Dyson DC17 - The best vacuum .. but for a price!

In the past I have had way too many vacuum cleaners- a vacuum hoarder if you will. It's not that I collect vacuum cleaners per say, but I have always felt that if one breaks I should have at least another five or six to fall back on. Realizing that this is a very unhealthy way to deal with the fear of being "vacuumless", I decided to sell those vacuums and get a more reliable upright. I chose a Dyson DC17 Animal (also sold as the Animal Full Gear DC07).

Assembly:

One of my biggest gripes with many vacuum cleaners is the sometimes-painful assembly that is required. For some reason I have the worst luck assembling vacuum cleaners. For example, a few years ago I purchased a Eureka Big Cup and I embarrassingly broke the entire cup while trying to install the filter. Needless to say, I never got to experience how well or "unwell" that vacuum worked. That being said, I wanted a vacuum cleaner that was going to be super easy to assemble. Fortunately, the Dyson DC17 Animal is totally assembled right out of the box. The only thing I needed to do was snap in the attachments, which was absolutely painless and posed no chance for a fatal error.

What makes the DC17 Animal so special?

The Dyson DC17 Animal bagless upright vacuum offers amazing suction, far better than any of the vacuums that I have owned in the past. According to the Dyson Company, the DC17 Animal offers what is called "Root Cyclone" technology. This technology allows for a much higher suction rate than conventional 12-amp upright systems. According to Dyson, this Root Cyclone technology creates a spinning air stream and because the airflow is unobstructed there's nothing to clog, so suction power remains linear and constant. Having owned this vacuum for a little over four months now, I am not contesting any of Dyson's claims whatsoever.


Tool Belt:

The Dyson DC17 Animal is loaded to the brim with useful power tools. Equipment includes a stair tool (if you guess it to be for cleaning stairs, you're right), a turbo brush tool that is used for cleaning up hard to get pet hair, a crevice tool that is used for vacuuming in hard to reach areas, and a floor tool for cleaning under furniture and large appliances. Also, this system comes with a complimentary pack of "Zorb" a product produced by Dyson, which is sprinkled on the carpet to remove odor. A small 8.5 oz. bottle of Dyzolv stain remover spray (works great) is also included.

Ease of use:

Don't be deterred by the fact that this Dyson weighs in at almost 20lbs. Thanks to its light and effortless steering, this vacuum feels much lighter than what its hefty curb weight suggests. Also, since the cord is 35ft long you probably won't have to pick this unit up too often, unless of course you live in a 2 or 3 story home. Maneuverability is far superior to my Eureka Windtunnel (now deceased) and is just as simple to operate as many refined self propelled vacuums on the market. A great feature of the Dyson DC17 Animal is that you never need to adjust for carpet height. I have like 6 different carpets throughout my house, so this self-adjusting feature comes in handy. The power tools are equally as easy to use. These tools snap into place with ease and can be removed with no fuss. Probably the most notable attribute of my Dyson Animal is how simple it is to clean after use. Unlike some of my old bagless vacuums, cleaning the dirt-collecting cup is absolutely painless with the DC17. With the flick of your finger the cup comes off and snaps back into place with very little effort. Also, the lifetime warranted HEPA filter rarely ever needs to be cleaned. So, instead of buying expensive filters every few months, you can simply run the filter under warm water every 5 months or so. Over time this can save you hundreds of dollars. Overall, this vacuum is extremely user friendly and should accommodate just about anyone.

Performance:

I like to think of myself as a clean and tidy person around the house, but my Dyson definitely has something else to say. To explain, when using other upright bagless vacuums they would rarely pick up enough dirt to suggest that I was neglecting my carpet. When I started using my Dyson DC17, I realized just how much dirt/dust/hair etc. was still in my carpet. One should note that if you have delicate carpet or floors you can turn the brush off with the touch of your foot.

The edge groomers are extremely helpful. I have never had a vacuum where the edge groomers (or whiskers as Dyson calls them) were so effective at retrieving dust and grime around the baseboards.

Cleaning hard floors is also impressive. I usually just sweep my kitchen floors, however when a big accident happens i.e. an entire box of cereal falls on the floor, I grab the Dyson and it's cleaned in minutes.

The performance of the tools are also amazing. The 17' extension hose really comes in handy when cleaning my ceilings of cobwebs, my stairs, and pretty much anything that has escaped my broom. Though not recommend by Dyson, I even use this tool to clean my car. I just park my car next to my house and the tool stretches out into the car from my house perfectly. This definitely beats going to the car wash to clean the interior of my car.

While not as noisy as many of the vacuum cleaners I have owned, i.e. my Hoover Windtunnel, my Dyson DC17 isn't the quietest vacuum in the world either. I certainly wouldn't recommend using this while your children are sleeping.

Style:

For those of you who place appearance on the top of your priority list, the Dyson DC17 upright is probably best avoided. The DC17 comes in two color schemes: green on purple (discontinued) and purple on gray: the Dyson DC17 Full Gear looks more like high-tech children's toy than a useful house tool. I certainly am not going to dock any stars for this unique yet weird styling, however one should beware that this vacuum probably won't replace your decorative Fica trees.

Reliability, Price, & Warranty:

The Price for a new Dyson DC17 will probably set you back around $400 on eBay and about $550 at most retail stores. One should note, however, this vacuum is not easy to find. Locally I was only able to find one and the retailer wanted 600 dollars for it. I purchased mine for 489 dollars at a store called BestVacuum Online Store. I have owned my Dyson DC17 for just over four months now and have had absolutely no problems with this unit. If you do have any problems with your Full Gear, Dyson offers an excellent 3 year warranty (most companies usually offer just 1 year protection).

Final Thoughts:

The DC17 has been a great vacuum cleaner. Not only does it provide excellent suction that refuses to quit: it's also very reliable, offers really cool tools, and overall is superior to all of its competitors. If you are on the market for a new vacuum and have about 500 bucks to spend, I highly suggest checking out the Dyson DC17. It's by far the best vacuum that I have owned: well worth the money.

Update 4/5/2007: I sold my Dyson in March 2007 and purchased a newer model. Over the years this vacuum has been reliable, effective, and even made vacuuming fun.

-Thanks for reading!