Carpets & Flooring
CRI Articles
IEHA Articles
IICRC Articles
Features
Rating Disclaimer
It's no secret that Dyson produces some stand-out vacuum cleaners. We've reviewed several units, and in spite of their cost, found them to be generally excellent machines. Dyson's addition to their higher-end DC25 line, the "Animal", aims to continue their successful line of vacuums with a model geared towards pet-owners, and the challenges of pet hair, etc. But is it worth the extra $50 (as of the time of this writing) over the standard All Floors DC25, or the same amount of money as the seemingly-better-equipped DC17?
Effectiveness
Overall, we were very impressed with the DC25 Animal's performance. Especially notable was its handling of hard surfaces, which many upright vacuums seem to handle poorly. The touted "high suction" of Dyson machines was apparent when vacuuming hardwood and tiled floors, as it eagerly gobbled up visible debris, and left the floor feeling far more grit- and dust-free than traditional sweeping. The Dyson DC25 Animal also ably handled carpet vacuuming, though we sensed that its beater brush was somehow slightly insufficient, as it seemed to miss small pieces of fuzz until we went back over the area with a second pass. It's possible that the beater brush was designed with pet hair in mind, and thus some concessions where made over other debris pickup. This is purely speculation on our part, and the vacuum did clean the debris from the floor adequately, but not quite as well as its excellent non-carpet performance. We've certainly seen far worse carpet pickup, so it's a minor quibble in light of the DC25's other strengths, but we did knock off a half a point for this observation. The only other weakness we found in the Animal's effectiveness was in the mini-turbine head. Ironically, this is the major feature difference between this DC25 Animal and the $50 cheaper DC25 All Floors model, which, in effect, means you're paying an extra $50 for this attachment. Sadly, we found its performance to be somewhat disappointing. While it seemed to snag up hair reasonably well, when used as a stair or other smaller surface tool, it did a poorer job than the plain-jane upholstery tool attachment, which features no moving parts. This positively demonstrates that the Dyson's suction is really quite effective, as the suction is more than powerful enough to clean up most debris without the assistance of a turbine head. Unless you have significant (and we mean a lot) of pet hair on hard-to-reach areas like stairs or chairs, you'd probably be better off saving $50 and purchasing Dyson's DC25 All Floors model ... the mini turbine head is not especially effective for general use, which yielded another loss of half a point in the Dyson Animal's effectiveness score.
With those blemishes out of the way, we were quite pleased with its overall effectiveness, including cleaning up along walls, ceilings, and other hard-to-reach areas. The DC25 Animal has excellent edge pickup, and we found the telescoping handle (and included brush wand), combined with excellent suction to make short and easy work of cobwebs, baseboards, etc.
Ease of Use
The Dyson DC25 Animal's designers are certainly to be commended for the attention to detail on this machine. From the initial (minor) assembly to nearly every facet of everyday use, this machine really stands head-and-shoulders above the crowd in terms of being easy to use. Emptying the debris canister is simply the easiest and cleanest experience we've ever had with a bagless vacuum. Simply press a button to remove the canister (and it removes very easily ... no struggling). Then, with canister handle in hand, hold it over a trash bin, and press the button right under your thumb: Voila! the debris drops out the bottom, flawlessly, and with nary a messy finger on your part. It really just works perfectly, which seems too much to ask for many other vacuum cleaners. Similarly, cleaning the Dyson's beater bar and brush takes the normally aggravating task and makes it simpler and far more pleasant. No tools are required to access the beater bar, saving precious time and trouble. Granted, you're still cutting or unwinding hair and strings from the bar, but removing the beater bar is a very simple affair, leaving you free to handle all the stuff wound around it.
The DC25's claim to fame, its "ball" technology, is actually fairly impressive, as well. It certainly makes weaving in and out of furniture and around other obstacles much simpler, and you can't help but feel 'cool' when smoothly navigating throughout your house. With that said, we did knock off half of a point from the ease of use score because the ball is a double-edge sword. It's very maneuverable, but it completely fails at any under-low furniture tasks, as it's just too tall for most couches, beds, etc. In this regard, Dyson should consider including their Low Reach Floor Tool that comes with the (non-ball) DC17 model. We felt that the ball models really are in need of that feature far more than the DC17.
Our only other grievance with the Animal's ease of use was its power cord. It's about 24 feet long (according to Dyson's specs), but it just feels too short. We found that we couldn't plug up the Dyson DC25 Animal in a hallway and actually reach all the way into all the rooms, as we could with other vacuums. Dyson's own DC17 has a 36ft cord, which is much more generous. It's a somewhat minor complaint, but folks with large rooms or scarce outlets may find themselves struggling with the Animal's shorter cord.
However, we loved the DC25's handling of attachments and its telescoping wand. The Animal's attachments store securely to the machine, and do not seem to be plagued by the tendency to fall off that we've seen on many other vacuums. Dyson also cleverly saved space by combining a brushed wand and a non-brush wand into one sliding attachment. Re - the telescoping wand, we initially had some difficulty figuring out how to remove it, not because it's poorly designed, but rather due to it being significantly different from other removable wands. The entire head/handle of the Dyson DC25 removes, and handily becomes a convenient handle for the wand, which reaches to all but the highest of vaulted ceilings. Sliding out the handle/wand also provides access to the simultaneously compact yet lengthy hose, enabling us to easily vacuum a flight of stairs and other areas. It's important to remember to place the vacuum at the bottom of stairs when cleaning, as the hose has a high level of tension (that allows it to quickly compact itself again), and pulling the hose with the vacuum at the top of stairs may cause the vacuum to fall down the stairs.
On a related note, we were also pleased by the very attractively designed manuals included with the DC25 (which illustrate that placing the vacuum at the top of the stairs is a no-no). They are largely picture-based, and feature detailed and expansive illustrations of all the Animal's primary features and uses. The illustration-focused manuals are great for quickly understanding the principal operation of the machine, and are especially handy for non-English speakers, or those with difficulty seeing or reading.
Durability
Virtually all residential vacuums are constructed from plastic these days, and the Dyson is no exception. While we can't comment on the long-term durability of the DC25 Animal, we get the general impression that it's quite durable. It suffered an accidental tumble down the stairs with no apparent damage, and generally seems sturdy. We'll update our review once we have a better idea of it's durability over longer use.
Value
All of Dyson's products are generally expensive, and the DC25 Animal sits at the higher range, even for a Dyson, at the retail price of $549 (as of this writing). However, in our experience, some expensive vacuums may be well worth the extra cost, compared to $100-$200 vacuums that typically do not last very long, and ultimately require expensive repairs or complete replacement. If you're looking to save money however, you may consider the DC25 All Floors model, at the cheaper $499, as we don't feel the additional mini-turbine attachment included with the Animal warrants the additional cost for most people. Alternatively, buyers may wish to consider the equally-priced DC17 Animal which sacrifices the ball maneuverability and lighter construction for greater flexibility in attachments and longer cord length.
All-in-all, the Dyson DC25 Animal is a worthwhile machine, and buyers should evaluate their unique needs in selecting a model that matches their home environment, volume of pet hair, and personal constraints. The Dyson DC25 line is lighter than the DC17, and more maneuverable, but the DC17 may be able to tackle more areas, depending on your home and furniture. We'd certainly recommend the DC25 Animal as an excellent vacuum, and a decent (if somewhat superfluous, considering the cheaper DC25 All Floors) addition to the Dyson line of vacuums.
