Dyson DC59 Motorhead Cordless Vacuum

UPDATE: After using up the battery and recharging it several times, it now holds a charge for 20+ minutes and I can vacuum my whole house without it dying, which is great. I still don’t think it’s 5 stars based on some of the things listed below, but I have also noticed, since my original review, that this vacuum has a hard time picking up things like a single Cheerio. So while I have to pick up larger things by hand, it does an awesome job of picking up dirt, dust and dog hair. My tile floors feel much cleaner after using this than when I use my corded Dyson or a broom. I haven’t used my corded Dyson in almost 2 months and don’t see that happening anytime soon. While this vacuum isn’t perfect, I find myself using it and enjoying using it on an almost daily basis.

Original Review: I really wanted to give this 5 stars because it is so easy to use and does a great job, but it will not replace our almost 10 year old Dyson DC14 that still works perfectly. Mostly due to the fact that I can’t clean my whole house on a full charge. I really like having it around so even though it won’t replace our current vacuum it is a great addition.
Pros: Extremely lightweight which makes cleaning a breeze, especially stairs
Maneuvers so easily and can fit and reach under beds and coffee tables
Cleans just as well as the corded version
Great for doing a couple rooms in a hurry and touching up rooms in between more thorough cleanings
Transitions perfectly between tile and carpet without having to make any adjustments
Comes with a great assortment of attachments
Great for cleaning your car
Seems very durable. I rested it against a wall and it fell on the tile floor. I was sure the plastic canister had broken, but it didn’t.
Cons:
No place to store attachments on the vacuum to use while you are in the middle of cleaning to get in tight spots. So
you would either have to carry the attachment around with you or come back to the spots you missed when you are done.
If you need to take a break while vacuuming there is no way to stand the vacuum upright without holding it. So you either have to lean it up against a wall and hope it doesn’t fall over and break/spill, or you have to lay it down.

I have owned way too many cordless stick vacuums. Shark. Eureka. Dirt Devil. Two types of Hoovers. Up to this point was the best was the Hoover Linx, which was in a class by itself. Nothing, not even the next step down Hoover came even close. It seemed expensive for $150, but it did a great job and the battery life was pretty good. The hand-held Linx however was terrible. But even with the stick Linx I had to own a “real vacuum” (A Dyson DC28 Animal) and pull it out pretty regularly. The Hoover was just for quick cleanup.

And then I got this. The Hoover doesn’t come close, either in terms of overall ease-of-use or cleaning power. You can switch from floor vac to hand vac in seconds (with the Hoover it’s a separate unit). The suction is amazing. It comes with a good array of tools. Oddly the wall mount doesn’t hold one of the tools, but that’s minor gripe. It has a nice simple one-touch empting mechanism. The battery life is outstanding: on low I’m going about 20 minutes. On high I can go about 10 minutes. It has a low speed (perfect for wood floors) and a high speed (perfect for carpet and most furniture). This is great on stairs where it combines the power (nearly) of a corded vacuum with the flexibility of a stick/hand vac.

It’s light weight and easy to carry. One feature that may not please everyone is the trigger control for power: you have to constantly pull the trigger to keep it running. While that’s fine for me, anyone with arthritis, or arm/hand strength issues will want to skip this vacuum – it just won’t be useable for you.

And there’s one other thing: it looks cool. My kids want to play “Star Wars” with it. If you are going to spend $550 on a cordless vacuum, it might as well look good. The price is steep, and if you are on a budget, I would get a cheap (or no) cordless and spend your money on a good corded vac. But if the price fits in your budget I can say it’s worth it. For me this really sold me on the “Dyson” hype. I am an engineer. I’m picky. This vacuum is proof that good design and engineering can still make great products. The end result: there’s just no better cordless vacuum out there.