Handheld Vacuums

Dyson DC31 Handheld Vacuum : Good but did not even last 3 years

Posted on | by Agaena

I have a 3 year old and find this product excellent for picking up crumbs etc rather than get the full sized dyson out, as well as cleaning the stairs and tidying the car. I was worried about the battery life after reading the other reviews but after a month, i have yet to have it run flat whilst using it.

This is an impressive machine. The suction is excellent, giving very good cleaning indeed. The brush/carpet tool is very niftily designed for convenience and the crevice tool is good and long to reach into awkward spots (under car seats, for example). It is light and easy to use, simple to empty and looks very stylish. Others have commented on the short (10 minute) battery life. I’ve not found this a problem for my use, but prospective buyers should consider it – it might be a real nuisance if you were doing longer jobs. The other possible problem is the price. The dc31 is, let’s face it, not cheap. I have owned other dyson vacuum cleaners for many years and found them well worth the price for the performance backed by top-quality engineering, dyson’s two-year guarantee and excellent after-sales service, readily available spares and accessories and so on.

The dyson hand held vacuum cleaner is brilliant. I use it to clean up after kids (and molting dog) all the time without having to lug my large vacuum cleaner out. Glitter with the kids is also no longer a dread as i know i have this dyson to clear most of it up.I also use it by the front door to clear up all the dirt and leaves thats are constantly brought in. If you are using it lots you just need to remember to plug it in everynight – i do this and it will last me for the next day. Here are the specifications for the Dyson DC31 Handheld Vacuum:

  • The most powerful handheld with no loss of suction
  • Dual power mode delivers 70% extra suction for tough cleans
  • Powered by the new Dyson digital motor – smaller, lighter and more powerful than conventional motors
  • 22.2V lithium ion battery recharges up to three times faster than others
  • 2 year guarantee – parts and labour are covered

Some improvement on dc16 but with limitations. I own a previous incarnation of a dyson handheld vacuum cleaner and in some ways the dc31 has several improvements. First, it is significantly smaller and lighter. Second, it offers two power settings whereas the dc16 had only one. Third, the style is – in a dyson way – a little more attractive. Some problems that were present with the dc16 remain however. Battery life remains appalling with a maximum usage time of 10 minutes with a three-hour charge then required. Using the higher suction option the battery life is reduced further. Although lighter than the dc16 the dc31 is still not a light machine. In some ways it’s a benefit that the battery only lasts for 10 minutes as, if you are cleaning blinds for example, your arm will be aching holding it for any longer.

I am a dyson convert and have purchased many upright cleaners since the early dc01. I purchased the handheld as a gift for my daughter and she is delighted with it however i am not due to the price. She has seen handheld vac cleaners from £15 upwards and thought i had only paid about £50 max not the actual [. I do think it is expensive but a good machine , so you have to decide do i want the rolls royce of handheld vac cleaners at rolls royce prices or spend a fraction of the price for another manufacturer.

Reviews from purchasers :

  • Mini-marvel – with limitations due to battery life
  • Some Improvement on DC16 but with limitations
  • Very impressive!

Make no mistake, this is a very expensive item, but after having various handheld cordless vacuum cleaners that have been asthmatic at best, this is brilliant. Battery life for me has been longer than expected (though i don’t time it). It does a great job of getting the dirt out of my car and i find it’s handy to keep around the house for quick emergency clean ups instead of faffing about with the main vacuum cleaner.

A powerful rechargeable vacuum. Cleaners of this type are always a compromise and dyson have got this one nearly right. In order to make a lightweight cleaner the compromise seems to be battery life, the 10 minutes maximum was not enough to vacuum a whole car and this is on the low power setting, high power only gives 6 minutes however i could not see much difference between the two settings. It certainly has high power suction, better than anything else i have come across and it managed to cope with hair and pine needles left over from the christmas before last. Charging takes just over 3 hours and in use the power remains constant until the battery is exhausted. As the battery is detachable and can be charged off the vacuum a spare battery would extend the useable life, as 20 minutes would be plenty of time. I will use this mainly as a car vacuum and would like to have seen a flexible nozzle as cars have so many nooks and crannies which are difficult to reach. Dyson do produce a car cleaning attachment set for their large vacuums which includes a flexible nozzle but unfortunately this does not fit. This vacuum is easy to empty the dust container being large enough to cope with the running time. There is a filter which needs washing once a month, particularly if you use it to pick up fine dust (it does warn in the instructions not to use it to pick up large quantities of flour).

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Agaena

Has one comment to “Dyson DC31 Handheld Vacuum : Good but did not even last 3 years”

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  1. Verified Purchase - August 3, 2017

    This review is from : Dyson DC31 Handheld Vacuum with Dual Power Mode (Latest Generation)

    I want a job where they make stuff this good. Other than that, extremely useful and powerful.

    • Verified Purchase - August 5, 2017

      I want a job where they make stuff this good. Other than that, extremely useful and powerful.

  2. Verified Purchase - August 6, 2017

    This review is from : Dyson DC31 Handheld Vacuum with Dual Power Mode (Latest Generation)

    This is a joy to use and is a superb supplement to a big vacuum cleaner. . I bought this vacuum cleaner in 2010 and am writing a review in 2014. 4 years of use means i feel properly qualified to write a really accurate and useful reviewbased on hard use, time, well beyond the warranty period, and effectiveness. So, in more than 4 years this vacuum cleaner has had a great deal of use and has never once failed. Incredibly i am certain that its suction is as good now as when it was brand new. I can’t scientificly measure this butyou know what i mean. I have cleaned it thoroughly 3 times, i mean taken completely apart, dried and reassembled. Otherwise you just need to empty it. Its battery still holds a very good charge, although i do think that the length of time available has shortened slightly. Apart from scratches due to constant wear and tear there is no damage.

    • Verified Purchase - August 7, 2017

      This is a joy to use and is a superb supplement to a big vacuum cleaner. . I bought this vacuum cleaner in 2010 and am writing a review in 2014. 4 years of use means i feel properly qualified to write a really accurate and useful reviewbased on hard use, time, well beyond the warranty period, and effectiveness. So, in more than 4 years this vacuum cleaner has had a great deal of use and has never once failed. Incredibly i am certain that its suction is as good now as when it was brand new. I can’t scientificly measure this butyou know what i mean. I have cleaned it thoroughly 3 times, i mean taken completely apart, dried and reassembled. Otherwise you just need to empty it. Its battery still holds a very good charge, although i do think that the length of time available has shortened slightly. Apart from scratches due to constant wear and tear there is no damage.

  3. Verified Purchase - August 8, 2017

    This review is from : Dyson DC31 Handheld Vacuum with Dual Power Mode (Latest Generation)

    Good but did not even last 3 years. The dc31 is an excellent product and at the same time very poorwhen working it is a perfect little dust buster but mine stopped working in less than 3 years of light use – dyson state its the motor and want £70 for a new motor. For the price of this product i expected it to last longer than it did – even the battery outlasted the motor very very poor reliability. Dyson’s answer was sorry to hear about this would you like to buy a new motor but we recommend you buy a new dc34 at a slightly discounted price of £139. Like i have said it is a excellent tool when working but don’t expect it to last any where near as long as it should – i believe it is designed to last as long as the guarantee and that’s it so you have to buy a new one.

  4. Verified Purchase - August 10, 2017

    This review is from : Dyson DC31 Handheld Vacuum with Dual Power Mode (Latest Generation)

    Good but did not even last 3 years. The dc31 is an excellent product and at the same time very poorwhen working it is a perfect little dust buster but mine stopped working in less than 3 years of light use – dyson state its the motor and want £70 for a new motor. For the price of this product i expected it to last longer than it did – even the battery outlasted the motor very very poor reliability. Dyson’s answer was sorry to hear about this would you like to buy a new motor but we recommend you buy a new dc34 at a slightly discounted price of £139. Like i have said it is a excellent tool when working but don’t expect it to last any where near as long as it should – i believe it is designed to last as long as the guarantee and that’s it so you have to buy a new one.

    • Verified Purchase - August 12, 2017

      I am so pleased with this hoover, works brilliant, suction great, so easy to use instead of getting my big hoover out, highly recommend.

  5. Verified Purchase - August 13, 2017

    This review is from : Dyson DC31 Handheld Vacuum with Dual Power Mode (Latest Generation)

    I am so pleased with this hoover, works brilliant, suction great, so easy to use instead of getting my big hoover out, highly recommend.

  6. Verified Purchase - August 15, 2017

    This review is from : Dyson DC31 Handheld Vacuum with Dual Power Mode (Latest Generation)

    This little machine has transformed my car cleaning. It is so much easier and thorough than having to use a dustpan and brush as the car is too far from the house to use house hoover.

  7. Verified Purchase - August 17, 2017

    This review is from : Dyson DC31 Handheld Vacuum with Dual Power Mode (Latest Generation)

    This little machine has transformed my car cleaning. It is so much easier and thorough than having to use a dustpan and brush as the car is too far from the house to use house hoover.

  8. Verified Purchase - August 18, 2017

    This review is from : Dyson DC31 Handheld Vacuum with Dual Power Mode (Latest Generation)

    Dyson dc31 handheld vacuum with dual power mode. As a hand held rechargeable vacuum cleaner i think this is unbeatable. There are other options with rotary brushes etc. Which may suit a specific need better. The dual power mode is usually set to the high power setting as the cleaner is used mainly to lift animal hair. While the battery will discharge quicker, when used for small convenience jobs it is more than capable. If the battery is not adequate i would think a mains vacuum really would be more suitable. Considerably more expensive than others but this one works.

    • Verified Purchase - August 21, 2017

      Dyson dc31 handheld vacuum with dual power mode. As a hand held rechargeable vacuum cleaner i think this is unbeatable. There are other options with rotary brushes etc. Which may suit a specific need better. The dual power mode is usually set to the high power setting as the cleaner is used mainly to lift animal hair. While the battery will discharge quicker, when used for small convenience jobs it is more than capable. If the battery is not adequate i would think a mains vacuum really would be more suitable. Considerably more expensive than others but this one works.

  9. Anonymous - August 21, 2017

    This review is from : Dyson DC31 Handheld Vacuum with Dual Power Mode (Latest Generation)

    This has restored my faith in handheld vacuums. Its suction is great and i use it for anything and everything.

  10. Anonymous - August 22, 2017

    This review is from : Dyson DC31 Handheld Vacuum with Dual Power Mode (Latest Generation)

    This has restored my faith in handheld vacuums. Its suction is great and i use it for anything and everything.

    • Anonymous - August 24, 2017

      Great little product if you dont mind the tiny battery capacity – 6 mins is enough though to get through quite alot – personally i love it.

  11. Anonymous - August 26, 2017

    This review is from : Dyson DC31 Handheld Vacuum with Dual Power Mode (Latest Generation)

    Great little product if you dont mind the tiny battery capacity – 6 mins is enough though to get through quite alot – personally i love it.

  12. Anonymous - August 28, 2017

    This review is from : Dyson DC31 Handheld Vacuum with Dual Power Mode (Latest Generation)

    Great design, reliable and very long battery life. I used it on my entrance carpet as soon as i received it, the battery was pre-charged and i could get it cleaned straight away. The sucking power is one of the best i’ve seen. I had a black&decker before but it didn’t work quite well.

  13. Anonymous - August 28, 2017

    This review is from : Dyson DC31 Handheld Vacuum with Dual Power Mode (Latest Generation)

    Great design, reliable and very long battery life. I used it on my entrance carpet as soon as i received it, the battery was pre-charged and i could get it cleaned straight away. The sucking power is one of the best i’ve seen. I had a black&decker before but it didn’t work quite well.

    • Anonymous - August 29, 2017

      The item has arrived very quickly and i’ve been using it almost every day. The battery lasts for only 10 mins but it is more than enough to pick up crumbs from the floor or a cobweb from that corner you could never reach. My main hoover is rather big and it was always a pain to take it out over a tiny thing, so this little dyson is a perfect solution for me.

  14. Anonymous - August 31, 2017

    This review is from : Dyson DC31 Handheld Vacuum with Dual Power Mode (Latest Generation)

    The item has arrived very quickly and i’ve been using it almost every day. The battery lasts for only 10 mins but it is more than enough to pick up crumbs from the floor or a cobweb from that corner you could never reach. My main hoover is rather big and it was always a pain to take it out over a tiny thing, so this little dyson is a perfect solution for me.

    • Anonymous - September 2, 2017

      Seems great so far although the plastic feels a bit weak on the door closure hopefully it will last. So handy when you dont want to get the big vac out and great for getting into tight corners and down the sides of the sofa etc to get fluff or cat hairs out (if you have cats you will find this a great tool).

  15. Anonymous - September 3, 2017

    This review is from : Dyson DC31 Handheld Vacuum with Dual Power Mode (Latest Generation)

    Seems great so far although the plastic feels a bit weak on the door closure hopefully it will last. So handy when you dont want to get the big vac out and great for getting into tight corners and down the sides of the sofa etc to get fluff or cat hairs out (if you have cats you will find this a great tool).