Test Driving the New Dyson Cordless Vacuum: At Last a Handheld Perfect for Pethair or Your Car!

Since I have two Siamese cats who deem it their job to roll over and deposit cat hair all over my chocolate velvet couches every day, I have long been interested in a powerful handheld vacuum which is not too heavy but is truly powerful. I confess that while the turbo brush on my Sebo C2 vacuum works wonders, it does necessitate taking out a full sized vacuum which is not my favorite thing to do. So that being said I was eager to try the new Dyson handheld cordless vacuum and I chose the more expensive DC16 Animal model as it had a motorized power head. Be clear you only want to spend this kind of money for a powerful handheld vacuum device when you are drowning in pet hair or your car gets dirty all the time, since this device costs more than most other handhelds, and the charge only lasts for 6-7 minutes before recharging. That being said I have seen these vacuums on TV and I really wanted to try one out – 6 minutes is as much vacuuming as I really want to do anyway!

So the first thing to say about the Dyson DC16 Animal Handheld vacuum is I consider it not attractive, but the guys will love it as it is a macho vacuum! A perfect Father’s Day gift. Considering its size, I was pleasantly surprised at how light it is, which is a big complaint of mine with any vacuum. But here comes the most important thing- if you have pet hair, this handheld vacuum is the most powerful thing I have come across, and my two chairs and couch were thoroughly cleaned in under 6 minutes – I had juice to spare which was amazing to me. In order to save on its power, it only operates when you are depressing the “on button” which I understand, but my hand got tired and was happy that the task was accomplished so quickly. I think it would make short work of dirt in my car, which I will get my share of soon as I intend to visit the nursery prior to planting my garden. It has a really huge receptacle for collecting dirt, so it is not going to get full immediately which is very convenient. So in short, I surprised myself, I like this vacuum and it gets a permanent place in my home. The Dyson DC16 Root handheld without motorhead starts at $149.

Dyson DC 16 Cordless Vacuum