Dyson DC25 Upright Cleaner

It must have been the full moon! I was trying to vacuum our carpet but was seeing that pet hair was not coming up. I checked our old Hoover Windtunnel and found the rotating brush was not moving. Not a surprise since it has been temperamental lately. In checking the brush I found that the plastic bar rotates on bearings of felt - that's right felt! The felt had worn away and the bar now was straining against the plastic and would not turn.

So, a new vacuum was in order. We have several pets and pet hair was a prime consideration. We went through the reviews and quickly noted that Dyson was positively reviewed in most places. But really, - $500 for a vacuum? We were heading toward another Hoover or Bissell but stopped short. Reviews of those units talked about noise, weight, messy bagless clean-up. If you hate a product going out the door - maybe we should be looking elsewhere?

So we took the plunge and bought a Dyson DC25 "All Floors". In reading the reviews it sounded like "The Animal" was what we needed for the pet hair. But Dyson, like many manufacturers, uses model numbers in a bewildering mix of letters/numbers. It turns out there are 3 DC25 models - The Animal, All Floors, and a Blueprint - Special Edition. They appear to have the same base machine - just different colors and attachments.

We found the only difference between the All Floors and The Animal was an attachment for The Animal that was used to clean stairs and furniture. The Mini Turbine Head fit at the end of the hose. This, the purple color and $50 seem to be the only difference. The Blueprint-Special Edition has a flatter head configuration to better get under things. It is about $30 more than the All Floors.

What we found was that we didn't need the Mini Turbine Head - the All Floors easily picked up hair with the include tools. If you find you want it - it can be purchased separately. We saw many on eBay.

So we got the unit home and unpacked it. Its various parts snapped together. The unit is all plastic, but strong plastic. The click-together was solid and reassuring. When turned on the unit is very quiet (compared to our old Hoover) and pretty light. The pet hair was sucked-up in one pass - amazing. It was actually kind of fun using this machine; I never thought I'd say that about a vacuum cleaner! It just works so well.

So, what the down-side? Well, the electrical cord is slightly shorter than our old Hoover and need to be moved more. The hose attachment is a built-in part of the machine that extends to clean stairs, furniture, and dust ceilings and so on. It too, is slightly shorter than the Hoover (although the Hoover hose was a separate attachment not stored within the unit itself like the Dyson). I could clean all the stairs with the Hoover hose without moving the unit - the Dyson will reach almost all the way but need to be repositioned to get all the stairs. The Dyson does not have a light - I came to rely on the Hoover headlight to see into dark corners.

Bagless Unit - Many people noted other manufacturers had awkward bagless set-ups. They were hard to get to, hard to remove, hard to empty and easy to spill dirt all over the place. Not the Dyson - the the clear canister is up front where you can see when it's full, has an easy click button to remove it and take it to the trash can. A simple button releases the bottom of the canister and the dirt falls out. Clean, simple and effective. We feel that our $$ has been well spent!

So many people have told me stories about their Dyson's that I decided to look into what all the fuss was about. After reading reviews I decided that the #25 was the best vacuum for our needs - (they have so many models that I would encourage anyone interested to read all they can about the differences in the units). While this was not an inexpensive purchase, it was worth every penny. We have two dogs (large) and two cats (inactive), and we live in a very dust prone area. This unit is AMAZING. We have a mixture of surfaces: hard wood, tile, stone, area rugs and wall to wall carpet. This unit works exceptionally well with all of them, especially going from area rugs to hard surfaces. It has great pick up, easy handling, I LOVE THAT IT EMPTIES IN A FLASH and I will NEVER have to buy another bag! Lest this seem like a review made in heaven, there are a few negatives. I am used to a canister vac with a long hose and a power beater head - and it was very easy to detach the power head and just use the hose wand alone. When using the Dyson's hose attachments, they feel a little awkward and I have to adjust my position to make them effective, not the other way around. But, I am getting used to it - and I keep reminding myself of the vacuum suction - this is so superior to what I was using, that it more than makes up for any awkward angles.

This is as honest a review that I can imagine. On a scale of 1 to 10, my Dyson rates a 10. (PS If you really want to see how filthy your carpets are, get a Dyson. You will be amazed at what you see in the canister. And, BTW, my carpets have never looked better. I have antique orientals and needlepoint rugs, and I am using this vacuum on them with confidence. Funny, I actually look forward to vacuuming now. How silly it that?)

Highly recommend this model! So easy to assemble, my child did it in under 3 minutes total. It is a pet hair cyclonic powerhouse! My Husky sheds the equivalent of a new dog 24/7/365 (still not bald) and this model leaves NOTHING behind. Everything works as designed. Only downside, for the initial vacuum of your carpet(s) using the unit requires multiple dumping of small containment compartment. After that, regular maintaining, its just the right size container. Worth every penny.

Many reviews on various sites fault: the lack of assembly instructions, there are 3 pictograms, and if you can't snap on the two components using those pics, well, "a caveman could do it" so, just saying. Others insist that the wand is hard to remove/reinsert, if yours is fighting you, quit forcing it and glide it in at the proper angle, works every time. If you find the unit 'scatters' debris on tile/hardwood, turn OFF the roller bar. If it isn't picking up debris on carpet, turn ON the roller bar. Its that simple folks. If you need to remove the roller bar to clean, it slides out and clicks back in very easy, again, don't force it at weird angles. It turns with the turn of the wrist, no rocket science here, it glides. Cleaning the easy to access filters is simple, yes it does take 12-24 hrs for them to air dry, your carpet will survive the delay.

I have used the elite top of the line models from each of the 5 highest rated vacuum cleaner manufacturers, this unit beats them all hands down.

I bought this model Dyson because I have two pets that loose a lot of hair. It does a super job in picking up animal hair...dirt too. I tried vacuuming after using my old cleaner and came up with more hair and dirt. I also love the light weight, ease of movement and the distance the wand goes. It is easy to clean and empty and no filters to purchase. This vacuum is also quieter than my "old" vacuum. My cat would run as soon as I got the old vacuum out. With this one, he sits and watches me.

I do wish Dyson included a tool to make it easier to remove the dirt that does get wedged inside the dirt container.

I recommend this vacuum to anyone with pets.

I bought this locally at an authorized dealer-they let me take home and try out 3 other different brands of vacuums (Meile,Simplicity,Panasonic-up to $1000 each).I am a vacuum freak! with 18 indoor cats I need to be! This DYSON 25 animal won hands down over every one I have tried/owned in 40 years! for Cleaning, renewing the nap of my carpet, edge cleaning, LIGHTWEIGHT and EASY to use..I bought a Hoover Mach6 less than a year ago-the only good thing about it was the cord rewind- I Happily gave this up for the Dyson! (And lost 5lbs of weight to shove around)...The 5 year warranty is Great- Only thing not covered is the power cord if you run over it etc.- Imagine 5 years of NO Troubles and I Love the power hand brush!!