Dyson V10 Absolute sucks big time – in the best way (review)

Christmas
9.2

Dyson V10 Absolute is its newest cord-free, stick vacuum cleaner that the company claims is the last vacuum cleaner you will need. In fact, James Dyson has said he will no longer be developing corded vacuums – they are so yesterday!

One of the biggest issues with ‘stick’ style vacuums has been that they are incapable of cleaning the whole of a house. Dyson has improved suction by 20% over its V8 model, introduced a new 125,000 RPM motor, new impeller design, new linear in-line format airflow path and a dust canister that holds more.

Dyson V10James Dyson, the man who made engineering sexy again, said: “A strong performing machine starts with an efficient motor. The Dyson digital motor V10 is Dyson’s most advanced. It’s what enabled us to entirely change the format of a vacuum cleaner. The Dyson V10 vacuum is so light, so powerful; it can deep clean anywhere in your home. It is the reason why I’ve stopped developing full-size vacuums.”

The Dyson digital motor V10 is intelligent and continually adjusts to maintain maximum performance: it knows its altitude, the barometric pressure, temperature and could even work out the weather. Using its pressure sensors, it knows whether you are upstairs or downstairs. In fact, it is so sensitive it knows the altitude difference between the table and the floor.

It uses this information to make minute adjustments to deliver constant performance at different air pressures. It will give the same high performance whether you are in a high-altitude city like Mexico City and Denver, or a low-lying city like Amsterdam.

So on to one of Australia’s first, independent and objective reviews – Dyson V10 Absolute

Dyson provided the V10 vacuum cleaner on 21 February for an advance review before the global embargo lifts on 7 March. We have had plenty of time to put it through its paces. What we have not seen is any marketing claims on websites or the plethora of so-called user reviews – everything here is from our test lab experience.

If you own a V8 or earlier stick cleaner, you will notice a significant difference in weight, power, dust canister size and battery life. It is lighter at 2.5kg with the wand and powered head and feels about 100% more powerful. The new .9l dust canister (40% bigger) can’t accidentally open as was the case on earlier models. Accessories are backwards compatible to the V8.

Out of the box – Dyson V10

Australian website

Dyson V10

The box is a gift that keeps giving. It is chock full of tools, many of which you probably will never use, and Dyson provides a handy cloth carry bag for them all.

It includes:

  • A full-width direct-drive (has its own motor) hard head for all floor types.
  • A full-width direct-drive soft roller head a.k.a. The fluffy, for hard floors
  • A mini direct-drive head for small surfaces like stairs, car interiors etc
  • A combination tool with brush and Velcro – for air vents, car boots etc
  • A crevice tool for skirting boards
  • A soft brush and Velcro pad for upholstery and dusting
  • A flexible wand tube for handheld use
  • A wand extension and a ‘cob-web remover’
  • A metre long alloy wand
  • A wall mount
  • A 240V charger outputting 30-45V at 1.1A
  • And the Dyson V10 cleaner

So how does the Dyson V10 suck?

I tested it in a largish one bedroom (tight pile carpet), bathroom (ceramic tiles), kitchen (tiles) and lounge (carpet) apartment – about 65m2.

Battery

The seven cell Lithium Ion battery is 22.5V, 2600mAh, 65WH. The charger outputs 30-45V at 1.1A suggesting a fast charge system. Dyson says it should charge from zero to 100% in approximately 3.5 hours. Battery power is via a three-bar indicator and when its low the vacuum simply does not start.

Dyson says it will last up to 60 minutes, but I suspect that is on the low suck setting and without the power head. I found that on maximum suck it lasted about 15-20 minutes, but the good news is that charging was faster – around 3.5 hours.

While I used the maximum suck setting for the first couple of weeks, I found that the medium setting was more than adequate for my needs and battery life extended to about 30 minutes.

Edge cleaning

Both full-sized motorised heads have excellent edge and front cleaning ability reducing the need to use a crevice tool around the edges of carpets etc.

Hard floor cleaning

The soft roller head a.k.a. Fluffy picked up dust to large pieces of lint and debris although the hard brush was also very effective. Fluffy gave tiles and polished timber floors slight sheen.

Dyson V10

Carpet cleaning

The hard brush was excellent for bringing up the pile. I suspect I will use the hard brush more frequently as it is more general purpose.

Dyson V10

Upholstery

The soft brush and power brush were excellent and the power more than sufficient to remove debris from deep crevices in the upholstery.

Dyson V10

Cobwebs

The wand extender and brush were excellent for cleaning interior ceiling mouldings and exterior soffits.

As a hand-held cleaner

Without the wand/motorised head, it weighs 1.66kg. It is slightly heavier than the typical dust buster but no less convenient. You can attach an extendable flexible tube for more hand-held convenience.

The key difference of the Dyson V10 to the other hand cleaners is the amazing sucking power. Where dust busters are good on hard surfaces, this was excellent on carpet too making a huge difference in cleaning a car boot and interior.

Comfort

At 2.5kg with the wand and powered floor head, it is light and maneuverable. It takes about 15 minutes to completely vacuum and dust the ‘test’ apartment and at no time was there wrist fatigue. In fact, the handle design sits comfortably on your wrist.

Noise levels

On the low setting it measured 65dB – almost whisper quiet, on medium it was 70dB (a typical vacuum), and on high it was 75dB.

Dust collection

Since reviewing vacuum cleaners, I have developed an appreciation for two things. First, a home may look clean enough and secondly, it is amazing how much dust a good powerful vacuum picks up.

This is an extremely powerful vacuum managing to fill its 900ml canister even on one test where I had vacuumed first with a corded 2400W vacuum with a motorised head.

To empty the canister, remove the wand or cleaning tool and slide the canister cover forward to empty directly into the dustbin.

Dyson V10

Maintenance

There is a washable rear HEPA filter, and that is it. All debris is caught in the canister filters before the air is ejected.

Removing hair from the motorised brushes is easy.

Storage

Unlike a corded vacuum that needs lots of floor space and room for the hose and wand, this is so easy to store. Either use the wall mount/charger or remove the wand and put the body and wand in a small cupboard space – ideal for apartments.

Dyson V10

GadgetGuy’s take

OK vacuum and I are not the best of friends – it is a job I avoid with a passion and would rather do anything else.

I have not used a Dyson stick before so to that end I have no preconceptions. It is

  1. Damned powerful, at least as good if not better than a 2400W corded canister
  2. Extremely easy to use with less fatigue than dragging around said corded cleaner
  3. So convenient that you tend to clean areas more as needed – it is usually a chore to drag a heavy corded vacuum upstairs, plug it in etc.
  4. Easy to empty the dust canister – no more dirty hands
  5. Finally, it did the job with aplomb.

Is it good enough for the whole home? Yes, if you are prepared to clean progressively and do a few rooms at a time between canister empties and charges. Remember this is so convenient that you can pick it up and continue after a charge.

And it is as powerful as, if not more so than a 2400W corded vacuum.

Would I buy it?

Every time I hear the word Dyson the moth’s quiver in my wallet. Whether it is the Purifier Hot/Cool Link fan, the Supersonic hair dryer or its beautiful CSYS task light I know that the credit card is in for a substantial bruising. Dyson is several times the price of run-of-the-mill consumer products.

Yet despite my Scottish heritage (I am value driven), I find myself drawn to the Dyson Clan and ignore price for quality which is long remembered. In the consumer space, they make class leading products that not only look a little different but work fabulously.

After I left Dyson’s Australian HQ, the 20-something taxi driver piped up and said, “Dyson hey? Pretty expensive! Good stuff eh? Wish I could afford it though.”

A baby-boomer friend had a different opinion. “Bloody overpriced rubbish that always breaks.” On further investigation, I found he had bought a Dyson DC07 vacuum in 2001, and it broke down ‘unrepairable’ in 2016. “Bloody Dyson at that price should last forever.”

Two bits of advice. First, if you have had an experience with Dyson call their service centre – you will be amazed at how far they go to please. Second, if you have to ask the price, then it is not for you.

Is it good value? It is a new category, a stick vacuum with a whole of house capacity. It could easily replace the corded vacuum. As corded vacuums are perhaps a quarter or less of the cost, you have to put a price on the engineering and convenience factors.

Interestingly LG has just released its range of A9 CordZero stick cleaners that use similar appeals to Dyson. And their price – from $749 to $999.

Pros

  • Amazing sucking power for such a small vacuum – better than a 2400W corded
  • Dust canister opening better than the V8 – no more oops!
  • Terrific air filtration removing 99.97% of particles
  • Hugh array of cleaning tools means you can use the right one for the job
  • So easy to use it is a pleasure to clean up
  • Dyson engineering and quality – it is long past bits falling off

Cons

  • Battery life is good but not great – expect 30 minutes then a two-hour recharge. Change your cleaning patterns to vacuum in 30-minute slots then do something else for a couple of hours.

Price

Dyson V10 Absolute with all accessories is A$999 from major retailers from 6 April 2018. Available to pre-order online at www.dyson.com.au from 16 March 2018.

There is a Dyson V10 Animal version and two brushes for $899.

Ratings

It is almost in a class of its own – a stick vacuum that is powerful enough to replace a corded one.

  • Overall: 4.6 out of 5
  • Features: 5 out of 5 – an amazing array of tools and uses
  • Value for money: 4 out of 5 – It is a Dyson – the Apple of the vacuum world!
  • Performance: 4 out of 5 – better than a 2400W corded vacuum but 20-30 minute battery time loses a point
  • Ease of Use: 5 out of 5 – Light and convenient
  • Design: 5 out of 5 –  Typical Dyson over-engineering, won’t win a beauty contest
Overall
9.2
Features
10
Value for money
8
Performance
8
Ease of Use
10
Design
10
Positives
A very powerful stick vacuum that could replace a corded one
Negatives
20-30 minute battery life
9.2