A little more Dyson love

VintageSwank has a post gushing about the Dyson animal vacuum and I feel compelled to put my 2-cents in.

First, I don't have the animal model -- I have the original taxi-cab yellow model. I picked it up at Best Buy for around $350. That's a serious chunk of change, especially for a vacuum, and for me at that time it was a small fortune. Indeed, it was the most I'd ever spent on anything and it was caused me a great deal of pain to buy.

But I bought it. I had done my homework for months beforehand trying to decide what to buy. And it was the "guinea pig" for my newly-held philosophy of always buying the best one can afford. I already had a clunker of a vacuum -- it barely lasted 2 years, was heavy to carry and hard to maneuver, needed bags that blew holes at random, and couldn't suck up anything even with a new whole bag. What I needed was a vacuum that:

• would last longer than 2 years (perhaps up to 5-7)
• didn't need bags
• had a HEPA filter
• was an upright because I had lots of vertical storage space but very little horizontal storage space 
• could allow me to vacuum to the top of the stairs in my house without the vacuum falling over 
• didn't come with an arsenal of attachments that I would never be able to find let alone use 
• could allow me to store the necessary attachments in an efficient manner
• would continue to suck up dirt no matter where it was, be it carpeted or hard surfaces
• would suck up dirt as well in Year 5 as it did on Day 1 

I'd looked at a lot of brands that were reputed to be "the best" (like Oreck, Electrolux, Miele, etc.) They were waay out of my price range and I wasn't about to finance a vacuum cleaner at 30% interest. They also didn't didn't meet all of my requirements. 

I don't remember how I came across Dyson because they weren't advertising hardly at all in the US back then. But somehow I found their site on the Internet and took a look at the tech behind the vacuum. And that's when I decided to buy one. And I haven't been disappointed.

Indeed, I fell in love with the thing when I brought it home and looked at it in more depth. Yes, it was expensive and I could barely afford it, but.... It cleaned like nobody's business (and still does). And it's met every single one of my requirements with such precision I could have sworn someone made the machine just for me. Everything was contained neatly on the upright unit and emptying the canister of crud was easy and quick. The expandable hose reached all the way to the top of my stairs and the unit never tipped over even when the hose was stretched to its limit. 

So, my Dyson vacuum, though expensive, was the best household purchase I ever made.

Now, I've heard some people have had issues with Dyson vacuums which is unfortunate because I've never had a problem with mine. However, I have noticed a couple of things I've had to make allowances for:

• I have to vacuum more slowly. If I want the vacuum to pick up stuff on the first pass, I can't drive it like a stock car. I have to be a bit more deliberate. Mind you, I don't have to vacuum at a turtle's pace, but with my Dyson, there's no such thing as a "quick pass". Of course, I personally think this is a good thing because vacuuming then becomes more of a meditative exercise than a crappy household chore.
• To get the best performance, I have to empty the canister either before I start vacuuming or after I finish (preferrably before AND after). If I let crud collect in the canister to the point it's packed in, the suction suffers.

Other than that, my Dyson's been a dream. In the 5+ years I've had it, I can easily imagine spending much more than $350 on vacuums and accessories. And the chore of vacuuming wouldn't be nearly as pleasant. Of course, I realize that many people have had quite the opposite experience with Dyson vacuums which, again, is unfortunate. But too, nothing in this world is perfect for everybody. 

UPDATE: Since it seems there's no shortage of praise for the Dyson line of vacuum cleaners, I thought I'd present some less-than-charitable comments elsewhere:

I hate dyson 

Dyson DC07 Review 

Epinions: Dyson DC07 Review 

Thinking of Dyson? Think Again! 

February 20, 2007

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