So I was waylaid by a very persuasive salesperson... usually such an encounter sends me running for the hills, but this one struck a chord.
Do any of you use a Dyson Akku-Besenstaubsauger Animal Pro? This is a battery (cordless) electric broom, sort of a mini-Dyson on a stick.
If so, do you like it, does it do a decent job, is it worth the price? I'd especially like to hear from those who share their lives with fur tumbleweeds. Does it really pick up velcro-like fur? Tile floors shouldn't be a problem - but how does it perform on carpets?
It says a battery charge is good for 20 minutes - did you find this to be the case? And how about cleaning the machine - how often does the holder fill up? (Bearing in mind each of the three mutts sheds his/her weight in fur daily...)
I envision using something like this on the top floors, for a quick daily pick up. As I approach my dotage, wobbly knees and all, lugging the heavy vacuum cleaner up and down stairs every day is becoming quite literally a pain in the proverbial - so I thought that a lighter electric broom might be a solution for every day tidying up.
Any comments on the Dyson would be welcome - or any suggestions for alternative products.
We've just bought one, being delivered Monday. Ours is the DC45 which is supposed to have a much better cleaning head than the DC35, but there's also a DC62 with an even more powerful motor and slightly longer battery life.
So we haven't used it yet, but we've had one of the small handheld models for years, which has far outperformed any other cordless I've tried, and which is still good and being moved to another location. These new ones are effectively the same thing but with better battery life, longer nozzles and powered accessories, so should be brilliant. And absolutely ideal for your described usage. They really are a head and shoulders above other makes.
Emptying the container is really simple, just hold above the bin and press a lever, the whole bottom flips down to empty and clips back in place without getting your hands dirty. It can hold quite a lot too, and as the adverts say, it doesn't lose suction as it fills up. The transparent container makes it easy to see if it needs emptying.
BTW, prices vary tremendously, but the DC45 Animalpro is available as low as EU282 (including shipping to France) online in Germany, which is where ours is coming from.
I have craploads of hair. It does a great job. But i don't think the battery life is all that great. But perhaps i don't know how to use it. It is easy to clean, great attachments, but i don't get 20 minutes of battery life.
I find myself wishing for a power cable. It does suck the stuff up from the carpet really well.
Eta
I just went to look at it - it's the dc 62. And i've been using the max setting (6 minutes) vs the regular suckage (20 minutes) all along.
A friend of mine had a cat. Every morning she brushed the cat and then gave it breakfast. Her home was very clean, no hairs anywhere. This is quicker than picking up hairs from all over the place.
I can see battery life as an issue - must do a bit more research. Ace1, when you get your new Dyson, might I ask you to post your experience with the new model's battery life?
Holy Hochpreisinsel, Batman!
And here I was excited about a CHF 50 rebate off 459. Some comparison shopping is in order, methinks.
The mutts are brushed every day, during coat blow-out season multiple times a day, taking out a small mountain of fur each session. And still the tumbleweeds come a-rollin'. Shelties and collies are lean, mean, shedding machines. You gotta live it to believe it.
But we love 'em, wouldn't be without 'em.
But a gadget that makes living with 'em easier is worth consideration in my book.
Our cat is brushed at least once a day and usually more and it still deposits fur on the rug although the amount is variable depending on the time of year. I'm sure it would be much worse if we didn't brush him but I've found the Dyson incredibly useful for cleaning up every day and it really only takes a couple of minutes. I tend to charge it up once a week on the day o do the big clean and get the large Dyson out.
It really depends on the type of cat ( or dog) as to how much they shed as some lose much more hair than others.
I bought the animal pro dc62 about a month ago (it was on offer at emigros sub chf 400) and love it. I have a dog who is brushed each day but still sheds hair and it is very light and easy to do a quick vacuum with. Yes the battery lasts about 20mins on low speed and this is fine for the tiled floors. The rugs are also cleaned well on low power but obviously better on max power. Having looked at various websites in UK and U.S. it seems all types of cordless suffer from short battery life do its not just a problem for dyson.
Have a Dyson CDC35 for about 3 years. Replaced a dustpan, brush and broom, which turned out to be much cheaper and just as efficient.
Firstly with the Dyson you will need to mount the charger somewhere. Then the pristine bagless plastic container will become absolutely filthy within a few days of use.
In instructions state that water must be avoided - with good reason. As soon as any water is sucked up the whole thing get blocked as the dust and water combine.
The Dyson needs totally taking apart and cleaning under the tap every few weeks otherwise it gets blocked.
I'd prefer a bag to a bagless. It's a great marketing angle, but in my experience that's about all it is...
The main issue with battery life is that there is Max Power button which if you use it on that setting the battery only last around 6/7 minutes, you'll probably get a good 20 minutes using the lower power setting.
On the low power setting it's not as good at getting pet hair out of carpets/rugs as it is on max power, hard floors no issue on low power.
We just got one to. With the Max button the thing dies almost instantly . Guess it wouldnt be an issue if you always plug it in. Besides that it works good
Well it arrived as promised on the Monday last week, and has been used a couple of times so far. (We won't ask our cleaning lady to use it, as she'd somehow manage to break it, I'm sure). When my wife first tried it it didn't last for very long, but a) She'd not charged it after unpacking, b) she had the powered brush-head on it and c) the Power Boost button was on. I haven't, and most likely won't. do an exhaustive check on life - can't imagine using it for that long in one go, and the wall-mounting and charging bracket means it's never going to be left unconnected.
Anyway, we're impressed with its cleaning abilities, which is what maters to us - various rugs haven't been so fur-free for years :-)
when you empty it make sure there is no dust / crap by the top back of the container, the contacts for the power brushes are there, we almost took ours back as they stopped working, turned out to be fluff blocking the contacts.