With the DC44, Dyson will be able to meet the cleaning needs of an apartment owner where storage space is a premium.
I live in a 46 square meter townhouse so I have to maximize storage. And a vacuum like this would be a great cleaning tool because it is essentially 2 products in one.
This versatility allows, the DC44 will work well on upholstery, carpet, stairs, bare floors and all the spaces in between with 4 different attachments.
Dyson has been busy with product development over the past few years. Since the DC44, they have a few new products on board. If you want to learn about their latest products you can check out our guides on the different V6 variants, the V8, V7 and their latest V10.
Related: You can also find the best Dyson deals here to get the best price possible on various Dyson products.
It has two attachments equipped (a narrow and wide floor cleaning head) with a motorized brush that picks up dust, hair and other debris on a variety of surfaces.
It comes with two attachments. First is
You can mount this on a wall, ready to roll when you need it.
Talk about a small footprint.
The design of this motorized brush is unique to Dyson.
While most other brands will just slap in bristles, Dyson engineers used a combination of carbon fiber to pick up statically charged dust. And stiffer nylon bristles that act as an agitator that works quite well on both carpet and hard surfaces.
This is a newer version of the DC35 model that adds a motorized floor tool to the package.
It has twice the power and runs 15 minutes longer (+3 mins on max) though it has a longer charge time.
Features at a glance
- Uses a 22.2 volt Nickel Manganses Cobalt battery
- 20 minute run time on normal mode, 8 minutes on boost
- Attachments include a crevice tool, combination brush tool, mini motorized brush head and a full sized brush head
- Root cyclones this vacuum maintain performance even with the bin filling up
- Transparent dirt container
- Motorized brush head has carbon fiber filaments that pick up fine dust on hard floors and nylon bristles that dislodge dirt from carpet
- Has a boost function that more than doubles the suction power
- Included in the package is a wall mountable charger
- Cleaner head pivots up to 180 degrees allowing you to clean deeper areas under your bed that other bulkier models may have trouble reaching
- Filter is washable
Pros
- Decent 20-minute run time
- Short charge time of 5-1/2 hours
- Versatile
- Relatively lightweight at around 5.07 pounds and that’s with the floor attachment and wand
- Transparent dirt container lets you know when it’s full
- Filter is washable
- Has a boost mode that doubles the suction power helping you pick up embedded dirt on carpet
- Swivel steering (up to 180 degrees)
- It uses narrow plastic tube so you don’t need a big clearance to reach under furniture
- Floor tool has two types of brushes that help pick up fine dust on hard floor and stubborn dirt on carpet
- Beater bar can be removed so it’s easier to clean
Cons
- One of the most expensive hand held vacuums
- Lack of storage for attachments
- Floor tool can’t accommodate larger bits of dirt
- You’ll need to empty it often because the dirt cup is small
- Emptying the bin can be messy
- Trigger mechanism needs to be squeeze constantly for the vacuum to clean
- Can’t stand on its own
What to expect from the Dyson DC44?
At the heart of DC44 is a digital motor that produces 28 air watts on normal mode and 65 air watts on boost mode.
It isn’t as powerful as a full sized upright but it’s enough for quick cleanups. Powering this cordless is a Nickel Manganese Cobalt battery that will run up to 20 minutes.
Attachments and Accessories
If you buy it from Amazon you get 5 – crevice, combination, mini motorized tool, motorized floor tool and the extension wand.
This guy bought it from Costo and got seven.
One neat feature that Dyson added in their tools are the small holes at the bottom. These openings maintain air flow preventing the tools from sticking on the surface.
Charging Time
It takes around 5-1/2 hours to fully charge.
Filter Clean up
The one-touch emptying system may not work as Dyson claims.
In some online reviews I’ve come across, you’ll need to use your fingers to remove statically charged stuff like dust from the walls inside the bin
Filter is washable. Cleaning frequency will depend on how often you use it. Dyson recommends cleaning it once a month.
Run Time
It’ll give you around 20 minutes of continuous run time. However if you use the power or boost mode that number goes down to 8 minutes.
With the motorized floor tool attached, run time will not reach 20 minutes.
Most brands claim fade free power throughout the charge cycle. But this one is one of the few that delivered on it’s promise.
The advantage of a lithium ion battery is it delivers consistent power throughout the charge cycle. There will be no power loss whatsoever. And the telltale sign that battery is almost empty would be the blinking LED light.
Warranty
Dyson gives you a 2 year warranty on parts and labor.
See it in Action
Some Youtube review from fellow bloggers…
Bare Floor Performance
If you look closely at the brush inside the floor tool, it has two separate bristles.
A soft black carbon fiber bristle that has anti-static properties capable of picking up statically charged dust and a stiff nylon bristle that agitates dirt on carpet.
Other vacuums use only nylon bristles may struggle with fine dust.
It will not scratch hard floors because underneath it are strips of cloth that cushions the floor from the plastic body.
While the floor attachment is great at picking up fine debris, it will have trouble picking anything larger than a grain of rice.
You’ll have to ditch the floor attachment and use the crevice tool to pick up larger debris.
Carpet Performance
If you look closely at the cleaning head, it has two sets of bristles – stiff nylon and soft carbon fiber. The former works well agitating carpet but it will not deep clean.
This is by design to help dislodge and loosen up dirt stuck in between strands of carpet that is usually harder to remove.
Upholstery Performance
You’ll get two attachments to clean upholstery both in your home and vehicle.
The mini-motorized floor attachment works well at picking up pet hair and other types of small particles on sofas, couches and chairs.
It also has a combination tool that works well picking up larger chunks of loose dirt like bread crumbs or chips.
Cleaning the Edges
It surprisingly did well cleaning edges on hard floors despite not having any edge bristles but it may have some difficulty on carpet.
Pet Hair Removal
Both the main floor cleaning tool and combination tool are capable of picking up pet hair. It lacks a mini-motorized brushed that is more efficient cleaning pet hair on upholstery.
The motorized floor attachment has stiff red bristles that scoop up pet hair on upholstery and carpet.
Combination tool works in spot areas thanks to the small velco-like strip at the bottom that agitates.
Here’s a video demonstrating how both attachments work…
Product Specifications
| Attachments | Crevice tool Combination tool Mini motorized tool Articulating floor tool Extension wand |
| Battery | 22.2v Nickel Manganese Cobalt/Li-ion |
| Charger | Wall Mount Charger |
| Charging time | 5.5 hours |
| Battery life | 20 minutes (normal) 8 minutes (boost) |
| Net weight (with battery, wand and floor attachment) | 5.09 pounds |
| Shipping weight | 10 pounds |
| Cleaning path | 9.1" |
| Overall length | 44.1" |
| Battery indicator | No |
| Filter type | Washable cloth filter |
| Dust capacity | 11.52 ounces |
| Air Watts | 28 AW 65 AW (Max/boost) |
| Voltage | 110v |
| Manufactured in | USA |
| Warranty | 2 years on parts and labor |
What do consumers say?
Most people loved how easy it is to manuever around tight spaces because it weighed only 5 pounds plus it swivels!
A lot of them mentioned that this was a better alternative than pulling out a regular sized vacuum.
Pet owners loved how the floor tool picked up pet hair on bare floor and carpet but warned about hair wrapping up on the brush.
This is an issue with all vacuums with a motorized brush not just the DC44.
A short video on how to clean the beater bar…
The DC44 will struggle picking up larger bits of dirt because of the low profile design. It will push these types of debris forward instead of sucking them in.
Use the crevice or combination tool for larger chunks of dirt.
Most complaints mentioned this being a very expensive vacuum, some even going as far as saying that this is overpriced but remember refurbished units are available at around $100 cheaper.
Other complaints mentioned that the power trigger doesn’t have a lock mechanism that can be straining to the trigger finger and wrist. And there were also complaints about the small dirt bin.
Reviews from other sites
Dyson.com
Over 200 left a review in Dyson.com with over 190 saying that they’d recommend it to a friend. Surprisingly (for me at least) is most of the people who purchased this where between 45 to 75, far fewer people in their late 20s or early 30s got this.
People like the lightweight and compact design.
Most complaints came from folks who didn’t like the trigger switch. These are folks with conditions like arthritis.
Other complaints were the 20 minute battery life that they find to short and the price (gasp!).
Epinions.com
Only 3 left reviews but all of them gave it 5-stars.
All of them agreed that it cleans fine particles well, easy to move around, battery life was adequate and the attachments was compact enough to clean difficult to reach areas but they also agreed that the price is pretty steep.
Where can I buy this?
Dyson has discontinued the production of the DC44. You can opt for the Dyson V6 Absolute or the V7 MotorHead. Both have larger motors that will clean better. The latter has improved bin design that makes it less messy to empty.
If you want the latest then go for the Dyson V10 but this variant will cost close to $500.
To Wrap Up
This product is great for small homes or apartment owners looking a spot clean-up tool they can use on a variety surfaces except thick carpet.
It has a long extension wand that’ll allows them use this both as a stick vacuum and handheld – essentially 2 vacuums in one. This reach also allows you to clean cobwebs off the ceiling.
The motorized floor tool is great for both hard floors and carpet. The mini motorized tool is great on upholstery and on floors just in case the floor tool is too wide.
It has its flaws…
Since the dirt cup is rather small (holding only less than 12 ounces of dirt) you’ll need to empty it often.
Also holding the power button for 20 minutes can be strenuous on your fingers, though some say that it is a benefit because it helps conserve battery.
Personally I’d like to have an option where it locks in place. Imagine yourself cleaning cobwebs off the ceiling at the same time squeezing on the power button – it’ll give your fingers and wrist a good workout.
This is a great option you’re looking for a versatile tool that will clean small messes around your home.
Don’t expect upright performance as this vacuum lacks power. But it makes up for it with its versatility.
