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429 of 429 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Slim delivers on the promise of ease, April 9, 2007
Vacuums often disappoint. They're either unwieldy in size, take too much work to change out longer hoses or put on attachments, etc., need costly bags, or they're heavy or take up too much storage space. And, lastly, they frequently don't live up to performance standards. Well, the Dyson Slim delivers in all but one small category.
As the Cleaning Editor for BellaOnline, I look at cleaning equipment with a serious eye. The first thing I noticed about my Dyson Slim is that performance-wise, it delivers, pulling up cup-full after cup-full of hair, dust, and everything else you find in carpets -- even the ones I had just vacuumed with my regular vacuum (I had to perform a quick "quality assurance" test).
The Dyson Slim also delivers in several other categories, such as storage (it takes 1/3 less space than a regular vacuum), and ease of use. It has the "flick of the wrist" action of the Dyson Ball without the massive weight of the Dyson Ball. This is important to me because I broke my wrist last year and had neck surgery in February. I need a vacuum that I don't have to muscle around the house and that torques my wrist and lower back.
Another spot where it delivers is the size of the vacuum head. It's not as wide as regular vacuums and I was reluctant to buy it because a wider head means more coverage; or so I thought. Actually, the shorter vacuum head, combined with the low profile, means the vacuum gets into very small spaces and underneath sofa skirts, etc., easily and more proficiently than a standard-sized vacuum, helping you to vacuum more quickly and with greater agility.
Where didn't it perform? The attachment heads were a disappointment. There's not a good-sized brush or wide head attachment. The attachments seemed a little cheap and overlooked -- with one exception. The crevice tool/brush combination it comes with is absolutely perfect for vacuuming baseboards (Halleluiah!). But, I also find that I need a nice-sized brush for areas like wood shutters and a wide head attachment to do places such as stairs and tiled areas. However, you can always buy the Dyson wide attachment ($50) and brush separately. Or, I just bought the Kenmore brand attachments that fit the Dyson perfectly. The wide head was only $9.99 -- and it fits in the slot for the Dyson attachments on the vacuum body.
For a vacuum that's easy to maneuver, easy to clean and maintain, takes up less space and gives all the power of a regular-sized Dyson vacuum, the Dyson Slim is a hands-down winner. The only drawback in my mind (better attachments) was no problem because I found an inexpensive work-around. Besides, I'd rather have an easy-to-use vacuum that works well and has chintzy attachments than great attachments on a so-so vacuum. I'd recommend this vacuum to anyone, especially if you want all the power at half the size.
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109 of 109 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Suction doesn't suck. ;-), April 17, 2007
My previous vacuum was a Kenmore canister, which was good for its time, but it was starting to show its age and being a 'bag dependent' vacuum was no help either.
The Dyson Slim first caught my eye a couple months ago, but unfortunately it was only available in the UK and Europe at the time. When it hit Amazon I snatched it up quickly. I was at first a bit unimpressed by the all plastic design, thinking that it will break easily. However this was an after thought when I started using it. The first thing you'll notice when using the Slim is its weight. For an upright it was very surprising. If you currently have a canister vacuum, yes this will feel a bit heavier, but keep in mind you won't have keep tugging like you would with a canister vac.
Now in terms of suction this is where the Dyson shines. I have tile floors with some area rugs. When I first turned it on it was something like this: I had the Dyson on my rug, turned it on, it was immediately picking up dust and I didn't even move the vacuum yet! I couldn't believe how much it was picking up. The vacuum picks up dirt and dust so fine you can't see. I have a chinchilla, whose fur is very fine, almost like spider web, and he takes baths in dust or ash. While I try to keep his dust baths contained to his cage the dust travels. Also when he's out of the cage doesn't help either. This vacuum gets both his fur and dust with not problems at all. As for maneuverability, its smooth and the 'ball' is a nice feature.
The only thing that disappoints IMO is the attachments. While the two attachments that come with it are good, I feel at this price point and considering the Slim is smaller than other Dyson's, Dyson should include the low reach floor tool, for example.
Overall I like this vacuum a lot. It cleans very well and the HEPA filtration is very good. The place seems to smell cleaner, but that could just be me. The cord length isn't much of an issue for me, or the canister size. Longevity of the Dyson remains to be seen, but right now this is a very good vacuum.
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108 of 111 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Dyson Slim - Cheap plastic doesn't last, February 23, 2008
I'm really disappointed with my Dyson Slim. I would not recommend buying one.
At first we were very happy with the equipment. It was light, maneuverable and very good at picking up everything on the carpet. We had thought we gained a second cat with all the hair collected in the dirt chamber.
However, after a month or two, the stand started failing. Six months later, the machine will rarely stand up on its own - it will just flop over if it isn't propped up against something else.
Contacting Dyson was nice at first. But then they forwarded us to a less than responsive repair shop. The shop reluctantly called us back after 10 days of attempts to contact them. Bottom line, they want $80 to fix our six month old vacuum cleaner that is supposed to be under warrantee.
I re-contacted Dyson, who said that they could do nothing for us. It's the shops call as to whether a plastic stand part is under warrantee. Yes it's under a 5 year warrantee, but anything that did not break within the first few weeks must not be a defect according to their help line.
So the Dyson Slim works great initially. But even though it has a price in excess of $400, it has a lot of cheap plastic parts in its construction that Dyson will not cover. Buy it and use it until it drops, but don't count on Dyson to back their product.
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