Here’s the review I posted on Amazon about this vacuum cleaner:
I’ve been looking for the perfect vacuum cleaner for a long time. For the last 10 years, I’ve been using a Dyson DC07 All Floors upright vacuum, which works very well. My only significant issue with it has been that it can’t get under furniture. I wanted to find a single vacuum that worked as well as the DC07 but would also fit under furniture. I tried the Miele S8380 Cat & Dog Canister Vacuum, which is an excellent (and expensive) vacuum, but it’s not as powerful as the Dyson and the bags are outrageously expensive, especially for households with shedding pets.
So, back to the drawing board. I decided to supplement the DC07 with this DC59 Motorhead and it’s turning out to be a great solution. The DC59 Motorhead takes seconds to assemble and you’re on your way––if it’s charged when you receive it. If not, you’ll need to charge it for around three hours before you can get going.
When I started using this vacuum, I was amazed at how powerful the suction is. I just wasn’t expecting this from a cordless stick vacuum. When I got near the corner of a fairly heavyweight rug, it actually started lifting the rug off the floor. The beater bar is aptly named, too. This thing was pulling dirt and dog hair off one rug so well it was both impressive and gross at the same time.
I’m not a housework enthusiast. I just want my house to look OK if a neighbor or friend drops by. But I don’t like hauling out a big vacuum cleaner frequently. Because the DC59 is light and cordless, I am now way better at making sure that at least the public areas of the house are regularly vacuumed. I can zip through so much more quickly and easily that I almost enjoy it.
A feature that bugs some people is the fact that you have to hold the trigger down to have the vacuum run. I thought that might be a bother, but it hasn’t turned out that way. It’s very easy to hold the trigger, so I don’t think it would be uncomfortable or difficult for anyone who doesn’t have severe arthritis or similar gripping issues. The fact that you have to hold down the trigger is, in a way, a feature that helps conserve the battery charge. Because of that trigger, the vacuum is only running when you’re using it.
Though I am a big fan of this vacuum cleaner, there are definitely improvements that could be made. Battery life is short. If I’m vacuuming mostly rugs/carpets/upholstery, rather than hard-surface floors, it conks out after about 12 minutes. That 20-minute number is more accurate for bare-floor cleaning. (By the way, when the battery is used up on this, it just stops dead. It runs full-bore until it dies, though; it doesn’t trickle to a stop.) A better battery would be an improvement or, if not, a battery-pack approach as with many power tools. That way, when one battery runs out of juice, you could just switch with a fully-charged pack.
The dust container is pretty darned small and I have to empty it several times while I’m vacuuming. I do have a tendency to dump after the max line has been hit. If you do that, dust and pet hair won’t just drop out and you have to fish it out with something. I use a skewer. I don’t find this a terrible annoyance, but if I had allergies I would, since the fishing-out process tends to mean you’re more exposed to the dust, dirt and pet hair coming out of the canister.
The canister release lever design could be improved. You have to push it down, when it seems more natural to pull it up. Also, the way it’s placed, it’s easy to accidentally hit the power trigger when you’re trying to empty the canister.
There are drawbacks to this vacuum, but the fact is that it works so well and is so easy to use that it’s made me a better housekeeper