Dishing the dirt on the Dirt Devil Dash Upright Vacuum (pictures)
The disappointing Dirt Devil Dash gets its close-up.
Katie Pilkington
Katie is a writer, a humor blogger, a Vietnam War historian, and an avid cook. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing and is hard at work on her first novel. When she's not writing about tech, she's reading about armored cavalry units in Vietnam, or teaching her labradoodle, Lola, to overcome her lack of opposable thumbs.
The Dirt Devil Dash's wand is easy to use and nests inside the vacuum body, with the handle serving both the vacuum in general and the wand.
3 of 12Colin West McDonald/CNET
The Dirt Devil's turbo tool is not nearly as effective as similar tools on other models.
4 of 12Colin West McDonald/CNET
Dirt Devil gives you a lot of options for customizing your vacuum, such as adjustable brush height for different floors and the ability to turn the brushroll on and off with the press of a button.
5 of 12Colin West McDonald/CNET
6 of 12Colin West McDonald/CNET
The Dirt Devil's dustbin is smaller than others, but it's easy to use.
7 of 12Colin West McDonald/CNET
8 of 12Colin West McDonald/CNET
9 of 12Colin West McDonald/CNET
10 of 12Colin West McDonald/CNET
11 of 12Colin West McDonald/CNET
Each brand has a different take on the dustbin, leading to dramatically different-looking products. Dirt Devil boasts a no-frills bin that, while smaller, is easy to use.
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Many vacuum cleaners offer turbo tool attachments, designed to remove stubborn debris (namely pet hair) from furniture and upholstery. Unfortunately, the Dirt Devil's turbo attachment doesn't work very effectively.