This Animal will eat everything up. (Dyson DC14 Animal)

Member Name: hildas

Product:	Dyson DC14 Animal
Date:	25/09/09 (278 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Excellent, easy to use and powerful vacuum cleaner.

Disadvantages: None really.

My Reason For Purchasing The Dyson Animal:
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Well I thought I would write a review on my Dyson upright vacuum cleaner, as I would like to highly recommend it to others. Well the specific Dyson I am now using is called the Animal. It is one in the range of the DC14. This is designed for those with allergies and for those with pets.. There is a Dyson called the Allergy, but this ones called the Animal. Well I purchased this cleaner from Curry's around two years ago. I was no stranger at the time to Dyson vacuums, as I had a Dyson DC07 for nearly seven years before this and was very pleased and impressed with it's cleaning power. Well the only reason I had to purchase a new vacuum cleaner was because my daughter dropped My Dyson DC07 from the top of the stairs to the bottom and of course (mangled it) as kids do.

I am a severe asthmatic and did have a cat at the time of purchasing this machine, so I went shopping for a vacuum that was good for those who suffered with allergies in mind. I looked at the Dyson Allergy and it is very similar to the Animal, but the animal was slightly better for me and designed to pick up pet hairs apparently, so I settled on it. The Animal is also approved by the asthma and allergy foundation so this clinched it for me. The Animal can apparently filter and clean the air in your room also when in use, making it easier to breath etc.


The Dyson Animal:
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* Is an upright vacuum cleaner.
* 1400 watt motor.
* Has Powerful suction.
* Has a brush bar control.
* Telescope reach.
* Designed for pet hairs.
* Lifetime Hepa filter.
* Asthma friendly.
* Low reach floor control.
* Has a seen through dust bin.
* Comes with a five year warranty.

A Little More Information About This Dyson:
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The Dyson Animal was designed for those who have pets and to lift pet hairs more easily. It is suitable for all floor types. It has a brush bar which when turned on, is designed to pick up pet hairs, but can be turned off to protect your wooden floors and rugs etc. It has a maximum capacity 7 gallon dust bin which is very quick and easy to empty. It also has a Hepa lifetime filter for cleaner air. It has also been approved by the Asthma foundation also. It has onboard it an extendable wand which quickly releases from the handle and can extend up to 17 feet. On board tools come with this Vacuum also and a free carpet care kit. The Dyson animal also has a 14 foot hose which can reach up to the top of most stairs with out moving your vacuum of the ground. It also has a removable and washable filter which collects dirt from the motor and traps harmful carbon emissions apparently. The Dyson Animal also has an excellent 35 foot electrical cord. The Dyson Animal also features close edge cleaning and has a very easy to carry handle built in. Lots more features are onboard and I will try to cover everything in my review.


Packaging And Design Of The Dyson Animal:
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My Dyson animal came in a large, heavy duty, cardboard box. It was easy enough for my hubby to carry and fitted into our car. Once opening and removing the packaging from the box when we got home, I was pleased to see at the time, a shiny new Dyson cleaner. There was nothing to assemble with it. I just undid the electrical cord and opened up all the onboard tools that where wrapped in clear plastic and fitted some of them in place, unto my vacuum. Also included in the box was an instruction manual and a guarantee certificate that you should fill in and return.


The Dyson Animal comes in a lovely matt silver finish with a clear see-through dust bin. A few little features are coloured in purple in most designs, but my Dyson Animal was finished in pleasing red features. When I checked some specs online to write about this Vacuum I wonder why my cleaner was finished in red and had to double check it was the Animal that I owned. Well I found out from further searching that the silver and red finish is exclusive to a few shops and one of them being Curry's where I had bought it. Mystery solved. Also on the Dyson you have two white logos of the Dyson name. One at the bottom and one on the handle.

Well the Dyson DC14 Animal is an upright vacuum cleaner. I really prefer them to be honest, as all you do is push them around your home. They are so easy to use in my opinion and are great for storing away. I just wheel this Dyson into my utility room and it fits snuggly behind the door. It really is not over bulky at all. Using this Dyson to clean underneath chairs, stairs etc with the hose would be the most strenuous part of cleaning with them, as you have got to pull out the wand or the attached hose, but that is it. This Dyson is very stylish and it really looks well. It is not lightweight, but it sure is not as heavy as lots of cylinder cleaners and there's not much lifting involved really with them, as it is an upright cleaner and mine is mostly being pushed around. Overall this really is a very stylish and modern vacuum that looks very nice indeed in my opinion.

The Dyson Animal is made out of the same hard wearing and durable material that motorcycle crash helmets are made from apparently, so it really is a very hard plastic and takes drops and knocks very well. Most of the casing is made from this thick plastic and the only different material would be the clear plastic Dust bin, but this is also very thick, tough and certainly very durable.

Rundown of the Design and features:
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At the top of the Dyson Animal you have your handle for pushing around this vacuum. This is a looped design which is very comfortable to hold when using. You are tempted to lift your Dyson with this part, but I would not recommend this, as it just about holds the weight from the rest of this machine. A carrying handle is situated onboard the clear dust bin, So I would lift it properly with this. Well the handle (or wand) of this Dyson also can be unattached from the rest of this vacuum. This is where your hose fits into and your telescopic wand pulls out from. This action is very easy to use. You just push the chunky red button underneath the loop of the handle and out it pops. As you pull this apart (it just slides up and down) the wand extends out which is quite fascinating on first using a Dyson, as you wonder really how this tube and hose can all fit inside there and wonder also how it can be so cleverly hidden away.

The handle can be used together with the hose and will extend out to 17 foot, or can be taken completely of it if you just want to use the hose for stairs etc. To be honest. I rarely use the telescopic wand. I always take it right off to clean down my stairs or under my sofas etc, as the wand is not really very flexible (its stiff and straight) where as the hose with a smaller attachment fitted onto it, is perfect and easier for me to use. Well also at the top of the wand there is a little grey vented flap. This flips over easily and can be used with the wand to clean with. All the onboard tools can be fitted onto this easily and securely also. The wand can also be extended further here to around a foot by pulling the little red plastic piece at the end. This pulls out another metal tube. The bottom of the wand (or handle) is a metal tube, which fits back into the hose and clicks easily into place when not in use, or when your pushing around your Dyson as an upright cleaner.

On the handle also is a little tab where the flex of the vacuum can be easily wound around and stored.

The Hose:
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The hose of the Dyson Animal is stored partly into the handle and also connects on down and into the motor and bin. This hose is very flexible and is like a slinky where it can fold down into itself. It just pulls out easily like an accordion would, when it's played. It is quite fascinating also. This hose can stretch out to 14 feet and is ideal for doing your stairs. I just leave the vacuum at the bottom and can use this hose right up to the very top stair, without lifting and trailing the vacuum with me. I love this feature. Note the hoses are quite thin and I did get a hole in my last Dyson in one of the folds. This was easily replaced though and quite cheap really. I guess you should use the wand (or handle) fitted onto this for a longer reach, but I find it easier to use the smaller onboard nozzle, as it makes it far more flexible and a breeze to use.

The hose is made of a very strong , yet stretchy, grey shiny plastic. It really seems very durable. At the top of the hose you can fit your wand/handle and all the other free attachments that come with this Dyson. They just pop onto this and fit securely in place when in use. I personally think this is a great flexible hose to this Dyson that's really easy to use and work. The Hose is easy to fit back into the wand after use. It just slides with a gentle push and it all clicks back in place in seconds. (yes seconds)

The See Though Dust Bin:
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Well this see through dust bin as I said before is made from a really think, strong and toughened plastic. You will be amazed at the dust you can see in there after one go with this. Well this has a very strong, tough and comfy handle built into the design of this bin at the top. You can easily lift your Dyson from upstairs to down with this. It is amazing how strong this plastic handle is, as it securely holds the weight of the whole machine. Well on the top of the handle of the dust bin is a little red button with a strong spring action. This when pressed will un-attach your dust bin from the whole vacuum and very easily, with one gentle press. At the back is a little hole where it fits together onto the built on hose of the Dyson and obviously where the dust and dirt goes through into the bin. This has never once got blocked or clogged on me, but I think Dyson's are more or less clog proof anyway.

Emptying this dust bin when it is full off dust is so simple to do. At the bottom of this clear bin is a lid which easily flips open when pressed and from releasing another red button half way down the bin at the back. It really is astounding how this works. My hubby actually did not know until recently that this action was onboard, as he empties our Dyson Animal by un-attaching the bin about half way down, by sliding off the top part of it Well you don't need to do this. When you have emptied the dust into a bin the little attached flip lid at the bottom of this bin just flips back over and catches firmly shut again. Presto. This din holds up to 7 gallons of dust, but can quickly fill up. I vacuum up every single night as I have four children, so I roughly empty my bin once a week. Also in the bin is a black thin cone like tube. This spins around and moves the dirt and dust about. I think it is some part of the filter system as the filter itself is underneath in the vacuums motor. Well I am not so tech with this, but to me that's what it is for.

Motor And Vacuum Itself:
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The Motor is 1400 watts. It really is quite powerful and slightly noisy, but I have had louder vacuums before believe me. Well I am not reviewing the motor, as I would not no where to start., but it certainly works well. Just above the motor is the fan. Inside here there is a little disc filter which you do need to take out and wash every six months.

There is a plastic vented disc on top of the motor and my hubby just took it off and popped out the filter. I then washed in in the sink in hot soapy water and dried it on the radiator. You are warned to clean this by the way. My daughter did not clean hers and blew up her Dyson's motor after three years. Dyson replaced the motor for free for her, but charged her £10 for a new filter. I always make sure I clean the filter every six months because of this. Well the filter easily pops back into place again underneath the dust bin.

Underneath and at the bottom of my Dyson I have the brush bar plate. Well obviously this is a brush roller which is certainly well made, as years ago they usually where the first things to break off vacuums. Well this plate is extra strong. It is made from think grey plastic and protects the brushes. The brushes on my Dyson are not worn at all after two years of using it every single day. They do get tangled with string and hair though, but I cut those off easily with scissors and do this around once a year. It will give you better suction and make your brushes spin properly also from doing this.

Just to the right above the plate and to the side you have a red chunky round brush control button. When you are vacuuming up pets hairs or dust etc you can turn this on for better suction and is recommended. I turn my off when I am using the vacuum upright on my wooden floors and rugs, as it really will lift your rugs off the floor as it is so powerful. You are better to turn this off as it protects wooden and ceramic floors from the brush bar, as it gets lowered slightly when in use.

The bumper of this Dyson is certainly the best on a vacuum really. It really is very think, well made and has taken many a bash from walls and doors by me. There is not even a scratch on mine. Also at the other side on the back you have two larger wheels. These are used when your Dyson is used as an upright and its whole motion I guess falls onto them. These are about one inch thick and certainly should last a lifetime with this vacuum. They certainly move around well. The only thing they have no rubber around them and if taking your Dyson out to the drive to vacuum out your car, I find small stones gets lodged into them. This can cause scratches on your wooden floors, so be careful to clean them off after you have had this outdoors.


Performance Of The Dyson Animal:
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Well hopefully I have covered all the useful parts. Now I with cover the Dyson's performance. On first ever using this Dyson Animal I really was amazed at how powerful it's suction was. I had a Dyson DC07 for years and thought it was good, but this machine really blew me away. It literally will lift your rugs from the floor. It is fantastic. The Dyson animal has a 1400 watt motor. There is probably more powerful ones now available, but at the time this was top of it's range. I use the Dyson Animal more as an upright cleaner. I just plug in the long 35 foot cable (which reaches into every downstairs room without having to unplug it by the way) and hit the on button. This is found at the top just below the wand, as I think I forgot to mention it. Well anyway. I hit the on button and tilt this machine back and away I go. I just push it with one hand. That is how easy this Dyson is to use. It really feels lightweight when in use. I am severe asthmatic and its fine for me to push around.

Well my downstairs rooms are mostly real wood and laminite floors. This Dyson glides over them with ease. My hall is a black ceramic tiled floor, also my downstairs loo and utility rooms. Well the Dyson glides easily over them also and will not mark or scratch them at all. You do need to make sure the brush control bar is off though as recommended. If you are cleaning over pet hairs like I used to with my cat, then just flip this action on for a more powerful suction. It really does lift clumps of hairs extremely well. For more embedded pet hairs into rugs and carpets I tend to use the hose and fitted carpet attachment, as I find it lifts the 'tangled into the pile hairs', better.

Well gliding around my home with this Dyson is now done in half the time my old Dyson would have taken me. This vacuum has more power to it and a bigger lifting surface I find. It gets right up to the edges of skirting boards and kitchen pelmets with ease. It can be lowered right down by the hindged bottom, which makes it easier to fit underneath things you usually need to take out your hose for. I really am highly impressed with this action. I can vacuum every night by just pushing this machine around on it's own and without using a hose. It takes me about five minutes to vacuum six downstairs average sized rooms, although not trailing out sofas every time.

The suction from this vacuum is really incredible. You can see bits of dust and fluff all whizzing across the floor and sucked up into the clear bin. This machine really will lift everything quite easily. There's nothing it wont lift I have found. I have one carpet upstairs in my bedroom and this Dyson really moves over it with ease. I can still use one had to push it through the deep pile. It leaves a lovely shaded , clean effect on the pile also. It really gets deep down with the cleaning. My room even smells fresher with its clean air filter on the Dyson.

When I vacuum my stairs down I tend to use the hose feature. I just pop off the wand (or handle) and fit a smaller attachment I received with this Dyson for carpets, onto it. The Dyson animal really gets right down into the pile and amazing lifts of the dirt and dust with ease. I hardly need to press into the pile to clean it. It really makes stair cleaning easy for me. The hose stretches right up the stairs and does not loose any suction at all when fully extended out to the full 14 feet. This really is a very powerful vacuum.

The Dyson Animal can be very powerful at times and sometimes if using a hose and we accidentally vacuum up the curtains etc, I dare say they might get ripped of the rails with this. Dyson has solved this though as it has a safety feature for material that do go up the hose. It will automatically stop sucking up and this function shuts off. If you are vacuuming your curtains etc, then you can fit onto this Dyson the special little attachment to do this. This attachment works well and sort of brushes the fluff off the fabric as it goes along. All the attachments are great on this vacuum by the way. I am near certain I got three extra tools, although I do use my small nozzle from my old DC07 that I kept better than the foot long one I received with this DC14. The only difference is it has a smaller cut out hole and an angled bottom which you vacuum with. Well I don't like it. Its really good, but the plain nozzle I got with my old Dyson is the one I prefer. Not really important though. It is just me. The other brush attachment I have never used, but it would be good for sofas in my opinion.

Cleaning and maintenance:
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Well I have already covered how to clean the filter on this Dyson Animal but the overall cleaning of this Dyson should be very simple. It is made of plastic and could be easily wiped over with a soapy damp cloth. I say could. Well that's because I have never have cleaned my Dyson. Who wipes there vacuum with a damp cloth really. I have never wiped out my dust bin on it either. It just collects dust and stays pretty clean when empty. I am sure it could be cleaned inside with a damp cloth also. Dyson's are more or less clog free. My old Dyson DC07 had a little flap below the hose at the bottom that caught coins etc and things that are not meant to get vacuumed up. Well this DC14 does not have this feature. It is designed to cut off the suction when larger objects are too large for the hose as they block the airflow more, so the Dyson knows this and stops sucking. I would recommend to clean the brushes from tangled threads and long hairs every now and then.

My Overall Opinion Of The Dyson Animal:
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Well if you have read this review you will know by now that I am extremely pleased with this vacumm cleaner. It really is excellent. I do not ever think I would change from a Dyson at all. I have gotten so used to them and everything about them is really straight forward to me now. I love the performance of this Dyson the most. It really cleans up everything and right into those awkward corners by just using this as an upright cleaner.

This Animal really does have a cleaner air filter. It sucks in things right down to tobacco smoke and particals and filters them. This returns the air with a more cleaner and pleasant smelling room. This feature really does work!

I also really love the Dyson Animal because it is very easy to push along. I honestly just plug it in, turn it on and push this around my home with one hand. It does move so quickly and easily over my floors. I guess if you have really thick piled carpet it might be harder to push, but I don't have them in my home so honestly can't say much about this. I really do not think it would be much more difficult though.

This Dyson Animal is off course designed for those who have pets. I did have a cat who cast it's hair and this vacuum did managed to pick up huge clumps of them. I would recommend this vacuum for this purpose. Well it does not pick up every single tangled in pet hair that can get embedded into rugs, carpets and sofas etc. I think you would be expecting miracles here. You will find the hose and attachment with a little bit of elbow power will do this for you. It is the best vacuum I have used though for picking up pet hairs with.

Well as I said before I am asthmatic and this Dyson has been approved by the Asthma foundation. It will pick up more dirt and dust with it's powerful suction so this has to be a good thing. It really will have a more noticed effect if you have never used a Dyson before at picking up dust and dirt. When I first got my first Dyson, over nine years ago I was amazed with it. I really could notice the difference straight away in my home. The dust levels where certainly reduced a lot. I guess because I use my Dyson everyday I take it for grated now, but when I think back to when I first got it, I certainly was highly impressed.

Would I recommend this Dyson Animal. Well that would have to be YES! I certainly would highly recommend it. It is excellent in every department. If it broke down tomorrow, I would certainly buy another one as I really am impressed with it overall. It not only sucks up dirt and dust well, but it really is a pleasure to just push this around. There is no real maintenance involved. For a women to use, it is designed very well for her, I personally would say, as everything comes apart very easily indeed and does not need man power at all.

I bought My Dyson Animal around two years ago and I am sure it was over £200 pound. I actually cannot remember exactly how much it cost me. I just checked online and I found this Dyson Animal from £179.00 to £250, so you seriously need to shop around for the best deal on it.

Overall if you are thinking of buying a Dyson and have no pets then I would suggest the Dyson DC14 regular cleaner. There is not much difference except the animal friendly features, but the price is slightly lower for it. Well this certainly is the best vacuum I have had. I am certainly sticking with a Dyson forever. I certainly have to give this a full 5/5 as it is just amazing.

Dyson also have a great website that's easy to use if you need to buy parts or have any questions :http://www.dyson.co.uk. Most parts can be easily replaced on a Dyson.

Summary: Do not ever review your vacuum.

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