It's a beast!!!! (Dyson DC07 Allergy)

Member Name: newquayboy

Product:	Dyson DC07 Allergy
Date:	23/06/04 (1046 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Powerful Suction, Easy to manouevre, Tools are easily located

Disadvantages: Noisy, Heavy to carry, Hose is difficult to use

Last summer after having tried in vain to remove the fluff from our new-ish living room carpet with our trusty Dyson DC02, now nearing retirement age, we decided we needed something with a bit more power and a rotating brush bar. We had tried an air-powered turbo brush attachment on the DC02, but it constantly clogged up and stopped rotating. So, slightly miffed, we gave up that idea, and a few months later, we received our new Dyson DC07 Animal.

I must admit that I won this in a competition, and we picked the Animal, not because we have animals, unless young children are included in that genre, but because it is the top of the range model, and we had a choice. Plus, we wanted an upright, with a powered brush bar, oh, and my mum liked the purple bits!! However, the Animal is designed for pet owners, although truthfully, you could buy a cheaper model to do the same job. The only difference between the Animal, and other DC07 models is that the Animal has a mini turbo brush head, again air-powered, for stairs, the car and other hard to reach places. It is NOT, I repeat NOT, for grooming pets. This is serious; the powerful suction could injure them badly. DON?T use the tool for grooming pets.

So, there are 7 models in the range now, 8 including the special edition model from Currys. Starting the proceedings is the basic silver/yellow model. With this you get the Root Cyclone technology. The cyclones work by forcing the air flowing within them to spin at very high speeds (around 924 mph), and centrifugal forces force the dirt out of the air stream. If you are on a spinning roundabout in a park, you can feel yourself being ?pushed? to the edge of it. This is centrifugal force, and the same principal is employed in the Dyson. The Root Cyclone is only different
to the Dual Cyclone, in that there are eight cyclones, and not just two. Dyson claims that this gives the Root Cyclone models 45% more power than the Dual Cyclone models, though the fact that
the Root Cyclone models have 1400w motors, and the Dual Cyclone models have 1200w motors might have something to do with the 45% power increase. Dyson didn?t tell us that one did they!!

The most noticeable feature on the silver/yellow model is the extendible hose, which also acts as the handle in normal use. The hose is hard to use, because the strong suction keeps on ?pulling? it back. So although the hose can theoretically reach to the top of a normal flight of stairs, you would have a job putting this into practice. After ten minutes of playing a tug of war with the damn machine, I give up and recover the trusty DC02, which is more than happy to do the stairs with no hassle. (I have reviewed the DC02 as well).

Next in the range is the silver/turquoise ?Brush Control? model. This has an additional Brush Control System, which switches the brush bar on automatically, when the cleaner body is pulled back, and switches the brush off itself, when the cleaner body is returned to the upright position, and the hose is being used. You can also switch the brush off manually when the cleaner body is pulled back; indeed, this is recommended for vacuuming hard floors. Leaving the brush on, on hard floors makes little difference, but it is quite noisy, so it is perhaps better to switch this off.

Proceeding this model, are the two ?Allergy +? models. You can choose between the blue/turquoise model, and the purple/lime green model. These models have a HEPA post-motor filter; there is still a normal H-Class pre-motor filter, to keep any escaping dust particles out of the motor, then the post-motor filt
er stops any last gremlins from leaving. The HEPA filter has a Bactiguard screen, to kill bacteria on contact, therefore, these machines would be recommended for people with allergies (hence the name!!). For those of you confused, HEPA actually means

?High Efficiency Particle Airfilter? just to clear that one up! (No pun intended).


The next model is the CLIC special edition model, in varying shades of pink. This is the special edition model which is being sold to raise money for CLIC, a charity for children with leukaemia. It has the same features as the Allergy + models.

Next in line is a bit of a pointless model, the purple/red ?Allergy + Low Reach Tool?. This is the same as the Allergy + models, except it has a floor tool, usually found on cylinder vacuum cleaners. This is for cleaning under low furniture. This is because, unlike other uprights, the Dyson has a tall, curved base, whereas other makes like Hoover or Electrolux have flat bases, so you cannot get a Dyson under low furniture, whereas you might just get one of it?s competitors under. To end the range, is the Animal, in purple/silver. On top of this, Currys sell a silver/red ?Full Gear? model. It has a floor tool and a dry carpet cleaning kit.

Wow, with so much choice, I recommend a quick visit to dyson.co.uk. Click on ?Products? on the menu bar at the top, and click the DC07 range. Then pick a model, and have a good read at what the features are ? some even have interactive demonstrations to watch. Or click ?Which Dyson? at the top of the page, and by answering a few simple questions, you will be led to the cleaner considered best for your needs. Or, if all this technology leaves you with a real need to hear a human explain it all,
just pop into your local electrical store. There are a wide variety of websites, from which you can buy your new Dyson, at a greatly discounted price. A good Internet Search Engine should help you with this. Prices constantly change, so here, I have a list of prices for the DC07 Animal, because that?s the model I have. All were gathered on Tuesday 22nd June 2004 from each company?s website. Bear in mind, these are just a small selection.

Currys = £239.00 Allders = £279.00
Powerhouse = £279.99 John Lewis = £239.00
Tesco = £222.00 Miller Brothers = £249.97


So, what do I think of the DC07? Well, the purple is the most noticeable feature, but that aside, the DC07 is a very powerful, reliable cleaner, that should serve you well for years to come. Some people have had a bad experience with Dyson. Luckily, I haven?t, and I can?t say I have had need to phone their Customer Service up, so I can?t comment on that. I have e-mailed them though, and they are very prompt in their response. Assembling the vacuum cleaner is simplicity itself; the hose just needs connecting, the tube inserted into the hose, the tools placed in their holders and the cord wrapping around the hooks on the hose. This is an easy procedure, seeing as the instruction is in text and pictures.

Before you switch the DC07 on, try vacuuming the lounge or another suitable room with your old vacuum if it still works. Then vacuum it with the DC07. The suction is phenomenal ? be sure to tie loose objects including pets and small children to something heavy!! Only joking, but it is noticeable in its power. The results are shaming, be sure not to perform this test with a relative or friend in the room.

Everything has its downfall, and the DC07 does ha
ve a number of slight problems. The suction is so powerful; the hose is hard to use, as explained earlier. This should be taken into consideration if you aren?t particularly strong. Also, the vacuum is quite heavy to lift, but not to push ? it is surprisingly easy to manoeuvre.

So, in conclusion, I would heartily recommend the DC07. Buy this vacuum cleaner, you don?t need an excuse!! You?ll be disappointed if you don?t.

© newquayboy 2004

This review has been submitted on ciao by me!! It has not been copied

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