I'll be the first person to admit that I'm not the world's biggest Dyson fan. I've used a DC07 in the past, and I've never been a big fan of the "Ball" machines. I tend to always view their machines as gimicks and overpriced.
However, being a vac collector, I've finally decided to take the plunge and see what all the fuss is about. I found a Refurbished Dyson DC17 Animal that was within my price range, and I figured that if I didn't like it, I could always resell it and get my money back out of it.
So my first impression was somewhat mixed. I like the color and it looks sporty. The addition of the 3rd level of Cyclones is an improvement since it helps keep the high efficiency cyclones from clogging like the DC07 did and the DC14 to a much lesser extent. I like the brushroll design. It's aggressive enough to really fluff up the carpet in this house, and it doesn't have that God-Forsaken clutch that plagued the earlier models!
It's also got a round brushroll instead of the twist-tie "thing" that's so notorious for winding up hair. Since I've got a rough-coat collie, the LAST thing I want to put up with is a big hairball on my vacuum's brushroll!
Suction seems to be adequate and then some. Since the DC17 doesn't have the "Large Debris Channel" that the DC14 had, the suction seems to be a lot more concentrated. In fact, it's strong enough at the floor nozzle to handily pick up the heavy Berber rug in my kitchen! It's got far stronger suction than I expected it to, both at the rug nozzle and at the end of the hose.
The ability to shut the brushroll off with a switch is nice. It's annoying that it resets every time you shut the vacuum off though. They also didn't seem to take tall people into consideration when designing the position of the brushroll shutoff switch in the base of the cleaner either. I'm almost 6'2" and if I take long strokes when vacuuming like I usually do, or if I'm trying to get up close to something behind me, the brushroll shuts off prematurely! It's a slight nuisance, but I think I can learn to live with it.
The attachments are decent. The upholstery tool actually works very well! The crevice tool is a bit funky and it's got a suction relief on the side. In practice, the suction is strong enough that I think they should have made the relief a bit larger. The dusting brush is useless. The bristles aren't full, and they're so stiff and plasticky that I'd never use it. It'll sit there for decoration. I plan to get their better duster attachment and try that out instead.
Emptying the bin is a bit challenging. You're supposed to simply push the button and the bottom falls open. Since mine's still new, the mechanism is REALLY stiff. In fact, I don't think most housewifes could actually manage to operate it. I know my mother couldn't! I'm hoping that it gets a bit easier to operate in the near future.
Getting the tools/wand out is a bit fiddly the first time you do it. The instruction book leaves a LOT to be desired. I fiddled with the machine for almost 10 minutes before I figured out that you pull up on the red handle and pull the wand all the way out before the handle will release from the vacuum! I was used to the Fantom where it had a release button! The instruction book could use some refining.......a LOT of refining..... I like words.....not obscure pictures!
Actually USING the machine is pretty rewarding actually. It's not overly loud, and it's not really a screamer either. The brushroll motor is a little loud, but it's also got a cogged belt on it. I don't think it's any louder than a later Electrolux PN though, so I'm not complaining.
The machine seems to pull itself along the rug nicely and floats pretty well on the back stroke. It grooms the carpet better than any other vacuum I have! And yes.....it actually DOES deep clean. I was shocked myself to find that out! That said, it's definitely not for the faint of heart! It's heavy, it's powerful, and the brushroll is VERY well suited from cut-pile carpet, but not much else. If you've got Berber or looped pile carpet, you'd probably want to get a different machine since the brushroll is VERY aggressive!
All in all, it's made a believer out of me. It seems to be a good machine and it far exceeds my expectations! Now if they'd just include a real dusting brush.....
However, being a vac collector, I've finally decided to take the plunge and see what all the fuss is about. I found a Refurbished Dyson DC17 Animal that was within my price range, and I figured that if I didn't like it, I could always resell it and get my money back out of it.
So my first impression was somewhat mixed. I like the color and it looks sporty. The addition of the 3rd level of Cyclones is an improvement since it helps keep the high efficiency cyclones from clogging like the DC07 did and the DC14 to a much lesser extent. I like the brushroll design. It's aggressive enough to really fluff up the carpet in this house, and it doesn't have that God-Forsaken clutch that plagued the earlier models!
It's also got a round brushroll instead of the twist-tie "thing" that's so notorious for winding up hair. Since I've got a rough-coat collie, the LAST thing I want to put up with is a big hairball on my vacuum's brushroll!
Suction seems to be adequate and then some. Since the DC17 doesn't have the "Large Debris Channel" that the DC14 had, the suction seems to be a lot more concentrated. In fact, it's strong enough at the floor nozzle to handily pick up the heavy Berber rug in my kitchen! It's got far stronger suction than I expected it to, both at the rug nozzle and at the end of the hose.
The ability to shut the brushroll off with a switch is nice. It's annoying that it resets every time you shut the vacuum off though. They also didn't seem to take tall people into consideration when designing the position of the brushroll shutoff switch in the base of the cleaner either. I'm almost 6'2" and if I take long strokes when vacuuming like I usually do, or if I'm trying to get up close to something behind me, the brushroll shuts off prematurely! It's a slight nuisance, but I think I can learn to live with it.
The attachments are decent. The upholstery tool actually works very well! The crevice tool is a bit funky and it's got a suction relief on the side. In practice, the suction is strong enough that I think they should have made the relief a bit larger. The dusting brush is useless. The bristles aren't full, and they're so stiff and plasticky that I'd never use it. It'll sit there for decoration. I plan to get their better duster attachment and try that out instead.
Emptying the bin is a bit challenging. You're supposed to simply push the button and the bottom falls open. Since mine's still new, the mechanism is REALLY stiff. In fact, I don't think most housewifes could actually manage to operate it. I know my mother couldn't! I'm hoping that it gets a bit easier to operate in the near future.
Getting the tools/wand out is a bit fiddly the first time you do it. The instruction book leaves a LOT to be desired. I fiddled with the machine for almost 10 minutes before I figured out that you pull up on the red handle and pull the wand all the way out before the handle will release from the vacuum! I was used to the Fantom where it had a release button! The instruction book could use some refining.......a LOT of refining..... I like words.....not obscure pictures!
Actually USING the machine is pretty rewarding actually. It's not overly loud, and it's not really a screamer either. The brushroll motor is a little loud, but it's also got a cogged belt on it. I don't think it's any louder than a later Electrolux PN though, so I'm not complaining.
The machine seems to pull itself along the rug nicely and floats pretty well on the back stroke. It grooms the carpet better than any other vacuum I have! And yes.....it actually DOES deep clean. I was shocked myself to find that out! That said, it's definitely not for the faint of heart! It's heavy, it's powerful, and the brushroll is VERY well suited from cut-pile carpet, but not much else. If you've got Berber or looped pile carpet, you'd probably want to get a different machine since the brushroll is VERY aggressive!
All in all, it's made a believer out of me. It seems to be a good machine and it far exceeds my expectations! Now if they'd just include a real dusting brush.....
