Our In-Depth Review
Design
The Dyson DC33 Multi Floor Upright Bagless Vacuum cleaner is a large machine that annihilates any debris or dust in its path.
The modern design of this vacuum shows off the root cyclone technology that guarantees no loss of suction.
This is an upright vacuum, which means you simply turn on the power and guide the entire vacuum over the carpeting.
You walk behind and push the vacuum over the floor area that you wish to clean.
The DC33 model is an updated version of the DC14. Basically, this Dyson vacuum is the simplest full sized upright that they produce.
It doesn’t have the “animal” cleaning attachments or “ball” technology. What it does have is incredible suction at a cheaper price than other Dyson upright models.
Like most upright vacuums, the Dyson DC33 includes a hose on the back that attaches to different on board tools.
This means you can clean areas that are under furniture, or things that aren’t on the floor with the vacuum.
With the additional length of Telescopic Reach the hose extends up to 15-feet. Even with a vaulted ceiling the hose reach up to the top with the help of the extended reach.
The tools that attach to the hose include a stair brush, and a combination crevice tool/upholstery brush.
Dyson specializes in bagless vacuums with root cyclone technology. The DC33 All Floors has a bagless canister that sits right in front of the upright vacuum.
You can see through the plastic canister, so when the 0.61-gallon container is getting full, you simply detach it.
Make sure you hold the canister directly above the trash, because when you hit the red release button, all the dust falls down and out of the container.
There are two circular HEPA filters included with this vacuum, but they never need to be replaced. According to the manufacturers recommendations, wash out the HEPA filters every three months.
This vacuum filters the air so effectively, the laser particle scanner, which measures to 0.3 microns of dust, registered zero particles coming from the vacuum’s exhaust.
Performance/ Using the Dyson DC33 Multi Floor Vacuum
The Dyson DC33 Multifloor upright vacuum did wonderful cleaning up any type of mess we tried. The suction power is tremendous, and it filters out all the dust, so there is no dirty exhaust.
It also has a suction power of over 100 inches of water, which is way higher than a typical vacuum. A high level of suction power is very important especially for homes with medium pile or long pile carpeting.
The vacuum doesn’t have a lot of clearance though, so some larger particles on hard flooring get pushed instead of fitting under the vacuum head. With a rather “boxy” design on the vacuum head, it doesn’t fit under the lip of kitchen cabinets, or under the edge of furniture.
Performance on Carpets
This is where the Dyson DC33 truly excels. It does an unbelievable job cleaning the carpets. With one pass, no matter the type of mess, it cleans up with ease. We threw dry oatmeal on the ground to test how it did with larger particles and used flour to simulate fine dust.
It sucked up all this debris with one pass. It also was able to get right up against the corner so we didn’t have to use any on board tools for the carpeting.
When we tried the smaller particle test, we dumped white flour on the floor. The Dyson cleaned it all up with one pass. It leaves a nice clean carpet trail in its wake.
If you are the type of person that needs to see the vacuum carpet path to feel your room is clean, use a Dyson for that excellent carpeted look. We got down on hands and knees to investigate the carpet, and it looked fabulous.
We brushed the carpet around too to see if any flour or oatmeal debris got pushed into the carpet instead of sucked up, but we didn’t see anything. The carpet was spotless.
We also ran over some pet hair that was stuck to the carpet fibers. The Dyson didn’t remove this pet hair in one pass. Some actually were matted down or dragged a bit. The pet hair eventually was sucked up, but it did take a bit of time.
One nice factor though is the great filtration system of the DC33. No dander is emitted from the exhaust. This is excellent news for people who suffer from pet allergies.
Performance on Rugs
Sometimes your strongest asset can also be a weakness. This is the case with the Dyson DC33 Multi Floor super suction that never decreases. Rugs obviously rest on hard flooring. As the Dyson passes over a rug, the edges can get pulled up off the ground at times.
For larger area rugs, this isn’t a huge problem, but for smaller entryway rugs, you should keep one of your feet on the rug to keep it from moving or getting lifted off the ground as it is cleaned up.
Performance on Hard Floors
Once again we tested the Dyson DC33 with large and small particles. It did a great job cleaning up the oatmeal we used to simulate large particles. Remember to turn off the brush bar before you clean hard flooring.
This dial is located on the lower part of the unit. It is a round dial that you simply twist to turn off the brush bar.
For the small particles, it did a very nice job. In the kitchen, it won’t fit under the edge where the kitchen cabinets overhang. It didn’t do as awesome of a job as it did on carpeting, but overall it cleans up hard floors very nicely. You will have to get out the on board tools to get this area clean.
Edge Cleaning
It is really nice that this vacuum can get the hard floor and carpeting right up to the edge. We didn’t have to use the crevice tool at all for wide-open spaces that butt up against a wall or door.
It does work a lot better going at the edges from the side than butting the front of the vacuum right up against the edge of a room. You do have to be in areas where there is some space, because the design of this vacuum is very square.
It doesn’t fit under things, or in corners easily. You will have to use the hose and long reach wand for some edge cleaning situations.
Filtration
The Dyson filters out everything, and has a totally clean exhaust system. This means the dust that you suck up never comes back out. In fact, the exhaust of the Dyson DC33 is cleaner than the air that you normally breathe.
We have an excellent tool to measure how well a vacuum filters dust. With our laser particle scanner, we can measure the amount of dust is spit out of a vacuum’s exhaust system.
This laser scanner measures particles that are 0.3 microns in size or larger in the air. When this tool is held up to the exhaust of the DC33, it registers zero particles in the air.
Ease of Use
The Dyson DC33 bagless vacuum is pretty simple to use. There is one large power button to turn it on. At the lower section of the vacuum there is a dial for choosing either carpet or hard floors.
When it is on carpet mode, the brush bar will spin, and on hard floors the brush bar is turned off.
It does have a very long cord at 35 feet. You can vacuum more than one room with a cord this long, or clean an entire great room without changing outlets. There is also a quick release knob you can turn down to take the entire cord off right away.
Getting Started
There is minimal assembly required, and no tools are necessary. You just have to snap the hose and long reach wand into place. Don’t forget to snap the two on board tools onto the back of the unit and you will be ready to go.
Maneuverability
This Dyson Multi Floor model is pretty wide and bulky. It works great in open spaces, but since it is 14 inches wide, it doesn’t get into smaller spots.
It also doesn’t have a low clearance, so it doesn’t get under furniture easily. There are two large rear wheels that make it easy to move the vacuum around when you are cleaning, or just pushing the vacuum to the place you want to clean up.
This vacuum is large, so when it’s not in use you probably have to dedicate a spot in your closet for it. It’s not going to sneak into any tight spaces when you store it.
Noise
This vacuum is not super loud, but it is hard to hold a conversation without raising your voice. The Dyson DC33 is just a little below the noise level of an average upright vacuum. The decibel reader registered a noise level between 75 and 80 decibels.
To give you an idea of how loud this noise is, it is about how loud an average dog barks, or about how loud it sounds when standing on the curb of a busy road.
Attachments / Onboard Tools
There are three nice things about using the on board tools with the DC33. First of all, the tools are all stored right on the vacuum. You don’t have to go back and forth to your closet to get what you need.
Next, the two tools, actually three because of the combination tool, you can use are very handy. There is the crevice tool for tight spaces, and if you pull up on the bristles, it turns to the upholstery brush.
The upholstery brush is great for dusting off furniture or cleaning drapes. The final tool is the stair brush. You can use this for more than just stairs. We actually preferred this tool when cleaning by the edge of the floor.
Finally, the Telescopic Reach and stretchy hose give you a reach of 15-feet. This is excellent for homes with high ceilings. It can reach up and get any renegade spider webs.
Also the stretchy hose is nice for getting into tighter spaces. Don’t forget about your car. The flexibility of the hose can help you clean your car’s interior very nicely.
Some people struggle with using the wand. There are two buttons to get the wand working. First you press the silver button where the wand attaches to the base of the unit. This detaches the handle.
Then press the red button on the back of the wand to extend the reach of your wand. When you reattach this wand to the main unit, make sure to slide the grey button right up against the DC33 until it clicks in place.
Ease of Use on Stairs
Like most uprights, the Dyson DC33 is pretty heavy, so carrying it down the stairs isn’t real easy. Also, don’t use the upright vacuum to clean the stairs. We recommend using the wand and hose with the on board tools to clean up carpeted stairs.
The crevice tool works nicely along with the stair brush for cleaning small debris and pet hair. The longer hose and wand allowed us to clean up to seven stairs before we had to lift the vacuum up and move it onto the staircase to clean the remaining stairs.
You also have the option of just using the hose without the wand if you feel more comfortable cleaning this way.
Maintenance
The beauty of a bagless vacuum is minimal maintenance. There really isn’t much to do with your Dyson to keep it operating effectively. You have to empty the 0.61-gallon dustbin when it is full. Also, clean out the two filters every three months.
Filter A and Filter B both are towards the bottom of the vacuum unit. You have to detach the dustbin to access both filters easily. Wash both of the filters with cold water.
Tap the filters out as much as you can, and then leave them out to air dry for at least 24 hours before inserting them back into the vacuum again.
The HEPA filters are built to last the life of the DC33 vacuum. You won’t ever have to replace them. Also because it is a bagless vacuum you won’t have to ever buy bags or filters. No money ever has to be spent on filters or bags for the Dyson DC33 Multi Floors Upright Vacuum.
Emptying the Dirt Container
As for emptying out the bagless vacuum, you can clearly see into the cyclone pack when there is too much hair, dust and debris.
Press down on the red button on top of the canister to detach it and take the cyclone pack to the trash. Hold it right over your trashcan and push the same red lever further down to release all the debris you sucked up.
Value For Money
The Dyson DC33 gives your floors an incredible clean. The suction power is amazing, and it doesn’t spit out any dust at all from the exhaust. The on board tools are also very nice.
This vacuum is ideal for a home with some open areas or large spaces that need cleaning. It cleans carpeting very well, so we strongly suggest it for a larger home with a lot of carpeted area.
It does clean hard flooring effectively as well all the way up to the edge. The hose is very long so it also can be used to clean up closets, under furniture, and even the interior of a car.
No matter how you slice it, paying over $300 for a vacuum is pretty expensive even though the Dyson DC33 Multi Floor does an excellent job cleaning. The silver lining is there are no recurring costs because of the lifetime belt and filters.
Final Vacuum Verdict
This particular model, the Dyson DC33 MultiFloor, is the no frills Dyson vacuum. It is specifically designed to clean large areas of carpet and hard flooring. It doesn’t have the Ball technology, like the DC24, or DC25.
It isn’t an “Animal” version either, but it still does a very nice job with pet hair. We recommend this model for someone with a larger home, with an open floor plan.
It doesn’t do great getting into tight spaces, but it does perform very well when you have a lot of carpet that needs cleaning.
