Dyson and cats - do I need The Animal?

[dules]

I am planning to buy a Dyson soon and was all set on the DC14 Animal until I saw the DC17, that seems to be as powerful and include the low reach tool along with the other accessories.

Everywhere I've looked they are the same price.

We have 2 cats, one longhair, and a mix of area rugs and hardwood.

Thanks for any input!

Mary

[jbrandy]

My mom has an animal and I have a regular one (with the ball) and they work the same. THey are both FANTASTIC for picking up animal hair. The big difference is that my mom's animal came with more attachments -- but if you feel you need those you can purchase them on their website seperately. One of the attachments that she got is a piece that does furniture that has a roating head.

One thing that I like about mine better than hers is that mine has a ball behind the head so that it is very easy to rotate is flatter to fit under cupboards and furniture. The Animal Dyson does not have this and it is not as easy to get into tight places.

I hope this helps.

Beth B
DS 4-4-03
DS 4-18-07

[hannah]

We have 2 black cats (one long hair and one short hair). We also have a mix of hardwood floors and carpet. I have the regular Dyson that costco sells. I think it's fine with picking up cat hair. If I had to buy a vacuum again I probably would consider one that is more light weight than the Dyson. The Dyson is heavy! I also find the putting the attachments on and using the hose to be a pain in the butt. Just something to think about.

[dules]

Thanks! I was considering a Miele canister (need HEPA due to old house - possible lead issues) but the HEPA filters were $50/each and need replacement after 3 bags - yikes. Quickly made the Miele more $$$ than the Dyson.

I am a little concerned over size as well, since I'll have to store it in an upstairs closet, so will be forever hauling it down to vacuum the common rooms and stairs.

So I guess any other, lighter, recs also appreciated. Who knew this was such a tough decision? LOL. I'm just so tired of my ~ $200 vacuums not doing a great job and breaking after just a year or two.

Thanks again!

Mary

[slr]

Not sure if you are a fan of Consumer Reports, but they have rated several other vacuums much higher at picking up pet hair (as well as overall ratings) than Dyson. Their "Best Buy" upright pick was a Kenmore (Sears) Progressive With Direct Drive #35923 for $300. It rated "Excellant" at Cleaning Carpet, Bare Floors, Emissions, and Pet Hair,"Very Good" cleaning with tools, "Good" with noise, "Fair" with handling. The DC14 rated "Excellant" with cleaning bare floors and emissions, "Good" at cleaning carpet, cleaning with tools, noise, and handling, "Fair" with pet hair. This report was from Feb 2007. Just thought I would throw this in if you are open to considering other manufacturers. The also rated a Kenmore as their "Best Buy" in the canister vacuums as well. Unfortunately, I didn't see the DC17 listed to give you any info.

Hope this helps.

[brittone2]

we bought (and later returned) the least expensive Dyson dc-14 a few years ago. It was less expensive (at that time anyway) to buy the regular DC-14 model, and the separate animal attachment, than to buy the actual animal model. Everything I had read was that the vac itself is the same, just the attachments were different. There was really only one attachment that I was interested in from the Animal, and at that time (this was probably 2-3 years ago), at Sears you could buy just that attachment.

[dules]

Beth, you returned it? Did you just not like it? What did you replace it with?

Thanks!

Mary

[brittone2]

We thought it was good, but it didn't knock my socks off for the price. We already have an old Oreck upright, and I mostly needed a 2nd vac w/ attachments, so for the price I couldn't justify it. We ended up w/ a Eureka upright that had good attachments.

SO it wasn't a bad vac, bt we already had one pretty good one, so the price was pretty high for just the attachments.

Now our oreck motor is finally dying, and I'm coveting a miele.

[pastrygirl]

When I was shopping for a Dyson, the salesperson told me that all the models are exactly the same, except for the types/number of attachments. (Well, and the "Ball" models have the ball steering thing -- which I don't find easy to push around at all.)

If I could go back, I'd research other brands. But I was SO set on buying and loving a Dyson! (Mine is screechingly loud and piercing. It hurts my ears to vacuum and there's NO way I can do it while my son is sleeping. Plus, it's really heavy to push around.)

[sobers3]

I just bought the new Dyson Slim. It is lighter weight and has the ball on the front. It fits into smaller places too. I love it! I have front stairs and back stairs and it's really great for that. I was tired of trying to balance a vacuum on the stairs. With the Slim, the hose reaches all the way up! I'm really impressed with this vacuum and I have had a lot of vacuums over the years.