I have owned the Dirt Devil Jaguar for as long as I can remember. I don’t exactly remember when I bought it, probably sometime in college when I had my first apartment. I most likely purchased it 7 or 8 years ago. I am sure at the time my major deciding factor in the purchase was price. You can find this little hand vacuum for $20.

Features

The Dirt Devil Jaguar is a small cordless vacuum. The red vacuum weighs about 2 pounds and is 16 inches long. Its small size makes it quite easy to carry around the house. The vacuum is also bagless. When it is getting full you simply hold it over a trash barrel and press the release button to open the vacuum. Set the handle part of the vacuum, the piece containing the motor, aside and pull open the canister. Then shake the canister out over the trash and it is empty. It is a good thing that it is so easy to empty because the canister is small and there is not a lot of room for debris.

The vacuum is cordless and runs on a rechargeable battery. The vacuum’s battery charges when it is attached to it’s base. The base can be mounted on the wall or sit on a table or floor. I have my base sitting on the floor and sometimes find it challenging to get the vacuum seated in the base. I think this would not be a problem if it were wall mounted because you’d be forced to push the vacuum correctly into the slot. I have had no problems with battery life. Since the vacuum is just a small hand vac I only use it for a few minutes at a time and then return it to the charger. Only when I’ve left it unplugged for extended periods of time have I found the battery die.

The vacuum features one attachment, a long skinny “crevice tool.” The crevice tool is permanently attached to the vacuum. It sits on the front of the vacuum when not in use, tucked neatly into an indent on the body. It does not get in the way of using the vacuum and you might not even notice it if you were not familiar with how it worked. The tool has hinges so it can be swung out of it’s storage slot and fit into the mouth of the vacuum. The tool fits into the mouth tightly and I have not noticed a loss of suction when the tool is attached – if anything I find I get better suction from the smaller opening of the tool. I believe the tool used to swing easily on its hinge into place, but now, with age, it makes a grating metal noise when moved in and out of place.

Things I like

I like this portable vacuum because it is quick and easy to use. The light weight makes it easy to take to any room and use in any environment. Holding it over your head to clean cobwebs or tall shelves is no problem. The handle is also comfortable to hold and use. I also like the vacuum’s reliability – as I said I got this at least 7 or so years ago and it still runs. I have had it through a number of home moves and I am sure it has been tossed around and dropped. This is awesome for a $20 product.

Things I don’t like

The vacuum doesn’t have the best suction power. It will pick up some stuff, but sometimes I feel I need to go over the same spot over and over again. Of course, for $20, you really can’t expect something amazing. I also do not like that there is nothing on the bottom of the vacuum to protect the floor. I have found at times when I am careless it has left small scratches on my floor because I am just rubbing the hard plastic on the floor.

Conclusion

Overall this is a good value for the price. You can’t find many vacuums for $20 that work and last for as long as mine has lasted. This would be a great vacuum for a student in their dorm room or for a young person starting out in their house. Obviously, this is just for touch up jobs and it is not replacement for a regular vacuum.

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