Oh the shame! (Dyson DC04)

Member Name: missbrowneyedgirl

Product:	Dyson DC04
Date:	23/07/01 (8839 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: superior cleaning, fun cleaning, clean cleaning!

Disadvantages: a little pricier than 'inferior' models

Before I start, can I point out how embarrassing it is having to write this! I am so ashamed of the dirt so please, don't think any less of me!

I'll start at the very beginning because as Julie Andrews told us all, it's a very good place to start! In this case the beginning would be a round 1993, which was not only the time that Mr James Dyson launched his DC01, but also the time when Mrsbrowneyedmum's old Panasonic vacuum cleaner had hit the twilight of it's life. Always a sucker for a good marketing campaign, which is probably where I get it from, Mrsbrowneyedmum just HAD to have one!

This was the start of along love affair between my whole family and the Dyson. From that first use we never looked back or even considered being unfaithful. It truly was a beautiful thing until one day years later, when Mrsbrowneyedmum (who was in a cranky mood at the time although she would deny it if you asked her!) knocked the DC01 over at the top of the stairs. Like a scene from a disaster movie, the DC01 evaded her grasped attempts at salvation and slipped the full length of the staircase until it met it's sorry end against the hall wall.

Unfortunately, Mrsbrowneyedmum had forgotten to purchase the extended warranty, which covers accidental damage, but luckily the insurance man reimbursed her with enough cash to upgrade to the brand new DC04! DC04 was marketed as follows, "With twice the suction power of other bagless uprights, DCO4 is ideal for family homes, and great at picking up pet hair. It has lifetime filters." DC04 also had a fetching purple and green outfit which went so much better with the cupboard under the stairs...;) The family was happy again!

Some time later I moved away and although Missblueeyedflatmate's Dad tried desperately to resurrect DC01 for us, it was staying well and truly dead. Fortunately we had the use of a Hoover but I soon discovered it just wasn't the same. After one Sa
turday afternoon of pushing the bits around to different places of the room with the Hoover I decided something needed to be done! One hour later after lots of prodding with a wire coat hanger and considerably more duct on the lounge floor, particularly the area where I was 'fixing the Hoover' I knew there was only one thing for it. So I picked up the bat phone, then changed my mind and logged onto www.dyson.com instead!

The is a guide on the Dyson site will help you choose a Dyson that is suitable for your needs. Just click onto 'Vacuum cleaner range' in the right-hand side menu, and the further option 'Which Dyson guide' will be added at the bottom of the menu. In terms of information the Dyson site is second to none but the products can be bought much cheaper elsewhere. If you have read my opinion on comet.co.uk (hint...;) you will know I found my DC04 at Comet using kelkoo.com. The Dyson site currently shows a RRP £209.98 for the DC04 but I paid only £157.00 at Comet.

The model I have bought has a silver and lime outfit, which I originally thought would just be grey and lime but upon closer inspection the grey is full of silver glitter, which makes it look very fancy for a vacuum cleaner! It arrives in around 4 parts, well packed in a box and the pieces just clip together. The assembly is very logical and simple and if you have seen a Dyson before you wont need the instructions. I love the way the attachments clip to the top of the cleaner body so you always have them when you need them. I was also surprised how light the vacuum is, even when in the packaging. I could easily pick it up with my girly twig arms!

The DC04 has plenty of features but I will just go into the main ones for you, otherwise we will both be here all day!

Firstly and foremost is the Dyson Dual Cyclone TM technology. To borrow from the site, ' The Dyson Dual Cyclone TM is the most efficient and advanced vacuum cleaner system eve
r made'. Big claims indeed, but from what I can see they are all true! The bagless technology mean that there is no loss of suction which in laymen's terms means you never get to that point where your vacuum is simply moving bits around the floor.

This brings me onto the Clear Bin, which is what the Dyson uses instead of a bag. You have seen it haven't you? That kind of clear plastic bucket that makes up the body of the cleaner. You simply turn on the Dyson and watch the bucket fill up with muck! The advantages of this system are incredible. Firstly it's easy to see when you need to empty the Bin, which simply unclips from the rest of the machine although be careful if you are asthmatic as it does create a small dust cloud when you open it. On a personal level I think it gives you a real sense of satisfaction seeing the dirt you have removed from your home, although it will disgust you at first, believe me!

My next favourite bit is what Dyson call the 'Instant hose & wand'. Basically this is the tube part of the cleaner that you can attach the tools to. The reason I like the Dyson so much is that is simply clips from the back at the touch of a button. No fiddling around removing the tube, creating a dust cloud or even having to turn the appliance off! The tools also clip on and off very easily, plus the tube itself is incredibly long - easily enough to vacuum the stairs with having to move the Dyson from ground level.

Next up for me is the self-adjusting head. This is a very clever bit of technology that automatically adjusts the angle of the cleaning head according to the floor surface you are cleaning. This means you can vacuum from a thick pile carpet straight onto a wooden or linoleum floor without losing any performance. The cleaner makes sure it is always in contact with the floor no matter which type. This is particularly useful for maintaining edge-to-edge cleaning. Also the head doesn't tend to stick a
t 90 degrees as some vacuums do and will easily move from that position to almost flat to the floor, which is great for cleaning under your bed!

The lifetime filters also impressed me. I would love to try and explain them to you but those people at Dyson do it so much better so I will let them, ' The DC04 has MEMA TM (maximum efficiency maximum airflow) lifetime filtration with the combination of a lifetime washable pre-motor filter and a lifetime post-motor filter. This means that with DCO4 you have no replacement filters to buy'.

Finally, I love the length of the power cord. An odd thing to say, I know, but it really is important. I live in an old Victorian house, which translates to huge rooms and very few power sockets. The Dyson stops me from having to unplug and relocate the extension cable every five minutes. In fact in most of the room I don't even need the extension cable at all any more!

So, back to the story and arrival of the cleaner signified The Day Of The Great Blitz! Now don't get me wrong, I am not a dirty person, at least I didn't think I was! I always vacuumed every room every weekend, no matter how poor the appliance we had was, so upon using the Dyson I was shocked! Now I know they work better than other cleaners, particularly half-broken ones, but the amount of dirt that came out of my carpets and floors was phenomenal! The Bin was almost full after every room and by the end of the Blitz the wheelie bin was nearly full! To be honest I was very pleased to see all that dust go as I am asthmatic but I was a little upset to see my sparkly new Dyson looking tarnished. Obviously I gave it a quick wipe and restored it to it's former glory! 'Sad' I think is the appropriate adjective...;)

One final thing worth a mention is the warranty. All Dyson appliances come with a free two year warranty. You simply complete the card, fill in your appliance number (which is kind of like a car regis
tration - an individual number for your machine) and post it off. Easy! You can also extend the warranty to cover 5 years by paying £54, and in addition this gives you accidental damage cover. This isn't one of those warranties that is barely worth the paper it is written on (like I got with my car!) so I really would recommend it. Mrsbrowneyedmum wishes she had!

OK, I'll let you go now! What are you waiting for, go get a Dyson, you know you want one...;)

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