I bought something that really sucks...

II seldom buy the "best" or flashiest item in a given category. I drive a Ford, not a BMW. My LCD TV is a Trutech, my MP3 player is a Zune, my home PC is a Cisnet (although I do also have a work-owned macbook). I do have an LG LCD, but only because I got a really good deal on it on clearance.

But I recently splurged and bought what's probably regarded as the best -and priciest- of an item in it's category. And it's not a category anyone who knows me and my horribly messy desk at work would expect. I bought a Dyson DC07 Vacuum.

Maybe it's genetic - maybe I inherited a weird thing for for expensive vacs from my Dad (along with being as hairy as a gorilla). Years ago, my dad thought that it would be a good idea to spend $1500 or so installing an Electolux central vac in our house. The idea was we wouldn't have to worry about carrying a vac from room to room or emptying it all the time - just plug into a convenient central vac outlet and bust that dirt.

It was a great idea in theory. In reality, not so much - the vacuum attachment was heavy, because it had to have a ton of hose to reach from the vac outlet. It was noisy as hell, and of course the vacuum unit was right under my bedroom, which was above the garage. And it didn't even work all that well. Eventually, they threw in the towel and bought a normal vac.

So compared to that, the Dyson is cheap. And it actually works.

My previous vac was a $50 Eureaka. It had some annoying design flaws - the tube was also the intake, and it would randomly pop out while vacuuming, sending dust into the air. It also started shutting down randomly, probably because of the massive amount of cat litter I tried to use it on... my cat sees pooping as a full-contact sport.

So I knew I needed to get a new vac. My original plan was to get a Hoover Mach 3 or Mach 5, which are Dyson clones with a loyal following. They are also sold only at Wal-Mart, a store I don't normally shop at - not because I'm one of those people who think they are evil, I just don't like shopping there. I kept putting off buying it, and thought if I found a good enough deal on a Dyson I'd buy it.

Well, last week woot had a refurbished DC07 for $220 shipped - a good deal considering they go for around $400 new, and the cheapest I'd found was $280 on eBay for a refurb- in pink (it was a limited-edition Target model). I figured it made more sense to pay $220 for the real thing than $170 for an imitation.

So yesterday I came home to find a giant 28 pound package from FedEx. The Dyson had arrived. I put it together last night, and fired it up this morning.

So far, I'm impressed. It picks up a lot of stuff, is well designed, and pretty easy to use. The container holds a lot more dirt than my old vac, and it's cool to watch it spin around while it's vacuuming with that cyclonic action. The stair tool works, and it doesn't randomly pop open and spew forth dust like my old vac. Plus, the one that woot sent me is blue-and-silver, instead of the ugly blue-and-purple monster they showed in the listing.

Kitty likes my new vac

full of dust