Dyson DC41

Atty

Golden Member
Aug 19, 2006
1,540
0
76
I was in Lowes earlier and came across the Dyson's and it renewed my interest in them. When I got home I was scouring Amazon as per usual and found the DC41, brand new, for $479. No tax and prime shipping. I ordered it immediately. It was still $599 at Lowes before taxes (7%).

Who here has owned this one? We have a small dog and a cat and I've noticed recently how dirty the floors get. I borrowed a Dyson from a friend one day and vacuumed my bedroom. I vacuum regularly and this thing still pulled tons of crap up. I was impressed.

Any thoughts or criticisms of the DC41 here?
 

Vdubchaos

Lifer
Nov 11, 2009
10,408
10
0
If you are willing to put up with some extra sound and size, NOTHING beats a 5hp Shop vac (Rigid).

Low price ($80) and life time warranty.

I got tired of buying vacumes over the years. Went thru just about every vacume you can imagine......yes even the Apple of vacumes (Dyson).

But that's just me....
 

Mixolydian

Lifer
Nov 7, 2011
14,566
91
86
gilramirez.net
If you are willing to put up with some extra sound and size, NOTHING beats a 5hp Shop vac (Rigid).

Low price ($80) and life time warranty.

I got tired of buying vacumes over the years. Went thru just about every vacume you can imagine......yes even the Apple of vacumes (Dyson).

But that's just me....

vacuum.
 

phucheneh

Diamond Member
Jun 30, 2012
7,306
5
0
I can't fathom $500 ever being a deal when it comes to vacuum cleaners.

No way I'd give more than 300 for a Dyson. Or anything else. Is it just me or are you paying ~200 bucks just for that silly ball thing?
 

BarbeQueGuy

Senior member
Jan 23, 2001
341
0
76
Dyson has its followers(fanboys) and those that will say nothing but negative about them but I can say from personal experience: "this vacuum is great!".

I personally can walk over dirt and not even see it, that drives my wife crazy because she is crazy clean. At first, I cringed at spending a few hundred dollars on something as stupid as a vacuum cleaner, that was until we had our house remodeled. The shop-vac did what you expect it to do, pick up big chunk while it leaves a mist in the air from the exhaust. We have pets so I couldn't leave a layer of gypsum dust all over, I gave the Dyson a shot.
I was amazed at the job it did doing construction cleanup. I did learn that you need to empty the canister outside with such a fine dust. I also learned that you are only supposed to fill the canister half way and then empty it, this vacuum did a great job even when it was full way beyond what Dyson says you are supposed to fill it.

There is a weakness I find with this vacuum, the hose that you use for reaching corners and high spots sucks. It is expandable and the suction causes it to stay retracted making it virtually useless. I bought my wife a Shark portable for the dusting and high reaches, its built on the same principles as the Dyson.

After the work was done, I treated the Dyson to a thorough cleaning, it breaks down easily and has washable filters. It now looks like new again and never lost any of its cleaning power.

Some say it is a little loud, I'm half deaf and it doesn't bother me. I believe I pushed this vacuum beyond what it was intended for and to my amazement, it stood up to the challenge!
 

paperfist

Diamond Member
Nov 30, 2000
6,520
280
126
www.the-teh.com
exactly like apple. dyson is the apple of vacuums.

And usually comes from people who only owned Apples...

For that price you are past commercial quality vacuums that come with an actual bag. It looks like it's picking up amazing things because you can see it happen in the clear canister. Open a bag on a 'normal' vacuum and you'll be just as amazed.

And since there's no bag you have to wash out the filters monthly (depending on use) and replace them yearly for what, $40-$70?

How about repairs? There's like 30 parts in that ball alone.
 

iamwiz82

Lifer
Jan 10, 2001
30,772
13
81
I love my Dyson, have had it almost 10 years. I scored a hot deal back then on a DC07 and it's never let me down.
 

gamefreakgcb

Platinum Member
Sep 2, 2004
2,354
0
76
I don't own any Apple products but I love the refurb Dyson we bought 6 years ago. To each his own, I guess.
 

Atty

Golden Member
Aug 19, 2006
1,540
0
76
And usually comes from people who only owned Apples...

For that price you are past commercial quality vacuums that come with an actual bag. It looks like it's picking up amazing things because you can see it happen in the clear canister. Open a bag on a 'normal' vacuum and you'll be just as amazed.

And since there's no bag you have to wash out the filters monthly (depending on use) and replace them yearly for what, $40-$70?

How about repairs? There's like 30 parts in that ball alone.
$25 for a multi-pack of filters. Though, I think the big expensive ones are life time, they just need to be washed out periodically.
 

paperfist

Diamond Member
Nov 30, 2000
6,520
280
126
www.the-teh.com
$25 for a multi-pack of filters. Though, I think the big expensive ones are life time, they just need to be washed out periodically.

I can't comment directly on the Dyson, but those HEPA filters while (which are the pricey ones) washable will not last forever and will need to be replaced. They are the key to suction and the longer you go without replacing them the more suction you loose. Again it comes down to usage though. Once usage a week and you probably not notice loss of suction for years.
 

mmntech

Lifer
Sep 20, 2007
17,501
12
0
Consumer reports has tested Dysons time and time again and found only middling in performance. That's not a bad thing but they're definitely not worth the price tag. For pet hair, they found the Hoover WindTunnel Pet and Miele S Cat & Dog performed best. Both are about half the price of the Dyson.

Two Kenmores beat out the Dyson in overall performance and cost $100-$200 less.
http://news.consumerreports.org/hom...-your-home-looking-as-good-as-a-show-dog.html
 

Red Squirrel

No Lifer
May 24, 2003
68,458
12,611
126
www.anyf.ca
How much do people here expect to pay for a vacuum? $300-400 seems pretty good if the Dyson really is a good vacuum but everyone seems to be commenting on how expensive it is. All the vacuums we bought when I lived at my parents were $600 and up. Their last one was about $1,200. Electrolux canister bag vacuum, fairly plain looking, but rather robust as they'd last for 10+ years so they'd always get the same model.

Their last one fried but it was kinda my fault, I accidentally picked up oil and water or something with it. Was cleaning my car's trunk and did not realize it was oily. Something must have leaked in it at some point. Then I decided to pickup some sand (with some rocks) with it thinking it would soak up the oil but instead if blew holes in the bag and ruined the motor and oil was leaking out from everywhere. It was not made to use on stuff like that. I had managed to get it working and all cleaned up but eventually it just caught on fire. I think I probably could have just fixed it if I got a new motor for like 100 bucks but my parents just wanted to replace the whole thing. The vacuum guy I brought it to must have been pretty happy...

I have a central vac at home that is from 1982 and it still works pretty well, though at least I assume it works well... I'd have to check for the filter though, bet it has not been changed since then LOL. Bet I open it up, clean it all out, change the filter, and it will run another 30 years. They don't make stuff like they used to.

I've kinda been wanting to get a regular non central vacuum though. The central vac works well when I want to vacuum the whole house, but it's a pain to go take out the hose just to clean a small spot.
 

JEDIYoda

Lifer
Jul 13, 2005
33,986
3,320
126
They are the key to suction and the longer you go without replacing them the more suction you loose. Again it comes down to usage though. Once usage a week and you probably not notice loss of suction for years.
There are other things that the older they are the more suction they loose...lol
 

rockyct

Diamond Member
Jun 23, 2001
6,656
32
91
Consumer reports has tested Dysons time and time again and found only middling in performance. That's not a bad thing but they're definitely not worth the price tag. For pet hair, they found the Hoover WindTunnel Pet and Miele S Cat & Dog performed best. Both are about half the price of the Dyson.

Two Kenmores beat out the Dyson in overall performance and cost $100-$200 less.
http://news.consumerreports.org/hom...-your-home-looking-as-good-as-a-show-dog.html
Consumer Reports can give a lot of iffy recommendations for tech stuff, but I would trust them for vacuums. They basically built their reputation on reviewing household appliances (and ranking the reliability of cars).

It seems like Dyson built their success on people who never used an expensive vacuum but with their marketing they were able to get them to spend $500+ on one. Compared to a $150 vacuum, they are probably amazing (hence the glowing personal reviews), but don't perform as well as other vacuums in their price range.
 
Nov 29, 2006
15,695
4,204
136
I got the DC41 Animal from Kohl's via slickdeal for like $285 and like $105 in Kohl's cash back as well. Was awesome.

But yes. Good vacuum.
 

CPA

Elite Member
Nov 19, 2001
30,322
4
0
I don't own any apple products, except a mini-ipod (and it's my kid's). But I love both of my Dysons. Yep, I have two, one for upstairs and one for downstairs.
 

AznAnarchy99

Lifer
Dec 6, 2004
14,695
117
106
I have never owned any Apple products but I had one of the non-ball Dyson vacuums before I moved out and had to sell it. It was probably the best vacuum I've ever had. I got it on refurb for under $300 I believe and I resold it on Craigslist for about the same price.

But Im not a vacuum aficionado so I can't really comment on how it compares to other vacuums. I just know it was awesome when I used it.

My work had one of the ball models but it quickly got clogged when vacuuming. Although we were using it in an industrial sized room when it is not really made for that kind of job.