A lot of upright vacuums in the market tip the scales at over 20 pounds, sometimes even 30 pounds.
If you don’t want to lug around a huge piece of machine just to clean your carpet floors then the Dirt Devil Dynamite is a great lightweight option.
Weighing just below 10 pounds, this upright from Dirt Devil still has enough suction power to clean a variety of surfaces from hard floors to low pile carpet.
It has HEPA filtration which means dirt sucked into the dirt cup stays inside and does not come back out.
It has a couple of attachments that will help you clean areas above the floor like the crevice and brush tool which you can attach to a hose.
However it does not have any hand held motorized brush attachment so you’ll have to have a handheld to complement this.
A quick look at the features
- Weighs only 9 pounds
- Uses HEPA filtration to block out allergens from coming back out
- Capable of cleaning both hard and carpet surfaces because of the auto height adjustment feature
- Bagless
- 25 foot power cord (non-retractable)
- Scoff guard protects furniture from scratches
- Adjustable telescopic wand (up to 31 inches long)
- Comes with three attachments – crevice tool, dusting tool and a stretch hose
Pros
- Weighs less than 10 pounds
- Very good suction
- Motorized brush roll works great on fine debris like powder and dust
- Very affordable
- Adjustable handle reduces the space needed to store this
- HEPA filtration
Cons
- Noisy
- Small dirt cup that you need to empty often
- Short hose
- No motorized brush tool that can be attached on the hose limits its effectiveness on stairs
- No swivel
- HEPA filters needs to be replace every few months to maintain performance so this adds to the operational cost
- Belts could be a weak point as some consumers complained that it needs to be replaced periodically
- Cord does not rewind
- May struggle moving on shaggy carpet because it does not have a self-propelling feature
What to expect from the Dirt Devil Dynamite M084650RED?
This is one of the lightest upright vacuums right now in the market at just 9 pounds, just a couple pounds more than a Gtech AirRam cordless!
So this is a great vacuum to have for a small home with a mix of carpet and hard surfaces.
It comes with a couple of attachments – the dusting brush and crevice tool to help clean edges as well as upholstery.
It also comes equipped with a stretchable hose but it is short at just 48 inches when fully stretched so reach is somewhat limited.
Attachments and Accessories
It comes with these attachments…
Cord Length
It comes with a 25 foot cord but it cannot be retracted so you’ll need to wind and unwind it manually.
Filter Clean up
Filter clean-up is easy just press a button to release the dirt cup, twist the cover to remove it and empty it over a basket.
The HEPA filter is located in the middle and can be removed by twisting it.
Now while it is simple to clean, it can be messy. If you have any allergies, I suggest you ask someone else to do it for you or wear a mask.
Warranty
Dirt Devil’s website mentions that it comes with a 1 year warranty on the motor and parts.
Bare Floor Performance
This will work best picking up fine debris on bare floor. It will pick up stuff like power and dust without much difficultly but for larger debris it does have a little tendency to blow some of them around.
You could use the crevice tool to pick the larger debris up.
If you have hard wood floors with some cracks or recessed areas between panels you may need to use the crevice or brush tool to pick up dirt in these areas.
Carpet Performance
This will struggle on shaggy carpet because it lacks a self-propelling feature which makes this hard to push in this type of surface, some consumers in reviews I’ve read have complained about having difficulty push this on more shaggy carpet.
On low to medium pile carpet, it will perform decently.
Pet Hair Removal
This Dynamite of a vacuum performed well on pet hair on both hard and carpet surfaces because it has strong suction and comes equipped with a motorized brush that will pick up hair.
It may struggle a bit on thick shaggy carpet because as I mentioned earlier, it’ll be difficult to push.
See it in Action
Best kitchen reviews gives you an overview on the features and demos the performance on carpet, hardwood and tiled floors.
Product Specifications
| Attachments | Crevice tool Dusting brush tool 12" extension wand Stretch hose |
| Cord Length | 25 feet |
| Auto Cord Rewind |  |
| Brush on/off switch | |
| Swivel | |
| Headlight | |
| Full bin indicator | |
| Bagless |  |
| Multi-surface | |
| Self propelled | |
| Net weight (with battery) | 9 pounds |
| Shipping weight | 14.2 pounds |
| Hose length | 48 inches |
| Cleaning Path | 11" |
| Overall length | 42.75 inches 31 inches (when handle is lowered) |
| Dirt capacity | N/A |
| Filter type | HEPA |
| Power | 7 amps |
| Voltage | 110v |
| Manufactured in | N/A |
| Warranty | 1 year on motor and parts |
Customer Reviews
Consumers raved about the compactness and how lightweight it is, unlike most other uprights that weigh over 20 pounds.
People who’ve had a history of back ailments were among the satisfied customers.
The base is only around 11 inches wide. If you compare this to other upright vacuums, it is quite narrow. And some consumers did not like this because it is less efficient.
Despite having only 7 amps, this vacuum has good suction if you look at reviews. But since it uses a small motor for its size, expect a high pitch sound that can be annoying for some.
If you have low tolerance for noise, don’t get this.
Also avoid this if you’re home has thick carpet because consumers have complained that they had a hard time pushing this on shag carpet because it does not have a self-propelling feature.
The biggest concern for me at least is the belt that again based on reviews that’s needed to be replaced regularly.
But since this part is so cheap (less than $4) it should not a be a big issue. Just make sure to have spare belts just in case the inevitable happens.
Messy filter cleaning is another common complaint for this, as you need to use your hands to pull out the filter.
It would be best to empty the dirt cup outdoors to prevent dust from going back out indoors.
Where can I buy this?
The best price I saw online was in Amazon and Walmart. Both are selling this at just below $60.
If you’re buying this directly at Dirt Devil’s online shop, it’ll cost $20 more.
Conclusion
This upright would be perfect for small to medium sized homes or apartments that don’t have wall to wall carpeting because you don’t need a big space to store this.
While it has very good suction, the dirt cup is small and it would fill up quickly if you were to clean a big 2,000 square foot home in one go.
Also it does not have a self-propelling feature that you need when cleaning shaggy carpet so this will be difficult to push on thick carpet and limits this to cleaning bare floors to medium pile carpeting.
Another concern for me is the HEPA filter that needs replacing every few months. Make no mistake this is a great feature to have if you have allergies but it is an additional cost.
This is also great for folks who don’t want to lug around a 20 pound vacuum, which is great if you have any sort of back ailment.
Overall this is a very good vacuum considering it just costs under $60 that will clean well but there are some concerns about built quality that all vacuums at this price range have but if this lasts you at least a year, it’s a good deal.
