Dyson DC23 Animal Vacuum Cleaner

First, you need to understand that there are several models for the DC23 series. As of Oct 2010, there are the Turbohead, Animal and Motorhead. The canister for all 3 models are technically the same (minus the color). The differences between the 3 models are the accessories (e.g. length of hose, tools, handle, etc) that come with each, and how each machine can be stored away.

For a quick rundown of the differences, it is best to refer to dyson's online store and read the "Plus the following Accessories..." in the specifications tab.

This review is specifically for DC 23 ANIMAL (obviously), but most part of the review is applicable for all 3 models.

PRO:

powerful suck thru carpet

pick up animal hairs (cat) like magic

multiple intelligent designs that simplify the vacuuming job

comes with useful tools that can handle most home situations well

most parts can be cleaned easily with cold water

no non-durable parts

long power cable

not THAT noisy

good looking

very helpful customer representative from DYSON

CON:

takes an unexpectedly large amount of horizontal space to store it away despite the small canister (the way it stands in the product picture is the way it is supposed to be put away)

it is a dust magnet and can be difficult to clean up due to many small parts and gaps

may need a longer bit of time than average to fully utilize the machine

very small trash holding capacity

short hose length

very expensive for a vacuum cleaner

Bottom line (my personal opinion):

It does the job (vacuuming) really well. However, it makes me think that the cheapest model in the DC23 series (Turbohead) may suffice my everyday needs, as there are no big difference between the two on paper.

I am a techie yet it took me an unexpectedly long time to figure out what are all those many buttons and tools for. I think they may have 'over-engineered' it in certain area.

It takes a lot of space to store it in my tiny apartment. The Motorhead of the DC23 series that uses less storage space (due to the longer hose) but it is $100 on top of the already expensive $500 pricetag. Luckily, I can improvise and make it takes up less space but detaching certain parts but it also increases the 'setup' time needed for each use.

It's a keep.