Its a bit of an Animal! (Dyson DC 20 Animal Pro)

Member Name: mattrichardson

Product:	Dyson DC 20 Animal Pro
Date:	23/11/08 (366 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Does what it says on the tin

Disadvantages: The RRP is a bit high

Due to a shoulder injury (caused by a careless driver clearly not paying attention to the road) I found that using my Sebo upright machine caused me rather a lot of discomfort. So the search was on to find a more ergonomic vacuum cleaner I could use in the months it will take my shoulder to recover. The memories of my old Dyson DC14's rapid decent into the world of unreliability a thing of the past and my growing annoyance at the foul smell of stale dog being emitted from a bagged Sebo machine I soon settled on another Dyson.

At first I chose the DC21 Motorhead, but upon discovering that the hose could not be detached from the telescopic wand for car cleaning due to the electrical cable inside the hose (to power the motorhead floor tool) I soon changed my mind. I settled on the DC20 Animal in the end because it ticked all the boxes. Well, I tell a lie, It was between the DC20 Animal and the DC23 Animal but I decided I preferred the design of the DC20 hence buying it.

So what do you get for your money? Well I picked it up in the sales for £180, the normal RRP being £299. The machine is equipped with HEPA filters, a large turbine head, a mini turbine head and a hard floor tool, along with the standard dusting, crevice and upholstery tools. Oh and let's not forget the free FIVE year parts and labour warranty.... All for £180? BARGAIN!

The machine was pretty easy to set up from the box and no tools were required. The 3 mini tools store on the back of the machine and being a telescope model the hose compresses and wraps neatly around the cleaners body for ultra compact storage. There is also a storage slot on the machine for the large turbine head, although the mini turbine head and hard floor tool need storing separately. Personally I never bother compressing the hose and wrapping it round the machine. I store it as you would a 'normal' cylinder machine as I'm not short of space and therefore have no real need to compact the machine down in size for storage.

Overall use is very easy. It's easy to unwrap, easy to use, the tools go on and come off easily (but not too easily - they wont fall off during use), easy to empty and maintain and easy to wrap back up and put away again when you're finished (should you choose to). Easy peasy lemon squeezy! The weight of the overall machine for lifting up and down stairs is pretty average for a cylinder machine and so is the noise level, although it is very light and easy when in use and follows me around the house with ease.

The turbine heads are GREAT. I use the large one for jus about all the flooring in our house as it is safe for use on carpets and hard floors as you can turn the brush bar on and off. I tend to use the small one for the stairs and the dogs beds. They leave nothing behind and in case of any doubt a quick glance at the dirt being sucked into the dirt bucket is enough reassurance for anybody. The telescopic wand is quite light and can be set to just about any height, making this machine perfect for midgets and also giants like myself along with elderly people or people with weak wrists ect ect. The flexible hose disconnects from the telescopic wand and the tools can be attached direct to the end of the hose, perfect for cleaning confined spaces such as the car! The 1400 watt motor produces 280 airwatts of suction power - enough to suck Australia up through that small gap in the floor boards.

The dirt bucket holds a respectable amount of dirt, although twice around our house will see the level of dirt well above the max fill level mark on the dust bin. Not a problem though as the machine is easy to empty and it only takes a few seconds. It is recommended that the pre motor filter be washed every 3 to 6 months, although I have to admit I don't pay much attention to the time scale and wash it when it looks dirty instead. The exhaust filter is a HEPA filter with a bacteria killing screen and this never needs replacing or cleaning.

All controls are well situated and easy to use, although the cord rewind sometimes requires you to spoon feed the cable to it, something common on Dyson machines. Both cord and flexible hose are of a respectable length, it would be nice if they were longer but they are in no way too short. The cord is 6.5 metres long giving a total cleaning radious of 10 metres.

The machine looks okay (as for as vacuum cleaners looks go) although I do miss Dyson's days of making gareish coloured machines such as purple and lime green. The dark grey and copper effect of this machine seem somewhat boring in comparison.

I can't really think of anything else there is to say about it really. It picks up well, is easy to use and doesn't ever stink of stale dog so I'm rather pleased with it. I'd recommend it for use on all flooring types especially for homes with pets or small children as its great at guzzling up fur and other random bits of cr#p from just about anywhere!

Summary: I'm happy with it, dont think there is anything I would change

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