Reply #17: I have the Dyson animal as well, and I LOVE it.

[Dangerously Amused]

It sounds like MrsGrumpy had a poorly assembled one and some unfortunate CS to boot, but I've never had a problem with mine.

My Mom has a dog who sheds like crazy, and I have some kitties. I vaccuum both our houses with it, and it picks up animal hair that you can't even see is there, like when it's embedded deep down into the carpet. I love the wand attachment, perfect for getting spiderwebs way up high and reaching into tight spaces. And the extra long cord and extension hose means you can leave the vaccuum at the bottom (or top) of the stairs and still vaccuum all the steps, and not have to carry the whole vaccuum along with you as you go.

I also like that the canister is so easy to empty. Much nicer than the disposable bags as your hands never even get close to the dirt. And you never can't vaccuum because you forgot to pick up vaccuum bags at the store.

I got mine on eBay for about $350 (took a little while watching for a good deal), and shipping brought it to a little under $400. It was definitely worth it, in my opinion.