Dyson - V11 Series

Yes, being cordless and effective for what I need. They have HEPA filters, at least mine does. The no bag is a feature for some of us not a defect. It's all a tradeoff. For some the tradeoff for cordless, no bags, good suction, etal means we vacuum more than we otherwise would. I dont make a mess emptying it vs making a mess swapping bags - cause I overfill it. That's a me thing but it's a consistent me thing and I dont have to worry about it with the Dyson. I never would have thought I'd defend a near $1,000 cordless vacuum but I got one as a gift and will never buy anything different now.

I have the rechargeable #2 on the list Dyson stick and I LOVE IT! If you have carpeted stairs, it’s no challenge dealing with those. I live in a 2700 square foot cookie-cutter tract house. First floor is laminate with an office that has carpet. Then there’s the stairs which leads to 5 carpeted bedrooms, two tile bathrooms, a laundry room, and a walk-in carpeted closet. I can get all of that done one charge.

> Dyson make the best cordless vacuums. Good one! As a Dyson owner I wish I'd got a Shark or Miele. Dysons are average at best. 

I bought a Dyson v11 outsize 4 years ago. I love it so much. One thing I really love is how it came with two batteries. Never have I ran out of a charge.

I would never buy a Dyson if it wasn’t for Costco and their lifetime returns. We’re on our third Dyson cordless. They work well when they work, and then eventually they break. Maybe Costco gets cheap ones.

My Dyson v11 still running strong and the amount of crud it picks up is insane compared to a lot of other brands I have had in the past - Shark, Hoover etc. Miele is overhyped.

Cordless Dyson if you have hardwood floors. If our girl was ever on carpet I’d get a corded version but the run time on the cordless is sufficient and not having a cord to mess with means I actually use it

I have had good luck with Dyson and Shark brands. Both in “pet” models, I’m sorry I don’t know more specific models. I personally don’t notice much of a difference in the performance so I stick with Shark since it’s cheaper and in my opinion the hose and attachments are easier to use.

same here for the Shark Plug in model. the amount of dog hair / ETC it can get out of the carpet vs the Dyson Cordless cannot be compared. For purely hard wood / laminate (or very little rug or carpet) Dyson cordless stick vac is IMO is plenty. Good enough run time, and not heavy or unwieldy.

Literally buy it for life. Sweeping is an everyday job and with the Dyson, we vac the hard floor everyday for a few mins and get on with life. Worth the $2xx after rewards.

AMAZON. Buy the DYSON stick/handheld combo v11. It's expensive but you will love it and it will last you forever. Yes - it's twice what you want to pay - but you get what you pay for. AMAZON you can do payment plan so it can be like $26.66 for X months or whatever and the best part is - you can buy replacement parts for under $40ish dollars. I have replaced battery, brush attachment, stick attachment, etc. - they are amazing. I don't mean to be too much of a nerd - but it's designed so well, it's a joy to vacuum 2x daily (concrete floors/live at the beach with a long-haired GSD, I vacuum constantly). I know the cost is a factor and it's a lot - but think of how many Shark/Hoover/Generic you will buy in 6ish years (I have had mine for 5). I already told my Mom and Sisters - 'this will break and I will perseverate on whether or not to spend the $$ - remind me of this convo and tell me to shut-up and just get it.' I literally LOVE my vacuum. Do the payment plan. You will love it - it's a dream/works so well. I am shocked (kinda disgusted at times!) at how much it picks up. (Also - it has no bags/you just pull a lever and it dumps the canister.)

I have a Dyson stick vacuum and I love it

Whoever has those Dysons clearly doesn’t have multiple long-haired, double coated pets running around. I had the stick and the ball versions and both barely lasted a year

The sharks are half the price at least and have nearly equal weight profiles as Dyson. Dyson warranties on cordless are just as garbage as everyone else's. Really need to talk to vacuum specialists that take care of vacuums and do maintenance for years. Not reddit consumers who never clean the filters, brushes, or tracks not to mention reviewing vacuums that have only been around for a few years

I've had my cordless Dyson for 5 years now. I can never go back. You just need to make sure you take it apart and thoroughly clean it every 6-8 months depending on use. The ease of vacuuming with it makes me despise cord vacuums. I can never go back. Imagine trying to water your plants around your entire house with a hose versus a squirt gun that put out like a hose.

I’m sorry, the cordless Dyson isn’t that great for carpet/rugs so I wouldn’t rank it that high. The attachments are excellent for their specific uses like couch/mattress, the nozzle for corners but I have the old school Dyson Ball vacuum cleaner and it’s sooo much better for rugs. Vacuum’s with cords for the win!

We have a Dyson Animal, works great!

I had a Dyson "stick" type vacuum. It didn't last nearly as long as the price tag suggested it should. The out of warranty repair cost was 75% of what a new one would cost so I chucked it. I replaced it with a **Hoover ONE PWR** at half the price of the Dyson. I've had it longer than I had the Dyson and it's still working great. It comes with 2 batteries so one lives on the charger, the other on the vacuum. Means I've always got a full charge. The Dyson battery was internal so you can't swap out a battery if it dies on you. I would avoid anything that's not a brand name. Before the Dyson there was a generic Amazon no-name special vacuum that I used once, packed it back up in the box, and sent it back. Absolute junk. Bad suction. Just bad all around. Some of them may be fine but I don't trust the Amazon reviews on the no-name ones. They have a "Fieety" brand stick vacuum for $159 with nearly 1000 reviews averaging 4.6 stars. Is it good? You'd think so. But I still wouldn't take a chance on it. Ironically, the vacuum I bought and have had nothing but good luck with has a very low rating on Amazon (only 3 reviews though), but it doesn't matter as it's no longer available since it's such an old model.

I just took my cordless Dyson to the dump. Maintenance nightmare.

I love my Miele. I’ve only had it about 8 years, but my parents has lasted over 25 years at this point. I also have two Dyson sticks and they work great

I work in shops, and Dyson cordless vacuums are revered. Need to vacuum up sawdust and aluminum chips and plastic shavings and metal filings? The Dyson will do it. Sharks and similar seem to break in a month or two. The power tool branded vacs are tougher but don’t work as well. The only downside is the batteries, but you can buy a DeWalt or Milwaukee adapter and never worry about it again.

Dyson V11 cordless - long haired GSD tested

V11 and later versions of their cordless perform ok for thick carpets. You have to open the front gates to relieve pressure. If you have a lot of carpet, you have to learn to stop cleaning your entire home in one go. If you really want a Dyson, I would personally only get the Ball Animal 3 for your thick carpets. It also works really well for hard floors. You should watch Vacuum War's review on it to see if it fits your needs. DO NOT get any other version of Dyson uprights, they are horrible and only work on very specific types of carpets. Otherwise, a Sebo upright is my next recommendation if you don't mind bagged.

This is interesting. I have either a Dyson v10 or v11, I can’t remember at the moment, and I hate it. I was hoping something other than a Dyson would be at the top. I don’t follow vacuums, so I wonder, is the v15 at the top just too new for people to hate it? It seems like the dysons all go in numerical order, so I wonder if people like them new, but are less satisfied as time goes on? Maybe that’s the case with every vacuum. It’s a cool list that I’ve saved so I can dive into it a bit more later- to replace my previous mentioned Dyson.

I’ll check it out. I really like the form factor of the Dyson- easy to use on stairs or in the car if I need to, but it literally just doesn’t pick up my dogs hair. That’s all I want- a vacuum that can get the corgi hair and can also be used on the couches and stairs, because more corgi hair.

I doesn’t suck up my dogs hair. At all. I bought the animal version and I can just run over dog fur over and over and it doesn’t pick it up. Even with a brand new battery, there just isn’t enough time to finish vacuuming. I pretty much have to keep it on boost and I barely have enough time to vacuum out our couches, let alone a rug. It also clogs constantly. The actual design is terrible for pet fur. The canister where the dust and debris goes has a tunnel of sorts it spins into and then it comes out of a small square hole no bigger than an inch wide. I have to dig my finger in there to pry out corgi fur several times when I use it. Which again, is no longer than 15 minutes. It makes this irritating on and off suction noise when it clogs and I hear it so often that I’m pretty sure it haunting my dreams. Also, this hasn’t been a thing for me, but it seems like a huge issue design wise- my best friend mounted her Dyson charger, as one would assume was the best way to do it- it came with a mounting kit. They hang it up after every use and let it sit there on the charger. Their battery got so bad they’d get less than 3 minutes of vacuuming towards the end of the first year. When they called Dyson, they told them that it was because it was constantly charging and that wears the battery out faster. So if you mount the charger, you apparently aren’t supposed to hang the Dyson on it unless it needs a charge. Why they couldn’t put some tech in their charger to alleviate this, I don’t know. I think this is why some people complain about the batteries dying quick and some don’t- my battery lasts close to as long as it always did several years on because I don’t hang it up to charge and only charge it when it dies. TLDR: pausing every 2 minutes to clear a clog while vacuuming and then having to sit and wait for a half hour for the thing to charge and finish your vacuuming is for the birds.

My friend had the same experience. They mounted the charger on the wall and the battery died fast. They called Dyson and they told them not to let it charge all the time and that’s why it went bad. My Dyson is probably 6 or 7 years old and I only charge it when it dies and the battery life is almost the same. It just doesn’t work very well for my needs.

My Miele corded vacuum has lasted for over almost 15 years. Some of the attachments look worn down, but they still work very well. I also have a Roomba and a Dyson cordless vacuum, but I don’t feel like it’s a fair comparison, since battery packs degrade over time. I’ve had to replace the battery pack for the Dyson, and my Roomba seems like it runs out of juice noticeably faster than before.

Our Dyson animal is awesome, it’s easy to maintain and has crazy strong suction

Animal Dyson every fortnight and a roborock every single day. Serves us well. I wouldn’t buy a Dyson again though. Bissell next time - half the price, twice the innovation. Though they are American…

I inherited my grandmother’s 30+ year-old Kirby that was still going strong when I got an injury that prevented me from being able to lift it. Then I bought a Dyson DC07 (circa 2001-ish) and had it until 2017 when Hurricane Harvey flooded and ruined all of my household goods being stored (military) in TX. I now have the V11, and while it does a decent job, I won’t buy another cordless stick vacuum. The battery quite literally sucks. I’d get another corded Dyson in a heartbeat.

My Miele is 15 years old , has some paint scratches but works fine otherwise. This is the main vacuum. I also have Dyson cordless stick and that thing already on replaced bin ( original cracked) and third party batteries. As much as stick convenient in area without available outlets I don’t like that thing. Third thing I use almost daily is robot vacuum. I have pets and it makes life easier.

FWIW, I have the cordless Dyson V11 and one of those el cheapo cordless on Amazon for $100 something and it works just fine as the Dyson. I bought a couple spare batteries for both and that’s good enough for me.

I have a Dyson upright pet because everyone else in my family does and we all love it. No one's had a single problem, and it sucks the everliving hell out of pet hair-filled carpets. Think the first one of us to get it has had it 10 years, some almost as long. Mine's a refurb I got 5 years ago and it's not going anywhere anytime soon.

> The anti-Dyson sentiment in places like a vacuum sub always feels like sock puppets shooting them down to promote their own brand or people just being opposed to what is popular. This and "enthusiests" in any given segment will be willing to give up convenience and performance. They always miss the entire point of a dyson, which is completely convenience. I don't want to lug around a bagged vacuum, I don't want to have to plug it in, dyson retains the build & performance but makes it cordless and quiet.

Again, anecdotal but I’ll never buy Dyson again for the simple reason of customer support. Bought an outsize and it worked great…for a month. Dyson support was literally “ask Amazon Alexa”. My shark may not be as strong, but an online quick chat is better support than Dyson and at a quarter of the price.

We have a Miele, a Dyson stick vac, and a shark robo vac. We use them for different purposes, but all have their place in our house. Miele came first though almost 10 years ago and it’s never had any issues.

I have a cat and she sheds a lot! 😹 I used to have a Dyson but I hate to hold pressing the power button all the time. I love my LG.

Miele C3 for life gang! I previously had a Dyson Animal for almost a decade and the improvement was shocking to me. Of course, there had likely been enhancements to the DAs in the meantime.

I love my Dyson stick vacuum. I stand by Dyson as my brand of choice for vacuums

I really wanted to love the Dyson cordless vacuums, but I couldn’t get over having to press the button down the entire time vacuuming. Plus, the stick vacuums are a bit top heavy as well so it just felt super awkward to maneuver. It could just be because my hands are super hypermobile and so it’s ridiculously uncomfortable. I’m researching other cordless/stick brands.

The laser head is so fun to use. We have 2 cordless Dysons and they get regular use with our 2 dogs and 7 cats. No complaints whatsoever. Had the V11 for a while now and the laser one is more recent. I think some people don’t realize the vacuums themselves need cleaning once in a while - like rinsing off the filter and taking the rollers off to clean them.

The laser head is so fun to use. We have 2 cordless Dysons and they get regular use with our 2 dogs and 7 cats. No complaints whatsoever. Had the V11 for a while now and the laser one is more recent. I think some people don’t realize the vacuums themselves need cleaning once in a while - like rinsing off the filter and taking the rollers off to clean them.

The Dyson V11 has done our family great the past few years!

Dyson Animal stick vacuum. Husband took over the vacuuming in retirement, and he loves it more than my Dyson upright with all the tools. Has replaced the rechargeable battery, said it was just pop in, easy. Note: animal and people hair can twist around the beater bar, so watch that and keep it clean. Take the whole thing out of the head. Get the hair hidden in the gaskets. [ I only say thus because I assist at a senior center thrift shop, and someone was donating it. I pointed out that the filter and head needed cleaning and it would work. Thank the goddesses that he challenged me. I told him I would fix it for $25 donation to the center. He went for it. I had it running in 5 minutes. Don't throw away vacuums until you have cleaned it! ]

I bought a Dyson cordless vacuum in 2018, so far no issues but then again it’s only been going on 7 years. But I’ve been spoiled by cordless vacuuming, especially since my house was built in the 20s and has few options for outlets.

I have a Dyson V11 and vacuum up cat litter with it every day no issues!

I love my Rainbow vacuum and my purple pet dyson.

The purple Dyson for pets. We love it and have used it for 4 years now. We have had 3 Rottweilers, 2 Shimas, and 1 Golden, as well as 2 medium hair cats.

That may be true on the whole, but I had a wheel break off of my V11 and they sent me a new cleaner head no issues. Apparently it was a common problem because I saw a lot of others post about it. Seems like they re-engineered the point of failure on the head as well.

I spent the money on a Dyson 🫣🔥

I think I have the V11 which was around the $300 price range & was the best for animal hair at the time. I would do a little research on each model to see what works best, but honestly I’m sure whatever the latest model is will be the best one. I love all the attachments it comes with & GOD the amount of hair it picks up<3 i had two cheaper vacuums break down on me within a year because of how often I would need to use it. I spent the money & have no regrets because now I only need to vacuum once a day (I have 2 heelers & 3 cats) & spend half the time I would with a typical vacuum. Also, they have an attachment you can use on dogs with thick coats. I personally don’t have one, but I’m sure it works well for grooming purposes.

There’s no single vac that does it all except for maybe a super heavy super expensive traditional canister like a Miele. For an everyday hard floor vac (and light carpet vac) the best is Levoit on Amazon that's about $200. It's a Dyson-like machine that overcomes a lot of the longtime design issues with Dysons (such as, it can stand up by itself -- what a concept). But we also keep the Dyson around for a more aggressive carpet vac when we need it. We also have a Eureka boss -- powerful and dependable small canister vac. And a monster shop vac in the basement. Dysons are great but they're really expensive and their air filtering system is overly complicated and tends to lose efficiency. If you own a Dyson, watch all the available Youtubes on how to clean it with pressurized air so you can keep it running. Given the competition from newer manufacturers like Levoit, I think it's going to be harder for Dyson to justify selling floor vacs for close to $1000.

^This. We had a Dyson Animal and were continually having to take it apart and cut fur from the roller. Haven’t had to do nearly as much with the Miele.

Yeah battery is not the best, however it worked really well when it was new (like most things do). Our main vacuum is the Dyson animal+, that thing is a beast and has been working great for the past 7 years. Handheld gets used to clean cars or just pick up quick messes.

Yeah I had a piece crack on my cordless Dyson when I dropped it, and they sent me a replacement no problem. While I was on the phone with them, I mentioned the battery was draining pretty fast and it wasn’t sucking as well as it used to, and they sent a new battery and filter as well. Also, it was outside the warranty period, so I was pretty happy with the customer service.

Sebo. It’s the new Electrolux. I went from electrolux (40 years of service, inherited from my mom) which was amazing, to a Miele (20 years of service, inherited from step mom) to a Dyson Animal. The Dyson lasted 12 years before I got sick of it. I bought a Sebo! I’m 58 and I won’t need another vacuum before I die.

I love all the ryobi products i've purchased except for this. Bought to replace a dyson stick and it was far worse and we returned it. Clunky, loud and poor suction. Ended up fixing the dyson stick vacuum

We never tried the shark. Ultimately, we bought some aftermarket parts for our dyson and it works good as new. I love the dyson stick vacuum for quick pickups. We also have a Miele for the whole house

I've replaced like every part except the motor in my Dyson stick vacuum over the last 10+ years and it works great. Being able to get cheap replacement parts is a huge benefit

hahah not sure how acurate that analogy is, but I love it. as I love my dyson, never in my life am I going back to corded vacuums

I cannot tell you how much I hate my Dyson v11 and how happy its death last night has made me. Looks great. And that’s it. Pathetic run duration, so heavy my hand aches after cleaning half the house. Half? You ask. Yeah because then it has to go on charge before I can clean the other half. A suck so pathetic it will not drag dirt out of the skirtings or pick up anything larger than a fly without clogging the minuscule inlet port. It is impossible to lean anywhere cause it’s so top heavy, the only way to get a decent vac is on its most powerful mode and it then literally lasts 3-5 minutes. It clogs so damn often. I can’t believe what a gutless piece of crap the vac is. So yeah, I’m done with these cordless wonders going back TODAY to a corded vac that will actually, like, um vacuum. Biggest scam of a generation the cordless vac. Angry and disappointed and totally lost trust in the DYSON brand. Hope they go bust. Apologies for those that read this again. I am posting as many places as I can to save other people being scammed.

I cannot tell you how much I hate my Dyson v11 and how happy its death last night has made me. Looks great. And that’s it. Pathetic run duration, so heavy my hand aches after cleaning half the house. Half? You ask. Yeah because then it has to go on charge before I can clean the other half. A suck so pathetic it will not drag dirt out of the skirtings or pick up anything larger than a fly without clogging the minuscule inlet port. It is impossible to lean anywhere cause it’s so top heavy, the only way to get a decent vac is on its most powerful mode and it then literally lasts 3-5 minutes. It clogs so damn often. I can’t believe what a gutless piece of crap the vac is. So yeah, I’m done with these cordless wonders going back TODAY to a corded vac that will actually, like, um vacuum. Biggest scam of a generation the cordless vac. Angry and disappointed and totally lost trust in the DYSON brand. Hope they go bust. Apologies for those that read this again. I am posting as many places as I can to save other people being scammed.

I’ve had my Dyson animal for years & it’s a workhorse. Absolutely swear by it

Never thought I'd feel so strongly about a vacuum, but I love my dyson.  It's the cordless stick version.  After 5 years, the battery started to get weak.  We just replaced that with an off brand battery and it works like new.

My cordless Dyson lasted 3 years. Recently got a new corded vacuum not worth having to replace every 3 years vacuum cleaners should last 20

I have a Dyson cordless Animal and it’s perfect for me. I also have a really nice almost new Kirby ($800+ price tag) I picked up for $10 at a garage sale because the people didn’t understand you could replace the belts for a couple dollars. I use the Dyson all the time because it’s so much easier and less mental commitment for my ADHD brain to pick up and use a cordless vacuum whenever I need it. I can vacuum for three seconds and put it back before I get distracted. Easily worth the money because now I actually vacuum as opposed to getting stressed out about the whole process of plugging in, lifting, storing the giant Kirby and not vacuuming at all in the end.

I have a Dyson V11. Have had it for almost 3 years and it’s a workhorse so far.

I have a Dyson animal upright from around the same time. Maintenance is key. My kids swept up grated Romano cheese at one point. Turn the vacuum on smell was awful. Pulled and cleaned the filters, vacuumed up a box of baking soda and smell was gone.

I know vacuum fans/experts hate Dyson, but my Dyson has been working great and it actually makes me want go vacuum. I don’t like dragging a cord around. It’s easy to use, my kids can use it too, they love it and take turn to do it.

I have a lower end Miele as my main vacuum and have had it for 10 years and it is like new... however I did supplement with a Dyson cordless for awhile and it went through a battery every year and I had to replace several broken plastic bits on the cannister.... also those make a mess when you try to empty them..... No cordless vacuums are BIFL.... HOWEVER we did get a Samsung Bespoke Jet cordless vac 2 years ago and I love that thing. Pricy for a cordless but it is way better quality than the Dyson and has a charging base that also contains a vacuum/bag that sucks the dirt out of it into a bag... so completely mess-less. It also has two batteries that can be swapped in seconds like a power tool. The second battery mounts to the dock in a second charger. It is also quieter than the Dyson and the Miele.

Get yourself a quality bagless stick vac. Super convenient to use, you'll find your house way cleaner because you'll use it way more often. Dyson would be my choice.

I'm on year 5 or 6 of my Dyson... biggest complaint is the battery seems to not last as long... plenty of use with pets.

Dyson animal cordless great for the car and around the home. The only vac i have.

I found myself purchasing a new vacuum about every 2 years. Then I purchased a Dyson pet , and it was great. Had a 5-year warranty, and promptly lost suction at the 6-year mark. It was the best vacuum for the almost 6 years I had it. Now I have a Shark, an apartment vacuum because it is mostly for bare floors, but the cord is short. Have had it for 2 years now. I would take advice of the professional cleaner - the porta-vac.

I just asked about how often I’d be buying bags for a sebo with two high shedding large dogs, (similar probably too a gsd and 3 (if long hair cats) I would probably be replacing the bag every week. (Actually more than that because I didn’t tell people I also have 3 cats haha) Someone with a husky commented that they replace the bag 1.5-2 times a month. Calculating that cost for two dogs is another 210 a year in bags (probably more for me) I am taking that into account with  replacing a vacuum that died (Dyson) but it doesn’t have a bag or a Sebo that has a 10 year warranty but I will have probably bought 2-3 dysons in that time period with the amount I’d be spending on bags. I haven’t decided yet 🙃 but thought I’d share the numbers.

We tried Hoover, Dyson animal, and shark. The shark is 1/3 the price of the Dyson and does nearly as good a job. Search Google and Amazon for refurbished, same warranty and half the msrp price

We’ve had our cordless dyson for 5 years but it’s honestly not the best compared to a rainbow or other brands at this point in its life.

I pull both Mieles and Dysons out of the trash. These days I only grab the cordless Dyso9ns, but in the past have done the upright models. They are usually work after cleaning up. Maybe half the cordless examples I get need a new battery.

I spent about two years dithering and then a month researching and got a Miele C3 to replace my falling-apart and LOUD Dyson Animal. It was a good choice. Quiet and no dust. I did remove all the carpeting in my house, but still need to vacuum up the cat tumbleweed under the bed and sofa, as well as the “welcome” mats inside the house where I leave my outdoor shoes.

In another life I was a Kirby service tech and I serviced machines on a number of occasions > 40-50 years old. At the time they had parts available for all machines. They ARE expensive (and the sales process leaves a lot to be desired) but are generally built like tanks. If there's a weak point, it's the fan. Even if it is Lexan, hard/heavy enough debris (eg bolts) can shatter the blades. The nice thing about the design is that instead of putting the bag inline with the fan, the bags fill from the top so it's able to maintain airflow. We have one (though it was a gift) but generally use our Dyson cordless day to day.

Honestly as an ex appliance engineer, the cordless Dysons are great for use but terrible when something goes wrong. We used to just write them off if it was anything more than a blockage. Dyson are also very difficult to deal with to get parts etc.

I didn't mean consumer end I meant b2b they were difficult to deal with i.e. sourcing the parts for the customer and general support.

Yep, have a corded Dyson Animal upright from 2005 or 2006 and it still goes strong! Just take it apart and clean it 2x a year though. We got a cordless as a gift and it's great too, but the power doesn't last long as we have dogs and it automatically goes into high power.

I have a Miele canister and upright, they are great and I would recommend them to anyone. I also still have a Dyson Animal upright that I bought in 2003. I think keeping them going for the long term is in doing maintenance on them.

A lot of others have responded to the question you asked me but here goes.  Make sure you change bags and filters (some filters are washable) on a regular basis. Clean the roller as others have mentioned. These are easy things you should do often.  Check the belt for the roller brush, they stretch and wear more than you would expect. On the Dyson I have I have rebuilt the clutch and changed the belts twice.  Wash it! Take the hose off and spray some cleaner in it with some water. Then pick it up with an end in each and like a horseshoe. Move your arms up and down separately, right arm up means left down etc. Do this for just few minutes and drain it by holding one end high and letting the other down so all the junk will come out, trust me it can be gross looking. Next do it with water and see how it comes out, go until it drains clean. Hang it to dry as much as you can. If it is on a canister like a Miele reattach and put a towel in place of the bag then turn it on, this will help pull the water from the hose and the towel will absorb it before it gets to the motor.  Clean the area where the bag goes with a cleaner of your choice and wipe it out with a towel. Clean all hose connections and seals that you can see.  If you want to take it further then you can disassemble it and clean the area around the motor and the motor itself, don’t use water or a cleaner on the motor as this will accelerate it going bad. Most of the time you can just wipe them off as they will have a black soot on them.  If you follow the steps above then your machine will last a long time. 

The Dyson animal is the same way, really hard to find any parts. I had a piece of the plastic handle break on the dust canister and while it didn’t affect the machine in how it worked I wanted it to look right and ended up buying the part on eBay. 

I actually own six different vacuums. Yeah I heard that the Dyson is garbage for a long time but it still works and works better than most. 

Dyson stick vacuum cleaners are the easiest to use and the best design for domestic use  IMO.   I had a miele in the past, and dragging around a cleaner on little wheels and replacing bags is terrible: I don't care how long they last.

I have a lab and I use the Dyson v11. Cordless, light weight. Good for hardwood and carpet. It has a handheld attachment that I love for couches and the boost suction is great for carpets. I even roll over his dog bed and it gets so much out of the small fibers.

I’m surprised to see you say Dyson is difficult for parts. I’ve been buying their cordless vacs for 10+ years and any time I need a part they either overnight for free or they charge a fair price.

I’ve only had 2 over the 10+ years. Someone broke my first one and then I replaced it with a newer model.

That’s why I don’t understand the hate. I had to replace a seal because I tried pulling the old one out using a knife like a dipshit to clean it and cut it. Called Dyson and they sent me one free of charge despite it being my fault. I think I spent $400 on my V11 which broke down to a yearly cost of $80 so far and it’s still going strong. Why would I waste money on one of the other suggested brands that do the same thing? If I followed Reddit’s advice, I’d be spending $2000 on a canister vac I’d have to lug up and down the stairs.