Holy crap this thing SUCKS!!! (updated 03/15/05)

Yep, I used a terrible pun and don't regret it at all. This thing sucks . . .dirt, pet hair, cat litter, the carpet itself. You name it, and it picks it up!

I will keep this review short because all models are inherently the same. The DC07 series can be considered the 'original' models (the yellow one, most notably). The DC14 is the 'new' model, introducing a shorter canister (with the same incredible motor and suction power), a new location for the HEPA filter, and the built-in telescopic wand and handle. On the older 07 series, you have to pull the wand out of the hose, turn it around and re-attach it. That was the first thing I noticed on my friends Dyson a few years ago, and immediately thought it was a huge mistake. Glad they fixed it.

The big difference in all the models (beside color) is the various assortment of attachments that come with them:

- This model has a full-turbine attachment (there's so much suction it turns the brush without a motor. Can bog down a bit, but still rather nice), a flexible crevice tool and the standard crevice tool, brush, and stair tool.

- The Animal model is nothing more than a good reason to reel in folks who don't know any different. The filters are the same, the suction and motor are the same. All you get is a low attachment and the mini-turbine head for your furniture. And the standards.

- The DC14 Low Reach comes with a low attachment. You get the idea

- At any rate, you can look this stuff up on the Dyson website.

ON TO THE GREAT STUFF!

We took this thing out of the box, vacuumed the area in front of our 'foyer' (about 10'x 10') and stopped everything else we were doing. This thing was almost half full with carpet fuzz, dog and cat hair and whatever else decided to take residence there. Un-be-lievable!!

So quiet, so light, so easy to use I felt like Mrs. Doubtfire (since I am a man who cleans) as I rushed around the house cleaning. Downstairs, the stairs and the upstairs hall and bed rooms (3) and emptied the canister three times.

And call me crazy, but I think the house has been cleaner since . . .

****UPDATE****

Ok, so it's been about 2 months since we brought little Dyson home and I thought I would share some new findings:

1. We continue vacuuming once a week and continue getting the same impressive results. We easily fill the canister downstairs and again upstairs, and we are constantly amazed at how much hair gets picked up (a lot less carpet fuzz now that we have given our new carpet the 'once over').

2. I have read a lot of reviews here and seem to be one of the few people who read all the directions for a new toy (or I have been blessed with uncommon common sense). A lot of folks are complaining about the DC14 series and the telescopic wand when it comes to using the attachments at close range. Um, you don't have to use the wand, people! You can disconnect the hose from the wand and directly connect the attachments to it.

Which leads to suggestion number 1 from me to Mr. Dyson: make the connection for the hose to the attachments more secure!! Throw a clip on there or something! It really is easy to use the lint brush right on the hose, but it slips sometimes. Oh and let's not mention the Turbine Head attached to the hose . . . takes a bit of elbow grease to hold on.

3. Last but not least, this beast still SUCKS!! You know in the commercial when James Dyson says that the machine creates something like 1000 times the force of gravity?? After vacuuming my workstation where I sand and refinish, I checked the filter. Uh, completely friggin clean!! That definitely impressed me.

So, if you still haven't made up your mind, go try them out! You could hold off till May when they release a new model, but I'm sure you will pay more for the same performance. I just hope they work on the ergonomics.

Peace and vacuum grease!