Hardware Review Dyson Animal DC65 Upright Vacuum: REVIEW (Is it Worth Spending $500+ For A Vacuum?) (1 Viewer)

[Mike Frezon]

Last vacuum I got was couple years ago and needing to be replaced, that one cost just under $200. $600 to hopefully get at least 8 years, probably more, isn't that bad when you look at it.

Exactly, Russell.

My wife has been hedging on letting me pay a similar amount for a gas grill. We need a new one...but while she "gets" the concept of spending a bit more to get a much better quality that will last longer, she doesn't feel good about spending that much on something she doesn't personally use all that much. The other day I gave her the tour of the inside of our gas grill (all the thin metal parts which support the burners, etc. are deteriorated to the point of no return). I showed her at a Lowe's store the other night how the Weber gas grills are so differently constructed. She is now ready for me to pull the trigger.

While there are some here who don't like bagless vacuums, I am still of the opinion that our purchase of a Dyson a few years ago was one of the best purchases we ever made. AND...we got ours refurbished at a local vacuum shop for just $199. You can also find Dyson refurbs occasionally on Woot for a similar price. My daughter did and said it looked like a brand new vacuum when it arrived.

 

[schan1269]

It almost this simple...If you have allergies, you buy bag vacuums. And I can vacuum our floors (only the 5 bedrooms have carpet, rest of the house is wood) 30 some times before changing the bag.

 

[FoxyMulder]

It almost this simple...If you have allergies, you buy bag vacuums. And I can vacuum our floors (only the 5 bedrooms have carpet, rest of the house is wood) 30 some times before changing the bag.

I have allergies to dust, they stuck over 30 small needles in my arm to find this out.

I would say that anything with a hepa filter should be good, bags unfortunately let the dust back into the air, the Dyson hoovers, yes i said hoover, ( as we call them that in the UK ) are great at keeping the dust in, can't trust a bag for that.

 

[schan1269]

The hepa filter bag(as long as it seals* ) keeps dust in, till you unseal it to dispose of it.*If your vac isn't sealing, fix it.

 

[FoxyMulder]

The hepa filter bag(as long as it seals* ) keeps dust in, till you unseal it to dispose of it.*If your vac isn't sealing, fix it.

Gotcha now, i don't think of the Dyson hepa filters as bags, my DC08 is an older but good model.

http://www.dyson.co.uk/support/dc08/dc08-origin

 

[Aaron Silverman]

I'm allergic to dust (and all kinds of other things). We just got rid of all the carpet in the house. Granted, this solution is probably less attractive for those of you living in less tropical climes.

 

[andySu]

I have an older Dyson DC04 that does a good clean. I keep the cinema seats clean as well. The power cord on/off tends to come lose most times, but its okay. I think this model is like over 14 years old?

 

[Mark Cappelletty]

We have an older Dyson that has a few intermittent issues (the dang thing is over 10 years old-- my wife had it before I met her) and upgraded to the DC-65 based in part on this review. There's a $100 instant rebate on it at Costco and I figured, with their generous return policies, we can always bring it back if we hate it.

 

[Carlo_M]

Just checking in to see how people like the DC65. My old DC07, like Mark's, has a few nagging issues from over a decade of use and abuse (but even with them, it's still the best vacuum I've ever owned). Well we just got a puppy, and I'm thinking now is the time to upgrade. The DC07 is a workhorse but also weighs twice as much as the DC65, and with the puppy I'm going to be vacuuming twice as often (if not more) so the weight difference will be appreciated. Also, not having to switch from bare floor to carpet will be a godsend.

I'm thinking of going with the Animal Complete for all of the accessories (the soft brush tool will be a duplicate but I'm thinking of bequeathing the DC07 to a family member for free, and will include the old soft brush tool) and the free carpet powder. I looked at the most recent Bed Bath and Beyond coupon and Dyson is not listed as a restricted brand (it used to be on the list, off and on).

Anyone have any final last words of wisdom before I pick one up this weekend? Thanks!

 

[Todd Erwin]

The DC65 Animal Complete has been a godsend in my house with two cats and a wife with long hair. The only thing I wish Dyson would do is add the self-cleaning brush roller feature that can be found on the vastly inferior vacuums by Electrolux (which, sadly, is their only selling point).

Working in retail, and selling major and small appliances, people ask me about Dyson on a daily basis. I often tell them that I used to be a skeptic regarding Dyson, until I owned one and saw just how much more they pick up compared to other, highly rated vacuums.

 

[Todd Erwin]

Carlo - you can use this coupon at Best Buy and save 20% on your Dyson. It expires on Saturday, 11/1.

 

[Carlo_M]

Todd, you rock, thanks for that!

 

[Carlo_M]

Jumped in with both feet yesterday and bought the DC65 Animal Complete. Had actually skipped a week in vacuuming, so my first pass yesterday brought up a lot of dirt and dust, more than what's usual even with the DC07 (which picked up more than any of our previous vacuums).

Obviously if I'm willing to spend over $500 on a vacuum, I'm already a fan of the brand. So let me just focus my quick review on the improvements from going to the 07 to the 65.

[*]It's much lighter than the DC07 - this makes a big difference when doing the actual vacuuming, and moving around from room to room and task to task.
[*]The ball really does make a big maneuverability improvement. With the ball, the swiveling head, and the lighter weight, vacuuming was considerably easier. Usually I break a sweat with the DC07, but yesterday I finished without even breathing hard, and although I didn't time myself, it felt like I completed the task 20-30% faster. If you have a Dyson without the ball technology, and you're on the fence, get off of it and buy one with the ball tech.
[*]The newly redesigned head and brush, which goes almost all the way to the edge, does make cleaning the carpet closest to the walls and corners much easier, especially in comparison to the DC07. If you're anal retentive you'll still need the crevice attachment to get that last little bit. I'll do that probably once a month, but for a quick weekly vacuum I won't bother.
[*]The cord is much more heavy duty, and doesn't get as warm (especially at the plug) as the DC07 did.
[*]Not having to stoop down to change from carpet to bare floor: priceless.
[*]Separate button to stop bristles: priceless.
[*]Despite pulling up more dust and dirt from the carpet, it's around 30% quieter than the DC07 when running. I used to put in my in-ear-monitors to partially shut out the vacuum noise, now I don't feel the need to do that.
[/list]
Now let me address the most common complaint I read on the web prior to purchasing: that the DC65 doesn't always lock in an upright position. I can say with mine that is not the case. But I think I understand why people get fooled into thinking they've locked it when in fact they haven't.

If you do not power on the vacuum, it's really easy to tell when it's locked in its vertical position. There is a definitive click and the vacuum will not bend at its swivel point anymore. There is only one position that results in the audible lock click sound, there isn't any other click, at a lesser angle, that can cause confusion as to whether it's locked or not. That's what some online reviewers contend.

However if you are using the vacuum and then you power it off, there's about a 5 second spin down where the vacuum engine is still going, but ramping down towards being off. While it's powering down, the vacuum is still sucking in air. If you then try to put the DC65 into the vertical position, it hits a point where the vacuum thinks you don't want the suction coming in from the swivel head, but rather from the handle (i.e. you are using accessory attachments at the handle end). This results in an audible "air pop" sound as the source of air intake switches from the bottom of the vacuum to the top of the handle. This pop happens before the DC65 is vertically locked (about 10-15 degrees before that point). This audible pop could be mistaken for the vertical position click, and that's when if you let go of the handle, it will crash to the floor.

Once you know the difference, it's really easy to tell when it's that air-pop sound versus the vertical lock click. One is a mechanical click sound, the other is an air popping sound. Or you can let the DC65 completely power down before putting the handle in the vertical position, and you'll only hear the click. But I tested this out many times yesterday, and I never made the mistake of having the handle fall to the floor.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Carlo:

Is the container that holds the stuff you've vacuumed-up smaller than on your prior model?

I've been wondering that about the newer models. It seems as if the containers have gotten smaller.

With two dogs, it doesn't take long for my container on my DC15 to fill up.

 

[Carlo_M]

Mike, the DC65 canister is about 20-30% smaller than the DC07 canister (by visual estimate only). I assume your DC15 is the same size as my 07. While I will be emptying the canister more frequently, that's a tradeoff I am willing to make for the overall smaller, lighter, more agile DC65. You will have to decide based on your own usage patterns if it's worth the tradeoff, because I clearly won't be emptying as much as you will (one small short-haired puppy, about 700-800 square feet of carpet).The DC65 is the "full size" vacuum of the new Dyson lineup, so I don't think they're ever going to make another DC07/15 size vacuum again. They're going for the lighter, more agile market, and have been since the ball technology became the standard in their line.

 

[Mike Frezon]

The internet is amazing. I just found this side-by-side image someone did of an older yellow DC15 (just like mine--one of the first with the ball technology, I think) and a new DC65.

Here's their review.

 

[Carlo_M]

Yeah Mike but who can you trust? Them, with their disclaimer about how they either got gift cards or the vacuum for a discount or free, or me who paid nearly full freakin' price?!?!?! (but I'm not bitter)

Also that pic is a bit misleading as one vacuum is closer to the camera than the other, so perspective is skewed (Peter Jackson used this trick of forced perspective a lot in Lord of the Rings, especially in the scene with Elijah and Ian on the cart at the beginning of the first movie). Don't get me wrong, the 65 is definitely smaller but that pic makes it look even more tiny.

When I get home today I'll try to take a pic of my 07 and 65 side-by-side and post it here.

As an aside, it seems to be a fairly well written review, not showing too much bias. Interesting how new carpets have voided warranties if a Dyson w/ beater brush is used. That's lame. And while the vacuum is drawing up more dirt, I don't get the sense that my carpet is any more abused than with a different vacuum. I guess carpets, just like everything else in life..."they just don't make 'em like they used to..."