Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

We bought our first Dyson Animal vacuum over 7 years ago, and even though it nearly killed me to spend so much money on a vacuum cleaner I wanted something that I knew would last and be worth every penny. We had had 2 other brand name vacuums (Hoover and Black & Decker) previously that lasted less than 2 years before needing repairs, and their performance was minimal. I can proudly say that our original Dyson is STILL going strong and works amazingly - with regular care and maintenance it still performs perfectly and every time I vacuum I'm amazed at how much it picks up. When I first received the new Dyson DC50 Animal, I made a point of vacuuming with our old Dyson first, so I could see what the new vacuum was capable of. After we had it assembled and ready to go I have to say I was skeptical - the new Dyson was a lot smaller than the old one, it looked kind of...shall we say 'wimpy' compared to our older, larger model. Still I knew it would perform well, so I plugged it in and vacuumed one room. I was flabbergasted when I was done at the amount of dirt, dust and pet hair that the new vacuum had picked up even though I had JUST vacuumed it with the older Dyson. Dyson's technology for their vacuums when they first came out was cutting edge, and they have definitely kept up with and improved that technology and their vacuums are still #1 in my opinion. They took what they had that worked amazingly and made it better - smaller, more efficient, and with even better suction. The DC50 is incredibly light - a mere 11.6 lbs - my 5 year old can use this vacuum (and loves to!), but don't let it's light weight fool you, it vacuums better than any other full-size upright vacuum. Dyson improved the cleaner head to self-adjust for optimal floor contact - whether on shaggy carpet, short-fiber carpet, or hard floors, the head is always in contact with the surface for optimal cleaning - there is no need to adjust anything. Dyson has added more cyclones and made them smaller, making the amount of suction phenomenal. You truly have to see this to believe it - clean your floor with your vacuum that you 'think' works well, and then clean it again with a Dyson. Every time I vacuum I'm thinking 'how on earth can my floor get so dirty??' I love the ball that steers this vacuum, it makes vacuuming effortless and easy - after using a vacuum like this you will find any other vacuum tedious and difficult to use. Dyson has placed the motor inside of the ball so it's weight is centered there for easier movement, and the outside is less bulky and has fewer parts. The DC50 Animal comes with a Tangle-Free Turbine tool that is wonderful for removing pet hair. Unlike the traditional vacuum accessories or main parts that have the brush bar that constantly gets hair tangled around it, the Tangle-Free Turbine tool has counter-rotating heads with brushes that easily remove hair from carpet and upholstery. As with all of the Dysons this one is bagless and has an easy-to -remove plastic canister that is see-through so you can easily tell when it needs to be emptied. You'll be surprised at how often you have to empty this. With a push of a button you pull the canister out, hold it over your trash-can and the bottom drops open so you can shake the contents into the trash. It can't get much simpler than that. The filter sits just inside the top of the canister and easily pulls out for cleaning. The Carbon fiber brush bar has a mixture of stiff nylon bristles that go deep into carpeting to remove dirt, and anti-static carbon fiber filaments that pick up fine dust from hard floors. There is no need for me to ever 'dry mop' my kitchen floor again - this vacuum does the work of 2 items, picking up the dust as well as the smaller particles. The combination tool worked wonderfully to clean my ceiling fans which were very dusty - the soft bristles are great for spot cleaning and gentle dusting - I've even used them on my blinds with great success. The 5 year warranty that comes with the DC50 Animal is simply the icing on the cake - our old Dyson is going strong and I'm sure will last many more years - but having that bit of assurance from Dyson makes their product even more valuable and worth it. Given the choice, I would gladly purchase a Dyson every time - their vacuums do not fail or disappoint.