DC22 Dyson Baby vacuum cleaner review

Does the Mini-Me version have the suck to impress?

13 February 2008 13:00 GMT / By Stuart Miles

While our American readers have lovely big houses, we here in the UK and Europe don't have the same luck. According to Dyson, the UK has more, smaller, households than ever before with the smallest houses per square metre than the rest of Europe.

The trouble is the regular Dyson vacuum cleaner isn't the smallest of devices, so what's a company to do? Shrink it of course and following patterns already seen by Sony, Dyson has created a "Mini-me" version of its cylinder vacuum cleaner. But can it still pack an impressive punch? We do a spot of cleaning to find out.

The DC22 Dyson Baby is a compact cylinder, one-third smaller than other Dyson cylinders. Its telescopic wand packs down and its hose wraps neatly around its body for tidy storage.

Obviously not as small as the also launched DC24, the DC22 comes with the same technology, so you get the patented Root Cyclone technology, bagless cleaning and a retractable power cord.

In an attempt to keep the suction at its max, Dyson say its engineers have taken this technology one stage further and developed core separator technology to capture even more microscopic dirt. The dirt goes through three stages including spinning it at 500Gs.

Like other models in the range you also get filters for cleaner air and the option of a turbine head.

We used the DC22 on carpet, floorboards and slate and cleaned a series of dirts such as flour, dog hair and even garden dirt.

Performance-wise and the DC22 in our mind doesn't perform as well as the DC24, the upright from Dyson. Without the extra turbine brush head the suction isn't as good while manoeuvrability isn't as good either.

Additionally the design although low in height, its size is 29(H) x 26(D) x 40(W)cm compared to 74.9(H) x 28(D) x 34.9(W)cm isn't as compact as the DC24 and you'll loose plenty of cupboard space.

Verdict

Whether you opt for a cylinder or upright comes down to personal preference, however for us we prefer the miniature upright from Dyson in this case.

Without the turbine head (an additional £40) the suck doesn't compete, and we found the wand itself rather cumbersome and in this case not really long enough. The result meant we were hunched over.

The DC22 is lighter than the DC24 and has a bigger dust bucket. If these are important to you then this will serve your needs, but for us the comprise hasn't been worth it in this case.

Score

Review Recap

Made by: Dyson
Price as reviewed: £239 - 279
The good: Big dust bucket, retractable cord
The bad: Not that small, wand not long enough
Quick verdict: Whether you opt for a cylinder or upright comes down to personal preference, however for us we prefer the miniature upright from Dyson in this case
Score