Dyson DC01 - A Great Leap Sideways (Dyson DC01)

Member Name: ricky.ginty

Product:	Dyson DC01
Date:	29/03/03 (952 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: none

Disadvantages: expensive, noisy & heavy, messy

When we went looking for a new "hoover" we knew what we were looking for. Compared to the old one, we wanted it to be more powerful, quieter, cleaner, lighter, more reliable, cheaper to buy and easier to use. Unfortunately, the DC01 turned out to be none of these.

Power
I can't challenge Dyson's claim that the suction power doesn't drop off as the bucket fills, but as long as the power remains above an acceptable level then it doesn't make any difference to me. It doesn't seem any more powerful than other hoovers we've had. What is noticeable is the poor action of the rotating brush. It just seems to rotate without doing much beating and doesn't raise the nap of the carpet very much. Nor does it seem to adjust very well going from soft to hard surfaces. And, because of the way the vents are orientated, it blows light debris away, rather than pick it up - you end up chasing stuff round the room!

Noise
The Dyson in noisy. It's noisy enough to be unpleasant and wearing after a time.

Cleanliness
The Dyson is dirty to use. It looks dirty, with the transparent bucket that soon get all scratched and scruffy looking. Who wants to see what they've just hoovered up? It's unpleasant - and when it comes time to empty it… dust everywhere. You have to hoover the dust off the hoover. My wife makes me do it because she can't face it. Far preferable just to pull a disposable bag out of the thing and throw it in the bin...

Lightness
Very heavy and awkward to carry upstairs.

More Reliable
Not really. The hose kinks at the joint to the wand and "pings out" at the bottom. The tools get loose and fall off. The beater breaks. It blocks regularly and is awkward to take apart and put together again. The cable frets away at the joint to the body and has to be shortened regularly.

Cheaper to Buy
The DC01 was relatively expensive.

E

asier to Use
Unfortunately no. It is heavy and falls over. The wand is awkward to deploy and the tools work loose and fall off. And do you own a car? Well... after you've spent a frustrating couple of hours with the wand wedged under your chin trying to get it into and around the car you'll realise that the DC01 was not designed for cleaning cars. Nor for stairs. The wand is just too long, but the length is forced on it by the overall concept.

Summary
I could not, unfortunately, recommend the Dyson DC01 over a bog standard, developed-over-the-years, upright cleaner, fitted with paper bags. I hope the later models are better and that Dyson has fixed the DC01’s inherent problems.

Summary: