In this Dirt Devil SD40050 Dash bagless canister review, we’ll look at the pros and cons of this canister vacuum cleaner.
Pros of the Dirt Devil SD40050
- This vacuum cleaner has a $100 list price. It is cheaper than comparable Dyson vacuum cleaners.
- It has the power of a standard vacuum cleaner, coupled with a long hose that permits you to vacuum drapes, upholstery, rugs several feet away and tapestries without switching tools or connecting the vacuum head to a long hose.
This vacuum has a long, 20 foot power cord and an automatic cord rewind. This gives you long reach without having to constantly unplug and reconnect the power cord while keeping it out of the way as much as possible.
- The vacuum has HEPA grade filters that are washable to extend their life.
- The vacuum comes with a dusting tool. It also has a swipe strap that replaces the Swifter dusting mop for a fraction of the overall lifetime price. The Dirt Devil Swipes are washable microfiber pads that clean the floor as well as Swifter but without the cost of constantly disposed of cleaning pads or the sticky residue of the Swifter spray mops.
- This unit is easy to assemble.
- You can adjust the suction via a dial. The lower suction level is good for drapes, while higher suction is best for thicker carpet.
- The design gives it excellent maneuverability. It will get under the couch and coffee table and top of the shelves.
Cons of the Dirt Devil SD40050
- Because this vacuum cleaner is so new, released December 30, 2014, it doesn’t have a history with actual users. It hasn’t been out long enough for problems with the design to be discovered.
- Similar models to this vacuum by Dirt Devil do better on hardwood and tile floors than carpets. Models like the SD30060 don’t do as well on carpet.
- There is no easy storage location for attachments on the vacuum cleaner.
- The 3 in 1 accessory’s brush is so high up that it really doesn’t do much to pick up pet hair or crumbs more than a vacuum nozzle would.
Observations
This Dirt Devil SD40050 Dash bagless canister review wouldn’t be complete without additional information of benefit to consumers that could affect their decision to buy this model but isn’t specifically a pro or con.
Dirt Devil vacuums have above average reliability according to Consumer Reports. Around 6% of their vacuums needed repair in a given year. Only Kirby vacuums were more reliable than Dirt Devil. However, that reliability figure is for the entire brand, not just the Dirt Devil Dash.
Dirt Devil vacuums like this one have a two year limited warranty.
Dirt Devil vacuums in general are loud, especially on high suction.
The vacuum weighs around 10 pounds. It isn’t light, but it isn’t heavy. The long extension arm and hoses make it a fair choice for someone with limited upper body strength to push around and clean the floor as long as they don’t have to carry the vacuum up stairs.
This vacuum can stand up on its own in storage, but you need vertical storage space to store the long extension wand and metal arm. Disassembling the hose and wand gives you more storage options but adds to the inconvenience.
More Reviews of the Dirt Devil SD40050 Dash Here!
Jim Jones says
I just unpacked mine, and am trying it out for the first time (Sunday, June 5, 2016). It was a warranty replacement for a similar Bissell unit that died twice over the past 3 years. I liked the Bissell — it was small and strong, but it took hard abuse with my 3 kids (2 toddlers) and dog. I don’t blame it for dying twice — I think I sucked up messes that were too damp, to be honest. The Dash Multi seems slightly quieter (lower note, too — less shrill) than the Bissell, with similar suction power. The mop head attachment is really cool, and works really well in our entirely hard-floored home. It’s so thin that I can get under furniture that I’ve never been able to navigate before. Nice. The stainless steel wand is badass — one unit that telescopes between half and full length with positive stop indents every inch or so in between. I played with it for 2-3 minutes just for fun before getting on with it. It’s the first vacuum I’ver ever owned that didn’t have two wand halves to lose and/or frustrate me with poor fit (I’m talking to you, Shop-Vac!) Immediate cons that have me feeling frustrated and/or stupid are as follows:
1.) the normal head has a nice boss moulded onto it that slides into a matching groove on the base unit for storage — it rides piggy back when you’re using the mop head. One would expect the mop head to have the same boss for when you want to switch heads, right? It doesn’t. I guess I just store the mop head in the closet when not in use? Dumb. Be consistent, industrial designers (or more likely, don’t just raid the corporate parts bin without letting your industrial designers work their magic, project managers!).
2.) The 3-in-1 attachment seems to be a cool little device at first blush, giving you 3 attachments in one unit so that you’re not always losing individual bits. It also has a boss moulded onto it that clicks onto a ring on the wand so that’s it’s always immediately at hand.
A.) The click is weak, so that I keep knocking the 3-in-1 onto the floor every time it lightly bumps my knuckles or anything else. The ring on the wand is also kind of poorly located right at the friction point where the wand slips on, making it easy to drive off, as well.
B.) The 3-in-1 attachment intuitively slips onto the end of the steel wand in one direction, giving you the brush and nook functions, but if you flip it around to use the other end (uhh, drapes attachment, I guess you’d call it), no dice — the 3-in-1 is far larger than the steel wand, so it cannot press fit into place. (*While I was typing this, my wife figured out that the correct fit for this orientation is onto the handle portion of the hose, sans steel wand. Don’t mention that in the instructions, or anything. Thanks for making me feel stupid. =-/ )
3.) The Bissell had really nicely tuned tension in the power cord reel. If I only had 6′ out, for instance, and then I wandered further from the electrical outlet, I could feel that I hit the the Bissell’s reel spring, but if I was gentle, it would just nicely feed more cord out. The Dirt Devil has too much tension in it’s reel, so that if I try the same thing, it always just pulls the plug out of the wall rather than feed more cord. Super annoying. This is truly one of those “little things” that demonstrate design greatness (or lack thereof) — the kinds of things that make German & Japanese cars so much better than the rest of the world.
So, overall, not a bad unit. It does its primary task well enough, so far. Stupid niggling little design details that pissed me off drove me here to read & rant, though. Fair warning to others!
I really do wish that I could get a wand like that, and a better designed 3 or 4-in-1 attachment, for my big 2.5″ Shop Vac hoses, though. They’re cool ideas.
Sincerely,
Jimbo