Dyson Dilemma (Dyson DC07 Allergy)

Member Name: DaveA

Product:	Dyson DC07 Allergy
Date:	16/10/04 (919 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Excellent cleaning, easy to empty dust canister

Disadvantages: Hose awkward and uncomfortable to use, Unreliable!, Expensive when you add on the extended guarantee

Having owned a DCO7 for 2 years and 9 months I have mixed feelings about these machines. Yes they are very good at sucking up the dirt, and the satisfaction of seeing it all in the transparent dust collector is immense. Yes they are very cleverly designed and the way the hose extends is incredible, although not particularly convenient. But, in our experience they are not reliable. In the two years it was under guarantee we had to have a new hose (the old one split) and a replacement for the vortex (it stopped sucking). Now, 9 months out of guarantee the motor has given up the ghost and a repair will cost around £80.

So what to do? The latest Which? report makes it clear that no other upright comes close on cleaning performance. If we get the current machine repaired, on past experience it won't be long before something else goes wrong, so reluctantly we've decided to buy a new Dyson. At least we get a further guarantee and one consolation is that the model is now about £30 cheaper than the last time we bought it.

The only sensible thing to do this time is to take out an extended guarantee. While I hate giving more money to companies that make unreliable products, it's a choice between that or buying a machine that isn't as good. I'd recommend that anyone buying Dyson factors that into the price, and if you still think it's a good buy then you'll certainly get excellent cleaning, probably with the occasional interruption while it sends you a sick note!

By the way, our experience of phoning for service is good. They diagnosed the fault over the phone and had the part in the post very quickly. We could all save money, time and hassle though, if they didn't break down in the first place.

I'd recommend it with reservations.

Summary: