Dyson's DC59 Animal may be the ultimate cordless vacuum, but it comes at steep price
According to James Dyson, his company's latest and greatest cordless vacuum, the Digital Slim DC59, has 3X more suction power than any other cordless vac. Is it worth $500?
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For the last few years, the design of Dyson's Digital Slim cordless vacuum cleaners hasn't changed much on the outside, but with each new generation, the company makes its high-end portable vacs more powerful while improving their battery life.
In the case of Dyson's latest and greatest model, the $499.99 Digital Slim DC59 Animal, the company is billing it as a conventional vacuum replacement, saying it offers three times more suction power than any other cordless vacuum on the market. Battery life has also improved from about 20 minutes to 26 minutes (the battery is a "re-engineered" fade-free nickel manganese cobalt battery).
If you opt to engage the max power button, which gives you an extra boost for tougher cleaning jobs, battery life drops to just six minutes. To conserve battery life, most users will only use max power in short intervals, but the "3X suction power" claim appears to refer to the max mode.
The technology driving the vacuum is a new V6 motor that Dyson says is one-and-a-half times as powerful as the previous motor. Like other Digital Slim models, the DC59 comes with an assortment of attachments, including a detachable long-reach wand, "newly configured" motorized head with carbon filaments for cleaning hard floors, and a mini motorized tool that removes both hair and dust from upholstery and other "awkward spaces." (I'm not sure exactly what that means, but it seems to apply to a broad range of spaces.)
A step-down model, the DC58, which costs half the price ($249.99), leaves off the wand, motorized head, and mini motorized head. Dyson refers to the DC58 as a "handheld" model because it's not designed to take the place of a conventional upright vacuum and really is just a cordless hand vac.
Both the DC58 and DC59 come with a crevice tool and a combination tool that has a nozzle that converts to a brush tool for dusting. They also come with a wall-mounting accessory that allows you to create a docking station for the vac. Of course, you'd want to put it near a power outlet so you could easily recharge the unit when not in use.
While our appliances team in Louisville will put the DC58 and DC59 through its rigorous testing regime in conducting its full review, I've been playing around with the DC59 and have to say I'm pretty impressed. I haven't used a more powerful cordless vac, and it definitely feels like it has more suction than the previous model, the DC44. I did notice that it seems to run slightly warmer -- or at least the air being expelled during operation seems a bit warmer -- and it may be slightly louder.
It's also worth noting that when I used the mini motorized tool on some rubberized flooring, the suction was so strong that the tool sort of stuck to the flooring. That's a good thing, I suppose.
For smaller apartments and spaces, I do agree that the DC59 can take the place of a conventional vacuum cleaner. It has a couple small drawbacks, however. While the vac is equipped with a new one-touch bin emptying system, which makes it easy to get rid of the detritus you collect, the bin is small and fills up quickly when cleaning dirtier environments.
The other, more glaring drawback is the price. The DC59 lists for $499.99, which is more than previous models cost. Hopefully, that price will come down over time, because $500 is an awful lot to pay for a cordless vac, even the ultimate one. However, if you can do without the extra floor-cleaning tools, the less expensive DC58 is the way to go. It's also pricey at $250, but $250 sounds a lot more agreeable than $500.
The DC58 and DC59 are due to ship on January 19. Our appliances team will post full reviews of both products in the coming weeks.
