Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

First, let me say that heretofore, I have been a big fan of Dyson, having bought and loved their DC 14 Animal approximately seven years ago, which I still have and use. I believe in spending money and getting what you pay for. However, with regard to Dyson's DC 35, you do not get what you pay for. Having read many reviews prior to purchasing this vacuum, I was concerned that some of them were overly critical, but I have found most to be very legitimate. One of the major disappointments, which could have been overcome, is the very short usage time after full charging, which is 13 minutes for normal cleaning and 6 for maximum cleaning, which is the only effective setting. This is a ridiculously short time, and if this were necessary, due to its strong cleaning capacity, Dyson should have included a second battery for their very high price of close to $300.00. In my opinion, with only one battery, this vacuum would be more fairly priced at approximately $150.00. The other significant complaint, which I thought may be insignificant at first, is the requirement that one continually compress the handle lever in order to operate the vacuum. This is very uncomfortable and painful; and in the short operating time, I found myself swapping hands at least four times to minimize discomfort. This is a very top-heavy vacuum, and depressing a lever while maneuvering a top-heavy vacuum spells disaster for anyone who is elderly, has arthritis or suffers from carpal tunnel syndrome. I am a court reporter, and enjoy doing home renovation, and have stronger hands and wrists than most women, and this was very uncomfortable for me. Dyson should have designed this with an option of using a locking mechanism to allow the vacuum to stay on without the lever being depressed continually. I am sure this was done to save precious usage time, but it should not have been at that price. The vacuum cannot stand on its own due to its top-heaviness, which means that whenever you stop, you have to find a place to lean it against or it topples over and breaks apart, which is annoying and inconvenient. The last minor, yet appalling, complaint is that Dyson, despite charging approximately $300.00 for this vacuum, does not include two small screws with wall anchors with which to mount the charging bracket. So, I had to go looking for two screws with wall anchors of the right size because they were too chintzy to include them. It is not a matter of money, but I believe that inconveniencing their customers after spending this much money demonstrates inconsideration and a lack of appreciation. On a positive note, the vacuum does a satisfactory cleaning job on the maximum setting on tile and hardwood flooring, and is convenient. Therefore, I use it every day for fast clean-ups on my tile and hardwood floors; but it is no substitute for my DC 14. It performs very poorly on my wool oriental rugs and wall-to-wall carpeting. The resistance from the brush roll is so pronounced, that it exacerbates the painful wrist situation, caused by compressing the lever, and is unusable. Also, I have a large home, and the cleaning width is much narrower; so it doubles the actual cleaning time. However, you will be more likely to clean small areas in-between heavy vacuuming with this vacuum. I take recommending products to other people seriously, and until these inconsiderate design flaws are mitigated, I honestly cannot recommend purchasing this vacuum. It is just not worth paying this price, literally and figuratively, for convenience. UPDATE: Within a week of writing this review, I found its use so limited, that I returned the vacuum and purchased the Hoover LINX rechargeable vacuum on Amazon, which I love. However, I do recommend purchasing an extra battery, since the battery only lasts 15 minutes on the strongest setting. It has none of these aforementioned design flaws, and is twice the vacuum for half the price. I also am able to use it on all surfaces effectively. I loved it so much that I later purchased the LINX handheld vacuum, which I also recommend.