Is a Dyson worth it? What about a Roomba?

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Vacuum cleaners. You gotta have em. At least we do with our fur shedding beasts and crumb dusting children. I have had WAY more vacuum cleaners than I would care to admit and when it comes to these essential home care appliances you have so many options. So, is a Dyson worth it? How about Dyson vs Roomba. Let me explain.

To determine your vacuum cleaner needs you’ll need to take stock of your home. Do you have carpet or hardwood or both? Is your carpet long or short pile? Do you have stairs? Who will be doing most of the vacuuming? Do you have pets? If you do have pets – what sort of fur situation do you have?

In this home, we have hardwood on most of the upper floor (kitchen, master, living room) the two kids bedrooms are the only carpeted areas on the upper. On the lower we have carpet in the family room and spare bedroom. The rest of the spaces are tile. All of the carpet in this home is fairly short pile compared to the long pile we had on our last place. The stairs are hardwood so we tend to just sweep them with a broom and vacuum up the mess afterwards.

Here is what we’re currently using:

On the upper level hardwood – Roomba

Now, I know that a Roomba is a luxury but is it worth it? I also know that our previous Roomba experience was a large dud. I could have used the Dirt Devil (which I really have loved, and is still working well) every day to stay on top of it. I do not want to vacuum every day but that’s what it takes to keep up to our dog. Honestly, I am not over exaggerating. She sheds so BAD. I had had enough. I did not want to spend my time either vacuuming every day or staring at fur tumbleweeds everywhere.

The Roomba was the answer. We bought the 650 model and it was miles ahead of the last one we owned. This one doesn’t get plugged up as easily and it can maneuver well over bumps. I can block it from places I don’t want it to go and it won’t fall down the stairs. It’s been doing so well and running it every day (or every second day even) is so easy. It gets the toast crumbs from around the table and it doesn’t need to worry about carpet in the zone we have it running so it’s been great for light duty. I love that it goes right under the couch and our bed and we don’t have to deal with dust bunnies. My only complaint with the Roomba is that it needs to be detailed quite often because the wheels and the spinning brush get loaded with fur and then they don’t want to spin. It also has a small capacity. I deal. We have had the Roomba for about 6 months or so now and I am very pleased. It’s lovely but it’s not feasible to use only this machine for the entire house.

Pros: Roomba 650

• Hands free operation
• Better than previous models
• Gets under furniture
• Fun to use
• Auto docking / charging

Cons:

• Needs upkeep on every second or third use
• Small capacity
• Not feasible to use only this machine for the whole house

On the carpets – Dyson Ball Animal 2 Upright

This is our third Dyson. The first experience you can read about HERE. It was the large canister style machine. The second was the DC42 upright which I chose because I felt the first was too big and heavy to lug around and use well on stairs. The DC42 was nice and light and easy to use, my 9 year old used it on her own without issue. I really liked it. The reason we liked it (smaller size) was also the reason it wasn’t the right model for us. We couldn’t do the whole house without emptying the canister and if we did, it would be SO packed that emptying it was difficult.

I liked it for the long pile carpet but it was just too small for our usage needs.  The DC42 worked for us for about 4 years and we were still using it even though it really needed service. I think the filters were getting clogged and it no longer provided adequate suction. Still, I believe that if I replaced the filters it would still be going strong and that’s what I like about Dysons. They really do last and they are worth investing in replacement parts instead of just buying a whole new unit. Unlike our first Dyson, this model handled multi-floor surfaces really well.

I’d like to thank Dyson for sending me our third Dyson model to review. The Ball Animal 2 upright which we are currently using now. This is the power house of vacuum cleaners. I did a little video to run you through some of the attachments that were sent as well:

It has a larger canister than the DC42 and a wider power head. It has much more power. It is the DC42’s big daddy. This vacuum cleaner has incredible suction and ability to really get every bit of dust and dirt from your carpet. You don’t doubt that the house is cleaner after you’ve vacuumed, you can see it all in the canister! Like the DC42, it has a multi-floor friendly power head meaning that you can go from hard floors to carpet without needing to change anything. It can handle all lengths and thicknesses of carpet. Also like the DC42, the handle extends to allow for cleaning smaller areas that aren’t suitable to the large power head. Generally, it’s a lot like the smaller version, just amp’d up so naturally, as we liked the smaller model – I also like this model.

Pros

• Suction. It’s got lots.
• Large capacity canister.
• Hand held power head that works!
• It’s a Dyson, so great service, great warranty

Cons

• It’s big and heavy.
• It has a lot of suction, can be harder for smaller kids to use or difficult to maneuver if you’re not in good health.

This is the 8th vacuum cleaner we’ve owned in the past 10 years which sounds absolutely insane. The Ball Animal 2 Upright is the best of the bunch but I wouldn’t say it’s the perfect vacuum. I would still like to see one that’s a bit lighter without sacrificing power BUT we can’t skimp on power in this house so I’m confident that we have the best machine for our needs. We need to go with the big daddy version over the lighter weight ones just to handle the pet fur. Maybe you do too. At any rate, you can’t go wrong with Dyson’s warranty and customer service and that’s why I continue to buy these machines and why I chose to write yet another vacuum review to share with you. You know I love to focus on value and I believe there is great value in a Dyson. Also, as I have been writing this post and reviewing our past experiences, it’s clear that Dyson machines continue to improve from one generation to the next.

Dyson VS Roomba Bottom Line:

Right now our home is managed well with the Roomba and the Dyson Ball Animal 2 with the Dirt Devil on the side. They are worth it! I could get rid of the Dirt Devil – we don’t reach for it often, but I’ve kept it for using in the car as a hand held, or for a quick clean up of dust on the stairs. Should you shell out for a Dyson? If you have a large home with pets, you betcha. It’s a quality bagless that is worth the investment and will last you a long time. If you have a smaller home, no pets and short pile carpet then maybe a smaller one like the DC42 or a robot vacuum is all you need? Dyson also has a robot option but I’ve not tried that one out. If you have, please let me know your thoughts!

If you decide to buy a Dyson while they’re on such a great deal on Amazon, it would be awesome if you used my affiliate link – http://amzn.to/2ninIMH I’ll get a little commission which helps me keep this site running. Thank you!

** the Dyson Ball Animal 2 and the Dirt Devil were provided for the purposes of conducing a review. All other machines were purchased out of our own pocket unless otherwise indicated. Opinions remain my own, as always.

** since writing this post we have stopped using the Dirt Devil and have passed it along.