Dyson DC14 Animal Cyclone Upright Vacuum Cleaner

359 of 366 people found the following review helpful:

Definitly out-performs other vacuums we have owned, October 15, 2004

David E. Shalek “Vacuuming fool” (Ohio) –

This review is from: Dyson DC14 Animal Cyclone Upright Vacuum Cleaner (Kitchen)

We have had the DC14 Animal less than a week, but so far we are amazed at it’s performance. With 2 teenage kids, 2 Newfoundland dogs, a cat, a parrot and a finch, the floors see their fair share of dirt, hair, crumbs and feathers. We have mostly carpet with some hardwood floors with runners. This machine does an equally great job on all. Its is easy to push around and the long cord allows you to cover a lot of area without having to find another outlet. The wand is easy to use and, judging by the reviews on the DC07, an improved design. Instead of having to disconnect it from the hose, turn it around and re-connect it as noted on earlier reviews on the DC07, you just release it from the handle and extend it.

I don’t put a lot of credit in the “sweep with old vacuum then sweep with new” to determine how much better the new unit is. I tried sweeping with the new unit and then swept again with the new unit and picked up more dirt. The test that convinced me that this does a better job is on an item that has never been succesfully cleaned with the old vacuum. We have a 2×4 dirt mat that is in front of the door between the garage and house. It is of a thick fiber material that catches and holds dirt and especially dog hair. Our old Hoover bagless has never been able to completely clean it. In order to remove the hair, we had to use a short stiff bristle brush and brush it out. The DC14 did the job. Did it do it in one swipe you ask? No. I had to sweep it good to get it clean but it did remove ALL the hair and dirt. I was definitly impressed.

We have not used the tools enough to form any kind of opinion on them yet. We have used the turbo brush on the furniture and it seems to do a decent job but I would recommend that you remove the handle from the hose and fit the brush on the end of the hose. It makes it much easier to use.

OK! That’s the fluff. Now for the grit.
I guess nothing in this world is perfect. This is the second DC14 we have had in a week. The first unit made an awful ratcheting noise when we used it on the runners on the hardwood floor. I had seen other reviews that commented on this along with statements that it is a design feature to prevent damage to the life-long brush drive belt. If a rug gets sucked up into the brush and tries to stall the brush, a clutch begines to slip rather than burn the belt up. I called Dyson and they confirmed this. Good plan in theory. However, we had tried both the DC07 and the DC14 display models at the store. The section of carpet was similar to a throw rug. I could see the rug being sucked up to the head and hear the brush bar flogging the snot out of it and neither one of those machines ratcheted. In my case, the brush bar was turning and didn’t sound like it was trying to stall so, assuming maybe the tension on the clutch on my machine was not set properly, I took it back and exchanged it for another. No more ratcheting sounds. I think Dyson needs a little more “Quality Control” on their clutch. I might add there is a good example why some items might be better purchased from a local store. Much less hassle if you do experience a problem.

All and all, we are very satisfied with the DC14. Only time will tell on it’s durability. But in view of the fact it is an improved version of the DC07 and reviews have shown for the most part it holds up well, I expect this vacuum to last as long or longer than any other leading bagless vacuum currently on the market.

If it wasn’t for the fact of having to take the first unit back, I would have given it 5 stars. I recommend the DC14.

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David E. Shalek "Vacuuming fool" September 3, 2011 At 8:52 pm

359 of 366 people found the following review helpful:

Definitly out-performs other vacuums we have owned, October 15, 2004

By

David E. Shalek “Vacuuming fool” (Ohio) –

This review is from: Dyson DC14 Animal Cyclone Upright Vacuum Cleaner (Kitchen)

We have had the DC14 Animal less than a week, but so far we are amazed at it’s performance. With 2 teenage kids, 2 Newfoundland dogs, a cat, a parrot and a finch, the floors see their fair share of dirt, hair, crumbs and feathers. We have mostly carpet with some hardwood floors with runners. This machine does an equally great job on all. Its is easy to push around and the long cord allows you to cover a lot of area without having to find another outlet. The wand is easy to use and, judging by the reviews on the DC07, an improved design. Instead of having to disconnect it from the hose, turn it around and re-connect it as noted on earlier reviews on the DC07, you just release it from the handle and extend it.

I don’t put a lot of credit in the “sweep with old vacuum then sweep with new” to determine how much better the new unit is. I tried sweeping with the new unit and then swept again with the new unit and picked up more dirt. The test that convinced me that this does a better job is on an item that has never been succesfully cleaned with the old vacuum. We have a 2×4 dirt mat that is in front of the door between the garage and house. It is of a thick fiber material that catches and holds dirt and especially dog hair. Our old Hoover bagless has never been able to completely clean it. In order to remove the hair, we had to use a short stiff bristle brush and brush it out. The DC14 did the job. Did it do it in one swipe you ask? No. I had to sweep it good to get it clean but it did remove ALL the hair and dirt. I was definitly impressed.

We have not used the tools enough to form any kind of opinion on them yet. We have used the turbo brush on the furniture and it seems to do a decent job but I would recommend that you remove the handle from the hose and fit the brush on the end of the hose. It makes it much easier to use.

OK! That’s the fluff. Now for the grit.
I guess nothing in this world is perfect. This is the second DC14 we have had in a week. The first unit made an awful ratcheting noise when we used it on the runners on the hardwood floor. I had seen other reviews that commented on this along with statements that it is a design feature to prevent damage to the life-long brush drive belt. If a rug gets sucked up into the brush and tries to stall the brush, a clutch begines to slip rather than burn the belt up. I called Dyson and they confirmed this. Good plan in theory. However, we had tried both the DC07 and the DC14 display models at the store. The section of carpet was similar to a throw rug. I could see the rug being sucked up to the head and hear the brush bar flogging the snot out of it and neither one of those machines ratcheted. In my case, the brush bar was turning and didn’t sound like it was trying to stall so, assuming maybe the tension on the clutch on my machine was not set properly, I took it back and exchanged it for another. No more ratcheting sounds. I think Dyson needs a little more “Quality Control” on their clutch. I might add there is a good example why some items might be better purchased from a local store. Much less hassle if you do experience a problem.

All and all, we are very satisfied with the DC14. Only time will tell on it’s durability. But in view of the fact it is an improved version of the DC07 and reviews have shown for the most part it holds up well, I expect this vacuum to last as long or longer than any other leading bagless vacuum currently on the market.

If it wasn’t for the fact of having to take the first unit back, I would have given it 5 stars. I recommend the DC14.

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