Dyson DC18 Slim Vacuum Cleaner Review

I decided to pick up a Dyson DC 18 Slim vacuum after I moved into a small apartment for a temporary work assignment.   The Slim All Floors intrigued me – was it as good as the other Dyson “full size” vacuums?   Did the root cyclone™ technology of the DC18 compare favorably with my DC07 Animal?  And what’s up with the advertised combination accessory tool and “the ball” technology of the Slim upright?  Did they work?  More importantly, did they help keep my carpets and floors clean - quickly?

I had many questions and the size of my apartment lent itself to a smaller vacuum like the Slim so, I headed over and picked up a great deal on a Dyson DC18 Slim refurbished unit .

I hope this Dyson DC18 Slim all floor vacuum review gives you a in depth look and perspective from an owner (I’ve had the vacuum over 3 months). I’ll also point out some of my dislikes and where you can get the DC18 Slim for the best price.  Let’s go…….

UNPACKING

The vacuum arrived less than a week later. When I unpacked the refurbished (factory remanufactured) vacuum, it looked brand new. I could not find any sign that it had been used – all parts and attachments looked new to me.

ASSEMBLY

I’m happy to report I was able to assemble the dc 18 without having to refer to the manual. Came in about 3 pieces and it was easy to tell which pieces fit where. I literally had it up and running and vacuuming in less than 10 minutes.

IMPRESSIONS OF THE BALL TECHNOLOGY

I was excited to give the ball technology of he DC18 Slim a try but at first, after using it, I was disappointed. I was trying to fight the Dyson Slim and used my years old habit of man handling the vacuum where I wanted it to go. My wrist started hurting during the first vacuuming of the apartment.

After while, I learned to steer the vacuum and allow the ball to pivot the vacuum where I wanted it to go. Now, I can literally turn the vacuum on a dime and there is less man handling of the vacuum. I can pivot the Slim vacuum to snuggle right against a baseboard very easily.  It’s kinda hard to describe but I do like it now that I’ve owned the DC18 Slim for awhile.

CLEANING

The DC18 does all that it’s bigger Dyson brothers do, all in a smaller package. I have seen no loss of suction while using it to clean my entire apartment – floors, walls and ceilings. The fact that the DC18 is bagless, makes emptying the canister a snap. The canister holds quite a bit by the way, I could easily go weeks without emptying it but after seeing what this Slim upright picks up, why would I want to?

The slim can vacuum all my floors easily.  The power button for the motorized brushbar is right next to the power button so going from carpet to hardwood floor to rug is easy and I don’t need to do anything but push the button while vacuuming. Also, no manual height adjustment needed, the vacuum adjusts automatically. The head of the vacuum fits easily up against baseboards and seems to pick up all the crumbs off the kitchen floor, no matter where they are.

The root cyclone technology on the DC 18 Slim works very well. I’m amazed every time I look into the canister and see what this puppy picked up. The Slim has been rated “allergy friendly” by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation so if you suffer from allergies or asthma, that’s good to know. The Slim vacuum comes with a lifetime hepa filter – as all Dyson vacuums do.

THE DYSON SLIM ACCESSORIES / ATTACHMENTS

The DC18 Slim comes with only a couple attachments – but that’s all that’s needed.   There’s a combination accessory tool that serves as both a brush attachment and crevice tool and there’s an upholstery tool as well.  Simple engineering designs makes these attachments, in my opinion, VERY functional. The brush simply slides down to convert to a crevice tool.  The upholstery attachment is designed in a slight V shape so a not to suck your drapery shears into the hose yet provide enough suction to get those pet hairs off the fabric.

The telescoping wand is a pleasure to use. My DC07 Animal doesn’t have this feature and what a time saver.  Need a longer reach on the DC18 Total Access? Simply swing a pivoting safety cap up and lift up on the nozzle. The whole assembly lifts off the vacuum once the nozzle (hard plastic part of the hose) is extended and it’s ready to extend a good 15’.   When done, reverse the process and it all stores into the vacuum very quickly. Saves me a lot of time because I’m always finding I need the extension hose again and again, even after doing all my “high reach” vacuuming.

The motorized brushbar has a couple nice features.  As I mentioned before, I’m not a “read the manual” kind of guy.  One time while vacuuming, I clogged and shutdown the beater bars by sucking up something not intended to be vacuumed – OOPS!..

After silently thinking I burned out the beater bar motor, I started disassembling the motorized head – only a coin to turn two locks is needed – and discovered a wonderful design for the beater bars. Makes cleaning the brushes of hair and debris simple and reassembly idiot proof.  Also, NO belt to mess with.

Anyways, I put everything back together, turned the Dyson Slim back on and… NOTHING! No power beater bar. DRATS!  I picked up the vacuum to have another look and that’s when I noticed the reset button.  Right there on top of the head of the vacuum – won’t try to explain how I missed it but I did.  So, I pushed the reset button and presto – power to the beater bar again.  Nice touch Dyson!

WHAT I DON’T LIKE

You might think I have no complaints about the DC 18 Slim. Though few, I do have a couple. The vacuum is designed with two wheels that pop down when storing the vacuum.  To release them for vacuuming, you simply press on a release bar at the back of the Dyson Slim or, even easier, tilt the vacuum handle down to a usable position and the wheels pop up automatically. Another GREAT design.

However, I find sometimes the vacuum, when standing upright, will start to tilt back on it’s own (sitting on carpet and the weight of the cord perhaps?) and the wheels pop up and over the whole vacuum goes.

This also happens sometimes when I have the extension hose extended and am pulling on the back of the vacuum.  The wheels don’t roll easily all the time on carpet.

A minor annoyance but at times, a pain just the same.

Also, I wish the brush attachment (combination accessory tool) had a little softer bristles. They are too stiff and I don’t like the bristle spacing either. To me, it is better for a car than for my furniture. Does a fine job on walls, etc but I like to be able to dust with my brush attachment.

WRAP UP

All in all, I love my Dyson DC18 Slim upright canister vacuum (that’s a mouthful!).  It’s lightweight, simple to use, does a great job, has an easy to empty canister and comes with the famous Dyson “never loses suction” engineering.  Not to mention the DC18 Ball technology.

Buying the Dyson DC18 Slim refurbished vacuum is a GREAT way to save some cash yet still get a full 6 month factory warranty. Of course, you can purchase a new one too by following this link (TotalVac) or this one (Amazon) or by clicking on any of the banners on this page.

I hope this Dyson DC18 Slim All Floor review has been of use to you.  Feel free to leave a comment if you have a specific question or issue. I also hope I’ve brought you some resources to get your DC18 Slim at the best price or on sale.

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