Biggest Purchase of the Year: Dyson Vacuum!
Posted on May 20, 2008 23 Comments
I confess, I splurged. I bought a Dyson vacuum cleaner. I was totally reluctant at first; after all, at more than $400, it’s my most expensive purchase of the year. But after my first apartment sweep (and five canisters of horrifying gunk pulled off my floor), I absolutely love it. It’s worth every single penny. Vacuuming could very well be my new favorite sport. Which is weird for a girl who spends most of her time away from home…
The Cost (or, How I Paid for this Beast)
As you can probably guess, I didn’t pay the whole $439 by my lonesome. B and I agreed to split the purchase, which was nice since he could probably live with another $40 vacuum that doesn’t pick up anything (eh, guys). On top of his portion, I used a $50 gift card (cha-ching!). With that help, I was able to buy the Dyson outright (not on credit). PS. Love the feeling of ownership, rather than credit card debt!
At the Store
As for my purchase decision, I was between two vacuums – the Kenmore progressive, ranked #1 by Consumer Reports and priced at $375, and the Dyson Animal DC17, which received rave consumer reviews here (gracias), from my brother – an inventory manager at Best Buy – and on many Web sites, priced at $550.
I visited several retailers online, including Amazon, Best Buy and Sears to scope out pricing and reviews. I ended up at Sears, determined to buy the Kenmore model (though deep down I wanted the Dyson).
While browsing the aisle, B and I discovered the Kenmore needed new filters every ten months; we added up the cost of filters over five years and found they added an additional $210 to the price of the vacuum. That brought the total five-year cost of the Kenmore model to $585 (plus tax, of course). I was bummed, but at that point, the sales lady stepped in and told me she had a Dyson on close-out pricing… and so the magic began.
Sears had a Dyson model with attachments (the Sears-exclusive fully equipped DC-14) for $439 – it requires no additional filters or extra parts, and comes with a 5-year warranty. She demonstrated some nifty features, like the crazy long hose and ghost-busters extendo-arm, and then had me vacuum some dirt off the floor. I kid you not, at this point, I was in the center of my very own “as seen on TV” commercial. Sweet.
At that point I was sold, though still a little skeptical of how great a vacuum could really be. I mean, I already vacuum my floors every week. Would there really be that much of a difference? We packed up the cool-looking Dyson into the Eclipse and headed off into the sunset, with just a twinge of buyers’ remorse.
The Proof is in the Pudding (THIS THING ROCKS!!!!)
OK, you’re bored, I know. But I have to tell you, this vacuum is freakin’ amazing. I pulled what looked like an entire additional cat off the floor. It was like I never had vacuumed before; like there was a science project happening in my living room. Poor B was trying to study and I just kept shoving the full canister in his face shouting, “Look! Look at this gunk! Can you believe it? Can you believe we’re living in this???”
My carpets are clean, less smelly and less full of cat hair. If you are a pet owner, I would definitely recommend getting the Dyson, especially if you have frequent visitors with allergies (I do – my mom can’t visit for more than a half-hour at a time; though I’m hoping she can get in a full hour now). Sure, there are probably more pressing things to spend your money on, but if you’re living in an apartment, and your vacuum breaks and it’s the only appliance you are actually responsible for and you have the money set aside (wow, that’s a lot of “ifs”), then I would splurge.
I think it’s safe to say I’m obsessed. (You should have seen me cleaning the thing after I used it; it was like my dad cleaning, waxing and polishing a car.) If you ever want to come over and watch me vacuum, you totally can. Maybe the next time I sweep, I’ll take a picture of the full canister to share so you can share my obsession.
Until then, what new items are you randomly obsessed with? What’s the best big purchase you’ve ever made? Ever had a bad case of buyers’ remorse? Enlighten us!
Category: Life
Tags: allergies , cleaning , dyson , Spending , vacuum
Comments
23 Responses to “Biggest Purchase of the Year: Dyson Vacuum!”
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May 20th, 2008 @ 4:45 pm
I would love to see a before and an after picture.
May 20th, 2008 @ 6:26 pm
I bought a t.v. that I didn’t really need last night so I’m feeling a bit of buyer’s remorse. I got it off a neighbor who was moving out so it was pretty cheap.
I’m jealous of your vaccum though – much more practical. My vaccum sucks (or doesn’t!).
May 20th, 2008 @ 6:39 pm
I love it! It is too cool. We have one of those old timer vaccums with the bag and it is terrible. The more the bag has in it the heavier it weighs and changing the bag is a nightmare. I always end up getting dust and whatnot in the air and on the floor. Does this one have the ball on the bottom? I like that commercial where the guy demonstrates how the ball is better than the standard wheels that only move in a straight line.
My buyer’s remorse comes from the little things. Last week I went to Wal-Mart twice in one day and spent about $10 each trip on stuff I really did not need. Afterwards I felt horrible. The biggest purchase I have ever made was when I bought my car in Feb. It was the first time in the five years that I have been driving that I have a car payment.
May 20th, 2008 @ 7:22 pm
I’m super jealous! I’ve always had a secret obsession with Dysons. I definitely agree about the cheap vacuums…you get what you pay for (meaning: not much).
I don’t know if its buyers remorse, but I’ve definitely felt guilty spending large amounts of money. I spent a nice chunk of change on a jewelry set last year. I had the money though….and I LOVE the jewelry, but I just felt guilty for using my money for something so frivolous.
May 20th, 2008 @ 7:47 pm
I have to get one of those. I went with a bissel this year, and really like it, but it just recently crapped out on me – and I’m not sure why. I might just have to splurge and get the Dyson. Yikes – it’s just so expensive!
Thanks for the review!
May 20th, 2008 @ 7:55 pm
I’m SO glad that fate stepped in and you bought the Dyson instead!
I share the love you have for your new vacuum! No one can fully understand the magic until they dump their first full canister of dirt and hair.
Way to go Nicole!
May 20th, 2008 @ 8:39 pm
LOL @ this post! I was the exact same way when I got my Dyson!!!! That thing is amazing!
May 20th, 2008 @ 8:44 pm
i am trying to decide btw the dyson and a robotic vacuum cleaner!
May 20th, 2008 @ 10:35 pm
You are hilarious!
Seriously, I am delighted that you are so happy with your new purchase. High-performing tools make the difference.
Meadow
May 21st, 2008 @ 4:28 pm
How did you decide between several Dyson models. There are some cheaper models for 339 USD on amazon!!
May 21st, 2008 @ 4:32 pm
So I’m tempted to try Dyson now, are you sure Dyson did not pay you to write this??? I hate vacuuming, my vacuum is heavy and loud but it picks up good … I think
I’ve been thinking about new vacuum for a while.
May 21st, 2008 @ 4:45 pm
Nicole, you crack me up….. I am vacuum obsessed too, except I didn’t/don’t buy the expensive ones. I at one time had five vacuums in my house (a Hoover upright which I inherited from my dad, which dispersed dust from the cloth bag throughout the room); an old cannister Sears Kenmore (20 years old that I use only for the basement); a older model used Rainbow bought online (which worked great but I got really tired of obsessively cleaning and WD40ing the whole thing after every use); a super-sucker upright from Lowe’s (on which the vacuum hose was so stiff and unbendable that I got really frustrated with fighting the hose); a small Dirt Devil hand-vac (which is just too small to do anything); a cordless Black and Decker (again too wimpy to do anything except scatter dust); an old upright of some or other kind (can’t remember the brand, on which the foot lever to make it lay down or stand up had become rounded off so that every time I picked it up, the heavy bottom part that rolled on the floor flopped like a broken arm); and finally the one that I’m using, a Bissell that I got at Big Lots where the cannister detaches from the rolling upright part, so I can carry it around with the cannister part and vacuum bare floors or snap it back into the rolling upright part to vacuum carpets. I like the Bissell best of all, and it was basically a cheapie too. I totally understand the vacuuming obsession, and if I wasn’t so cheap, I’d probably have a Dyson too! Thanks for sharing! I think it’s a way of being luxurious with yourself to give yourself nice tools you really enjoy using to do jobs you probably don’t like doing that well.
May 21st, 2008 @ 4:48 pm
Obviously, I can’t count; I should have said that I had eight vacuums………
May 21st, 2008 @ 6:56 pm
Toldja! Glad you love it as much as me!
May 22nd, 2008 @ 8:26 am
My wife loves her Dyson as well. WE have the DC 07 and it picks up so much more than our old Hoover. Too bad you didn’t get to take advantage of the deal Kohls.com was offering last weekend.. (30% and 15% off, wif free shipping), people were buying the Dysons right and left.
May 22nd, 2008 @ 11:47 am
Dyson’s rock. I don’t blame you for splurging. We’ve had one for 3 years. They even fixed it for free last year. Great product, great company!
May 23rd, 2008 @ 2:05 pm
You can’t say enough about companies that truly stands behind their products, and in many cases an expensive item can lead to quickly paying for itself over time. Sometimes, as in Dyson’s case, the additional cost can almost be viewed as reliability insurance!
Jerry
http://www.leads4insurance.com
May 23rd, 2008 @ 4:25 pm
Nicole, I think you missed the part in Consumer Reports were they talked about Dyson and poor reliability and poor customer service. The Kenmore Progressive is a much beter vac. I got mine at a Sears outlet for a dractic sale price. Dyson spends a lot of money on slick advertizing and I think they have sucked several of you in.
May 24th, 2008 @ 9:03 am
I so want a Dyson!!!!
May 26th, 2008 @ 4:58 pm
It’s quite alarming just how much gunk remains on your floor after it has been vacuumed – especially in carpets! Enjoy your new toy!
June 8th, 2008 @ 6:40 pm
Amen! I had the exact same reaction when we used our Dyson for the first time. We were actually giddy. (And thoroughly disgusted!) I don’t think any other product has made me that excited. Though trying our new set of knives also put us in infomercial mode…
July 9th, 2009 @ 6:36 pm
Dysons are great, worth spending a little more on for sure.
May 24th, 2013 @ 2:16 pm
It’s 2013, and I am still loving my Dyson.