Great review!

Does anyone here have the Dyson Slim DC 18? Any comments on that model?

Twenty-five years ago I bought a Kirby that I couldn't afford and have felt obligated to use it all these years. It finally died.

What model? Please don't throw it out. We have a Heritage II that isn't working right. I will bring the Kirby to the shop to have it fixed / serviced and keep it. I love the way the attachments go on the front and how it's not flimsy. They don't make them like that any more :( We have all of the attachments and I'm comfortable cleaning with them. I'm not so sure I'll like a newer vac to use the attachments & whether they will work as well as the Kirby does. If you must get rid of it, see if a vac repair shop wants it. We have 2 by me, they're still selling them.

We're buying a new house with 2 floors, so I will keep one vac on each floor.. or hope to anyway.

Going to get a Dyson.. The one I want is at Sears last I looked. Pretty sure it's the one linked below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Titanium/purple Dyson DC17 Animal

We have the DC18 Slim.....and love it!!!! It is light and great for animal hair...just be prepared to empty it several times when you first start using it. It will surprise you how much "dirt" is really in that carpet! Works great on Hardwood, too...just be sure to turn off the brush roller which is very simple to do. Good luck.

Thanks for the reply on the DC18. I've thought about getting a Dyson and I'm tempted... but couldn't decide between the 18 and the 15. I currently have an old Kirby Gen3 bought second hand and it seems like I'm always sitting on the floor replacing a belt or unjamming hair from the roller, and it stinks! Besides that it weighs a ton.

I never use the attachments on the Kirby. I have a wee 1' tall shop vac that I use for that, for the stairs, for the car, and for cleaning the bird room (nut shells and all). The thing is probably 30 years old and has never given me grief.

Dyson--negative remarks aside--this thing works...I love it--got the big, heavy bright yellow one--too heavy for lugging up and down the stairs plus it was too high to get under the furniture so I returned it got the slim one--maybe $50 cheaper and it is perfection....I could PR for the company all day....
Susan

Oceanna, I have the Animal, a DC07 (purple). Regarding that negative review, I have found all vacuums to be awkward to use on stairs and under furniture. I deal with the stairs using a hand vac, and I move my furniture around to vacuum underneath it. The important thing to me is how it cleans the main floor and how long the machine will last. In the past twenty years, I've gone through a Hoover canister, a Bissell upright, two Hoover WindTunnels, a Eureka and a couple of Dirt Devils. None of them did the job the way the Dyson does, and they just don't last as long. Now that I don't have to deal with belts and bags or a three year lifespan, I'll never go back to any of those again.

Thanks Susan. I'm leaning that way because I'm tired of big and heavy and there's barely space in my closet for my big one.

Mareda, you sound so much like me! I've burned up a Hoover, Eureka, and hmmm one other I can't remember. All before they were three years old. I need a vacuum that is a combination back-hoe and flame thrower! The Kirby is tough, I'll grant it that. But it's so heavy and I find it harder and harder for my old hands to deal with changing belts. I would be SO glad to get away from belts.

How easy is it to remove and replace a Dyson beater brush when you need to clean it? My hair is to my waist and fallen hairs are constantly getting tangled up in that darned thing. And if it doesn't have a belt, what makes the beater bar turn?

With no belt, no filters and no bags that DC 18 sounds very tempting!

I have the yellow Dyson and love it. I don't think you could go wrong with any of the models.

I love love love my dyson. Would never get another vacuum. I've never had to replace the beater bar and just sit it on its side and cut stuff off that's stuck around the beater bar. But -- I've only had to do that once and I've had the vacuum for at least three years.

Oceanna, I like my Dyson at the same time I agree with the review, starting with the third paragraph about the wand. I too hate the way that wand works and some of the other quirky and plasticky features. But I've gotten used to it.

The reviewer made an interesting observation about the on/off switch operating when you release it. That is true. I never knew what it was about that thing that bothered me. That's it.

The floor attachment and a "turbo" attachment were included with our Dyson because we got it at Costco.

It is big and heavy but easy to move because it tilts back on wheels. My old Electrolux canister must be carried, talk about heavy, or else dragged but then you have to be looking back all the time to make sure it's not getting hung up in a doorway or on the furniture.

Oh yeah -- I appreciate that the Dyson doesn't fill the house with dog smell every time I turn it on the way the Electrolux does. My dogs are varieties that don't even have that "dog smell" but they sure stink up the old vacuum.

A $80 Bissel vaccum from Walmart with turbo brush. I have no interest in spending hundreds or thousands of dollars on a vacuum so can't comment on those that pricey. Mine works great and I have no complaints.

Dyson DC7. I also have a central vac that I swore by until I got this Dyson. Now the central vac hardly gets any use, I'm ashamed to admit.

The Dyson is amazing.

I've had the yellow Dyson since they came out... FAN FOREVER. My entire family has taken turns borrowing it, vacuuming their house with their OWN vacuum, then going over it again with the Dyson. They have all been amazed at what it picks up and every one of them has purchased their own Dyson since!!!

Thanks, Wooderlander. It would be worth it just not to get the smell every time I turn the vac on. Barf! Talk about being punished for doing housework, eh?

Have any of you Dyson lovers had a Kirby? I have a Gen 3 and I'm wondering how it compares. I'm thinking about the CD-18 because I'm tired of the size/weight of the Kirby. But I'm kind of thinking ANY vacuum would feel lightweight to me after that?

Also I'm wondering how easy is it to pop the brush out to clean it? Does it tend to collect and get all jammed up with long hair?

Is there any good reason not to buy one on eBay?

So, that negative review...see MY COMMENTS in each section.

"I'm sure that the main reason people buy a vacuum is to clean things. Lots of reviews here praise the Dyson for it's suction power, but that is only one part of the equation. In my opinion, the Dyson fails miserably as a design for cleaning things.

Let's start with floors. Many people have noted that while they love their Dyson, it won't go under things. Does it matter that when you're done using the Dyson as an upright, you have to add an attachment and go over the same room again? You tell me.

MY COMMENT - On any vacuum I have always put the attachment on to get under chairs, beds, etc. So for me this is a NON issue.

Now, let's consider those attachments. Starting with the detachable wand. There is some wacky scheme where the rigid part of the vacuum wand slips inside the flexible hose. It's a very efficient way to store the hose and wand, and it looks great! Too bad it doesn't really work.

MY COMMENT - I have no issues with this at all.

I can't say enough about how poorly designed this thing is. I just don't know where to start. OK, take the flexible hose. It expands when you pull on it, contracts when it's stored. Again, it sounds like a great idea, but wait! It is so poorly matched to the rest of the vacuum that the suction of the motor forces the hose to contract. The result is like vacuuming with a big spring constantly pulling you back to wherever the Dyson is parked.

MY COMMENT - I have a two story home, with hardwood stairs, and this is the best vacuum I have used for stairs...its one of the reasons I bought it. I use an attachment to do the stairs and I can reach almost every stair with the hose. After using it for a few times, I am completely used to how the hose stretches.

Which is a little inconvenient on stairs, for example. Now, if you have no stairs, you might be OK with this. If you do have stairs, and you attempt to clean them from the top down, better anchor your Dyson securely! You'll get about three steps before it wants to jump on top of your poor head.

MY COMMENT - The directions specifically state not to use the Dyson at the top of stairs and using the hose at the bottom...that is pretty obvious, I would think.

Oh, even if you don't have stairs, check out the length of the rigid part of the wand. It is made for the vertically challenged. I am only 5'8", yet the entire time I used this (with the separately ordered hard floor attachment) I was bending over. Now, I'm used to vacuums designed for tiny people, but this is the worst yet.

MY COMMENT - Hmmm...I am 5'11 and have no problems using it with the hard floor tool, I wonder if the reviewer fully extended the wand, as the first time I used it, I didn't realize it extended as far as it does.

Absolutely the only thing this wand is any good for is doing upper walls and ceilings. I'll give it that. Now, try removing the rigid part of the wand and doing some lampshades, bookshelves, etc. You'd better have two free hands! Not only is there this big spring pulling, pulling, pulling on your arm, but any time you turn or twist the brush attachment, the hose kinks and blocks the suction. You'll need that other hand to hold on to the hose to fight the pull and keep it from kinking. Too bad if there are light or small items on your dresser! At least you'll be able to see them when they hit the dirt in the canister.

MY COMMENT - I use this on small throw rugs, sofas, etc. I remove the hose from the hard extension part and it works fine for me...

OK, now, take a breather. Just look at the thing. It has got to be one of the ugliest designs since the Pontiac Aztec. Nothing makes any sense. When we got ours the assembly required a trip back to the store because the assembly instructions showed the handle aimed the opposite way. Turns out they had modified this at some point and hadn't updated the instruction manual. That's just great for a $25.00 MP3 player, but not so hot for a $500 vacuum. One that you must assemble yourself.

So the handle is on the front of the vac. Where's the on/off switch? Imagine that, it's located so you'll need two hands to turn this thing off and on. It doesn't look like a switch, and it works when you release it. Personally, I've seen this sort of switch function a lot lately, and it sucks. I like switches that activate when you push on them, not when you release them.

MY COMMENT - The on/off switch is different than older vacs...I had to look in the instruction book to find out where it was, but I can't imagine it being a problem.

Boy does this thing scream PLASTIC! I suppose it's a styling decision, like so much else about it. I don't mind plastic when it's done right, but everything on this feels tentative and flimsy. Latches don't really seem to be latched, and they are hidden among the decorative ridges and gee-gaws so that their purpose is entirely cryptic. Attachments go on with a friction fit, and tend to fall off under beds and chairs and things. I do believe that the type of plastic used in the construction is strong enough, but time will tell about that. We've had it about a year.

MY COMMENT - My sisters Dyson is several years old with a 5 yo that likes to vacuum as well, and no issues.

Now, that hard floor attachment. Obviously, if you need to get under beds or other furniture, you will need this. Well, it's extra. $500 for a vacuum that requires an extra purchase to make it useful. OK, maybe most people don't have stairs or hardwood floors or use their vacuum to clean their furniture and bookshelves. Otherwise, if you are a wrestler looking to get a workout while you vacuum, this is for you! "

MY COMMENT - Yes, order the hard floor tool. I got it off ebay for cheap. I knew going in that this was extra. One thing I like is that Dyson offers tons of accessories. They are pricey at retail price, but ebay has tons.

PS - I bought mine on ebay, and did remove the beater bar to clean a ton of thread that had wound up (my nephew has decided to use a spool of thread to make a spiderman net across the house!) and it was very easy to remove it. (just some screws to remove - its in the manual). My mom had a Kirby and wow was that thing heavy.

I've heard that the Sebo is really top of the line. I looked at the Dyson, but the manager of the vacuum cleaner shop told me he would never buy one: said he gets them in all the time for repairs. Plus, they're loud and heavy. That doesn't bother some people, but it would bother me, so I went with the Miele. My suggestion is that you try them out at the shop and go with the brand/style which feels best and suits your needs. :)

P.S. I also bought a smaller Kenmore for upstairs use. What a waste of money. A piece of c-r-a-p, actually. In fact, ever notice how Consumer Reports puts Kenmore stuff at the top of many of their lists? Strange.

Thanks very much, Patches. You made me feel a lot better about it! :-)

Hey Mimi!! You still reading??

I have to chime in on the Dyson - Animal. LOVE IT!! 2 dogs, kids, live in the semi-country = lots of dirt!!

You would be amazed at what this thing picks up - Completely fills up the cannister after 1st or 2nd floor of vacuuming!! Yes, the wand takes a minute to get used to but it is great for steps, getting under the toe kicks in kit/bathrooms, baseboards, under furniture. No bags, no smells, no dust flying - still picks up as good as the day I got it about 5 years ago!! I was about a year out of warranty and Dyson sent me a replacement no charge, no questions!!

Negative - it is a heavy beast. I carry it upstairs but I am able to do that. Good exercise:)

Regarding: plastic - it is plastic but a very high quality plastic. Mine is over 5 years old and looks/works great.

If I didn't have a Dyson, then I would get a Miele. Still might, I need 2 vacuums but it is way down on the priority list right now!!

Hope to get together after the holidays!!

Smiles:)

I don't hardly need a vacuum at my house, I have all hardwood floors and I haven't got around to putting down rugs since I had the floors refinished this summer.

That said, I have been using a second hand Oreck machine for 15+ years and I have been happy with it. Last year after a friend of mine when through three vacuums in one year she finally decided to spend a little more and buy an Oreck too. She's not had any problems with hers and I think she's pleased with it.

I have been using a dry swiffer on my hardwood floors. I love it. I've always used a dust mop, but I really, really like the swiffer.

Lisa

I looked at the Dyson, but the manager of the vacuum cleaner shop told me he would never buy one: said he gets them in all the time for repairs.

organic: was this a conversation you had a couple years ago with the vacuum shop manager?

graywings: yes!

organic, the reason I asked is that, at that time, Dyson was just establishing itself in the US market and was having people ship their machine to one or two places in the country for repair. So when you first posted this, I found it odd that anyone would have taken their Dyson, still under warranty, to this guy for repair. He would not have had access to the Dyson parts to repair them. I think that guy was handing you a line because he wasn't selling the Dysons.

I always hear this about vacuum shop people not recommending the Dyson. I understand that they make a lot of their money from selling replacement bags - and that is why they don't like the Dyson! They don't make any money on it after it's out of the shop. They like to sell the vacuums that will keep customers coming in to buy bags.

graywings and gail618: Actually, he was selling Dysons. It was also a repair shop. He only told me that because I asked him if *he* would choose a Dyson over a Miele. Also, you can buy bags and accessories online, so there's no guarantee that a customer will buy them at the shop, anyway.

Yeah but after owning a dyson for a few years now I just don't believe the repair argument from the shop owners. They virtually come apart so you can fix them yourself! And their customer service over the phone is so great that if you can't fix it yourself they walk you thru it. I'm sure there are some problems where you might need to bring it to a shop but I've had no problems with mine. I have just noticed that whenever they come up in the forums, anyone who owns one raves about them but the vacuum shop owners complain about constant repairs. But I never hear about any owners complaining about repairs, just shop owners. So if the shop owners are fixing so many dysons, why don't we ever hear any complaints from the owners of these broken dysons? Just kind of weird.

I know people who have owned Dyson's for a lot longer than my 3 or 4 years and none of them have ever needed any repairs. Maybe that's what the repair people don't like about them.

gail and mareda: I'm pretty sure the guy was telling me the truth. He had no reason not to: after all, he didn't volunteer the information, I asked him point-blank if he would buy the Dyson or the Miele (the two I was looking at), and only then did he tell me he wouldn't buy the Dyson because of the repair record. In any case, plenty of people DO like their Dysons. I think that the Dyson and the Miele are so different--in terms of construction and handling--that the decision to buy one or the other is comparable to the decision to buy a PC or a Mac. Just like people are either a PC or Mac person, I have a feeling that people are either a Miele or Dyson person, too. :)

How many of you switched from a Kirby to something else and what did you observe?

Ive had alot of vacumns over the years I like electrolux...I have never had one that kept its suction the whole time I owned it.I started with upright and now have central vac I love it.

Oceanna, I noticed your question above and couldn't answer, but now that you posted it again, I did some digging on google and found this comparison:

http://www.fredshed.co.uk/vacuumcleaners.htm

The end result was that the Dyson picked up dirt the Kirby didn't. At least with the models used in the test.

I also found:

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/cleaning/msg0117363310356.html

where you'll see several people who had both saying that the Dyson outperformed the Kirby.

I think there are others that you can find by googling 'Dyson vs. Kirby'.

Oceanna, I say get a Dyson!

We have a progressive cannister and love it. We did buy it because of the CR article. I have no complaints.

FYI - woot.com has dysons for sale today for $249.00, five bucks shipping. They are remanufactured but carry the 6-month dyson warranty. They are pretty cool looking too. Woot sells each product for one day only.

Not to inflame any Dyson lovers out there, but don't you think they're just butt ugly? Not that a vacuum is an attractive piece of equipment, but I just can't relate to the yellow or orange or purple bright plastic.

Vacuums are supposed to be silver or a soothing light blue or green...:-)

I thought I would resurrect this thread instead of starting a new one... I seem to be in the minority when it comes to liking my Dyson DC-17 Animal (the purple one). I had owned two Hoover Self-Propelled Wind Tunnel Ultra's - liked the first one, but was very unhappy with the second one. Seemed like something was always breaking and costing $$ to fix. We generate a lot of dirt and pet hair in this house (two teenage sons, three long haired dogs), so I decided to splurge on the Dyson. The suction is great, and it does a good job on pet hair, but it is very hard to push on my medium length friese carpet. The manual says that it self-adjusts to different carpet lengths, so I initially thought I had a lemon and exchanged it for a new one. The new one did the same thing, so I think it is inherent to this type of vacuum. Also, I had a wool area rug on top of carpet in my family room, and I started noticing bare spots on the edges of the rug. I think the Dyson suction was actually pulling out all of the rug fibers! I tried turning off the beater bar, but then it wouldn't remove the pet hair. So I am thinking about returning the Dyson (thank goodness Bed Bath & Beyond has a great return policy) and getting something else - but I don't know what brand to get. Would the Miele or Sebo work well on pet hair, still be fairly easy to push on longer length carpet, and leave my rugs undamaged? I would appreciate any advice...

Bumping this up....

Could you take a little area rug with your pet hair on it to a vacuum store and test those vacuums you are interested in?

But it sounds like a trade-off between strong suction and losing the edge of your rug. In our house, we don't vacuum the rug fringe at all. I realize you are talking about the edge, but still. My housecleaner shakes and sweeps the rugs outdoors because that's how she likes to do it (I certainly wouldn't tell anyone to do it this way!), and it does preserve the fringe. I vacuum with my Dyson or cordless Electrolux on other days. Between the two of us, the rugs stay clean enough.

You could try a combination of shaking and a less-powerful vac for the small rugs.

This is a timely thread. My vacuum died two days ago and I've been looking at Dysons. Gilmoregal has me concerned because I have an expensive hand knotted Oriental rug that I definitely don't want to have bare spots happen on the edge of the rug. Can anyone else comment on whether any of their area rugs are being harmed?

I have 10 hand-knotted Oriental carpets that are 50+ years old. I have 2 Miele vacuums (for different levels of the house) and 4 Siamese cats who put out quite a bit of cat hair, even with brushing!

I use the Mieles on everything that doesn't move -- the hardwood floors throughout the house, the porcelain tile floors in the bathrooms, upholstery, furniture, kitchen & bathroom cabinets, wall-to-wall carpet on the basement level of the house, etc. Literally everything. AND, the Orientals. There is a wide range of suction strength that is easily selected, and I vary that according to what is being cleaned. The Mieles have never harmed the Orientals (and I can even vacuum the fringe at the lowest settings, with no pulling and no harm).

I've had the oldest Miele for 9 years, and will never use another vacuum again. They are superior machines and do a superb job of removing the cat hair, the dust bunnies and dust without harming any of my dearly loved possessions.

I have the Red Star (moderate price) and the Champagne (top of the line) models. Both vacuums have the hard wood floor brush and the turbo-powered head for carpets.

Use the search feature here and on the GW Appliance forum to search for threads on Miele, Dyson and other brands. 99.9% of the Miele owners are die-hard fans, who will never have another vacuumm...and I've had many brands.

Since I started this thread I thought I'd chime in again. I see some people answered that I didn't see until now. I was desperate for a vacuum and I wrote to you guys and grabbed my Consumer Reports on the same day. I ended up with the Kenmore Progressive canister with the hepa filter thing. I do like it a lot on my rugs and hardwood. I'm sure the Miele and Dysons and others are great, too. I was just so sick of my Kirby and it had finally died. I paid around $800 for it nearly 30 years ago, a ridiculous amount. I felt like I had to use it for a lifetime..lol. So one thing I was not going to do was run out and spend a small fortune on a vacuum in a hurry. The Progressive was less than $300 and had very good reviews and I don't feel like I have to keep it for another 30 years. It does the job for me and it easy to use, very simple attachment usage too. The bad news is, DH has disassembled the Kirby and ordered a part for it so it can be our "upstairs" vac....geeeeeeez. He tries :-)

I recently purchased the Sears Kenmore progressive, bagless vacumn. so far i love it, it has easy to use attachments. It's the first real vacumn I've ever owned, and OMG the stuff it pulls up!! We have hard wood floors so it's been easy to keep them clean, but you should see what it pulls out the the area rugs...dirt even - I would never have imagined all that was lurking in there.

Today I went out and bought a Miele canister vacuum. At lest now I'm not worried about my Oriental rug. I never thought I'd spend that much on a vacuum, but I was really impressed with it in the store. I actually can't wait to try it out tomorrow-lol.

Beth4, I have four cats too-two Siamese, a Balinese, and an Oriental Shorthair.

Those older vacuums can speel out a whole lot of dust ...

I bought the Dyson 17 Animal purple one after reading this thread in December. (BB&B had a 20% off coupon.) It is a huge improvement over my cheap one. I did get a big scratch in my wood floor when I dragged it across the room to vacumn the couch. It is wonderful taking the dog hair off the furniture with the attachments.

I have the Dyson Slim and I LOVE it...it was $489--and I got 10% by opening a Target acct--which I got my bill, paid it and tore up the card..I love my Hilton Honors AE--we vacation for free every year...I use it for everything-
Susan

Well, I test drove my new Miele today. My DH said if he'd known I would get this excited over an appliance, he would have given it to my for Christmas-lol! I think this one vacuum will take the place of the three I had been using-the Eureka Smartvac (the Woman Killer as I call it), my OLD Hoover cannister which isn't on wheels so a bit of a pain, and my upright "stick" vac. I think it might have been worth the exhorbitant price.

I also posted my question about my Dyson on the Cleaning Tips forum and thought I would share their responses. Apparently, the Dyson was not a good choice for my friese carpet (or any longer length carpet) because it does not have a height adjustor for the roller brush. It does self-adjust, but it does not adjust as high as it should for longer carpet fibers. That would explain why it is very hard to push on my friese but not on the shorter carpet in our bedrooms. Having the roller brush at a lower height also decreases the effectiveness of the vacuum on longer length carpet, because the roller brush cannot fully move the carpet fibers around to release the dirt between them. Also, the Dyson roller brush can be too aggressive for area rugs - but this can be solved by using the rug/floor attachment. It was suggested that Simplicity, Riccar, Miele, or Sebo vacuums might be a better choice for my floors. Hope this info. might help others choose their vacuum.

Consumer Reports claims a Eureka $150.00 machine is great and tops many $300.00 vacuum.

I subscribed to Consumer Reports mag. for years as I thought they were impartial but I followed their lead on many products and have been extremely disappointed. ONce I bought a Hoover Windtunnel vacuum and it was rated as A Best Buy--it was terrible soooo. Know Consumer Reports did not tout the Dyson as being anything special..and I went ahead and bought--love, love it! I use epinions.com when I make a purchase that requires some research..
Susan

I bought my Eureka The Boss Smartvac based on Consumer Reports recommendation. I detest that vacuum sweeper. I don't necessarily believe CR anymore...