Dyson DC59 Animal Handstick Upright Bagless Vacuum Cleaner.

8 reviews for Dyson DC59 Animal Handstick Upright Bagless Vacuum Cleaner.

1. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   Justin Opinion – April 18, 2025

   The DC59 comes in two versions, the Animal and the Motorhead. My experience is with the Animal, which I chose because I have many oriental rugs and the motorized head of the Animal is lighter and presumably less abrasive to the rug fibers than the heavier and more aggressive Motorhead. I love the machine, but give it only 4 stars because the DC59 has negative issues when it comes to cleaning oriental rugs. I was amazed at the DC59 suction and how much fine dirt it pulls out of otherwise “clean” rugs, but also I immediately noticed how much “fuzz” or “lint” was also collected. The appearance of the “fuzz” is much like the lint you find in the filter of a clothes dryer. The quantity of lint/fuzz gathered, even with subsequent cleanings of the same rug with the DC59, strongly indicates that the brush action and strong suction are causing excessive abrasion and damage to the rug fibers. There is a point where more vigorous brushing action and more powerful suction do more damage to a rug than the damage caused by dirt and grit to the fibers. I love the DC59, but as it comes out of the box, it will damage your precious oriental rugs with repeated use.

   As a result, I began to research how to make the DC59 compatible with repeated use on fine oriental rugs. I consulted twice with Dyson Customer Support and also with a textiles restoration expert who often deals with the issue of damage to oriental rugs caused by abrasion by beater bar/brushes of vacuum cleaner heads. This is what I learned:

   (1) The rotary brushes and high suction will remove (i.e. damage) oriental rug fibers with repeated use. Although the rotating brush of the DC59 has no tendency to grab the rug fringes, the real problem is that aggressive cleaning action of the power head causes excessive wear to the rug fibers. Other reviewers have mentioned it.

   (2) Damage to oriental rug fibers can be minimized by not using the rotating brush head that comes with the machine. The brush roller is easily removable for cleaning/untangling, so you avoid the problem by disabling the brush roller (for use on oriental rugs only) by simply removing it. You just use a coin to open the roller retainer cap, remove the brush roller, replace the cap, and thereby you have a DC59 with a straight suction head without the rotating brushes. (The head doesn’t “float” quite so easily over the rug as it does the brush roller running, but it moves well enough.)

   (3) The above method works fine on oriental rugs if you vacuum WITH the knap, not against it. Vacuuming against the knap is always damaging to oriental rug fibers and is not recommended with any vacuum.

   (4) Other than removing the brush roller, three other Dyson options remain, the Flatout Tool, the Hard Floor Tool, and the Mattress Tool, which cost around $45, $45, and $30 respectively on Amazon. Dyson recommends the Flatout Tool for oriental rugs because it has a smooth bottom that causes minimum abrasion to rug fibers. The Hard Floor Tool also has low abrasion if used properly (with the knap) and is secondarily very useful for hardwood floors and tile, though I found that the standard head with the roller brushes working doesn’t scratch the floor and works really well without need of a specialty tool. The “Mattress Tool” also has low abrasion because it is smooth bottomed, but the mattress tool is not articulated, so it’s not well-suited for use as a floor tool. It has a fixed 45° angle more suited to hand use with a vacuum cleaner hose.

   IN MY OPINION, this is an expensive machine which Dyson could foresee would be purchased by many customers with oriental rugs. Dyson certainly knows that aggressive rotary brush action produces high abrasion damage to the fibers of fine rugs. It could have designed into the motorhead a simple slide switch to cutoff electrical power to the roller motor, so customers could avoid the hassle of removing and reinstalling the roller for delicate cleaning jobs. Dyson didn’t design that option into either DC59 model. Alternatively they could have provided a cheap, smooth, snap-on spacer that would lift the motorhead 1/16″ off the rug so as to temporarily keep the spinning roller brushes out of contact with delicate rugs and fabrics. The customer should not have to buy an expensive accessory tool ($45) for this when the vacuum is already so expensive. For lack of this design consideration, I give an otherwise 5 star machine only 4 stars. I also suggest that Dyson add a slider door opening to the head to allow the user an option to reduce suction when using the machine to vacuum drapes or other fine fabrics.

2. 

   Rated 1 out of 5

   Tom Jones – May 8, 2025

   Good vacuum cleaner (in theory), terrible customer support. When I got this vacuum cleaner, I was absolutely in love with it. It is so light, does a good job of cleaning, and honestly makes vacuuming fun! It’s so easy to carry around the house that it makes it possible to do a quick vacuum on one or two rooms every day, which means that I wasn’t disappointed by the shorter charge at all. I never found myself wanting to vacuum the house in one shot anyway, after the first time through the house.

   After less than a month, it stopped working. When I would run it, the motor would start and stop in a pulsing fashion. This is when the drama started.

   I called Dyson. The call center rep explained that it usually did this when there was some sort of blockage in the system. She had me take it apart, look for said blockage, and put it back together one piece at a time. No blockage was found, so she determined it must be the filter. She said she would mail me a new one. She made a point of saying that the filter wasn’t under warranty, but that she would send it out for free anyway – for my inconvenience. Great!

   Unfortunately, this is when my call with Dyson was dropped. (Not sure if it was me or them. There’s a lot of call dropping in this story, and I don’t usually have problems with my calls getting dropped, but I’m not saying that they hung up on me). I waited several minutes for the woman to call me back, as they had taken down my phone number already, but no one ever did, so I called back. I asked to speak to the same person, but she was already on a new call. The man who now answered asked if he could help. Even thought the first woman had said she was putting in “notes,” the man I was now on the phone with seemed to have no idea what I had already done, or who I had spoken to. He asked me to take apart the vacuum cleaner and put it back together. I tried to explain to him that I had done this already, but he was sure he could find the issue. So, once again I took apart the vacuum cleaner, found no clogs, and put it back together (this is a 15-20 minute process, mind you). He then also determined it was the filter, and gave me the exact same line (almost verbatim) about how he would send me a new one for free even though it wasn’t under warranty. So, now that makes that feel a lot less special. It’s just a line…

   One full week of no vacuum cleaner later, I get notice that my filter has shipped. Actually, I get two separate notices that two separate filters have shipped, so I guess the first woman sent one out too. Great. Nine days after the vacuum stopped working I get the new filter(s), pop it in, and vacuum (I have two cats, a dog, and a baby who’s just learning how to crawl – so I was anxious to get some of the hair off the ground). It works for about half of one room, and then starts pulsing again.

   It’s the middle of the week and Dyson customer service is only open normal business hours, so I can’t call back until Friday when I am off work. That Friday (day 11 of no vacuum) I call back Dyson. Again, I am asked to go through the process of disassembling and reassembling the machine. Again, I try to explain that I’ve done this before. I state that it was determined by two different reps that it was the filter. I am told that there is no way a faulty filter would even cause that type of behavior. The woman I am speaking to this time thinks she has an idea HOWEVER, as we’re testing, the machine starts working as normal. She tells me to go vacuum the house, and to call her back right away if it stops working again. It works for about 10 minutes, and then starts to pulse again. I call back. The Dyson customer service department is closed for an all company meeting. I keep trying to call back. Finally, the meeting is over, and I get a hold of someone. I ask to speak to the rep from earlier that day. I’m really sick of talking to new people, I tell them, and she thought she knew what was going on. She’s on the phone, I’m told, but he can certainly help me. I explain the situation. He starts having me disassemble the damn machine again. I tell him I’ve done this multiple times already, and don’t really feel like going through it again. I ask again if I can speak to the woman from earlier today. I am told no. He’s helping me now. I need to disassemble the machine. Fine.

   We go through the whole process. He thinks it’s the battery. Is the battery fully charged? I don’t know. Mostly! It’s not like I can vacuum with the thing. He wants me to charge it and he will call me back that evening in 3.5 hours – the time it takes to charge the machine. So, I plug the thing in. I wait 3.5 hours. 4 hours. 4.5 hours. Shocking, no one calls me back. I call back. I ask to speak to the man from earlier. He’s on the phone with another customer, but this new person can talk to me. I ask to speak to a manager. I am put on hold for 25 minutes. Finally, the most recent customer service rep (not a manager) comes on and tells me that they will be sending me a new machine. AND, for my trouble, they will be upgrading me to the DC 59 Moterhead. Great! All I need to do is take the machine to a UPS store, and then call back with my shipping number. Once they have my shipping number, they will rush ship out the new vacuum, so I’m not without a vacuum any longer than I already have been.

   Saturday (day 12), I make a trip to the UPS store first thing in the morning. I call back with the tracking number. I’m all set, I am told.

   Monday (day 14) there is no shipping info from Dyson in my email. Monday afternoon, I call Dyson and ask when I will receive some sort of tracking information. I am told that the new vacuum will ship out 10-14 days after my old unit has been received by Dyson… I’m not going to lie, I go absolutely ballistic on the call center rep. I do apologize for this in between my yelling. I know it’s not her fault. I demand to speak to a manager and finally get to talk to one. I try to explain my situation calmly. She’s very sorry that I misunderstood what I was told (absolutely not the case), and she will try to see if my new unit can be expedited once the old unit arrives but, in the end “the people in the warehouse really can do whatever they want.” For my troubles, she is going to upgrade me to the DC59 Motorhead (so this too, is just a line…) I explain that I’m already supposed to be upgraded to that model. She seems very confused, and states that she would like to check with her team and get back to me. She will call me back within 72 hours. Really?

   72 hours pass. The next day (day 18) I call back and ask to speak with the manager I had spoken to previously. I am put on hold again, for about 20 minutes. The call service rep comes back and tells me the manager is still not available, but she has gone through my notes and she is confident that there will be a tracking number on Monday. She will call me back on Monday and give me an update. At this point I am completely defeated. I don’t even argue.

   Today is Monday (day 21). I just got a voicemail message. There’s no tracking number yet. But she’s sure it will be this week. After all, I’ve already waited “a very long time.” After it ships, it will be a quick 4-5 days for it to arrive.

   I really wish I had just returned the broken unit to Amazon and gotten my money back. I had a Dyson previously, and I loved it. I am sure that I just got a defective unit, and if I had gotten a good one I would be happily vacuuming now. I am sure that my Motorhead will be great, and that I will use it for a very long time. But when it does break, I will not be getting a new one. Because this customer service is just not worth dealing with.

3. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Rev. Pamela Crane – May 13, 2025

   I looked at the Dyson DC59 off and on for months before I finally purchased it. I was influenced by the good price available on Amazon and took a chance. I’m glad I did! For what I wanted the machine to do, it is exceeding my expectations. I have a large German Shepherd who considers it his duty to fur-coat my house. During the peak shedding seasons it can be really bad – if you’re a dog owner you know. So, I needed something for the quick “once around and get the hair balls” daily cleaning, but also wanted versatility to do stair runners, area rugs, and even entire rooms. The DC59 delivers in fantastic form.

   In regular power mode (there is a Turbo mode that I rarely use, because regular power is quite good), you can get every bit of 20 minutes of vacuuming done. And if you get the hang of letting off the trigger when not actually cleaning, you can stretch that for a lot of jobs. The powerhead for floors/carpets is nice and does a great job of both cleaning and grooming the rugs and carpets – even fussy wool area rugs. The bristles in the powerhead seem delicate enough that I have used it on spots of my hardwood floors without much fear or abrasion, but would rather add a bare floor attachment later on for that. The smaller powerhead is ideal for little jobs, curtains/drapes, harder to reach areas between furniture – but it rocks for stairs! Cleaning the stair runners can be a real chore when you don’t have the right tool. This tool is perfection for it. Therefore, I do it more often and keep them much cleaner.

   I’ve never previously owned a Dyson but I have had the bagless type machine in the past and didn’t like how hard and messy it was to empty the bin. I won’t blow smoke here – there is always mess and hassle with this design, but this Dyson is far better than the previous machine I had. It empties rather easily and has a removable filter that you should clean monthly. I will admit that I like seeing all that dog hair and dust in the clear bin and knowing it’s not filling an expensive bag in my other vacuums.

   The attachments provided are a great start and for many, all you may need. The powered floor head is awesome, as I said, and small enough to go many places. It’s easy to steer and so low you can vacuum under a snake without waking it up. The small powered furniture and stairs head is equally good though rigid in one position. You also get a long extension tube, a crevice tool, and a brush attachment (where the bristles retract if preferred). It also comes supplied with a wall mount that will also charge the unit.

   I find that the battery charges fairly rapidly, and even after 15-20 minutes of use, I can plug it in and be ready to go again in an hour or two. The DC59 has much more power than I’d have expected for a cordless – and that is without using Turbo. With the Turbo on, you get corded-machine type power – though you will obviously discharge the battery faster.

   I had high expectations for the Dyson DC59, and it has met them all and exceeded most. I strongly recommend this Dyson, but it is also important to note a few drawbacks to this (and similar) systems: 1) Canister capacity is small, so you will be emptying it a lot. 2) Suction is not as powerful as corded machines, and sometimes it won’t pick up little objects without turbo; 3) Attachments are proprietary and expensive, this comes well equipped – but to add more attachments will cost you; 4) Emptying and cleaning out the canister is a dirty job. If you have allergies don’t even think about it. I empty mine in the garage because you will get a dust cloud. Just know that about this type of vacuum.

   Lastly – “Can this vacuum replace my plug-in unit for the home?”. In my opinion, no. I love the D59 and use it several times a week for small jobs and to make some hard jobs much easier – but there is still a need for a full corded vacuum system unless you have a small apartment, no pets, or something like that.

4. 

   Rated 3 out of 5

   M. Barr – May 19, 2025

   [EDIT — 19 Oct. 2014] Updated ‘Dodgy waste disposal’ section per manufacturer’s comment.

   tl;dr – I wanted to like this vacuum more. It’s powerful, and good for small jobs, but lacks battery life for longer jobs, can be awkward to operate for more than a few minutes, and can make it difficult to properly dispose of waste.

   Pros:

   – Powerful
   I don’t feel like I’m sacrificing the power of a corded alternative. This vacuum has plenty of sucking power.

   – Light/Maneuverable
   It’s easy to carry up/down stairs, and around the house. Larger, corded, vacuums I’ve used in the past have been cumbersome in comparison. As a bonus I’ve also stopped sweeping the kitchen and bathroom floors; this vacuum does a better job, and more quickly.

   – Aesthetically pleasing

   Cons:

   – Battery life
   There’s only about enough power to (thoroughly) vacuum one room at a time. If I’m expecting company and want go vacuum a few room’s worth of carpets I have to begin days in advance.

   – No on switch
   It’s a bit awkward, and uncomfortable, to have to continuously press, and hold a trigger to keep the vacuum running. For jobs requiring more than 10 minutes of vacuuming I’ve thought I might develop a blister in the crook between my thumb and index finger. I feel this is a major omission. Triggers are better-suited for power drills than vacuums.

   – Dodgy waste disposal
   Even after following the instructions I’ve found that about 50% of the time I attempt to release the waste I have to use my fingers to scrape accumulated lint/fuzz from around the interior of the waste container. Not only is this gross, but it means that about 50% of the time I have to go outside just to empty the vacuum (because of the difficulty of containing airborne particles during this process).

5. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   J. Duffy – May 28, 2025

   The Dyson DC59 boasts phenomenal cleaning power, is lightweight, cordless, versatile, looks good so it’s pretty much everything my old “Henry” vacuum cleaner was not.

   I got it out the box, charged it up and decided to give it a go on my stairs and front hall which both get a lot of traffic plus our cat likes to sit on the stairs and groom itself. I was amazed and a bit shocked at the amount the Dyson DC59 got out of the aforementioned areas (see uploaded picture).

   I’ve found that it’s equally as good on carpets and hard e.g. laminate flooring.

   It comes with the usual attachments like a crevice tool, etc and the small motorised brush head is very good at removing pet hair from beds and other furniture. The wall mounting bracket is a great idea and it also has clips for attaching the crevice tool and dusting brush so they won’t get lost.

   All the tools can be used without the extension pole turning it into a very useful, light, handheld machine.

   The enhanced suction setting is great for when you need an extra boost to get out all the deep down dust out of carpets and mine was actually enabled when I got the machine but it does decrease the running time a bit so make sure it’s off until you need it.

   Emptying the collecting bowl is very easy, just hold over a bin and release the red catch and the bottom flips open letting all the dust fall out. You can also take the bowl off completely if you need to.

   The only potential negatives are the fairly short running time and the charging time but neither of those are an issue for me as I intended to put the wall bracket up near a socket so the Dyson will always be charged up and ready to go for a little vacuuming often.

   It is a lot of money to pay for a vacuum cleaner but if you can afford it, I doubt you will be disappointed with the performance or versatility of the Dyson DC59.

6. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Soloviajero – May 29, 2025

   I love this machine. It’s my 3rd Dyson, but my first cordless other than the old hand-held Shark types. This vacuum can (and will) completely replace my corded Dyson, which is now sitting in the garage. I’m cleaning up after 10 Persian cats who have access to an outside enclosure, complete with dirt weeds, etc. I need to vacuum daily. Previously I would vacuum downstairs daily, then once a week, lug the vacuum upstairs and also pull out the hose and attachment for the stairs. I also only vacuumed the central part of the downstairs daily up to the length of the cord, so several rooms only got treated daily on a partial basis. I have a small home, 1100 sq ft, and I’ve been using the DC59 Animal to vacuum the entire house including furniture, stairs, etc… plus the mini rotating head works very well on cat trees, beds, etc. I have not yet run the battery completely down in one session. The suction is very good and I have had no need to bump it up to MAX. It’s light weight and easy to maneuver.

   Some of the complaints in reviews I read were: small size of the receptacle and also the receptacle doesn’t empty well when you pop it open, short battery life, charger station doesn’t hold all 3 of the tools. I’ve already addressed the battery life. It’s seems to be enough for a pretty thorough vacuum session with some left over. It is true that the receptacle is small. I generally dump it once during and once after. I don’t find that I mind this. It’s also true that the contents of the receptacle don’t just fall out when you pop it open. It’s called the “Animal” for a reason, which means you expect to be picking up a lot of pet fur, which it does. This winds around up ‘in there’ and has to be pulled out by hand. This was true of my corded vacuum as well. I do find that the suction is so good that the fur and a lot of fine dust gets caught up top of the receptacle and the entire receptacle needs to be removed to clean that out. A small chore, and I didn’t see anything in the directions about getting all of the dust in side this area cleaned out. I took my leaf blower to it outside and that worked well. This is possibly my only complaint with this machine to date.

   4/12/15 Update: I’ve had this vac for a little while now and thought I’d write an update. I STILL love it, and I’m not downgrading it. However, a couple of things to note that hopefully Dyson will address at some point. The filter that slides into the top needs to clip in somehow. It falls out way too easy and this vacuum is so light weight that you often have it at an angle, if not almost upside down. It’s also an issue when cleaning it. I noticed it was gone (you often don’t see it slide out) and managed to track it down to the trash can. You ARE going to be holding this at all angles when you clean out the bin. A piece of tape over it holds it fine, but for a $400+ machine, you hate to see tape on it. The other issue is the bin. As mentioned before, pet fur does not just drop out when you open the bin and you have to go in after it. I don’t mind that too much, but the suction is so good that it swirls it up to where it gets caught in the groove where the bin attaches at the top. You can take the bin clear off which is necessary, but even then this stuff is wedged in the groove. Something like a tooth brush will get it. A minor inconvenience.

7. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Hants – June 2, 2025

   What can I say? My life and floors are transformed. I have had a conventional vacuum cleaner with filter and removable bags for as long as I can remember. Then last year I broke my right wrist. Housework? Forget it. Floors got very grotty. As the offending limb healed, I realised I would have to have something easier and lighter than the dead weight I had been lugging up and down three storeys for so long. A long hunt on Amazon turned up this magic wand. There were two or three versions of this slim handheld Dyson, and in view of the amount of hair I and my pet (ie my lovely beardy husband!) constantly shed in our declining years, I decided to spend the extra and go for the Animal. Oh what a wise choice! I have never loved a ‘hoover’ before but I love this. It’s a feather. The balance is perfect, the pistol grip control ideal, the versatility and ease of use breath-taking. Freedom from the leash of a power-cord is wonderful. My many stairs have never been cleaned so thoroughly and so quickly – and so painlessly. At long last I can clean right under the settee. I have read complaints about the tiny dust canister – but in fact this is a good thing, as it gets you into the habit of emptying it after every two or three rooms instead of ignoring an invisible dustbag for far too long until it leaks grey horror all over the insides of your machine. Also I find myself keen to clean the brushes after each session (I have long hair … say no more) instead of leaving them to the terrible tangled fate that befell my carpet-sweeper. The brushes are so easy to remove and de-hair that keeping the Animal clean is no problem. And the best surprise has been to find that I can clean all the main floors of the house on only one full charge! If you put the Turbo on (MAX button at the back) it won’t last as long, but the suction is so very, very good that you don’t need that most of the time. If you’re pondering this, I wouldn’t hesitate – especially if you are disabled or getting on a bit or just hate power cords. Clever, clever Dyson !

8. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   J. Duffy – June 24, 2025

   I saw this at a friends home, she said that it was best vacuum she had had and I thought I would like one but I was put off by the price. Eventually I purchased one. I have had two Dysons before both are still going strong ten plus years on but this new one is the best vacuum I have ever owned and I use it nearly everyday and often several times a day as it is so easy to use. There are no cords and it is light and easy to use – even one handed! The head is very manoeuvrable and can get into most places and suction is really powerful. The only problem is that you have to empty it very often as it picks up so much dirt and dust but fortunately this Dyson is very easy to empty just hold it over a bin outside and press the button.
   This is the perfect vacuum for someone with a bad back.
   When I first got this Dyson the dust was out of control and it took a few times but now cleaning is a breeze. My car loves it too.
   I am glad I bought it and I am very happy to say that it is worth every single penny.