Detachable long reach wand Lightweight aluminum wand reaches high, low, and into awkward gaps.

By sem boundries

I just purchased a Dyson DC35 Digital at our local Target, since it was the same seller and price as Amazon and both included state tax. I have four large dogs. Two of them are German Shepherds (known among owners as "German Shedders). I also have a mix of floor surfaces: wood, tile, medium-pile carpet and low-pile area rugs. And the cars, one of which is "the dog car" and basically covered in fur.

Reading the reviews, I thought the Dyson might be helpful, since every other handheld has given up the ghost after a few months, or simply been inadequate. But I also thought it might not be all it was claimed to be.

It is. Like other reviewers, I was shocked by the amount of "stuff" it pulled from my rugs, the canister filled over and over again with hair and fine, talcum-like dust. It also basically "dusted" the floor and cleaned the tile better than anything I have ever used and the low profile makes it possible to get under and clean areas that are inaccessable to a regular vacuum. It also works well on the medium-pile.

The trigger handle is designed so that you do have to push it in while you vacuum, but the grip is designed so that is basically what you do when you hold it anyway. When you use it as a "hand held" without the exension, it is a bit heavy, but it does so much so quickly, that it is not really a problem. The flip-cannister is a great idea, although with the amount of medium length dog hair I am pulling up, it does sometimes require pulling out as well as just dumping. The exhaust blowing on you as you vacuum is also not really a problem, since it is not "dust" but just air.

I am now waiting for my Dyson DC17 Animal ordered through Amazon...

By Michael

Pricey but cool. I never thought I would say that about a vacuum cleaner. But that's because vacuum cleaners of the past were always very loud, inconvenient, tethered by a cord, and clunky. This feels more like a power tool than a vacuum cleaner. I don't know why all the commercials feature a woman. They could definitely market this to men, like in the ol' shop cleaning up sawdust or their unnecessary sports car, it definitely has the feel of a new cordless drill or gadget.

Dyson has done a good job here. When I take the floor stick off of it and attach the brush I call it "the cleaning gun". Its like a high-tech dirt destroyer.

Because of this device, I have a cleaner home overall. A few minutes here and there winds up with formerly unreachable dust removed from all the lampshades, tops of mirrors, molding, etcetera. Cobwebs in corners? Eliminated with one reach of the arm. Its so easy and convenient you'll use it to clean up small stuff like a pile of crumbs.

For cleaning the carpets, it pulls a lot more out than you'd expect for something this quiet. (Quiet may be relative but its high-pitched instead of the low pitch of larger vacuums and the sound doesn't seem to carry). I think the rotating brush on the bottom does a nice job with carpets, I feel like the place is just as clean as with the old upright bagless I had. The floor attachment is also small enough to fit in more spaces, meaning less moving of furniture. This is why I say its good for a one bedroom apartment. For a big home, you might want a 2nd, larger vac.

The clear canister shows you your progress very easily. It has to be emptied quite a bit, but there's no way around that with something this size. It opens easily and most of the dirt pours right out. Occasionally you might want to reach in with an old toothbrush or something similar to pry any caked dust from inside the dust canister.

Battery life is not awesome at 15ish mins, but long enough to clean the carpets and then some. Since its so easy to just start using, you use it more often and clean for shorter intervals.

I'm happy with this thing. I like having a clean place but I always hated vacuuming, and having to position a larger unit to reach anything other than carpets was super annoying. That brings me to size and weight. I have no trouble with holding the trigger for 15 minutes or carrying this around, but I can see how your average couch potato might complain. I think they should have made a lock on the trigger, but having the trigger instead of a lock also saves precious battery life.

Definitely buy this thing if you have a few dollars to spend. You will have a cleaner home and spend less time/frustration cleaning.

By Matt

First ever Dyson product and we absolutely LOVE IT. Read all the reviews, blahblahblah, took the plunge and ordered it. After about a week of use, here's my take:

- Suction is great. Don't know what planet the people are on who say it's lacking here. Oh, and BTW: Vacuum varies based on elevation, so if you live at like 9,000' yeah, ANY vacuum won't suck (or will suck, depending on where you're coming from).
- Overall design is fantastic. Smart, smart, smart. Dyson obviously puts a LOT of thought into their design and I, for one, appreciate that.
- Trigger: So I was concerned about this. But it's fine. Actually, it's (look for the theme, here) SMART. Why? Because you're looking at about 15 minutes runtime. Which is plenty. But the trigger forces you to turn the damn thing OFF when you move to another room, put it down to move a chair, whatever. Think about it: They put an ON/OFF switch and some dimwit will leave it on when they walk off to answer the phone, check on Fluffy, whatever...and when the battery runs out they will be the ones to gripe. So the trigger is fine. No sweat.
- Maneuverability: This thing will go ANYWHERE. Whatever it "supposedly" lacks in anything else, it makes up for in ease of use and the ability to get into small, strange places.
- Cost: Yeah, it's expensive. So are luxury cars and you generally get what you pay for. Given that this thing improves my quality of life I am MORE than happy to pay the price.
- Accessories/Mounting Plate: Again, smart and very minimalistic.
- Battery life: OK, so I live in a smaller home, about 1,600 sq. ft. and while I have yet to run out of juice I can understand how if you lived in a big house this might be an issue. Not sure what to tell you...either get a corded one or just vacuum for 15 minutes at a time. I read a review where a lady said "Life is too short to spend more than 15 minutes vacuuming." Well-said, lady. Well-said.

I have used this thing nearly every day for three reasons: 1) It's just cool. 2) I am consistently amazed with the stuff it picks up. And let me tell you, we keep a clean house. That said, I dump the canister and just shake my head. 3) When something is easy to use, you're more likely to use it. Being cordless is just the way to go.

So by now you are sick of reading so let me just tell you that the Dyson gets two big thumbs up/5-stars from a hard-to-please, penny-pinching skeptic of a consumer.