Pet Product Review: Dyson DC28 Animal

by Sonia Zjawinski (Subscribe to Sonia Zjawinski's posts): Nov 19th 2009 @ 1:00PM Filed Under: Pet Product Reviews

Dyson

I've avoided drinking the Dyson Kool-Aid for a long time. Despite all the raves I've heard about the company's innovative bagless vacuums, I could never fathom paying almost an entire month's rent for one. How much better could a $600 Dyson be from my $70 upright? Turns out, a lot.

When the Dyson DC28 Animal, specifically designed with us pet lovers in mind, came in the mail a few weeks ago, I instantly was intimidated. This thing is a powerhouse. With features like a pneumatic actuator, high-torque clutch, and that famous Cyclone technology, you'd think we were talking about the tech specs of a luxury car. So how does all this fancy engineering work in the real world?

My favorite part of the DC28 Animal is that it works with you. When pushing the 20-plus pounds of machine back and forth across rugs and bare floors, it moves itself along so you're not breaking a sweat. If you overextend the telescoping wand, the upright won't come toppling over, but rather it rolls smoothly towards you.

Sonia Zjawinski

For fur busting, it's one of the best. I went through all my furniture, appliances, and fabric after first doing a once over with my budget vacuum. At left is an image of the amount of leftover dust and hair the Dyson sucked up. I couldn't believe how well the it was able to vacuum stranded strands. My carpets, couches, and drapes suddenly had their original hues.

While the Dyson is incredibly well engineered, there are a few cons:

The power cord, at 35 feet, is ridiculously long and easy to trip over. In order to use the telescoping wand, users will have to unwind the entire cord, which will end up coiled by their feet as they clean. I'd rather have a shorter cord, or a cord that winds up internally within the vacuum instead of on its outside.

The DC28 is large and in charge, and if you don't have a closet big enough to store it when it's not in use, you're going to have to live with this beast sitting in some corner of your home.

The pros definitely outweigh the cons, but I still can't get over the price tag. Yes, the Animal works like no other, but is that really worth $600? I'm not so sure.

Related: Check out more stories on homemade pet stain removers and how to groom a dog!

Tags: DC28, dyson animal, Dyson vacuum, DysonAnimal, DysonVacuum

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

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#1 CAGirlInCO 11-23-2009 @ 10:35AM

I've owned my Dyson for about five years and I have to say that although the price is a bit scary, think of it as a vacuum investment. Previous to owning my Dyson, I was going through cheap (

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#2 regina 12-16-2009 @ 5:10PM

I couldnt agree more....we had a Oreck ..which i thought was suppose to be top notch....but it was not picking up the animal hairs good enough.
I found the dyson D17 first animal version on sale at walmart for 425 , and it yes pricey....but well worth it! I am amazed at how much hair it has picked up that the oreck left behind. I was paying 30 bucks for 6 Oreck filter bags anyway, so this will pay for itself with no filter bags! The Oreck was a huge dissapointment, and i am pleased with the D17.... i can only imagine how great the newerDC28 is!