I'd always wondered what the fuss was about Dysons, what could be so wonderful about their “Dual Cyclone” technology that meant they were over a hundred pounds more expensive than a standard vacuum cleaner? Well when our last bagless vacuum cleaner bit the dust (so to speak), we decided to ... Read review
Now only available from the manufacturer in this colour variant. Stretches to an ... more
impressive six times its own length and includes hose cuffs. This is a genuine Dyson product. Fits the following Dyson models: DC04 ABSOLUTE, DC04 ABSOLUTE PURPLE/LIME, DC04 BRUSH CONTROL, DC04 DE STIJL, DC04 LIMITED EDITION, DC04 ZORBSTER, Manufacturer: Dyson
Postage & Packaging:free Super Saver Delivery Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Advantages: Bagless, good cleaning Disadvantages: A bit noisy, NOT for hard floors
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~~~Setting the Dyson up~~~
The Dyson comes part assembled in a large box, as far as I'm concerned this was NOT a good start. I'm used to buying vacuum cleaners fully assembled and be-grudge doing their work for them. However, as it was, I had to connect the handle by threading down the suction pipe. A process that wasn't as simple as it seemed, I found it very fiddly, but did manage it eventually. The handle then clipped ... ...it's pretty stylish in a Dyson sort of way. Mainly silver in colour with lime green highlights it looks very modern and almost toy-like. While at first thought lime green does seem a garish colour, it doesn't look too bright, honest.
Weight wise it's not too heavy to carry around at approximately 8kg, but can be unwieldy when carrying up the stairs. While I've found the handle height to be fine at 5' 1 and my husband also has no problems ... more
I'd always wondered what the fuss was about Dysons, what could be so wonderful about their “Dual Cyclone” technology that meant they were over a hundred pounds more expensive than a standard vacuum cleaner? Well when our last bagless vacuum cleaner bit the dust (so to speak), we decided to find out what all the fuss was about and began to search on-line for our very own Dyson. After searching on several sites and deciding whether we wanted a cylinder or upright cleaner we came to a decision and bought the DC04S/L, an upright cleaner which to be honest is the bottom of the range.
~~~Setting the Dyson up~~~
The Dyson comes part assembled in a large box, as far as I'm concerned this was NOT a good start. I'm used to buying vacuum cleaners fully assembled and be-grudge doing their work for them. However, as it was, I had to connect the handle by threading down the suction pipe. A process that wasn't as simple as it seemed, I found it very fiddly, but did manage it eventually. The handle then clipped securely onto the main section of the cleaner, as did the cleaning tools.
~~~The styling~~~
OK now it's set up, what does it look like?
Well it's pretty stylish in a Dyson sort of way. Mainly silver in colour with lime green highlights it looks very modern and almost toy-like. While at first thought lime green does seem a garish colour, it doesn't look too bright, honest.
Weight wise it's not too heavy to carry around at approximately 8kg, but can be unwieldy when carrying up the stairs. While I've found the handle height to be fine at 5' 1 and my husband also has no problems at 5' 7, its not adjustable, which may be a problem for some.
~~~Vacuuming~~~
The DC04 boasts 230 airwatts of constant suction, this means that its cleaning power will remain constant even when the bin is almost full. I don't claim to understand what airwatts mean, but according to a couple of sites motor wattage only tells you how much electricity the machine uses, while airwatts tells you the suction power. Now 230 airwatts means this is in no way the most powerful cleaner, but it does seem to do the job very well. Even vacuuming an apparently clean carpet, I was amazed at how much dust and hair it picked up.
The cleaner is simple enough to use, there is an on/off button on top of the main section, and for standard cleaning you need to step on a button at the front of the base (took me a while to work that out, they're normally at the back). You can then vacuum merrily away, without having to worry about changing the brush settings for short carpet, long carpet, etc. as it adjusts automatically. As you vacuum, all the dirt and dust collects in the see-through bin on the front of the cleaner, and spins round and round. If it doesn't spin, then you know the cleaner's blocked (handy that).
For those hard to reach places and to use the on-board tools is very simple. The cleaner needs to be in the upright position, and then you can release the hose, by pressing a catch, and pull the extendable tube out. There are no extension tubes to attach, and the cleaning tools simply slot into the tube. The reach for cleaning stairs and ceilings is in a word, fantastic.
Short of available plug sockets, then never fear, the power cord is an amazing 8.4 metres long and the total reach of the cleaner is 13.6 metres, long enough so that I can clean two rooms, without needing to change sockets.
Now then, the question is how does it stand upto cleaning up after four children? And the answer is very well, it's almost effortless to vacuum, (well for me it's totally effortless, my hubby does it) it takes him about five minutes to vacuum a large room (16ftx13ft) and the amount of dirt it picks up on a daily basis is amazing.
~~~Emptying the bin~~~
The only problem with such an efficient cleaner is how often the bin needs emptying. I find we need to empty after each cleaning session (partly because I have a thing about loose hair), and it's a very simple affair (after a bit of practise) which involves releasing the bin (via another spring loaded catch) and then removing the green cyclone and simply emptying in the dustbin. Putting it back together, is slightly more awkward, but the trick is to make sure you have everything facing the right way.
The real problem with emptying the bin, is you then need to clean the area where you dismantled it, as it seems that some dust will always escape onto the floor.
~~~Maintenance~~~
The cleaner is fairly simple to maintain, there are no bags or filters to buy. The bin benefits from a weekly wash (just remember to let it dry completely before replacing it). There is also a blockage port, to help you get at any socks you've inadvertently vacuumed up. Finally, you can get at the brushes very easily to clear the hair, by undoing the base plate. If anything else goes wrong with it, you can always fall back on the 2 year guarantee that Dyson kindly supplies.
~~~Health benefits~~~
The DC04 has been endorsed by the British Allergy Foundation, due to the fact that it can remove the smallest particles of dust, as small even as a particle of cigarette smoke (0.2 microns). I have noticed that my house does seem ever so slightly less dusty than it did previously.
~~~The bad points~~~
Of course nothing in this world is perfect, and that includes this cleaner. Among the bad points are :
The noise - I find this cleaner to be very noisy, it emits a kind of whine.
The bin - while it's comforting to be able to see how well the cleaners working, the dirt it collects is not really the sort of thing you want visitors to see.
Hard Floors - This cleaner is only suitable for carpeted floors, NOT hard floors, so we still need the broom for the kitchen. (There is another version with brushbar control for hard floors).
~~~Company Info~~~
More information on this product can be found at :
You can also purchase the cleaner here for £189.99 along with various accessories.
~~~Price and Availability~~~
A quick check on a price comparison site tells me that the Dyson DC04S/L is available online at a variety of shops and prices including :
£132.07 (inc. delivery) from 247electrical £136.74 (inc. delivery) from eBuyer £137.39 (inc. delivery) from Tesco
~~~My opinion~~~
Finally owning a Dyson, I can see what all the fuss was about. It is far better at cleaning than my previous bagless vacuum, and looks a lot nicer. Our carpets even look a different colour after having used it. So my recommendation is to buy this if you only have carpets to vacuum, and have no need for the extra features of the more expensive models. However, if you have hard floors, then go for the model with brush control which is available from Dyson at £199.99
Advantages: Very powerful, Lifetime Filter, Flexible Disadvantages: Costly, You realise how dirty your home was !
...to the appeal of the Dyson machines, but to those few that haven't yet had 'The Dirty Dyson Experiment' (will come onto that later), this review is for you…
Personally, I have never been able to get that excited about gadgets and gizmos, particularly those of the household variety. More often that not, you are let down and left bitterly disappointed when the claims prove far from the truth, not to mention being out of pocket.
The Dyson DC04 ... ...we HAD to have a Dyson (boys and their toys) – the fact that I could count the number of times he has actually used it on one hand is beside the point. I knew people that already owned and raved about them, my parents included, but I just couldn't see the point in spending over £100 on a vacuum. What could the Dyson do that my reliable little Hoover couldn't ?
I was soon to find out.
So, one Sunday afternoon (cos that's what Sunday's were ...
T21AMY 21.01.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Dyson DC 04
Advantages: Good suction, useful extensions Disadvantages: Fragile, expensive
...why we have a Dyson. Dyson products seem to be inashamedly marketted at males. Let me take you on a whistle stop tour of my two years with this vaccuum cleaner and hopefully help you in your purchasing decision.
THE PACKAGING
The packaging of Dyson products is where you first notice the products are targetted at men. You see, there are tesosterone fuelled claims on the packaging and little diagrams that really do appeal to the masculine side of ... ...your first clean with this Dyson is quite exciting ... no trust me ... it really is. You see, the dust spirals up into the hoover and you can watch it through the perspex. This makes for great viewing ... you can really see you house getting cleaner.
For me the Dyson was certainly significantly stronger than my previous vaccuum and on the first clean this was immediately obvious. Carpets that looked clean quickly filled the dust container and pet ...
Plymyphil 23.11.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Dyson DC 04
Advantages: Cleans deep into the carpet Disadvantages: Doesn`t clean right to the edge of the carpet
...2 minutes my brand new Dyson started smoking. I almost cried, what could possibly have gone wrong with this wonderful machine in just a couple of hours. The problem, was the sheer power of the suction. My children`s bedroom is adorned with one of those huge rugs covered in roads and parks, and although it isn`t that old, my kids are just such vandals that it is frayed around every edge. Now the dc04 has a roller brush, and as we all know, roller ... ...crisis is over, and my Dyson hasn`t blown up, I can tell you about it`s other features.
Apart from the incredible suction, the hose attached to the back reaches to the top of the stairs. Gone are the days of hoovering half the stairs, unplugging the hoover, carrying it all the way to the top, plugging it back in, then hoovering the other half.
The hose itself has an ingenious design. The metal pipe protrudes from the handle, and the pipe slots ...
sue26 10.06.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Dyson DC 04
Advantages: Last's Forever Very easy to Replace Parts Disadvantages: None
I first purchased my Dyson DC04 to replace my good old Henry hoover which finally gave up the ghost after 6 years of great service. I thought I would try out the hoover that I had heard so much about and my friends had been raving about.
I toddled off down to my local Savacentre and paid £135 for my Dyson (you can now get this model for about £40 re conditioned). When I got home it was time first opinion's were that it look's great and the idea ... ...have now had the same Dyson for 5 years and it is still going strong only having had 2 services on it which cost me £25 a time but well worth it.
I have also purchased more recently the Car tool set for the DC04 and what a buy that was at only £35 I got 3 tools ideal for cleaning the car another area the kid's completely trash lol.
A hard brushed tool for getting all that dried mud up, a car turbine head which is great for cleaning the seat's of ...
bazzaoleary77 31.01.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Dyson DC 04
Advantages: Excellent for allergy sufferers Disadvantages: Found it difficult to use on stairs
MR DYSON HAS SOME POWERFUL ENEMIES and these dustmites are no way pleased!
After our Hoover vacuum packed up, we used our extended warranty to have it repaired. I must say I was very dissatisfied with the whole services from Hoover. Hubby and I decided to visit Alders of Croydon to buy another vacuum, even though we had two more years to run on it. It was our lucky break for at that time there was a promotion on Dyson vacuum models. We looked at ... ...they ent gonna like Mr Dyson Heehee! When they are unseen to the human eyes, they can cause allergy problems, but under microscope, they resemble and related to spiders! Hah! Imagine that! I was amazed that this beauty with its brush control picking up pet hair and dust with accuracy.
The woman demonstrated how easy this vacuum could be used. She made it so simple and since my hubby liked it and oh gawd, he is so awful when shopping, he has to see ...
Elainebaba 22.04.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Dyson DC 04
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It is particularly good at getting the awkward dirt near the skating boards, and you can even use it on he stairs, as it can sit on the stairs, think of how good that it is, we no longer have to worry about sweeping the stairs. Now we just use our new Dyson to vacuum them.
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I recently damaged my DysonDC04. We had it 8 years and I must admit that I hadn't been very gentle with it. It was quite heavy and used to find it quite difficult carrying it up and down the stairs and often banged it against the wall or the banister. A few bits had broken off it, and, to top it all off I dropped it down the stairs. I did manage to get the hose bit working but unfortunately it wouldn't work when it was upright. So, the time had come to get a new vacuum cleaner. Now, I've only ever owned one so I didn't realise how many vacuums were out there or how difficult it would be to choose one.
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After owning and using a DysonDC04 for 5 years or so I thought I would struggle to find a better vacuum cleaner.The Dyson had superb power,was easy to empty and keep clean and what I thought was the best thing was it was easy to repair.
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