Wow, I've had my Dyson for 5 years and no problems like that at all. Mine picks up great on the hardwood, marmoleum and area carpets. I'm wondering if you've got a dud?

I don't have pergo, commerical carpet or the low reach attachment so I can't comment. I can't use the Dyson on thin throw rugs. It kind of sucks them up and makes a lot of noise. I use it on heavier rugs and it seems to work as well as it does on carpet. I also use it on tile and I've been pleased with it.

As far as the wand goes, I find it can be awkward to use at times so I think you'll just have to decide for yourself whether its limitations are a big deal for you.

You might want to try calling Dyson and asking them your questions. I called them twice and they were the most responsive, helpful customer service center I've ever called. They completely resolved my questions and spent along time on the phone with me while I adjusted my vacuum.

I appreciate your comments. I am trying to look at the most frequent application first, then the uses like blind cleaning that is not so frequent. I have 1/3 carpet (bedrooms and hall) 1/3 pergo, and commercial type carpeting in my art studio and computer room.

I took a throw rug into store when trying vacuums. Covered with dirt and dog hair. If I am going to spend 400 or more on a vac I want to know it works before I leave the store. The dyson cleans very well. I am not displeased with that.

Hmm? adjusted your vacuum or did you mean got adjusted to your vacuum?

A couple of years ago we got new carpet that was more "plush"/shaggier" than our old carpet. The vacuum cleaner was very hard to push on the new carpet. I called and they had me remove a gasket from around the bottom of the vacuum.
After removing the gasket the vacuum pushes easily and still cleans very well. I also called one time about a noise the vacuum was making. They resolved the issue but I don't remember the details.

Those were the only issues I've had with it. (I've had the Dyson for about 5 years.)

$400 is alot. Thats what I paid. I can't say whether you'll find it money well spent. I have a two indoor cats and a dog that sheds alot and spends most of its time indoors. I really had no choice but to buy a vacuum that could deal with this constant mess. I use it almost everyday. If you don't have this kind of issue to deal with a less expensive vacuum may work out for you.

On smaller throw rugs that mine wants to suck up I use the soft brush attachment on the wand, it gets them clean. I have the low reach attachment and use it maybe every third time I vacuum to get under the sofas and entertainment center, occasionally I'll swipe down the length of my curtain panels with it, the rest of the time I use it set on the bare floor setting.

I have the small Dyson slim and I like it for straight vacuuming but find it very awkward for using attachments. (I payed $400 three years ago and now it sells for $249!)

My Mom has the large one and I find it VERY awkward and heavy to maneuver around furniture, and even worse for using attachments. I much much more prefer the small Dyson. It does a very good job of sucking up dirt!!
I don't use it much for attachments, but when I do, I don't have to remove any cord to pull the wand out, like I do on Mom's. Mostly I attach the attachments to the hose, because the wand is very awkward and in my opinion almost useless.

When I need to use attachments, I get my Miele out! (the perfect vacuum)

I could not imagine trying to clean blinds with either my Mom's Dyson, nor my slim. (especially after using a Miele) None of them are user friendly when it comes to attachments.

I just got the Slim because I wanted something on my main floor that would easily go from carpet to hard flooring with no hassle. I hate carrying vacuums up and down stairs, so I have one on both levels of my home.

Here is an interesting review and video on the Dyson-14:
http://www.amazon.com/review/R22MU8EWRHRU12/ref=cm_cr_pr_viewpnt#R22MU8EWRHRU12

I'm with you on attachment frustration. I have a Dyson DC 14 and HATE the hose and attachment wand. The hose wants to keep closing up and the wand is way too long - making it hard to work with - especially with a hose that isn't supple. I ended up buying an over-the-shoulder vac just for vacuuming my blinds and over-stuffed furniture. Of course, that one doesn't have the power I'm looking for.

I also have an oriental-style carpet in my entry that I cannot push the Dyson over in a forward motion at any setting. I have to drag it backwards to move it at all, and even that is difficult. I can't figure out what the problem is. I have other similar carpets that I don't have that problem with.

Anyone familiar with the Morse vacuum? I saw this video and like the materials that make the vacuum - not cheap plastic. I also liked the self-adjusting floor to carpet.

"In this video we compare the Dyson, Oreck, and Hoover Windtunnel to the Morse vacuum cleaner. Located in Modesto California fix sell repair allbrands"

Here is a link that might be useful: comparison video

after posting the above, I googled Morse vacuums and could not find any more info on it. I also checked the BBB and found the CA company selling the Morse had 5 unresolved complaints against it.

Thanks for all your comments! I am returning the dyson, but still am on the outlook for a vacuum that goes from floor to carpet, self-leveling. Otherwise, I am forced to buy 2 vacuums, one for hard floor and commercial type carpet and one for the regular carpeting.

When the Dyson has something that gets caught in the brushroll or the cleaning head "sticks" to carpeting, you will hear a loud ratcheting noise. That is the brushroll-belt safety. It protects the motor and belt from becoming damaged.

If you vacuum a rug in the "floor" mode, you are not going to get the hair on the rug. You are just going to get the lighter dust. Just try an experiment where you first vacuum with the brushroll turned off-"floors". Vacuum the rug like this, then empty the dirt. Next, turn the selector to "rug" and vacuum the carpet again. You should notice a larger amount of dirt and hair in the bin compared to the previous amount collected.

The low reach tool is a rug/floor attachment, that can be used to vacuum floors, under beds and small throw rugs.

You have to be careful when listening to a vacuum salesman. Some are going to highly praise their vacuum brand over other brands. An honest expert will tell you about any brand, even if he/she does not sell it in the store.

Some of the things this salesman is saying are exaggerations. First, let me say that the Dyson is not the greatest vacuum in the world, but I know that you do not have to replace the filters every few months. the pre-motor filter just needs to be rinsed, in water, to be used again.

The belt replacement can be expensive. The belt is made to last a long time. The problem is that the average person will find the belt replacement more difficult than other vacuum cleaners. Because of the design of the brushroll and clutch, it is always easiest to replace the clutch along with the belts. That is why this salesman mentioned the high cost of belt replacement. It is not mandatory to replace the belts and clutch, but just wise.

The Morse vacuum cleaner is made by a company in Taiwan. You can find the vacuum under the Cirrus brand and Dust Care Evolution Prestige. These are good upright vacuum cleaners, with alot of good features. They do clean well.

Tacony uses this same style of uprights in two of their series of uprights from Riccar and Simplicity, but they have made some changes to the design. They also assemble their uprights themselves, in the USA.

Panasonic uses this design also on some of their vacuum cleaners. They also make some of their uprights for Kenmore like the Intuition uprights.

Here is a link that might be useful: Dustcare Evolution Prestige

Thanks GE Guy.

I would like the dyson IF I had mostly carpeted flooring. My carpet is mostly bedroom and less traffic, although the dyson did a great job. Getting the small turbo head for the wand to clean around furniture that can't be moved like dressers and beds, would greatly help there.

2/3's or about 1500 sq ft of my home is either pergo or commercial carpet. I need a vac that will clean these floors as well as surrounding areas (bookcases, corners of rooms, etc). The low comm carpet was put in for my mom's wheelchair use and the area now is used as art studio. I really need something that can move around freely to get in and out of areas.

I looked at the Simplicity vacs and have located a dealer in about an hour's drive.

BTW, I am replacing my upright Electrolux Discovery II, which I have had for over 20 years. Ironically the motor still works fine, it was the casing that broke, right where it held a wheel. I used hepa-type bags in it. I liked the low styling, easily moveable from floor to carpet and with a single switch on the handle to turn on brush for carpet.

Calirose;

I know of the Electrolux Discovery II you have. It is actually still available, with slight modifications.

Electrolux USA made a foolish decision to sell their name back to the original AB Electrolux of Sweden. Electrolux USA became Aerus. Next, Aerua decided to save some money and let many of their workforce go. They contracted with Eureka, owned by AB Electrolux, to make the now Aerus floorcare. Aerus calls their present upright the Lux Guardian. You can find it at the link below.
http://www.aerusvacuums.com/luxguardianupright/

When Eureka started making the Aerus vacuum cleaners, Eureka's vac shop only brand Sanitaire came out with Aerus' upright under the Sanitaire nameplate. It was the Sanitaire Dual Motor upright SC6600. There were other models also under their Sanitaire residential (blue)line and their black line. This design has been discontinued and replaced with a new design called Duralux, but the SC6600 may still be available at some vac shops as old stock.

Electrolux USA also helped another company develop uprights. This company is called Proteam. Click on the link below for info.

The remaining Sanitaire, as well as Proteam, will cost alot less than the now Aerus Lux Guardian upright.

Have you considered a canister vacuum cleaner with a power nozzle for carpeting? This would work well for a home with alot of floors like yours. I like the maneuverability of a canister's floor brush compared to an upright on floors.

Here is a link that might be useful: Proteam Proforce Uprights

Actually I wanted a canister. Hubby wants the upright. And he does vacuum the floors; I usually do the other uses. We only have 3 options locally to shop: WM, Lowes and a Sears/appliance store. That leaves going out of town or ordering on line. I had hoped to buy locally (support your local shops)also, returns are easier. A local vacuum dealer fell with the economy.

I thought the sales people at Sears were going to have a heart attack when I brought in my area rug with dirt and dog hair to test their vacs. Evidently they don't believe in demo vacs. While at Lowes, the people were gracious and before our asking were telling us where we could plug in.

I will definitely check out the link. Thank You!

geguymw, you seem very knowledgeable about vacuum cleaners so let me ask you this--in your opinion, what is the best vacuum cleaner in the world? This is a sincere question and not meant to be sarcastic in any way. Also, I understand that different people have different needs for their vacuum so this question is meant as a generality--assuming you have both hard and soft floor surfaces and use your attachments.

From my experience in selling and repairing vacuums I believe the Miele Callisto is the Best vacuum made today.

I cannot say that there is a "best" vacuum cleaner, because there is not one. People can say that they think Miele is the best, because they sell it or they just like it. It does not mean that it is the best. The same goes for Dyson, Aerus, Panasonic, Kirby, Rainbow, etc. Every brand will have positives and negatives. The same is true in other product markets. Some say Honda is the best, while others will say Toyota is the best.

Pauline, for your situation, it would probably be better to use a canister with a power nozzle. You could use a floor brush when vacuuming the floors. They will have attachments for above the floor cleaning. I do not care for many of the attachments on vacuum cleaners today, because they are small and harder to use. Simplicity and Riccar canisters have small attachments like upholstery and dusting brush, but they solved that issue by including a full sized combination upholstery and dusting brush tool. The dusting brush uses big, bushy natural hair bristles.

Look for a vacuum cleaner that will last for many years. You may pay more, but you will not have to purchase a new one every few years. Some brands like Kirby, Tristar, Filter Queen, etc. do not change their designs often like Hoover and Eureka, so their parts are going to be more readily available many years after your purchase. Brands such as Bissell and Eureka change their designs every few years, so you are in trouble if you need a part. With the more durable brands, when the vacuum breaks down, you take it to the vac shop for repair. You do not throw it in the trash. That is why you may see relatives who still have their Kirby or Electrolux after 15 or 20 years. If your vacuum is maintained, you should have no problem with a vacuum cleaner "not cleaning like it did when I first purchased it".

If you are looking for a good quality canister vacuum cleaner, look to brands like Simplicity, Riccar, Miele, Sebo, Air Tec,etc, for canisters. There are more brands. I would like to mention more brands, but they are sold door-to-door. I have nothing against the vacuum, but the way it is sold. The price of the vacuum is too high. If you wanted something like a Filter Queen or Tristar, I suggest that you look to your local vac shop, or ebay, for a used or rebuilt one.

If you do not have alot of money to spend, there are some average brands like Panasonic, that would give you good reliability and performance.

Something else to consider before purchase is to take your time looking. Decide what features you think you would prefer, but make sure there is such a feature. Also look at the cost of supplies such as bags, filters and belts. You might want to pick a part on the vacuum cleaner like the wands or electric cord, and find out how much it cost to purchase it. There is a price difference for some brands like Kenmore and Hoover canisters. Some of the top of the line Kenmore electrified telescopic wands can cost about the same as a Miele telescopic wand.

Look at where you have to take it to be serviced. Do you have to ship it. In this day and age, finding bags, belts and filters is not such a hard thing, because we have the internet. You can have bags delivered right to you door.

If you are not sure about a particular brand and model, always take it for a test drive. Get a feel for it when pushing and pulling it. Carry the vacuum around.

geguy, that is wonderful information (especially the section about design change and replacement parts) and I sincerely appreciate your input. I'm not looking to purchase a vacuum right now, but was really interested in your opinion on what to look for. I currently own an older Riccar upright and a Dyson Animal upright. Personally, I prefer the Riccar for a number of reasons--it is easy for me to service (change belts, remove brush, etc.), it has disposable paper bags (I've never understood the appeal of using one's hands to dislodge dirt clumps from a bagless cleaner), it's not too heavy for me to take up and down the stairs, and the attachment hose is flexible. Both vacuums have good cord length. However, unless I use the floor attachment, the Riccar doesn't do as well on tile floors as the Dyson. I have never used a canister. I think I was concerned that they wouldn't have the ability to work well on thick carpet. Apparently, this is not the case. Thanks again for your very informative response.

I would like to add that I have owned a TriStar for years. I have found that it works well on all surfaces. I have one with the mini power head attachment. My only complaint is the availability of bags but I order off ebay in larger quantities and save money there.
I have never had to replace a belt on the powerhead or had to have it serviced in the 10 years I have owned it.

"My only complaint is the availability of bags but I order off ebay in larger quantities and save money there."

These bags are very easy to come by, since this vacuum design has been made for over 60 years. First as Compact, then later called Tristar. Some vac shops may not have the genuine bags, but they will have generic. You could even use bags for Air Storm/Patriot. You would have to round the two edges of the bag collar, because these bags have a "D" collar, whereas the Compact/Tristar have an "O" shaped collar.

So you should have no problem finding bags for your Tristar.