Sweep This One Under the Rug: Dirt Devil Vision Vacuum

By Jonathan Berohn

Ordinarily, I don't make a habit of reviewing things I've had for a year or so, but when I saw that Target is still peddling the Dirt Devil Vision vacuum-with Turbo.don't forget the turbo-I felt it was my duty to give you the full scoop based on actual use.  Despite the initial good impression it makes, the Dirt Devil Vision is the most frustrating vacuum I've ever owned.

The Tease

It's not like the Dirt devil vision doesn't have promise.  In fact, that's probably the worst thing about it.  It could be an excellent vacuum.  It has incredible suction and pick up power, especially for a bagless vacuum.  When we first brought it home, my wife and I loved how much dirt it picked up, and how clean it left our carpets.  We also found that that the turbo tool attachment was quite handy for vacuuming steps.  Our satisfaction, however, was strictly short-lived, as the numerous shortcomings in the vacuum quickly overwhelmed the benefits of pick-up power.

The Annoyances

The lack of engineering on the Dirt Devil Vision is simply astonishing.  The most inane is the lack of any fastening mechanism on the hose.  Briefly, the Vision uses one hose to power both the floor vacuum and the hose attachments.  Conveniently, you free the hose from the floor brushes simply by pulling it out.  Annoyingly, the hose has the wonderful habit of coming out on its own at least two or three times per use.  This also means that all the dirt the brushes free from the rug come right out the hose hole and straight back into your rug unless you keep an eye on the hose the entire time you vacuum.

Problem number two is the power cord.  Not to sound too much like my father, but way back when I was a kid, you could run over a vacuum's cord and not damage it.  Apparently the good folks at Dirt Devil aren't familiar with that tradition, as the Visions cord does a very good job of losing its insulation whenever you happen to run over it.

The Coup de Grace

For all its minor problems, the Dirt Devil would still be functional.  The complete stupidity behind the hose attachment system has rendered at least my Dirt Devil useless and defunct. In short, the floor brushes keep turning when you pull out the suction hose.  Practically, this means that when you leave the vacuum in one place you keep the brushes spinning, breaking belts and ultimately burning out the motor-and spitting burnt plastic all over your rug if you are lucky.

If, for some reason you want to try your luck, you can buy this vacuum at Target. I think you can probably guess my thoughts.