I purchased the Dyson 15 "Ball" All Floors Model. When I took the vacuum out of the box (only 2 pieces, snaps together without tools), I could see that the handle looked nothing like the one in the picture. The handle which is gripped during use, faces the top, instead of down, as in all the photos, both on website and in brochure. I called customer service, and was told that due to problems customers were having with getting shocked, the handle had been redesigned.
Okay...so now the thing is ready to use, now that I have spoken to Dyson. I have used it through the whole house, on carpet and ceramic tile, and I have dumped the cannister 3 times. Most of the debris came from large area rugs, which I guess shed more than carpeting. The cannister is very easy to dump, I placed a plastic grocery bag in the garbage can, and put the cannister inside and let go on the release. Most of the junk came out, but I did have to touch the dirty mess, as it was wound around the sides. I suppose I could have used a wooden spoon or something to remove the fuzz from the sides.This is impressive, in that all the crud goes directly into the garbage bag, no dust flying around. The Ball is amazing. It swivels very easily and gets into and under things that have been unreachable til now...
I like the low profile of the cleaning head. It gets under the overhang on my bottom cabinets, something no other vacuum I have had is able to do. My tile is not what I would consider "delicate", like hardwoods, so after some experimentation, I kept the beater bar on, and the brushes actually dislodged some dried on dirt.
The wand really works great on ceiling fans and vents. I guess I need to get the duster attachment, as the suction almost pulled my curtains down!
I don't think it can extend as far as they say it does, though. I got about 10 feet out of it, then the unit started falling over. Of course, its new, so maybe the hose isn't "relaxed".I really like the clean smell I notice after vacuuming, unlike the dirty dog smell (and I don't even have a dog) with vacuum bags.
The plastic looks rather cheap,but I read it's the same material as bike helmets, so maybe looks are deceiving.... but the new 5 year warranty is comforting, should it fall apart. I would definately get the Ball model, as the swivel makes vacuuming a breeze.
If this continues to work this well, and I can get 5 years out of it, I guess the $400 was well spent. ($499 at Linens N Things, less 20% coupon)
I will update as time goes by.