The Bad: Eureka 2900
I have a shedding problem. No, not me. My two cats. While I've gotten things under control, cat hair is still a nuisance.
A large part of the problem is I have a shitty vacuum cleaner.
My Eureka 2900 sucks … and not in the good way. And it is a pain in the ass for vacuuming my hardwood laminate floors. It has a "bare floors" setting, but it simply doesn't do the job.
I've been wanting to replace it almost since the day I bought it. And I've had my eye on the Dyson vacuums for a while.
Lucky me, Woot! had a DC18 Dyson Slim on sale for $264 (that's including tax and shipping) a few weeks ago, so I grabbed one up.
And I couldn't be happier.
Putting It to the Test
I took a cue from some infomercials I've seen, and decided to do a test comparison between my old Eureka and the new Dyson.
I started with a fairly dirty area rug and a fresh new bag for the Eureka.
After vacuuming that rug with the Eureka, I followed back over it with the Dyson DC18.
I got the results I had hoped for: the Dyson canister showed that it sucked up everything the Eureka had left behind, which was a lot.
My Favorite Features
The Good: DC18 Dyson Slim
Other than the great deal I got on the Dyson from Woot!, it has a few features that I really like.
It Sucks
Literally, as demonstrated by the little test I did. But even at the edges of the "head" it sucks.
This is definitely a first for me. I've never had a vacuum that when I ran it along my baseboards, it grabbed everything. I used to have to go back with the extension hose to get the cat hair, dust and dirt that collected.
No more.
Bare Floors
The Dyson works great on my laminate floors and tile. And it should: the company brands it as an "all floors" model.
But for me, it isn't just that its "bare floors" setting works … it is in a much more user-friendly location. I no longer have to bend over to change settings, as I did with the Eureka. It is just a button right on the handle.
No More Bag Hunting
I've never had a bagless vacuum before, but I have to say I'm sold. Having to deal with bags, for me, was a pain, because I could never find the type I needed. Now, no bags.
I will say that emptying the canister can be a bit dusty, but no worse than the little dust cloud I always got when replacing the bag on the Eureka. On the plus side, emptying the canister is a simple push of a switch.
More Compact
Well, they call it the "Slim," so it should be … and it is. It definitely takes up less space than the Eureka, which is great for me since I have very limited closet space.
Easy Maneuvering
The "steering" on this thing is quite amazing. I've never had a vacuum that was so easy to maneuver. It gets around table legs and chairs easily, and it can go almost flat to get under the bed.
Also, because the "head" is narrower than my previous vacuums, it fits in more spaces. Which means less furniture I have to move.
Accessories
It came with two accessories for the extension wand. No big deal with either of these.
But what is really cool, is that the accessories fit right onto the vacuum, completely unobtrusively. Now I don't have to hunt around for the brush tool when I need it. It's right there on the body of the vacuum.
Also quite nice is the extension wand itself. It just pops right off the top, but still has the vacuum handle on it, so it is much easier to hold on to and use. And then it pops right back in to the main body.
The design (particularly in terms of ergonomics) that went into this vacuum is clearly superior.
Any Drawbacks?
While it isn't a major issue for me, I'm annoyed that Dyson brands this model as a lightweight. It is about 16 pounds, and weighs the same as the Eureka. It doesn't feel "lightweight" per se. It feels like every other vacuum I've owned in terms of weight.
Also, the cord is shorter (40 ft) than what I've had previously. I can't quite reach the entire condo with it plugged into one outlet. Definitely not a deal-breaker, but something I'll have to get used to.
A Good Vacuum
So two enthusiastic thumbs up on the DC18 Dyson Slim. I would've spent the full price ($469), but I'm thrilled at the deal I got (Woot! is awesome).
And I'm winning the war on cat hair in my condo.
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