kristin6

mole wrote:
Thanks Mole.  Isn't this vacuum really designed to work best on indoor/outdoor tiled carpets?  Would this really be a good choice for a residential vacuum?

procare wrote:

Thanks for the reply.  I selected the vacuum after several friends told me that they love theirs and cannot live without them.  I tried it out at the local store and it felt flimsy to me--like it wasn't built to last--but my friends have all had theirs for years.  I'm curious about your comment about carpets not being supported with Dyson.  I could not find much info on the internet.  I think perhaps later today I will swing by a local well respected carpet installer and get their input on a new vacuum.  I'm renting a townhome that has 5 year old builder grade ($1/sq ft) carpet.  Its not in great shape in the high traffic areas and I don't want to make it any worse.    2 years ago, I followed the advice on consumer reports and was excited that the best all around vacuum was a $130 Eureka Boss.  This is one of the worst purchases I've ever made.  The thing is falling apart one piece at a time.  I need a vacuum that will do a decent job, be easy to use and will last a while!

Any time I am about to buy a consumer appliance, I always do some research that tells me if the item may have an inferior build quality when sold at Walmart.  Its something to keep in mind when shopping in places like EBay, Amazon or Overstock for items...especially refurbs.   The model number will usually be slightly different when this is done, and I've at times found other retailers selling the lower quality item number on their shelves, even at higher prices. 

So I do see that Walmart has exclusive packaging for the Dyson Animal.  This is typically a tell tale sign.  I have not noticed if the model numbers are different though.  Does anyone here know if Dyson builds vacuums in a separate plant or assembly line when they are bound for the big W?