Dyson Animal: Is It The Best Vacuum?
Welcome (push play)
I’ve been a DC07 Dyson Animal owner for over 3 years. After spending over $3,000 in
vacuums during my 23 years of marriage, I can honestly say… The Dyson Animal is the best vacuum I’ve ever used! And I’ve owned some pretty good vacuums in my time including Kirby, Oreck, Hoover Wind Tunnels, etc.
Over a multi-part series, I’ll look at some of the reasons I think Dyson is so good… things I’ve learned over the years of using it.
First, a little history…..Of the four vacuums we’ve owned - that I can remember anyways - all of them except for the Oreck were brand new. Just after marriage, my wife succumbed to a door-to-door Kirby salesman and bought the Kirby and just about every attachment offered - including a spray paint attachment (yes, you read correctly; a spray paint attachment for a vacuum).All told, the thing was over $2,000! But, being the lovesick puppy I was (and still am if I’m being honest), whatever she said she wanted she got. Besides, we had to replace the old used vacuum given to us by her parents upon marriage. In it’s defense, it seemed to always do a decent job of vacuuming, even if it was the cause of two hernias toting the dang thing around the house.
(sorry bout the visual)Of course, this story hardly has anything to do with the intended topic but that vacuum to this day lives in infamy and I’ve told my darling wife that I intend to bury it with her.
The Oreck was an eBay purchase and though technically ‘used’ (store return) it was, as far as I could tell, in new condition when we got it. Have no idea where it is today because its tenure in our household wasn’t very long - we just never warmed up to its cleaning ability. It certainly was a lightweight - no more hernia’s!! - but it didn’t seem to ever get the carpet clean. Plus, if we needed a hose or hard floor attachment, we had to pull out the little portable sidekick (forgot its name but we still have it).
We ended up getting rid of it when we bought a brand spankin new - top of the line - Hoover self-propelled Windtunnel several years ago which cost just shy of a mortgage payment I think….. Complete with the add-on "high velocity" brush attachment for pet hair. We used it and it seemed to do a decent job for us but one thing that constantly bugged me was how high up the hose entered into the vacuum body.
See the picture? The hose comes out of the vacuum at the middle of the back. Everytime I went to use the hose and attachment the vacuum would tip over. It just seemed like a dumb design and I wonder who tested it in the the R&D lab before they went to production with it?
So, a little over three years ago when the Hoover was needing a belt replacement, I borrowed my friends vacuum. Just happened to be a Dyson. When I first saw it, I made the comment that it looked like a Barbie toy - I think the model they got was Red and Purple. And, it looked to be made of plastic! My friend, who hardly gets excited over anything, kept going on and on about this vacuum. When he bought his, they included a piece of "plastic" the vacuum was made from and he simply could not break it with his hands - he had to but it in a vice and really put his weight into it. He told me his family have let this thing go down the steps ("on accident" so the kid’s say) several times and it has never broken.
Well, I was intrigued. I brought it home and used it and was quite impressed by how light and easy it was to use and also just how much crap the vacuum was sucking into the clear plastic canister. I mean, really amazed!
I proceeded to vacuum the entire first floor, emptying the canister many times and then went upstairs with the Hoover (new belt installed) and Dyson to do a little test. I loaded a new bag in the Hoover and vacuumed our bedroom. I then went over the same area with the Dyson and again was totally shocked at how much more dirt - small particles mind you - were in the canister.
Had to be a fluke… so I repeated it… same results. I was also impressed by the engineering of the Dyson - the hose came out of the bottom of the vacuum - no more tip overs - the crevice tool had small openings along the top of the tool so when I was vacuuming the drapes (oh my gosh, I was vacuuming the drapes?), the sheer material of the drapes didn’t get sucked into the tool (see it in action here). I also liked how easy it was to use the hose and attachments, just slide the handle up out of the hose and either flip it around for an extended reach or just put the attachment on and go.
Needless to say, I was hooked!! The Dyson simply blew me away and I was not even in the market for another vacuum (and either was the Mrs.) after dumping as much as we did into the Hoover. Still, it was quite evident to me that the Dyson was clearly superior to any vacuum we owned before and I simply had to have one - even though I wasn’t the one who normally did the vacuuming.
So, a few months later and a few more tests so the wife could see, we purchased a Dyson DC07 Animal. Refurbished at that. Hey, I still had a several hundred dollar Hoover collecting dust and simply could not afford a brand-spanking new Dyson). Three years later, the Dyson is still going strong. Best money I ever spent on a home cleaning product bar none.
In the next part, I’ll go into a few reasons why the Dyson is so near to my heart and how, if you own pets, you’ll absolutely love the Dyson Animal vacuums. Till then, I’ll let you talk to your spouse about this guy who sounds like he’s in love with a dang vacuum cleaner. …
Course, if you’ve read enough and want to get one for yourself, check out the prices dyson vacuum. I don’t think you’ll find any better prices, service or free air shipping. And also check out the refurb prices for some truly outstanding bargains! I’ll be back in a few days to share more.
Randy






Well guy, your 100 percent correct about Dyson. I have owned and killed many commerical vacuums for the carpeting and flooring of my soccer equipment shop. Spent hours cussing and fussing with “the best money could buy”-lugging machines across miles of “true vacuuming testing fields” carpeting and tile flooring which held dust, dirt, mud from player’s boots with cleat covered grass. UGH! Dead was swift for many machines (never fast enough for replacement).
ANYWAYS, for my home I purchased a Dyson Animal. Purple and pretty. Yes, we ladies go for light and lovely tools once in awhile. However, if it doesn’t work and wastes our money and time-bitterness swells-and yardsales normally hold our past failures-front and center and “works great” signs hang high on their handles as the telling code to all “works great-if you want to scare dust about. Pass me by-waiting for college student who has no experiance with house hold chores”.
So-as the next shop vacuum blew up and dragged the Dyson to work..risking it for a fast cleanup before opening. The results from that one go around with the Dyson-put me to rethinking the need for new carpeting!
Plus you failed to mention the miracle of being able to fully “wash and rinse” the canister clean as well as most of the other parts of this machine. THIS is key knowledge to new timers-because if you have ever “smelled” a household after a vacuuming with an old or dirty “bag” set-just the cleaniness of a Dyson system which can be fresh and clean as your hearts desire..with a wash and go system.
Dyson ROCKS. Price tag-is nothing. It saves so much in time, care, health, household and work..I wish I knew how much I have saved from owning one. DANG, I wish I had one ten years ago. I would have saved thousands of dollars-from buying “commerical junk vacuums” vacuum bags, steam cleaning carpets (because of vacuums failing) carpet freshners and air freshners. (shaking head) The shame of my ignorance.
Thanks for the website. LOVE IT!
CJ Curts
I just got my dyson animal a week ago and its really awesome Im a complete clean freak (Martha Stewart Clean) I vaccum every single day!
O and Im a guy a stright guy at that lol…yea the martha comment was kinda gay but anyhow I finally broke down and paid $569 for the darn thing at lowes and it really does suck I go through a vaccum about every 2 years because again I use it everyday and these bagless vaccums dont last like they use to.
I have a german shepard mix dog who I swear to you I could make a wig out all the hair I get from him he sheds more then a freaking cat!! and every vaccum I have works great when you frist buy it( like anything else) but over time they would just die out so I really hope this thing will last me more then 2 years and “Never Loose Suction” but time will tell maybe if I remeber this web link I’ll tell you how it is still going in a year lol
Something was wrong with the Oreck. I don’t understand why people won’t check with any vac shops before going out and laying down hundreds more dollars for another vac. Regardless of brand it may have been something simple and not costly.
Hi, I just got a Dyson Animal DC17, how do you clean it? I really love it so far but I want to make sure I maintain it properly!
I am also a major neat freak. My parents own a “Eureka THE BOSS” vaccum. My parents have four boys. (With me being the oldest) We have an Alaskan Husky Dog and two Cats + a Bird. I am the only one who uses the vaccum. (Being that I am the neat freak and don’t like anyone else’s cleaning but mine) My vaccum will not pick up ANYTHING!!! My parents have not owned this vaccum for over two and a half years. The darn thing lost its suction about a month or two after we got it. I can’t get the vaccum to pick up anything. My parents can’t see why we need a Dyson vaccum. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to persuade them to buy the DC15 Animal??
Our carpets look okay but if you were to pinch the carpet, you would pull up hair between your fingers. It is disgusting. Please Please Please help me find a way to persuade my parents!!!
*Quick Question, does it matter which Dyson vaccum I get, such as a DC07 or DC14? I don’t care about the price, I just want something that will keep the house of four boys, a dog and two cats, + a bird clean!!
P.S. Wonderful sight, it makes me want a Dyson even more
I’ve had two - but only because I lost custody of the first one in my Divorce. Otherwise, I’d still have it.
Have the Second (Purple Animal) and I swear by it. It’s so Great to have something work as advertised!
I would go to the store with a “money is no object” attitude after buying cheaper units. STILL after buying top of the line from other companies, they always died after a year or so.
I firmly beleive my Animal could suck my other animal (cat) right into the container and not miss a beat if I got it to close to him!
My daughter and her friends were playing with it - they’d throw up a sock, and suck it out of mid air into the canister! Again, never missed a beat. Actually, it kind of scares me sometimes how powerful this vacuum is! haha…
But the reason I love it so much is ‘cuz the dang thing just WORKS! I don’t have to fool with it. I don’t have to replace anything. It’s like my fridge - it just works - as it should, reliably.
unless something gets phsycially clogged in the hose, the thing just doesn’t quit! The old paradigm of accepting that your vacuum will just get weaker as you use it is GONE! Think about that. 100% effective until the cannister can’t hold anymore.
I think of my “animal” not in terms of the fact it’s designed for animal owners, but becauase it IS an animal! Like a Bear…
Nothing beats a Kirby!!
Okay guys, I don’t know how old these messages are but I, too, have a Dyson Animal and it seems to have actually lost suction! We have taken it apart, cleaned it out and it still makes a whistling sound when we vacuum. The brushes spin but it doesn’t appear to be picking anything up. I vacuum over a crumb or a sliver of paper several times and it doesn’t come up. Any suggestions? Are there still vacuum repair shops? It was too expensive to only last 3 years.
Thanks!
I just bought a dyson animal I LOVE it. Ive been researching them for about 4 years i was kinda nervous to spend over 500.00 on a vacuum. But ive bought so many crappy vacuums, 5 to be exact and they are no good. Dyson beats them handsdown
Personally….the vacuum sucks. We have two dogs and only one of them sheds and its just a normal golden retriever. Every few times we use it, we have to cut the dog hair out of the bottom part or else it won’t work. This vacuum is supposed to be specifically for pets yet the pets are what are causing the problems while using it. I would love to get a new vacuum already but we spent so much money on it, I guess we will have to use it until it dies.
But what a waste of our money.
I have one as well. They are awesome. We would need to buy a new vacuum ever year or two before. This one is like the energizer bunny it keeps going and going. And the stuff it picks up, best ever! They are pricey but worth the money, We bought ours for nearly half price at heartland, Factory refurbished, It had one little scratch on the canister. It was $279.00 instead of $499.00.
I just rented a Rug Doctor and cleaned my 5 year old bedroom carpeting. This is not the first time it had been cleaned either. Then I borrowed my neighbors new ANIMAL….you would not believe what I got out of my carpeting after steam cleaning it! I will be glad to share a picture if you would like.