Dyson DC25 All Floors Vacuum (Refurbished)

A quick review of this vacuum: It works well -- has a lot of suction. It was pretty easy to put together, though I'm very mechanically inclined and was able to do it without looking at the directions. I could see how people would have some difficulty with assemby, as the instructions are picture-only and not as specific as they could be about certain details, due to the lack of text. Maneuvering takes some getting used to...the ball design is certainly unlike anything else I've ever used, but once you get the hang of it, it's actually pretty easy to use and definitely more maneuverable than a typical vacuum. The low-profile power head is easier to get underneath couches and whatnot than a typical upright. The mechanism for allowing the vacuum to lock in upright position is really odd and takes some getting used to: you can't just angle the handle up and have it lock into place like most uprights. We have only hardwood floors with a few carpets. The suction was excellent and the vacuum did a great job. It's nice to have the ability to turn the power head off or on while in use, as this greatly simplifies switching from hardwood to carpet. It cleaned the carpets really well too. It's somewhat quieter than our last vacuum (a Dirt Devil Vibe, which was cheap and really loud but served us well for several years), which is nice. My ears appreciate that. So, the cons: as far as design, I have two complaints. First, when you turn the vacuum on, the power head does not engage, which is great for me as we don't need it much, but once you release the handle and lower it partway, the power head turns on automatically...EVERY time, which is super annoying. I have to turn it off each time I release the handle. I don't expect there's a way to change this behavior either. It's really handy if you have mostly carpet and really not handy if you don't. Considering the button to engage/disengage the power head is right by the main power button, I'm not sure what the need for this "feature" was, but there it is. My second complaint is that the tube/hose assembly that runs from the ball up to the dust collector tends to generate a static charge for some reaon, and dust & hair accumulate on the outside of the assembly. I think this is a common problem with uprights in general (the Dirt Devil we have did something similar), but given Dyson's emphasis on "engineering" improvements, you'd think they would have figured out a way to resolve this issue. It's minor but still annoying to have dirt and hair dropping off the outside of the vacuum after you've finished cleaning. Finally, a specific complaint about the company and customer service: when my vacuum arrived from Overstock.com, it turned out to be missing an important part in the handle that locks the retractable wand down for normal use. I couldn't figure out at first why the wand wouldn't stay down and why the suction was so poor. Once I messed around with it some, I realized how it was supposed to work and I could see the spot in the handle where the locking mechanism should be. I used a thick rubber band to hold it down and was able to vacuum without difficulty. I bought this vacuum only two weeks ago, and I called Dyson today to inquire about getting that part from them. I was told that not only do they not offer the part separately (meaning the whole "wand assembly" has to be replaced), but that I would have to PAY for it ($51 plus shipping), as they WON'T REPLACE, free of charge, the part that was MISSING when the vacuum arrived new (or factory refurbished, which is usually considered 'new' for this kind of thing). Needless to say, I'm pretty upset with Dyson's policy in this regard, and it's causing me to seriously reconsider my purchase of their products. I have contacted Customer Service with Overstock.com, who are looking into getting me either the part or a replacement wand assembly. Meanwhile, buyer beware: Dyson seems more interested in designing fancy vacuums than designing really good customer service.

• How did the color on site compare with the actual product? similar, not exact
• Please tell us about the quality of the product. works well when it's working correctly
• How accurate was the on site description of the product? seems pretty accurate
• Would you recommend this to a friend? Yes

I was really struggling with spending so much money on a vacuum cleaner. But I do not regret it. It was almost disgusting to use the Dyson for the first time - it sucked so much dirt out of our carpet (which we regularly vacuum clean). the Dyson is one of the best buys I ever made

• How did the color on site compare with the actual product? matches 100%
• Please tell us about the quality of the product. the product is awesome! Never had a better vacuum cleaner
• How accurate was the on site description of the product? Absolute
• Would you recommend this to a friend? Yes

This is the first Dyson I have purchased and I am a fan for life. The suction is amazing. I love the tools and how easy they are to use. I now proudly brag that I have the cleanest floors around. My daughter even loves using it. Friends have used it and loved it. I will never purchase another vacuum brand!

• How did the color on site compare with the actual product? The color matched
• Please tell us about the quality of the product. Hands down, this is the highest quality vacuum!
• How accurate was the on site description of the product? Completely accurate
• Would you recommend this to a friend? Yes

I was looking to replace my 9-year old Dyson, and after doing my online research, I decided the DC25 was what I wanted. I'm not normally a refurbished item buyer, but after reading all the good reviews on this particular refurb'ed product, and of course seeing how much money I could save, I decided to give it a try. I read up on Overstock's definition of "refurbished" and saw that it would be a like-new product tested and guaranteed by the original manufacturer. The product was delivered quickly and arrived in original packaging. The instructions were accompanied by a note from Dyson stating that this was a refurbished item, and that there may be some minor cosmetic scuffs, etc, but that the product had been restored to its brand-new condition and had been tested twice by their service people. The one I received appeared to be in good condition -- a few minor scratches on the ball and signs of use, but otherwise great. Then I went to try it out for the first time, and found major issues: - The extension wand didn't work. By "didn't work," I mean that there was absolutely no suction when the vacuum was upright and in wand-mode. Instead, the vacuum part would continue to suck. I looked around and found that there is a small part that is supposed to "unclip" to divert the suction from the vacuum to the wand, but that part was defective. - There is a red lever on the back of the vacuum that you step on to get the vacuum into "recline" mode to use it normally. This lever was not reliable. At times, the mechanism wouldn't work and I couldn't get it to recline, and certainly couldn't vacuum that way. I fiddled around with it a little to see what was going on, since it would intermittently work. Aside from just feeling like the lever was almost flimsy, I didn't dig too much into why it didn't work because there was already another major issue with the vacuum. - I'm not sure if this is actually a defect, but this vacuum was louder than my 9-year old beast of a Dyson. When the roller was turned off, it was quieter, but that doesn't matter much in my mostly-carpeted house. Again, I didn't investigate more into why it was so loud just for the roller since I had already decided the other issues were enough to return this item. Luckily, Overstock has a good return policy, so I returned it. (I was not interested in exchanging for another refurb or going through Dyson for a repair of this item due to my disappointment in the experience.) In the meantime, I went out and purchased a new DC40 from a store and have been very pleased with it. I still believe Dyson makes good products. It's just too bad that they didn't stand behind their guarantee and work in my particular case. (And hey, I still went out and spent even more money on one of their products, so who's the sucker now? =)) I'm sure the other good reviews are absolutely true, and it's just the luck of the draw. As for me, I'll be going back to not buying refurbished products.

• How did the color on site compare with the actual product? The color was accurate
• Please tell us about the quality of the product. The refurbished product did not work properly
• How accurate was the on site description of the product? The description was accurate
• Would you recommend this to a friend? No