didn't find it to be that much heavier than my hoover upright. So, carrying it up and down stairs (to me) isn't such a big deal.
2) A couple reviews said: the attachments are a pain to hook up -- I thought the storage of the attachments was pretty darn slick! The hose is contained within the vacuum's handle. So, to use it, you have to pull it out of the handle, but to me thats a good thing. My hoover had a hose on the outside of the vacuum and every time I bumped it, it fell off. So, nearly each time I vacuumed, I was bending down and picking up the hose and putting it back on the vacuum.
3) Someone said it wasn't really a full kit -- I don't know what that's all about - I got 5 attachments with mine. I'm curious what that person thinks is missing. I almost think I have too many attachments and probably won't use all of them.
4) I read a review that said the plastic was cheap -- just not true. I find it to be durable - not cheaply made at all.

Anyway - I LOVE IT. I love everything about it....I have no complaints at all! No cons. It is so much better than my old hoover upright bag vac.

Like many of you, I heard about Dyson over and over again and thought this had to be a pretty good vacuum. Since my 20+ year Kenmore was on its last leg, I decided to spring for a Dyson.

And, probably like many of you, I was a little confused over Dyson's naming scheme. With the yellow "Steel Yellow," the purple "Animal," and the turquois "Full Kit" to choose from, I went with the "Full Kit". After all, I was getting a Full Kit, right? WRONG!

First off, to help any prospective buyers, all the DC07 models are the same basic vacuum in different colors. The ONLY difference comes in what attachments come with what vacuum. You can go to Dyson.com to get an idea, but you won't find the "Full Kit" listed there. Nor will you find exactly what comes with it in the Amazon.com description.

But with the words, "Full Kit," you expect to get, oh, I don't know...THE FULL KIT??!! What you actually get are:
1. "Stair Tool" little dinky unpowered funnel with short bristles.
2. "Brush Tool" same as 1 but with longer bristles.
3. "Crevice Tool" long, thin tube.
4. "Bare Floor Tool" not mentioned in any manual. Basically a wide, unpowered funnel with bristles. A widder version of 1.
5. "Mini Turbine Head" small head with AIR POWERED spinning brushes...AIR POWERED! As soon as the brushes meet ANY kind of resistance (like actually pressing the tool down on something), the brushes stop spinning.

Now, if like me, you've read a little about Dyson, you've probably heard that their weakness is their attachments. The only decent attachment is the low reach "Floor Tool" Well, tough luck because this Full Kit doesn't come with it. But wait, its called a "Full Kit," right? Well, apparently thats just a name, like Animal or Steel Yellow. Sneaky, underhanded technique.

While we're on the attachments, they are a major pain to put on/take off. The old Kenmore was a snap...plus all the tools actually fit on (in) the vacuum. The Dyson only holds tools 1-3. 4 and 5 have no place to snap on, or even a little caddy.

Plus, the whole thing of taking the handle off, removing the hose, reversing the handle, reattaching the hose then attaching an attachement is a major pain. Also, the hose looks pretty flimsy. I don't see it lasting too long without tearing. It also is way too tightly wound--when you try to stretch it to reach, instead of the hose stretching like its supposed to the whole vacuum rolls to you--or falls over. Another anoying feature is the on/off button is right next to the handle on the canister, and not on the main wand handle. This isn't a problem until you start using the attachments. With the wand in one hand, you go to reach for the main vac with the other (to pull it along) and your palm keeps constantly hitting the power button by accident.

Plus, as part of its design, the top of the handle has holes in it to let air flow through. Put your hand over it and the vacuum looses suction and makes noise. Plus, the handle of the vac has to be down for the vacuum to work. But, unlike most vacuums, there isn't a little lever in the bottom of the back you can engage with your toe. Instead, you have to wrap your foot around the front of the vac and basically weight it down while you angle the handle back in the opposite direction. Really cheap feeling.

Next, we come to the clutch on the spinning brushes. Its designed to slip when it encounters something that could wrap around the brushes and possibly break something (belt, gear, etc). So instead it just makes a horrible grinding noise to tell you to watch it. Thats nice and all, but it does this with EVERYTHING. The fringe on the rug (which the Kenmore had zero trouble with), a rug that is apparently too fluffy, etc.

It is nice that there are no bags/filters to replace. You do have to occasionally remove the filter and wash it out. No biggie. The canister, for those who only had bag vacs before, isn't completely "no mess." Unless you take it outside (not viable for people with pets--clumps of pet hair on the lawn just stays there for weeks), the dust gets EVERYWHERE when you empty it, no matter how careful you are, defeating the purpose of this for allergy sufferers.

The vacuum does have incredible suction. Plus, after doing a whole house (that I let go 2 weeks while my vacuum was en route to test it), I didn't smell ANY dust. It took it completely out of the air, and the house smells better than it has in a while.

However, maybe I had a good vacuum before, but the Dyson doesn't appear to be taking any more out of the rugs. I compared what I got from the Dyson to what I would normally get from my Kenmore (sans bag). The result was about the same. Same dust, same hair, etc. I think the Kenmore had a better rotating brush system, but the Dyson has better suction.

All in all, not a bad vacuum, for a refurb. Mine came in like-new condition (couldn't even find any dust or evidence of use) However, definatly wouldn't buy at regular retail price. Way to plasticy feeling. I could see this as a perfectly respectable mid-line vacuum with a special catch--no bags/filters. But a top-of-the-line vacuum this isn't. Even with refurb price, not tax, free shipping and $25 off coupon, I'm still considering sending this back. The only thing I like is the no bags/filters...that can add up to quite a bit of money.

If you have a $200+ vac already that is performing well, don't buy this. If, however, you need a new vac and have allergies, this is a decent vac, if overpriced.

I've always been somewhat skeptical about the claims of the Dyson. They just look cheap with all the colorful plastic. But then again take a look at a Hoover. It's all plastic too. Either way, we were in need of a second vacuum cleaner - tired of carrying our existing Hoover up and down the stairs. I got a tip from gotapex.com about the reconditioned Dyson at Amazon and decided to take a look given the large discount. In general the reviews were great. So I decided to take a chance. Here's my analysis/opinion.

I knew I wasn't getting a new one and expected to see a few scratches. However, my FIRST Dyson was broken upon arrival. The clutch for the beater bar wouldn't engage and just made an awful noise. I'm happy to say Amazon quickly sent me a replacement. Both the first and the second had more wear than I expected. Every attachment was badly scratched and had dirt still in the deeper scratches. The canister was a bit cloudy from prior use. They both smelled as well. Not sure if was from some cleaner, dirt, or the plastic itself. I expected better from factory reconditioning but told myself that I didn't buy a new one and needed to accept it.

I found that the Dyson did a decent job of cleaning but have the following comments:
1. Forget about the attachments. By the time it takes to switch to an attachment I could go up the stairs get the Hoover, bring it down, and complete the job.
2. It is too tall and won't fit under some beds and cabinet bases.
3. It has a tendency to push larger (pea sized) items than sweep them up.
4. The cord is too short.
5. The beater bar clutch is too weak. You must tilt the handle back before turning the vacuum cleaner on because you have to put your foot on top of the cleaner and pull the handle back. If you put any pressure on with your foot the clutch slips and you have to turn it off to reset it.

The big question: Does it clean better than my Hoover?
It had been a week since I had vacuumed with the Hoover when I received the Dyson. I was surprised to see so much dirt in the canister after using the Dyson and was convinced it did a better job. However, a week later I emptied the canister and vacuumed the same area I had done the previous week. I got the same amount of dirt the second time and then again the third time. The canister does fill relatively quick compared to the Hoover. This is because the Hoover compacts the dirt while the Dyson remains somewhat fluffy.

My conclusion:
1. The Dyson does not remove more dirt than my Hoover did.
2. The Dyson does retain suction until full but fills up quicker than the bagged-Hoover. If I emptied the Hoover as often as I have to empty the Dyson the Hoover would likely retain it's suction as well. I wish I had a bagless Hoover to use as a comparison as I believe it would be the winner in the end.
3. Not a bad vacuum but still needs a significant amount of engineering.

I'm in the process of sanding and refinishing fairly old wood floors in the front three rooms of my house. The Dyson sucks the dirt and sawdust from between the cracks. It also works well on the carpet sections that I still have to remove. I have a Siberian Husky, who is currently in the process of "blowing his coat". His fur is very soft and light and flies throughout the house in clumps. For the six years I've had him, this has always been a problem. No vacuum has ever been able to handle the amount of fur without spreading it throughout the air, leaving clumps behind and missing bits of it. The Dyson works REALLY well. No more flying fur, and it gets every bit of it up. Which means that when I finish my floors, I won't have stray dog hairs in my lovely new finish. I also have a cat who tends to shed on the furniture. Yep, it grabs that up as well.

Often, when vacuuming with other brands, there was a smell in the air or dust particles. With the Dyson, it just smells normal and clean...no flying particles either. Did I mention that I have four kids, in addition to the dog and cat? Ah yes, bits of paper, dirt tracked in from outside, cheerios dropped on the floor and smashed underfoot, makeup dust from the teen, koolaid powder from the pre-schooler and so on and so forth. It gets all that up too.

I'm impressed. It's easy for me to handle (I'm 5'1") though a touch heavy to bring upstairs and it solves a lot of my cleaning problems. The price was a deterrent, but I'm glad I bit the bullet and invested in this machine. For someone that hates to clean, I can't wait to do my stairs...my bedroom, the hallway, the dining floor and so on. I can't believe I like a vacuum!

In comparison to all other vacuums I've used (generally in the $70 or so range), this one beats all of them hand down. Vacuums don't last long around here, they simply can't handle all of the dust, dirt, pets, kids, home projects, etc. going on. The Dyson is the first one I can see lasting longer than 2 to 3 years. It's an ingenious design and I love the fact that I simply pull up a switch to empty the bin.

Mine came in two days (shockingly fast), was easy to put together (course, I DID read the instructions) and is easy to use. There are things you need to get used to (placement off on/off button, pressing your foot down to move the handle and the way that you use the wand), but once you figure it out I found it pretty intuitive so it's not a real issue. Mine came in perfect shape - looks new, works well and I really do like this vacuum though it's still difficult to comprehend how I could when I view vacuums as a necessary evil. Still, the fact remains - I really like this vacuum.