10.9.2012

I purchased this vacuum cleaner a little hesitantly because I consider overly positive Vine reviews to have much less weight than real reviews, based on certain previous products I've had bad experiences with! I figure when you've been given a product for free you're much more likely to give it a positive review in return - even if not consciously so..Our previous vacuum cleaner was a Hoover Alyx (cylinder also) which we purchased on impulse in Tesco when moving into our old flat. Unfortunately hoover seem to have forgotten how to suck and the design of the HEPA filter is horrendous to clean... so anyway..when we recently had a new black carpet put in on the stairs, the hoover was not up to the job at-all,so we decided to go with a Dyson once and for all.We live in a fairly small two bedroom house, with mostly laminate and vinyl apart from the stairs & landing, with a 1 year old toddler, and a rabbit thrown in (not literally), so it was important to get something lightweight we could take up and down the stairs and can be used frequently without feeling like it's a hassle.Dyson make much of their ball technology but personally I feel it's a bit of a gimmick on this model at least, as I think the main body is too light for it to work well. The old hoover could turn on the spot just as well using a miraculous spinny third wheel thing on the bottom. Not as cool looking but works the same or better... So far I have turned round while vacuuming quite a few times to see poor Jimmy the Dyson has fallen over and I have to go back and rescue him. (you don't have to be a Henry owner to give inanimate objects names)In my case, picking stuff up off the floor, moving stuff out of the way is a much more time consuming part of vacuuming and until we get robot helpers to move all the stuff out the way (by which time we could just get the robot helpers to do the vacuuming for us anyway), the maneuverability of the machine itself is really inconsequential.The most important thing really is how well it sucks. In this regard it is much better than the hoover. The black carpet is pretty much spotless after a forward and then backward run. Generally it's much more willing to pick stuff up with one or two rolls, where I would be running over a little thread 20 times trying to get it with the old one, and just bending down to pick it up in the end.On the standard head there are couple of strips of sticky rubbery stuff that tend to pick up fluff and hair, they seem to do a good job of that but it does result in balls of fluff suddenly appearing on your carpet while you're vacuuming, which you then have to go over a second time.Second to cleanyabilityness is practicality & ease of use. Apart from my thoughts on the ball I think Dyson do a good job. The vacuum is supplied with the usual hose, followed by a detachable handle that clicks on to end of the hose, followed by a detachable extending pipe, followed by the detachable head itself. Everything can be chopped & changed to suit what you want to do, for example, just the handle + stair tool can be useful.Speaking of tools, it comes with a stair tool which is very good at getting into the little crevices in the stairs, and a nozzle / brush combination - the brush slides up and down the nozzle and clicks into place in front of the nozzle. I do find the nozzle a bit tricky to use just because it has an identity crisis and keeps trying to turn itself into a brush during use, but it's not a major inconvenience (for the price of a Dyson though, you'd think this would be a bit better).The normal non-stair head is the width of one step so can also be useful for stairs.The cable is long enough for me to plug in once upstairs and once downstairs and the wind-out is nice and smooth.Emptying is fairly hassle free. I wouldn't call this especially innovative as the mechanism is virtually the same as the hoover. The big improvement over the hoover is that the filter is very easy to take out and wash, and so far the filter hardly seems to have picked up any dirt, presumably due to their 'root cyclone technology' thingamyjig. The hoover meanwhile needs washing or going over with a toothpick to get all the dust dirt out after every vacuum.Finally, with a tiny bit of fiddling you can attach the handle & hose to the body of the Dyson and it stands upright-ish for storage. While we don't find this useful in terms of getting it into the cupboard (because of the shape of the cupboard), it significantly reduces the amount of tripping over that happens when it's left out of the cupboard temporarily, waiting to be returned to for some more vacuuming fun.The 5 year warranty that it comes with is reassuring, hopefully we won't be needing to use itOverall I'm happy with the purchase, it's a very expensive item and I feel there are some minor points for improvement but it does what it actually needs to do well.

25.2.2012

The first big surprise with the Dyson DC38 is how small it is, the second surprise is how powerful it is - this must be the Mighty Mouse of vacuum cleaners! Years ago we had one of the early Dyson cylinder-style vacuum cleaners and although it looked good the performance and build quality wasn't that impressive - the expensive filters had to be regularly replaced, the latches holding components together didn't. Thankfully Dyson seem to have solved all of these earlier issues - there are washable 'lifetime' filters now and all the latches really latch - and overall the build quality is excellent,so finally function is following form?The DC38 is surprisingly manoeuvrable thanks to a clever central steering mechanism - wherever you go in the house the DC38 seems to follow faithfully in your footsteps rarely bumping into things. There are lots of thoughtful details - like a cord rewind function which has been calibrated with just the right tension to allow the cord to be pulled out without simultaneously sending the whole cleaner scuttling across the floor. Yet, in use, it takes the slightest flick of the wrist to make the DC38 scamper along behind you like a lovesick puppy. It's clear that significant time and ingenuity went into getting these things right.At first the brush head seems too small compared to other cleaners but in operation you see the sense of it - it's about the width of a single tread on a staircase and that makes cleaning the stairs a simple two-swipe-per-step job. It also means the head fits into many nooks and crannies other heads won't, so you don't have to keep removing or changing tools to get the job done. It's surprisingly low and flat too and disappears under many pieces of furniture without you having to bend down. The curtain attachment and multi-tool supplied are useful and come with a carrier which snaps onto the pipe and holds them securely until needed. I'm quite tall and one of my bugbears with vacuums is the pipe never seems to extend long enough, meaning I have to stoop over while using them, but this never felt like a problem with the DC38. However the flexible hose seems a bit short - if you're using one of the hand tools to dust something above shoulder-height you have to keep picking up the whole cleaner to reach.Emptying the dust-drum is easy, if not quite as clean and simple as the Dyson promo-video makes it look, but because the drum is quite small you might find yourself doing it more often then you'd like. I took the DC38 on a working tour of our 4 bedroom house and that pretty much filled it to capacity - grit and dust aren't a problem but it fills much quicker if you have a moulting pet or lots of fluffy rugs. Sometimes it's not enough just to release the trapdoor-style base and you have to also remove the clear plastic outer drum to free any fluff stuck under there - this is more awkward and messy than you'd like. There are two filter units onboard which must be hand-washed regularly, Dyson suggest doing it monthly under normal usage. You have to remove one of the wheels to extract the filter which protects the motor, which sounds more awkward than it actually is, the clever design makes it straightforward - you just have to remember to actually do it!It seems clear Dyson are aiming the DC38 at people with smaller homes who might be short of storage space but who don't want to compromise on performance and they've nailed it. It's extremely well designed, it sucks like a very sucky sucking thing and it's so dinky you can un-click the hose and pipe from the main unit and store the whole lot under the kitchen sink. If you have a larger home and/or don't want to be emptying the drum so often I'd consider one of the full-sized versions, which seem to be available at the same price, but otherwise it's a great little unit. Admittedly it's not exactly cheap but the price does include a full 5 year parts and labour guarantee, which might cost a lot extra with some other cleaners.

20.2.2012

This is the second Dyson I've owned -the previous being (and still is) an upright- and only serves to confirm my opinion that if you want a vacuum cleaner then Dyson is the best. You can see all the specs above so I'll skip them and get right down to basics.Opening the box. This requires a little effort, though that isn't a criticism just an observation. At least it's secure.Unpacking. Needless to say it's in several pieces, each wrapped separately with all but one being in plastic wrap, the other in card. There's no fiddly tape, you just pull the plastic out one end and slide it off the part. Nice and easy.Fitting it together. Resisting the temptation of thinking it looks easy,I looked at the operating manual which consists of several diagrams but no words. I confess I'm a word person and like to see things next to a diagram like: Slot tube A into socket B. Hmm. I stared at the diagram and stared at the various parts as I worked out which was which and made a start.I have to confess it was quite easy. I got briefly stuck trying to press a button which didn't seem accessible until realised I had to press a different button release a catch which separated the ball from the drum. This isn't Dyson's fault, it's mine for being thick. For anyone used to working from diagrams it's a doddle. Everything you need to know is there, it just takes some of us (well, me) a little longer to work out than others. The various accompanying tools are fitted onto a separate unit which clips neatly onto the main hard plastic tube (or whatever it's called). Replacing the suction heads (or...) is again easy and effortless.There are some helpful instructions -in words!- on how to use it safely. Like don't try to suck up anything that's on fire and, similarly, don't try and suck up water, etc. Got it!Using it. Well it rolls around okay with virtually no effort required. Switch it on and the first thing you notice is how relatively quiet it is compared to any other vacuum cleaner you've ever used including an upright Dyson, though it was loud enough to still scare the crap out of my cats. It's great for getting under chairs and couches as long as the legs raise them a few inches off the ground and it glides over carpets, mats and hard floors. I tried in on the stairs and it was better than the upright and had a longer reach. Press the button to rewind the flex (after switching it off first) it goes in smoothly and easily without whipping round and hitting your knuckles, though Dyson do recommend holding it as a precaution.What more can I say? This is an extremely well designed piece of equipment that does everything Dyson claim for it and does it well. If you want this type of vacuum cleaner I really don't think you can do better and I'm delighted to have one.

15.1.2013

This is my second Dyson, an addition to my upright Animal.The problem with my first one is that it doesn't do stairs very well and is a bit too big for limited and convoluted spaces in my bedrooms. It does a great jobs on the carpets (and I have a long hair angora cat), but using its extension tube for dusting or other delicate jobs was a pain. The tube is transparent and filled with a strong spring. I guess, it has to, to return to the basic position, but it also puts a lot of strain on my arms and shoulders, when trying to use it.So after a lot of deliberation, I got this small one. I played with the idea of getting a wireless one, but they are not compatible with the motorised brush head and this is essential,

7.6.2013

I bought this hoover for my mum as she is 50 and can't carry heavy hoovers up and down stairs, we have 4 sets of stair in our 2 bedroom house.First off let me start off with the positives:- The suction is fantastic for such a small machine.- The hoover is incredibly light and small.- Included accessories are all that you will probably need.- 5 year warranty is unrivaled and is fantastic for an electrical item in this day and age of 1 year warranties.- With the "Dyson Ball" the hoover is so easy to move around in any direction and pulling along.Now with the negatives for my case (live in 2 bed house lots of stairs + carpet)- Sorry but the bin capacity of 0.58 liter is way toooooooo small.

21.3.2013

From the moment the box arrived I was impressed, the packaging being minimal, totally effective and intriguing to get into, this being part of the spirit of the DC38. Nothing is wasted. The machine is as small and light as it could possibly be. Some reviewers have criticized the plasticiness and I would advise going easy on the "clicks" that are part of assembling the components, which I found easy, even though I gave up Meccano about 55 years ago. The pictorial guide to setting up is well presented straightforward to follow. Just don't force things and remember how much weight metal clips would have added.As to performance, we've got cats and all our floors are tiled.

16.2.2013

Like most people i hated vacuuming and would usually let my husband do it! But this time I decided to invest in a really good vacuum cleaner and after some research i decided to buy the Dyson DC38.. I wanted one that was light weight, moved around easily and was powerful enough to suck up my hair fall! And lo and behold! this dyson delivers on all counts! Its cyclone technology makes it so powerful that it usually takes only swipe over an area to get it clean! And its super light anf the ball makes it really easy to pull along! And i dont have to worry abt my hair fall not being sucked up anymore! This vacuum does that too!

6.8.2012

I have severe back problems and had reached the point where I couldn't vacuum my home without having severe pain for one or two days. I read the reviews on this Dyson and thought for such a little machine it sure was expensive, but I was feeling desperate. So, so glad I bought this machine. I now clean my home without any back pain. Its so lightweight and the suction is amazing. I can even vacuum my stairs without difficulty. My carpet feels and looks so clean. Even the air seems cleaner. I can't tell you how thrilled I am. I feel independent again and that makes this little vacuum priceless to me!

8.3.2013

Pros:- small and easy to handle- easy to put together and to break apart (in terms of connecting the parts)- good set of accessoriesCons:- suction power could be bigger- price could be lower

30.1.2015

I bought this for my wife, as she had difficulty carrying the original upstairs, it's very powerful and easy to use,the only downside, is the bowl needs emptying more often, but that's no problem

7.2.2013

Brilliant, small, lightweight, easy to use.Good suction, tools simple to use. Good price and quick delivery. Would recommend to anyone who wants a lightweight but super efficient cleaner.

28.5.2014

Nice and effective vacuum, but it seems potentially a little more fragile than the previous Dysons I've owned, hence the 4 stars, not 5.

31.12.2013

After my old vacuum broke, this was the perfect replacement , I would recommend these to my friends and family

31.1.2013

I love this little hoover, it is easy to move around and really does the job. a nice piece of design.

13.11.2014

Nice little mover

Dyson DC38 Multi Floor - Reviews

Info

Analysis

Detail