Customer Reviews

Remanufactured Dyson DC17 Animal Cyclone Upright Vacuum Cleaner

5 star:		(129)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

I have been considering a Dyson vacuum for over a year - the high price was always a concern, along with wondering if the performance was really THAT GOOD. I was hoping a friend would get one so I could borrow it, but my friends haven't cooperated! We just got a dog about a month ago, and she's started shedding, so I thought that it was the perfect time to take the plunge into the Dyson pool of satisfied customers. I was a little conflicted about the re-manufactured Dysons, but until I see how the brand performs, spending over $500 was beyond my budget. I bought from Amazon because an extra one-year warranty is included.

I ordered the vacuum YESTERDAY and it arrived today (thanks to Amazon Prime free shipping!). Assembly took about 5 minutes after unpacking all the accessories. The manual is a little strange, but you can figure it out yourself by just looking at the unit. All you have to do is put the handle with the telescoping rod into the main body. My vacuum seems to be in new condition and still has that new-plastic smell. It's actually quite pretty with its purple highlights.

Now, to the test...I had just vacuumed (previous vacuum is a Eureka) the strip of carpeting from our kitchen into the living room, which is the main high-traffic area in our house. The berber carpet is beaten down, even though it's only about 5 years old, because we walk over this area many times a day. The nap is pretty shot, so I wasn't expecting a great result. But I was surprised and pleased to see that the carpet looks cleaner after using the Dyson.

When you first turn on the vacuum, it seems quiet compared to other vacs - I have a Eureka Boss SmartVac, and the Dyson is much quieter in comparison. But it does have a high-pitched whine in operation that might bother some people, so ear plugs or a set of headphones might be a good thing. I usually listen to the radio on a Walkman (remember those??) while I vacuum, so it won't bother me. The dog doesn't seem to enjoy it, though.

I got a LOT more dust, dirt and hair up from the carpet. In fact, I wonder if all that hair is from the dog we just got, because she hasn't been here that long! OK, well, so far, so good. I emptied the bin of the Dyson, which is easy and quick, just one button and done. I changed the bag on the Eureka and vacuumed the hallway from the living room to the bedrooms. The Eureka really sucks down onto the carpet *hard* when the bag is changed, but I'm not sure it is still getting ALL the dirt. It's hard to push and feels as if I am almost pulling the carpet up as I go.

The Dyson is much easier to push and as I vacuum, I wonder if it's really even doing anything, yet once again, when I go over the same area and check the dust bin, sure enough, there is another pile of dirt, dust, and hair. I wondered as I read other reviews whether people were just not used to seeing the stuff their vacuums picked up, because of the bags, so they merely *thought* the Dyson was getting more, but my two little tests have convinced me.

I also read Consumer Reports and they do not give the Dyson a very good score, not compared to other vacuums. That gave me pause, because I do take their reviews into consideration. But this time, I'm glad I didn't let their reviews keep me from buying this machine. Everywhere I went on the 'net, it was people absolutely RAVING over their Dyson. Now I'm one of them!!

I hemmed and hawed about getting one of these for months, then finally went for it. I just finished vacuuming the house with the Dyson D17 Animal, and I love it. I got the remanufactured one for $319.99, and shoot, I just saw that it went down to $299.99. (EDIT: Due to the post-price guarantee I should be able to get my $20 back) That's the best price I can find anywhere, (especially with super saver shipping and no tax). I ordered it using super saver shipping and it arrived in 5 days. First, the remanufactured item: I was a little concerned, but found that I needn't have been. The box was a little weird, turned inside out so the pictures were on the inside. The box was also a little damaged, but everything was inside, all sealed and packaged like new, not a scratch, and it works perfectly.
Next, getting used to the thing: it took me a while to figure out you just stomp on the front end to make it go (what I get for not looking closely at the diagram). My old vac had a thing on the back end to release the front. And using the wand takes a little getting used to, but once you've got it, it's actually easier than my old vac (which was a Dirt Devil upright). The Dyson is quieter, lighter, and stronger than the Dirt Devil, and so much easier to dump the dirt, which is good because it picks up more, so you might have to dump it out more often. If you're used to losing suction as a signal to dump the dirt, you won't get that signal here - it really does keep suction power constant all the time, and you'll have to check to see that it's full.
I have three indoor cats that shed a lot, and two tall cat-condo things with platforms. Anyone with those knows how furry they get. This definitely does the job.

ATTACHMENTS: There are three attachments that don't fit on the machine, so you'll have to keep them somewhere else. The low-reach floor tool is kinda weird, not sure I'll ever use that. The mini-turbine head is cool, and works great on carpeted stairs. Then there's another brush suction thing - another one I probably won't use. The rest of the attachments fit on the machine and work great - crevice, brush, and stair tools.

HOT TIP: Use what they call the Stair Tool on almost anything, with the little attachment put right on the hose. The red lint-brush strips on the bottom are fantastic, and it works great for de-furring cloth covered furniture sooo much better than brushes.

ANOTHER TIP: Sometimes I need to use just the hose with an attachment and clean 'by hand'. The wand needs to be removed to use just the hose. I thought, where am I going to put this wand? Answer: Right back on the machine where it usually goes. I can pull the machine around if I need to and then quickly reassemble it for floor cleaning.

BOTTOM LINE: Since the price just went down some more, if you've been thinking about getting one of these, go ahead because you'll be glad you did. You get the extra year warranty as part of the deal, so why not?

I'm so glad I bought this vacuum! I wouldn't be able to tell that it was refurbushed if I didn't know better. It's kind of gross but seeing how much dirt gets picked up makes vacuuming fun! It's not a light vacuum but I expected it to be much heavier after reading the reviews. Seriously it's awesome and I wish I would have bought one much sooner.

Since reading pretty much every review out there on the Dyson, I must say that I was expecting it to be the best vacuum out there and to perform great. After it's first use I must say, it easily surpasses my already high expectations. This thing is for real! A day after vacumming the living room, hallway, and 2 bedrooms with an Oreck XL, I ran across the same area with the Dyson. Amazingly so, it filled up nearly 2 canisters of filth that the Oreck left behind. It;s crazy and kind of gross seeing what this thing can pick up. There were 2 witnesses to this feat and they will both be placing their orders for one soon. I've had experience with Kirby's, Hoover's Windtunnel, Electrolux and the Oreck XL and they all sadly pale in comparison to the Dyson. If your on the fence about buying one of these, don't hesitate. This thing is amazing!

I bought a remanufactured Dyson vac from Amazon. Delivery was great. When I received the vacuum, it came broken. I realized it was remanufactured, but normally they fix it before they re-sell it. I called Dyson, and they led me to a repair facility 7 or 8 miles from my house. One month later, I am still waiting for my new parts. The repair facility told me they don't get paid to order me a part for my vac, only when they rebuild. So far, not a good story.

I have a large German Shepherd who sheds alot at various times of the year. She broke my last vacuum, so I needed a new one. I was hesitant about Dyson because they are so expensive, well all I can say is it is the most amazing appliance I've ever bought. It made my carpet look new. The add on is great also. I am amazed every time I use this vacuum at how it makes my carpet look new and gets every little bit of dust hair and whatever.

Well I just recieved my refurbished Dyson. I was apprenhsive in buying a refurb but after other reviews thought it would be safe. I was very wrong. Multiple problems, missing pieces and broken buttons. I didn't find Dyson Customer Service helpful at all. The guy I spoke to could care less about my problems. I need to travel to a service center to have it repaired but not quaranteed that it will be fixed properly and all parts will be available at no charge.

The Dyson Animal vacuum is great! The first time I used it, I was amazed (and a little horrified) at the amount of dog fur and dirt that it collected. As I vacuum more, my beige wall-to-wall carpet gets cleaner and cleaner. And the air doesn't have that musty dusty "vacuum cleaner" smell when I vacuum. It seems as if the air is cleaner too.

The unit came with the standard attachments and also an special attachment for getting under low furniture and a mini "beater" attachment for stairs. It also came with two types of rug cleaner.

My only regret is not getting one sooner!

We purchased this vacuum remanufactured from ABC Vacuum Warehouse - free shipping arrived quickly and as described.
We read consumer reports and rely on their ratings for many items.. and this vacuum does not top Consumer Reports list. However, the ratings on Amazon and Epinions seem to be overwhelmingly positive... so we bought one.
I can't compare it to the top rated machines on consumer reports ratings since we don't have them side by side.. however, we were very impressed with the results. We replaced a 4 year old Bissell that was rated as a best buy by consumer reports.. and when we first bought the Bissell we were very happy with it. There is NO comparison between the Dyson and the Bissell... We have a shedding black lab. After we were through vacuuming the carpets - it literally looked as though they had been steamcleaned - they even felt completely different under our bare feet. It's pricey... but the difference is remarkable.. If it holds up over time.. worth the price.

I bought this remanufactured Dyson two days ago and received it yesterday thanks to a free trial of amazon prime. The vacuum looks as good as new. The question is, is it worth the hype? I'd say it's a good vacuum, but I'm not as ecstatic about it as some people seem to be!

I decided to put it to the test by vacuuming with my Hoover Bagless Wind Tunnel first. The biggest complaint I have with the Hoover is that it loses suction after the bin gets about a quarter or half full. I wasn't able to compare this with the Dyson because the Dyson only picked up a couple inches worth of dust and dog hair since I had just vacuumed with the other unit. I guess I was expecting that the Dyson would be *so* much better that it would immediately pick up tons of dog hair and tons of dust. It definitely picked up some stuff that the Hoover missed but it wasn't "amazing."

The pros: self propelled-very easy to push around! The purple color is pretty (not that that really matters). It has a lifetime HEPA that can be cleaned and reused (nice considering the Hoovers HEPA is 30 bucks a shot). It is bagless-some people don't like this, but I do. I don't like having to buy new bags all the time-with a dog, bags fill up quickly. It comes with some spot cleaning powder and spray. It also comes with extra attachments.

The cons: it's a little heavy. I found it to be a lot more noisy than the Hoover. It doesn't have a light and doesn't seem to have edge cleaning. The owners manual is useless. It took me a long time to figure out how to put it together and where the attachments went. Instead of making normal carpet marks, it leaves marks that look like rakes.

Overall, I'd say it's a good vacuum. I'm certainly glad I didn't pay the full price of $550 because I don't think it's worth that. I still think the $319 that I paid is a lot, but hopefully, even though it is reconditioned, it will still last for a long time.