Dyson DC21 Stowaway Canister Vacuum
by Dyson, Inc.
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Our Price: $353.00 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Home See more product details |
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Dyson DC21 Stowaway Canister Vacuum
Customer Review: very nice
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a great tool.Cleaned our carpet that we thought was cleaned by our other vacuum. Great job Dyson!!Customer Review: You can't please everyone all the time, but...
Summary: 4 Stars
...the DC21 is an incredible machine. What a wonderful "better mousetrap"! First impressions, pros and cons are very similar to what I've read here and elsewhere:
Pros...
- Simply incredible suction. This coming from a discriminating engineer, who honestly, had no idea what an "air watt" is, but I know now, and I like 'em! I had just vacuumed the week before with a new Eureka unit marketed to have "60% more suction than Dyson", maybe only 600sf of carpet mind you, and emptied the Dyson container 3 times. Not a lot of carpet fuzz, either, like I was afraid of based on hearing about how stiff the beater brissles are. No, it was mostly light dust and gritty dirt. Then, the wood floors. With the included hard floors tool, they were cleaned MUCH more thoroughly with the Dyson, contributing even more bin-fulls to my earthen bounty. Bravo!
- Exhaust air has absolutely NO odor. Previous "HEPA" units I had used, both bagged and bagless, new or old, would always leave areas with that dingy, musky "vacuum" smell. Clearly indicitave of the Dyson root cyclone hype actually being substantive. As in, seriously a new and improved mousetrap, people! This is my favorite feature. I've got allergies so bad there are pictures of me in medical text(s) from my allergy testing. That said, I can say there is nothing even close to matching what this unit accomplishes in the realm of filtration. Also, I design healthcare (hospitals, operating rooms) HVAC for a living, so I KNOW filtration! Bravo again, Dyson!
- Though it took some time to get used to the truck/trailer attitude of a non-upright, having the "remote" brush head/wand was a pleasure getting used to. Much easier to get around/under things than an upright, IMHO.
- Emptying. Of course it's dirty when you empty it. It's called dirt, which is... dirty! Emptying is no different than the other bagless unit I've previously owned. To minimize getting black lung, empty it outdoors, don't dump it on yourself, don't stand down-wind, and all is well! Small price to pay to not fuss with bags.
- Love how the separate power head allows you to get in lots of places an upright simply can't reach. Did I already mention this?
- Extend-able wand. It's sturdy-gauge extruded aluminum and thus really, really built to last, which I think is why it's been reported a bit difficult to fully extend. Give it time, folks! I bet it will "wear in" and get easier with use. Again, small price to pay for what you get, namely serious durability!
Cons:
- The fact that the wand attachments must connect to the rigid, bulky section of condensed wand does limit the "flexibility" of the assembly, but on the other hand, you can reach cobwebs, miniblinds, ceiling fans and other such out-of-reach places, which would be difficult or impossible to do otherwise. Having either option would have been ideal (removable wand), but that would in turn create another path for air leaks and another electrical connection for the powered beater brush. Dyson made a judgement call and naturally it wasn't going to please everyone.
- Short cord. What's another 10 feet of cord going to hurt? If it's a voltage drop issue, maybe there's something to be said for that, as vac cords already do get quite warm from electrical resistance, and if you notice, the DC21 cord is relatively thin. Going a full larger wire gauge size to make the cord longer would likely add some serious bulk to a unit many already consider on the heavy side. Going longer with the thin cord may have the potential to start a fire or not deliver proper (and necessary) voltage to the unit under load. As I see it, no big deal, it's not supposed to be a central vac installation. Get an extension cord if it really bothers you, and as others have done. The instructions explicitly state that extension cords are not to be used, but again, they're doing business in the 21st century, and thus are also in the business of not getting sued... so if you use an extension cord and start a fire or melt your vac motor, you were warned, and if you're reading this, you were warned twice!
- Hose soft and prone to collapsing. I really don't know about this one. C'mon Dyson, this really gets on my nerves, though it only happened once thus far, but I don't think it should happen at all. Maybe I just need a bit more "can vac" practice?!
All in all, it gets 4 stars. It does the job it is intended to do, clean the snot (dust and dirt, really) out of stuff, does this task EXCEEDINGLY well, and as many have attested, on a level not readily matched by other models. But really not a good excuse I can think of for the shoddy hose quality, and though I'm not nearly as informed as Dyson on the subject, had I been working as his engineer, I would have pushed to have the extendable wand detachable for flexibility of using hand tools. Also, it's an expensive unit for most people, but believe me, a lot of associated R&D and risk has paid a dear price for such a great design, and the results speak for themselves. Worth every penny, even at full price.
All in all, do yourself a favor, get a Dyson! And especially if you're able to find a great deal like I did...
Customer Review: Dyson C-21 Brush failed 3rd day!
Summary: 4 Stars
On my third day of ownership of my Dyson C-21 canister, the motor on the carpet head stopped working by cutting off every 3 to 45 seconds. I called Dyson support. I was advised that this vacuum is not designed to be used on Berber carpet as it can be pulled into the unit! I was shocked to say the least. I was asked what other kinds of floors did I use it on? I told the support lady that I used it on my kitched linoleum floors and some small tile areas. She advised me that is what caused the stopping problem, that using the brush on that type of "carpet" was the reason it stopped working and I might have to pay for the repair. I argued that this can not be right as linoleum is not carpet and I did not use the brush for that floor. SHE THEN HUNG UP ON ME!! I called back for a Supervisor, but the 2nd support person did not understand about the BRUSH motor and could not understand why I had a problem if the canister motor was working and sucking air! She could not comprehend that the carpet head brush is powered by a separate electric motor. Eventually I did talk to a customer support Supervisor who offered to send me a new head via UPS shipment after we did a trouble shooting by taking the head apart via phone instructions and she said that she could hear that it did not "sound right" as she could hear me turning it off and on through the phone call. I just ordered $100 worth of accessories thru Amazon so I am very worried about spending so much money on this Dyson Vacuume and suffering through this Dyson vacuume customer support from hell. Wish me luck, I will let you all know how this is resolved in the end. I wonder what happened to the 5 year warranty I am supposed to have with the first support person. I had registered it on line and they could have pulled my date of sale so there was no reason to treat me that way from the start! How ever, fair is fair, the unit, when working, really does a fantastic job. It pulls dirt out of what looks like very clean ivory colored Berber Carpet. It is very powerful and I wish that my first call to Dyson for help days after purchase was not so bad. This is why I did not buy the actuall unit ON LINE! I wanted the option to take it back for a refund if I have to do so. Do not shop on line for products with bad customer service, do not pay by credit card to companies with poor product support. No problems with Amazon! Amazon.com is great! endCustomer Review: This vacuum really sucks--literally!
Summary: 4 Stars
I have to admit I was skeptical at first because of the lukewarm "professional" reviews of Dyson in general, but now I'm a true convert. I LOVE this vacuum (coming from someone that HATES housecleaning).
Pros
--Canister style vacuum-great for those of us with back problems that can't push around a heavy upright for long.
--Suction power-WONDERFUL suction on this thing.
--Power brushes-stiff bristles "refresh" the carpet and can easily be turned off by foot controls (no bending down).
--Maneuverability-this has a ball style joint that makes it extremely maneuverable.
--Compact storage-it wraps around itself and is light enough to easily pick up and carry.
--No filters or belts to replace-just clean the built-in filter every 6 months with tap water.
--Quiet!-this is the quietest vacuum I've ever used.
--Retractable cord-guess this is standard on most canisters, but as a former upright user this is a nice feature to me.
--Low profile vacuum head-makes it easier to get under the couches, beds, etc.
--No bags to buy...ever!
--5 Year Warranty
Cons
--No headlight-funny I didn't realize how dark some of my corners are.
--Using attachments is a little awkward because of the larger, inflexible handle, but I imagine I'll get used to it.
--Short power cord-could definitely use a few more feet, but I suspect this was as long as they could fit into the compact unit.
--Power brushes-just a warning here, they're not for delicate carpets. They're rather stiff compared to most and I imagine could do some damage to older/thinner rugs.
--Small collection bin-available volume seems small due to the compact design, but it's EASY to empty, so not really a big problem.
--Price-it's not cheap, but I did find a 20% off coupon on-line for another store so saved $100.
There are enough cons that I can't give this vacuum 5 stars, but none of them are serious enough in my opinion to be major detractors. I'm definitely happy with my purchase.
Customer Review: Great vacuum, but not perfect.
Summary: 4 Stars
I have had my Dyson for 4 or 5 years now. It's still runs great. I have not had any issues with the vacuum thus far in terms of maintenance. It's cleaned up tons of cat fur, carpet fur, dust, dirt, etc. Here is my 2 cents:
Pro:
1. Great bag-less canister design ( it's easy to pop open and empty, I recommend taking it outside if dusty contents )
2. Cool design, looks neat even 5 years later
3. Very powerful event when it's full of dirt
3. Drives nicely, it's turns well and is nimble. I always feel in control and rarely bump anything too hard.
4. Easy to take apart for cleaning
5. Well built
6. Folds up into a nice compact, self contained unit that lives nicely in a closet.
Cons:
1. The power cord is convient because is sucks into the unit but it's too short for large homes... but I always grumble about the cord no matter how long it is. :D
2. Tube can pinch. I wish it was re-in forced more.
I don't know if there is a perfect vacuum. In my current home I have 4 floors so I honestly would love a professional backpack vacuum instead of having to bring my Dyson up and down the stairs, but it does a good job. :) Bag-less is great. I'll never go back to a bag system.