Others say...

"horrible"
this design was flawed. I mean it was sorry. You lose suction. there is too much cording at the bottom. I had to use a coat hanger. It is noisy.It is very unreliable.

"Time to clean up the house"
Before I bought a Dirt Devil, I owned a vacuum that worked great for over 5 years. In January I broke that vacuum on a Friday the 13th (yes, that really is a bad day) thanks to me accidentally ramming the front of it into the side of the living room coffee table. After it hit the table I knew immediately it was a goner. Sometimes you just know. Also, the electrical smoke shooting out the front was another good indication. No one to blame but me. It actually upset me because, before that innocent, everyone in my house kept accusing me of knocking a big dent into the side of the dishwasher in the kitchen. I really believe I didn't put that dent there, and I tried hard to defend myself every time that topic came up, but now I look incredibly guilty because of the way I knocked the vacuum into the coffee table and ruined it. I'm an innocent man! I DID NOT BANG THE VACUUM INTO THE DISHWASHER!

And the worst part about that vacuum breaking was that I was actually DONE cleaning the floors before it broke, and so I shut the vacuum off, but then (and this will bother me forever) I looked down on the carpet and realized that I had missed a spot near the coffee table, so I turn the vacuum back on and THEN I accidentally hit the coffee table and destroyed the vacuum. If I had never bothered with that spot on the floor the vacuum probably would continue to run fine today. A mistake I have to live with.

After it was discovered that we couldn't save the vacuum cleaner, we went somewhere to get another one (actually I stayed home while my dad shopped around). For years we saw commercials for Dirt Devils and figured they would be a very wise purchase. Well, that turned out to be not entirely true, but in another way, it WAS entirely true. Let me try to explain why I think this is a good vacuum cleaner. I have to warn you- it's kind of mind-boggling.

The one big complaint people seem to have with Dirt Devils also happened to me- one time I was vacuuming, and I left it running while I was busy trying to arrange the dog beds across the floor in a way I could easily vacuum over them. Well, while I was doing that the vacuum was positioned on top of the cord, and so it accidentally sucked up the cord, made a big scary noise, and damaged it. I immediately ran over and unplugged it. I had to wrap electrical tape around the spot on the cord that was damaged because the wires inside were exposed. This happened after the second week we purchased it, and I thought I was going to freak out because I thought I had just ruined a brand new vacuum. It turned out to be okay. Truly a scary moment. That was a sign to just take the dog beds outside for now on and shake the hair off myself.

I like how Dirt Devil vacuums have a plastic case design to hold the dirt and hair, instead of messing with those darn vacuum bags. Vacuum bags are a pain in the butt because not all types are designed the same. For instance, one time I bought a 3-pack bag of vacuum bags that had a round hole on top of the bag, but the inside of my vacuum at home required bags with a SQUARE hole, so we had to go back to the store and search for vacuum bags that were created with square-shaped holes instead of round-shaped holes, so it would fit inside my vacuum. A big, unnecessary pain. ALL BAGS SHOULD HAVE EITHER ROUND OR SQUARE HOLES, NOT BOTH.

Anyway, with the Dirt Devils plastic container design, you can simply push a button to remove the container from the vacuum cleaner and empty the dirt and hair into your trashcan/front yard, and use a brush to wipe away any sticky remains. No bags needed. This is convenient, but if there's one complaint it's that the container fills up after vacuuming the entire downstairs after only ONE time (this includes the kitchen, living room and den floors- but I DO have a big house).

As I mention above, something very strange is going on with my Dirt Devil. When I first bought the vacuum back in January I thought the sucking power was sort of weak, and I had to go over certain areas on my carpet three or four times to completely clean it. However, as the weeks went by, the sucking power gradually increased to where now I'm afraid to leave the vacuum turned on over any kind of loose rugs, for fear that the vacuum cleaner will suck the rug right off the floor. I have no idea where this sudden burst of amazing power came from, and why it's getting stronger as time goes on. I don't know if I'm happy about it either. I think I am. You just have to be careful not to leave the vacuum running over any kind of rug or doormat.

All I hope for is that my Dirt Devil vacuum lasts me until the end of this year. I can't handle the frustration of buying vacuum after vacuum not ONLY because of a money issue, but also because you know how people can be- they will continue to say *I* destroyed my vacuums by accusing me of being exceptionally harsh with them- accusing me of pushing around my vacuums aggressively and angrily, banging into the side of everything I come into contact with. I'm really not the kind of person that does that. These people can just knock it off. Okay, sometimes I break out into hives and get extremely itchy, and during these moments it's hard to push the vacuum around calmly and carefully. But I've learned to just shut the vacuum off and wait for the itching to go away before starting it back up again.

So there's really not much for me to complain about when it comes to Dirt Devils. Okay, so sometimes if you vacuum over cracker crumbs or something the crumbs will shoot back and hit your leg. But please, don't tell me that actually hurts you. It's doing that because the vacuum is so damn powerful. It can't help it! It's a great vacuum for dog hair. On hard floors, the Dirt Devil is a pretty quick and wonderful experience, too. Dog hair is gone in an instant. The noise of the motor is louder than most, this is true. That's a slight problem. But I only need to vacuum once a week so it's not like I have to hear the thing running everyday. The noise would probably become a problem then. But in the end, my experience for the last three months with the Dirt Devil has been a good one.


"Hate it!"
I can't believe I spent good money on this vacuum. I've had to open it with a screw driver countless times to try to figure out a myriad of problems: why it won't vacuum without pushing it with all my might, why it makes an awful noise that terrifies my children, why the filter won't stay in place, and why it SMELLS LIKE BURNED RUBBER every time am forced to use it. I have replaced every filter and belt. Now I am going to throw it away. I'd gladly give it to charity, but I can't in good conscience give it to an unsuspecting victim!

"I HATE THIS DEVIL"
there...I think my title best describes how I feel about this piece of junk! Read all the reviews..I have the same complaints...from the cord up to the handle. this vacuum leaves me cussing every time I use it. And I am not that kind of person but this just brings out the worst in me. I especially love cleaning my house but ever since I got this vacuum, I dread the day I had to clean my house, knowing how painful and horrible it will be. I should have bought Hoover instead. My last Hoover lasted 11 years before I had to buy this garbage. Hoover may be a bit pricey but it sure as hell's worth it!

"HATE"
This is the most loathesome appliance I have ever owned. I hate everything about it. Some genius put the power cord at the bottom of the unit, so you have to hold the cord up all the time to keep from backing over it. This may not be such a problem if the stupid "self propelled" function weren't constantly trying to shoot backward, meaning I need both hands just to push the unit forward. It's like I'm dancing with my vacuum and we're fighting for the lead. Ridiculous. I have almost 2000 sf of carpet in my house, and I wake up sore the next day after a round with this monster.

Oh--it also came with a free little red DD sweeper--the handle of which broke the first time I tried to use it. I don't know if DD came under new management or what, but I will never buy one of their products again.