"Honey, I've 'Hoovered' the Kitty..." (Dyson DC07 Animal)

Member Name: helencb

Product:	Dyson DC07 Animal
Date:	04/11/03 (2992 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Extreme Suction, Long Wand, Animal Hair Brush

Disadvantages: None

I had read quite a bit about Dyson vacuum cleaners, over the last year or two, but as my old Panasonic cleaner was still going strong, I couldn?t warrant the expense. However the old machine started to pack up, and my hubby, who probably could have fixed it, decided it was beyond economical repair, obviously because he wanted a Dyson too.

James Dyson has an impressive story; his company has featured quite heavily in my recent MBA creativity course. A man with vision, he was fed up with a cleaner that lost suction all the time, and so he developed his own, with 5000 prototypes, before going to market with the first cleaner. He had problems getting financial backing, and went it alone, and I guess he is laughing all the way to the bank now, at those that didn?t believe him. He also has a great company culture and customer service ethic, and I wouldn?t mind working for him, if I lived nearer their UK HQ!

We managed to purchase the Dyson DC07 Animal via the internet, for approximately £230. This was some £50 cheaper than in the shops, as there was a special offer on the website for that model only. We had initially done our homework in the normal Comet, Currys, Powerhouse Saturday afternoon trek, and were going to purcahse from Curry?s, whose store person had been very helpful, until we asked him to check the web price for us, and he gave us the great news for us, and not so good for him, that we could make a substantial saving.

The DC07 is one of Dyson?s upright cleaners, and has the 8 Root Cyclone technology that everyone must have seen advertised on the TV adverts. The latest development is now the 12 Root Cyclone technology. This technology is based on centrifugal force through the cone, spinning the dirt and creating a vacuum.

There are seven different models in the DC07 range, of which the Dyson Animal is just one. I think it pays a quick trip to the big electrical stores to weigh up the different options, even if you do end up
ordering on line somewhere. Each model is recognisable by the different colours, and not, as I had thought up until this point, that the colours were just random and made no difference. The DC07 Animal is the Silver and Purple one, and is the second most expensive in the range, if you don?t get the discount for ordering on line that appears to be available almost everywhere.

Assembling the DC07 is child?s play. I am sure you will not need to open the leaflet which shows you how to do this, but the instructions are clear enough. I particularly liked the way the hose is stored, and strengthened with the metal wand, which then pulls out for harder to reach areas like stairs. The hose was a bone of contention with me on my previous cleaner, as once it had started to stretch it never stayed where it was supposed to at the back of the cleaner. The same is true with the attachments, the crevice tool, brush tool, and stair tool ? these all clip neatly and securely out of the way, and by far the most secure of any cleaner I have ever operated. The only minor gripe is that the Animal Turbo Tool cannot be stored on the cleaner itself and you need to find additional cupboard space for it.

Another neat touch was the clip used to secure the power cable. On most cleaners, these can be fiddly and annoying, but the Dyson has a great little bulldog clip, which is easy to use without scraping your finger in the process. A minor point but it?s the attention to detail you can expect from Dyson.

When I first switched this little puppy on, I found it hard to move the cleaner it was stuck so fast to the carpet. The suction is amazing, although quickly with time you get used to the feel of it, and I doubt I could go back to the old model now. The brush bar can be switched on or off, for hoovering hard floors such as laminate or wood.

The hose has got sufficient length in it to clean stairs whilst leaving the cleaner at the bottom, although care still ne
eds to be taken. This is not a task I have to do thankfully, as we have wooden stairs!

The bagless dirt container can hold up to 4 litres, although it seemed to fill up pretty quick the first time I used it after having no cleaner for a week. It is quick and easy to release the container and it can be emptied straight into the dustbin without any hassle, or into a bag if you want the dust to settle and not escape.

The lifetime filter should be washed every six months, and there is a handy little reminder sticker to ensure you do not forget this important task!

The animal turbo tool was the main reason we purchased this particular model, as we had two, and now have three cats. This attaches to the wand, and is fantastic for animal hair on the sofa, stairs, curtains or wherever else your pets dare to sleep. However, Dyson do take the effort to point out that the DC07 ?Should not be used on Animals!? And I was going to give Ginger the brushing down of his life too.

Should you require it, there are plenty of accessories for the DC07, including replacement brush tools, bins, filters, belts and the like. They also do a range of carpet freshener and spot cleaner, with their carpet powder costing £8.00 for 750g.

The DC07 comes with a two year guarantee as standard and Dyson repair their own machines in the event you do encounter a fault, which means you do not have to deal with third parties.

My biggest niggle is that the front of the Dyson won't reach properly under the radiators, whereas my old one did. This means I need to use the wand and crevice tool which slows me down somewhat. There is a model in the DC07 range which does overcome this however, and an option would be to purchase that model and buy the Animal Brush system as an extra.

All in all, I am delighted with this purchase and I am sure I will have years and years of trouble free cleaning. Try www.dyson.co.uk if you want to see the range of pr
oducts on offer.

Helen
Nov 03

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