This Looks Like:
The Dyson that turned up in our local Goodwill.
When it showed up, they put a big sign on it saying, "NOT FOR SALE," and the staffers were proudly pushing it around.
Within a few days, the sign was gone and it was priced at $15. I found out later that the staff didn't appreciate the job of cleaning it out.
I think those strings in the brushroll of the one in the pics are carpet backing. It looks to me as if the vac was used on carpet that had a frayed edge somewhere.