Behold the Dyson DC31 — the Ferrari of handheld vacuums? Will this bad boy help keep our Airstream clean?
One thing’s for sure: even the cleanest freakiest CLEAN FREAK struggles when attempting to keep an RV spotless. It’s just a fact of life: your rig’s interior is constantly bombarded by outside debris. The typical RVer goes back-and-forth between outdoors and indoors multiple times a day.
Oh, we try to keep things clean. When we camp, we usually leave our shoes by the door to minimize the influx of dirt. But there are times (when we’re in a hurry, etc.) when this policy falls by the wayside. So, the area by our Airstream door gets the dirtiest. As we camp, the carpet is besieged by loose grass, soil, leaves, and other assorted crapola.
Then there are those of us with pets. Most pets, bless ’em, simply refuse to wear shoes.
And spills? Don’t get me started.
Enter the Dyson. It’s a handheld vac. But it’s a far cry from those weak, underpowered handheld vacuums of yore. In the old days, handheld vacuums were pitiable affairs. They just didn’t work very well. Many of those vacuums are still being sold; and they still don’t work.
The Dyson DC31 is notable first and foremost because of its design. Its engineering contains several upgrades over the old school vacuums.
***STAY TUNED FOR SEAN’S REVIEW OF THE DYSON DC31***
I’ll be interested to hear what you think. We bought one last year and it fully lived up to every dream we had for vacuumery except for one vital area – battery life. It ran for about 5 minutes per charge (if i remember correctly). I mean, it works hard during those 5 minutes, but after that, you’re out of luck for a while. Hopefully yours has more juice – or you have smaller messes than we do 🙂
-deke
http://www.weaselmouth.com
Thanks Deke! As of this writing I’m still putting the Dyson through its paces. But one thing I’ve noticed about this model is that it offers TWO power settings. The most powerful setting delivers max suction with 6 minutes of battery life; but there’s also a new less powerful setting that is still effective, yet delivers 10 minutes of battery life.
My understanding is that the DC31 is a second generation product, a “sequel” to the DC16 model of last year. I think they’ve tweaked the design a bit in response to customer feedback.
Cheers,
Sean
Nothing like unboxing a new toy. We love our home Dyson Vac but a Dustbuster bought at Super Wally World this summer seems to work pretty well at a fraction of the price and seems to bring my wife much glee as long as Lucy the dog and I stay out of her way.
space age technology… why heck you can use it on a intruder… if it has a intruder alert… scare the heck out of ’em by saying you built the proto type yourself and its a disinagrator if they are not careful… that should make ’em quake in their boots…
With the optional laser attachment.. why you might even use it next holl-o-ween with your darth vader suite… but, then again.. where does the water go ???
I can think of other uses for it besides picking up the dirt if it has the liquid capacity… 😀
No doubt a toy that you could not live without… Mr. hoover has a nice small… 2 hp vac that works just great.. and it sold for 29.95… found some at swap meets for less than 10 bux… such a deal to clean up with…
Scott, recently I have caught myself watching “unboxing” videos on YouTube. (Anyone with a case of “new camera fever” can probably relate.) There’s something compelling about seeing EXACTLY what’s inside the box. And yes, opening a new toy is always fun.
I have tried several different vacuum brands. At home we have a couple of Oreck vacuums. They are on the opposite end of the design spectrum as Dyson. Oreck are totally minimalist and old school, but they work well. Also, Oreck are made in America, something I appreciate.
This is our first Dyson. I’ll do a full write-up and video in a few days, but so far I am impressed with the design and performance. It’s reasonably small, lightweight, & powerful. So far, so good…
LOL GMAs, yes it does look a little (okay, a LOT) like something Buck Rogers might wield in a sci fi movie.
I don’t think you can use it to suction water. At least, I ain’t gonna try it with MINE… 😉
With regard to Hoover, we have a Hoover vacuum at home. Every time I use it, I think to myself, “Nothing SUCKS like a Hoover.” 😉 It’s a Hoover that I bought in the 1990s, and it’s composed of 99% cheap plastic. It has been so lousy that we eventually admitted defeat and bought the Oreck.
I think Hoover once made quality products, so buying an old one at a garage sale probably makes good sense.
Yes, the Dyson is made of plasti… err, I mean “polycarbonate,” but it seems to be rugged and of high quality. The Hoover would literally fall apart with normal use…the plastic handle would break apart from the body. (This once happened in front of an ex-girlfriend, much to her great amusement.)
Anyway, so far I’m digging the Dyson. A space capsule like an Airstream needs a dirt-sucking ray gun, and this is it! 😀
You remind me of Cliff Huxtable from the Cosby Show! He was addicted to new appliances. If you get a chance google “The Juicer” episode. My father is the same way. My mom complains that it looks like they used to own an appliance store!
Ginny,
My biggest indulgence is technology. Nothing makes me feel like a kid on Christmas like a new tech toy (usually camera or computer related!). I once suffered pangs of guilt when buying tech, but eventually decided it’s cheaper and healthier than a lot of other addictions.
I will check out the “Juicer” episode – LOL What I remember best about Cliff Huxtable is his taste in colorful sweaters. 🙂
Ah man that thing sucks!
Yeah, I thought about opening my review with the line: “This vaccuum sucks! And that’s a complement.”
I’ve used the Dyson for over a week now and really like it. More to come…
OMG! This cracked me up!!
I love your “space age Airstream needs dirt-sucking ray gun!” Why yes…yes it does!
I have a Dyson Animal Ball. I know, I know….what is a girl on disability doing with a $700 vacuum??? Well, this girl also has 4 dogs – one of which is her wonderful Service Dog, Duke…who is a Golden Retriever. Enough said!
It’s the best purchase I have ever made in my life. Hands down! I bought it from Aarons Rent-to-Own thing…yes, I paid too much for it! But it was the only way I was going to own that $700 vacuum (paying for it monthly, with mucho interest tacked on for Aarons!) But, I did get a brand new one…pulling it out of the box myself, much like you just did! Except I had many more attachments and gadgets! All just as “sci-fi” looking though 🙂
And now that I have had it, for 3+ years, I don’t regret it for a second!
But now…seeing this…I want one of YOUR Dysons, too! That looks really handy for quick dog stuff. Not having to pull out the “Big Dog” so to speak! (ok, that was awful!)
If you haven’t been able to use it much yet…since you haven’t done many trips since you got it, right…and you are thinking that it might not be everything you hoped? STOP!
Because it will be. I PROMISE!
So far we are loving the Dyson! I will get to work on that review soon. But suffice to say that our impressions of the unit are very positive.
And by the way, I recommend that you stay away from rent-to-own places. It’s better to save up and pay cash! With the money you save by paying cash, you have more cash for buying more cool stuff… 😉
I love how you pop up every so often to the bottom right of the screen – how do you do that??? (Actually, I don’t really want to know, so please don’t try to explain – I just think it is COOL).
OK, I don’t always understand technology but I sure do appreciate this kind of tech – I actually sold major appliances at Circuit City back in the day and LOVE that you posted on a Dyson : )
Paul is the organized one in this family; and I amdefinitely the clean-freak ….
Valynne, as Indiana Jones once said, I’m like a bad penny… you never know where I’ll turn up. (And yes, I always thought that was a pretty cheesy line.) Actually it’s just a little video editing magic, nothing too fancy.
The Dyson has worked out very well. I really need to post the review! Stay tuned, and I’ll see if I can update this page with more detailed comments. But suffice to say that the Dyson will now be camping with us wherever we go. We’re impressed with it.