I finally got my dream appliance today.  I've been hankering after a Dyson for a couple of years, so when the opportunity for me to get one presented itself, I took it.

My hands were literally rembling when I got it home and started taking it out of the box.  It's a pretty spendy machine, retailing at $369, and I was worried that it wouldn't perform to my expectations (or to my husband's expectations; he wasn't very happy about my dropping nearly $400 on a hoover.

I had nothing to worry about.  I really didn't realize how much my old vacum cleaner wasn't picking up until I used my Dyson.  I made it halfway across the living room carpet and had to stop to empty the tank, it was full of fuzz and dust.  Now, don't be thinking that my house is dirty and that we live like pigs because it isn't and we don't; this Dyson is just SO good that it's picking up all kinds of stuff.

It's not just the suction that makes the machine worth the price, though.  It's the little things like the stretchy hose that REALLY stretches and is clear so that if you get a clog you can actually see where it is (anyone who's ever sat with their eye to the end of a vacum cleaner hose saying "I think I can see the problem!!" will appreciate that), the one-handed emptying system, the cord that's a good 15' long, the center of gravity that makes it difficult to tip over, even when you're using the attachments, the filter that requires you to remove it, rinse it off, and then replace it once every 6 months or so....it's the entire package. 

I was slightly sceptical about it's claim to be good at cleaning bare floors.  I've had a lot of vacum cleaners that have claimed they cleaned bare floors as well as they cleaned carpet, and not a single one of them were telling the truth.  The Dyson, however, IS telling the truth.  It DOES work well on bare floors.  In fact, once I got done with the carpeting on the lower level of my home, I went around and did the kitchen, the dining room, the half bathroom and even the laundry room.  It picked up everything I put in front of it - even clumping cat litter - without complaining or losing suction.

You can even order a LOT of accessories for a Dyson cleaner - there's the car cleaning kit, a mini-turbo brush for stairs, even a soft bristled dust brush that you can use to dust your furniture.  They're not exactly cheap (the car kit is $84, for example) but they're made to last, as is the cleaner.  The model I bought has a 5 year warranty on it - my mother got hers 7 years ago and it's still going strong (they were popular in the UK a long time before they appeared over here).  She got the cannister version, and the only thing she's had to do it replace the floor brush last year because she rubbed most of the bristles off (Mum cleans when she's angry, happy, sad, depressed, joyous....she uses any excuse for a good ol' clean).  I fully expect my Dyson to be the same way.

I'm incredibly happy and very impressed with this product.  Yes, it's expensive, but it's built to last years longer than regular vacum cleaners.  I looked at it this way: I got a Hoover for $150 in 2003.  It broke a year later, so I replaced it with a Bissel for $100.  It lost suction and the filters were always clogged, so I replaced it with a Eureka in April of this year, paying $160 for it.  That's 3 cleaners in 4 years, with a sum total of $410.  My new Dyson cost less than that.

All in all, I give this a 10 out of 10.  It's the cream of the vacum cleaner crop and it's worth every penny of the price you'll pay for it.

(at some point over the next couple of days I'll post some photos of me cleaning the house with it so y'all can see how the tools and attachments work.  Geeky of me, I know, but.....if it makes one person decide that yeah, they need a Dyson - well, I'll have done my job)