Do You Own a Dyson Vacuum Cleaner? Is It Worth The $$?

Updated on August 20, 2011
K.N. asks from Camp Hill, PA
38 answers

I am thinking about buying a dyson vacuum cleaner. I hear they are the best, but they're so expensive. Do you own one and do you think it's worth the money?
Also I've noticed there are so many different models ranging from $300-$600. Are the cheaper ones just as good? Any tips or advice would be appreciated. I don't normally spend so much on a vacuum, so I want to make sure I get the right one for me.
Thanks mamas!!

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A.F.

answers from Fargo on

I have a Dyson and I HATE it. I will never buy another one as long as I live. My mom has a Rainbow and I borrow that as often as I can. It's miles and miles better than a Dyson!

1 mom found this helpful
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K.A.

answers from Philadelphia on

My sister has an Oreck and loves hers but we have a Dyson and I continue to be amazed at its suction. Way better than a Hoover or other standard vacuum. I look forward to vacuuming b/c of how well it picks up. I am a die hard Dyson fan!

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J.S.

answers from Pittsburgh on

I have the animal dyson and love it -- we have a Golden who sheds lots of hair. I haven't had any problems with mine...had it about 5 years now? You can pretty much take the whole thing apart to clean it, which I do about once a year due to the dog hair. I highly recommend it. Remember, you pay for what you get, and paying one time (or so) for a good vacuum that'll last you years is worth it. I got mine at Linens & Things (when they were around) with the 20% off coupon.

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S.D.

answers from Dallas on

We have the Dyson Animal and it is awesome. When we first got it, we vacuumed the floor with our old one and then used the Dyson. It was so amazing to see how much it picked up. It has been 5 years now, and it still works just as well. You will love it.

1 mom found this helpful

T.S.

answers from San Francisco on

We had two over the course of five years, HUGE waste of money. I didn't want to buy the second one but my husband insisted, thought the first one was probably a lemon, well I guess we got two lemons :(
I have yet to find a vacuum that lasts more than three years, argh!

1 mom found this helpful
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A.J.

answers from Austin on

YES! I bought a refurb off of Amazon.com. Fantastic!

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N.F.

answers from Portland on

This quesiton came up during our playdate today. My girlfriend was debating buying a Dyson, so I let her "test-drive" the one we have had for seven years. She bought one this afternoon!

M.S.

answers from Pittsburgh on

I've heard too many mixed reviews about the Dysons from friend who bought them. Consumer Reports has also had them poorly rated on a few occasions. But I think anything nowadays can be iffy. We've had an Oreck (a pretty high priced vac) for 11yrs and love it - its serviced every 2yrs and we have a ton of dirt and dog hair. I've had others in the past, ranging from $80 to $500, and the Oreck has been the best for us. Good luck!

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S.N.

answers from Minneapolis on

I have an ORECK (SP?!)that we've had for 7 years. It needed a repair about a year ago and I asked our cleaning ladies what they thought about he ORECk vs. the Dyson (thinking if it were an expensive repair I would just get a new one) and they said that they had a lot of experience w/ the two and that the Dyson worked really well at first didn't have the staying power of the ORECK.

the repair was under $100 so we're still using the same one. We really like it - not good for wood floors though...

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S.B.

answers from Philadelphia on

I've had the yellow dyson (not the ball) for about 6 years now. I still love it! We have 2 dogs, 2 cats & 2 kids. I have a carpeted LR, hardwood DR & vinyl kitchen & bath. It works great on all three. I LOVE the clear bagless container. You get to see how much stuff you are picking up. I vacuum every other day & each time I have to empty the container (my dogs shed a lot). With my old vacuums I could go a month before emptying the bag. Its like they weren't picking up anything!
Another thing I love...I can plug the dyson in my DR & vacuum almost my entire first floor w/o unplugging. The only thing I dislike is that the cord is not retractable, but my hubby likes to remind me that those retractable things usually break anyway.
Another great thing is that you can take apart nearly the entire vacuum! Once, the vacuum stopped working & we didn't know why. The customer service people walked my hubby thru taking apart the vacuum & we found a fairly large toy stuck in one of the interior hoses! He was able to get it out & put the vacuum back together & it worked beautifully after that. You can also take it apart for cleaning (which is great if you have animal hair like we do). And everything comes apart using a quarter! You don't even need a screw driver!
I love my dyson & I have honestly considered buying one to use upstairs too! (I am very lazy & hate carrying the vacuum up the stairs, so I only vacuum once a week up there. However, I know I would vacuum more often if there was another vacuum up there. I have not yet surrendered to my laziness on that.) I will definitely buy another dyson when this one dies.

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V.F.

answers from Scranton on

I have not had a Dyson, but I have had an Oreck XL and now I just bought a used Rainbow off of ebay. I did like my Oreck but it sucked on the long heavy pile carpet. It worked great when I had a short pile carpet. But since I just recently got this new shag carpet I needed something that would work. I do like the rainbow, my mother has had them for years. You can get a rebuilt one fairly cheaply on ebay with a warranty. I don't mind having to dump the water. I love how clean it get's things and I don't have to have a separate vac to suck other things up along the wall.

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L.D.

answers from Las Vegas on

My husband bought me a dyson about 4 or 5 years ago after having bad experiences with a couple of less expensive models that didn't last that long. I have to say that our dyson has been worth every penny. It's amazing the amount of dust and debris that thing is able to suck up. Almost grosses me out thinking about the amount of dust that we had been living with in our pre-dyson days.

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V.N.

answers from Harrisburg on

We LOVE our Dyson. They do need to be serviced every few years but htye are worth the money. We have a dog, cat and three kids. I usually vacuum twice a day if not more LoL

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M.L.

answers from Washington DC on

I bought the Shark Navigator that claims to be like the Dyson at Walmart for $159.99. It works.

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J.J.

answers from Toledo on

I have the Dyson Animal (purple one). My husband gave it to me for Christmas (yes, I actually asked for it...lame, I know, lol) in 2007. We were buying an average of 3 "regular" vacuums per year at anywhere from $70-$110 each. My Dyson was around $500 and was a very new design when I got it. I've never had any trouble with it. If I had to find one thing to complain about, it would be that I can't suck up easer grass with it...but then again, what vacuum can without any trouble? It sends to get cought in the roller brush and ties up the motor. I can easily suck it up with the hose though. Even nearly 4 years later, it still works as great as it did the very first time I used it. By not spending the money on the crappy ones like we were doing for the last 3.5 years, the Dyson has paid for itself and we've even saved nearly $400. I say you can't go wrong with a Dyson and I'll never own anything else :)

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L.P.

answers from Philadelphia on

Yes, they're worth it! We used to buy a new vac every 2-3 years until we got our Dyson. Just make sure you follow the recommended upkeep-cleaning the filters, etc. It's easy to do and will extend its life even further. Good luck!

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D.P.

answers from Pittsburgh on

yes. Yes. YES! I'd buy another O. tomorrow. Worth the money.

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D.R.

answers from New York on

i went through 3 or 4 other vaccums, not cheap ones either, before i finally caved in and bought the dyson. i have the yellow one, not the ball. i love it. it just works all the time, and its so easy to deal with. i just wish it had a retractable cord.

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C.T.

answers from New York on

Had this debate in my own house... about 8 years ago!

After having yet more problems with an upright from Sears (don't recall the brand....), we purchased the purple Dyson Animal (model 14, I think) at Kohl's with a 30% off coupon. We LOVE IT!!! We took it home, vaccummed with the old one and then tried the Dyson. I was never more grossed out!

Even today, it still picks up so much dirt and hair. I have 3 kids, 1 dog and 2 cats. We definately needed something heavy duty and Dyson fit the bill. I have never looked back.

Oh, and it comes COMPLETELY apart so you fish things like wooden hot dogs from inside the unit without a service call. I was amazed it fit and got as far into the unit as it had. LOL. I only wish it had that ball swivel thing. :-(

IMO, it is a good investment.
~C.

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L.K.

answers from Kansas City on

In my opinion, yes they are worth every penny!

I've had my purple Dyson Animal 5-6 years and still love it! And as one of the other posters said, I vacuumed with my old machine, used the Dyson and was sickened at what it picked up!

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A.K.

answers from Phoenix on

Yes & yes. I love it.

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G.S.

answers from Allentown on

I have owned a Dyson DC14, I think, for the last 4.5 or 5 years. It has not held up as well as I would have expected for the cost. I feel indifferent about it. It's far better than previous vacuum cleaners I've owned, but I always owned really cheap vacuums in the past anyway. And even at 4.5 / 5 years of age, it still works better than my previous machines, though not as good as when it was new. I have pergo, carpet and linoleum, and it functions well on each (and does OK at cleaning out the car). The attachments are seldom very useful. It still works, so I'm not shopping for a replacement, but I'll do more research before I buy my next vacuum cleaner. It seems to have gotten louder and less sucky with age (and we've followed guidelines for maintenance and even bought a replacement filter).

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K.M.

answers from Kansas City on

Yes! We have the Dyson Animal (purple).

Updated

Yes! We have the Dyson Animal (purple).

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P.W.

answers from San Francisco on

Last time I looked, Consumer Reports gave them a low rating.

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T.B.

answers from Dallas on

I used to have the Dyson DC07. I really liked it. The problem we had was that the canister broke. Apparently, you should not bang it on the side of the trash can when you empty it. We had one part replaced for free during the warranty period, but a different part broke after the warranty. It would have cost $45 to have it replaced. My husband was over it so we sold it. I regret it. The motor was still great. My husband turned around and got me some cheap Hoover that was light weight to take up and down the stairs. That is the only good thing about it. The cord is short, the extension hose is short, it doesn't clean as well as the Dyson. I would get the Dyson, just be careful with it. They advertised the plastic was like liquid steel, so perhaps that's why we weren't more careful. BTW, the person, who bought our vacuum has a cleaning company and was getting ours as her second Dyson.

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P.S.

answers from Houston on

A friend of mine swears by her Rainbow vacuum, the $1000 system that shakes the dirt off the carpet before it sucks it up and then uses hot water so it wouldn't create dust or smells in the air (she is really really anal about clean floors - she vacuums her whole house every day), but she got tired of emptying the drain bucket so she bought a high end Dyson after doing much research and she claims it cleans just as well as her Rainbow.

(I don't have a Dyson...I have a Hoover...so I personally don't know if it is worth the money.)

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B.

answers from Augusta on

my mom has one and she hates it , it does not work like it says it does on the commercials.
I have a Bissel Healthy home vacuum and I LOVE it. We have a cat and two dogs one of them long haired. IT works great

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P.F.

answers from Seattle on

no,you have vacuum backwards because the exhaust blows dust bunnys away from it.The hose is useless unless you like to carry the vacuum with you,and then you keep hitting power button.I have hardwood floors,so now i use a broom. $400.00+ for dyson,$10.00 for broom,broom faster and dosent spread dust in the air,like the dyson!

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C.S.

answers from Milwaukee on

I LOVE our Dyson. My husband likes it for carpets, hates it for hardood so he uses our ancient Rainbow for that.

It is really expensive, but if you have dogs or cat hair especially, it's great.

M..

answers from St. Louis on

I have one. I like it. But, I had a Shark Infinity that worked just as good and half the price. If you do get a Dyson, they have them at Bed Bath and Beyond and you can use a 20% coupon. They even take expired coupons. The salesman talked me out of getting the ball, which was $100 more. He said it wouldnt get under that much more than the regular one would. I heard the ball is great though too from people that have it. Good luck!

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D.C.

answers from Los Angeles on

We currently have the purple Dyson Animal. It works great. Our house has carpet, hardwood, and marble. I love that it works on all surfaces. My daughter and I have really long (waist length) hair that can be a pain to vacuum because it winds up in the rollers. Occasionally, we'll clear the rollers by cutting the hair that gets stuck. We have a Siberian Husky who sheds quite a bit and the Dyson picks up his fluff without a problem. Emptying the canister can be disgusting. It's alarming to see all the dirt and dust, but it's nice to know the Animal is working!

This is our second Dyson. We replaced the original yellow version because it was starting to smell really bad. We cleaned the filter, but it didn't work. I'm not sure what the problem was. Bed, Bath & Beyond helped us upgrade. They have great return and coupon policies.

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C.B.

answers from Boston on

I have a $99 Hoover upright (WidePath Foldaway it says on it, but I just bought whichever they had since my 1997 $300 Sears canister's beater brush stopped working - still use that one for hardwood floors) that I got at Costco in 2004, which has a Hepa filter and a filter basket on the bagless container. It works great, and I love seeing all the filth in the clear bagless container since I hate to vacuum and seeing all it takes out of my house is a bit of a "reward". I think all vacuum salesmen use the trick of having you vacuum once with your vacuum and then showing "how much more" the new one picks up - if you switched the vacuums the first one would leave dirt with one quick sweep over the carpet and the second one would also still pick some up. But I am more a clean-what-you-see cleaner, and tidy up a lot but only vacuum occasionally. It help to buy carpet and flooring that has a busy pattern and does not show much, lol!

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S.M.

answers from Dallas on

Absolutely Yes!
We were buying good vacuum cleaners every 8-12 months for a while. All of them needed to be replaced. The Dyson works much better than all the other vacuums and it has a 5 year warranty! It is more expensive, but this is one case in which it is worth the extra dough!

T.C.

answers from Albuquerque on

Hi K.,
We have the dyson DC 28. My hubby picked this one over the "ball" because it has 2 filters instead of 1, and my husband has pretty bad allergies.

We love it so far (one year, now), and my hubby likes to tell people we are, "dyson snobs!" (lol!)

The best part is: my husband likes it so much, he does 95% of the vacuuming!
t

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D.M.

answers from Denver on

I have the Dyson Animal and really like it. We have three kids and a Austrialian Shepherd - Border Collie (Hairy!!!). It's great. I wouldn't get the ball either. I used the 20% coupon at Bed Bath and Beyond too. It's worth it. NOTE::::: we did have to have it repaired after 5 years and it was pricey (100.00).... Good luck!

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M.D.

answers from Minneapolis on

Yes is it!! I love it! I've had it for 5 years and it works as just as it did when my husband bought it.

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J.N.

answers from Salt Lake City on

No experience with Dyson, but I know a good brand: I grew up with an Electrolux. It's a "canister" vacuum, but not too heavy, and has attachments for carpet, hard floor, curtains & upholstery, and even dusting. My mom is still using one that is about as old as I am, though she's had to have it repaired a couple of times and replace a hose here or there. I have one that is about 20 years old, it hasn't held up quite as well, but I think a few repairs would bring it back to life. They aren't the bagless kind, but given my choice, they are what I would always use. (They are pricey, but imo worth the money)

M.W.

answers from Philadelphia on

Hi K.,

I'm a vacuuming freak - at least once a day. I've had the Dyson Animal since 2004 and loved it until we had issues with the roller a couple of years ago. The vacuum itself was expensive, as you know, but the repairs... sent me into fits to the tune of $350!!! We continued to use the Dyson after the repairs until my husband just came home with the Rolls Royce of vacuums - my new love, my Riccar. http://www.riccar.com/products/uprights/?prod=RADP. I have no idea how much he paid, and even though he said he got a great deal on it, I know it was much more costly than the Dyson. We bought it from the same place that repaired our Dyson. I remember at the time, they told us Dysons are the best bagless vacuums on the market, but if you want real clean, you don't want bagless. They expel dust (which I completely noticed every time I vacuumed). What I loved about my Dyson - seeing what it picked up, the hand tools, and the ability to use it on hardwood and carpet. What I hated - emptying it made me feel like I should be wearing a face mask. I often had to take it to the back yard and bang it against a tree to loosen the funk that was stuck up inside. Hated cleaning (or failing to remember to clean) the sponge filters. And I feel it DID loose suction power over the years. Once it sounded like it was dying (again the roller) was when my husband surprised with the Riccar - it has a lifetime belt, lights that signal your carpet is still dirty (love!), and a 6 year service plan. It's amazing. And made in the USA!

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