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- Best bagless upright vacuum Dyson DC28 Animal *Est. $530
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- Good power and suction
- Powered pet-hair hand tool
- Five-year warranty
- Pet-hair tool gets mixed reviews
- Heavy
Reviewers say the Dyson DC17 Absolute Animal is an improvement in Dyson's lineup, with better suction and power than previous generations of Dyson Animal vacuums. The 20-pound Dyson Animal DC17 comes with a powered hand tool for agitating pet hair out of upholstery. Dyson now offers a five-year warranty for new purchases -- a policy that's likely meant to assuage some concerns about long-term durability. We did read quite a few complaints at Amazon.com and Target.com that the Dyson DC17's beater bar caused damage to certain types of carpet and hard flooring.
The three top sources on our reviews list -- ConsumerReports.org, Which? magazine and The Wall Street Journal -- all weigh in on Dyson vacuums. ConsumerReports.org includes the Dyson Animal DC17 in its latest roundup of upright vacuums. U.K.-based Which? magazine includes similar Dyson vacuums in its tests, and owners register their opinions of Dyson vacuums, including the Dyson Animal DC17, on Amazon.com and Epinions.com.
| Dyson DC17 Animal Cyclone Upright Vacuum Cleaner | |
(454 reviews) |
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Our Sources
1. ConsumerReports.orgDetails/Subscribe
In its latest roundup (available to subscribers only), ConsumerReports.org runs 51 vacuums, including the Dyson DC17 Absolute Animal, over carpet and bare floors to assess cleaning ability, noise and emissions.
Review: Vacuum Buying Guide, Editors of ConsumerReports.org, October 2009
2. Which? magazineDetails/Subscribe
Which? magazine doesn't specifically test the Dyson Animal DC17 vacuum, but it does evaluate similar Dyson models (including the DC14 and DC15). The editors note that the newest Dyson vacuums appear to be better built than previous models.
Review: Vacuum Cleaners, Editors of Which? magazine, Updated October 2009
3. Amazon.com
More than 350 owners weigh in on the Dyson Animal, and most of them are very enthusiastic. Many owners specifically praise the pet-hair tool. Overall, the DC17 Animal earns an average score of four out of five stars.
Review: Dyson DC17 Animal Cyclone Upright Vacuum Cleaner, Contributors to Amazon.com
4. Epinions.com
The Dyson DC17 Animal is generally praised by almost 150 owners posting here. As at Amazon.com, individual user reviews can provide some insights you don't get from pro reviewers. The overall rating from Epinions.com users is 4 stars out of 5.
Review: Dyson DC17 Bagless Upright Cyclonic Vacuum, Contributors to Epinions.com
Users at Viewpoints.com can add products to the website, so sometimes a specific model is covered under multiple headings. Such is the case with the Dyson DC17, which receives a total of about 60 reviews on five separate product pages. The vacuum receives an average rating of about 4.5 stars (out of five).
Review: Dyson DC17 Animal Bagless Upright Cyclonic Vacuum, Contributors to Viewpoints.com
It's hard to say whether editors at ConsumerGuide.com actually put their hands on the Dyson DC17 Animal before reviewing it. The write-up here is mostly about the Dyson's features rather than its performance. To their credit, editors do throw in a couple of negatives (high price, no headlight) in this otherwise highly positive review.
Review: Dyson DC17 Absolute Animal Upright Vacuum, Editors of ConsumerGuide.com, May 2, 2008
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