Dyson V11 Outsize – for big jobs that suck

Dyson V11 Outsize
9.4

I was going to make a lot of sexist jokes about the Dyson V11 Outsize being man-sized for big cleaning jobs that suck, but the reality is that it addresses a few pain points that most stick vacs – including 2019 Dyson V11 have.

Pain point #1. The 2020 Dyson V11 Outsize and its smaller brother V11 Absolute Extra have a click-in battery. Not that you will need it in a typical home, but it is nice to be able to replace it on the go if you run out of juice or buy a new one to extend its life to 10+ years – as Dyson quality allows.

Dyson V11 Outsize
Removable battery

Pain point #2. The Dyson V11 Outsize has a massive 1.9L dust bin. It is 150% bigger than the standard .76L (and a lot bigger than the usual .4L in other brands) and most welcome as we usually empty the standard bin twice during a run.

Dyson V11 Outsize
Massive 1.9L (R) versus .76L (L)

Pain point #3. The Dyson V11 Outsize has a 32cm wide head – 25% wider than the standard. In theory, this reduces cleaning time (down the straight!), but a larger head also means it can’t necessarily get into tighter places. Still, it does reduce time.

Dyson V11 Outsize
25cm standard and 32cm Oversize

2020 Dyson V11 Outsize and Dyson V11 Absolute Extra (not tested)

  • Website here
  • Price:
    • $1299 for the Dyson V11 Outsize (Red, 5 tools), $1349 for the Pro version Gold, 8 tools)
    • $1199 for the Dyson V11 Absolute Extra (Blue, 5 tools), $1249 for the Pro version (Gold, 8 tools)
    • Spare battery $199
    • Dyson floor standing Dock $149
  • Warranty: 2-year if you register online
  • Available from: Dyson online with free Australia-wide delivery, 45-day money-back guarantee and most major electrical retailers.
Dyson V11 Outsize

How do you review a vacuum?

There is a lot more to a vacuum than just embarking on a cleaning journey.

We do not crunch Coco pops into the carpet or try to pick up bowling balls or iron filings. For a month (usually once a week) we vacuum a typical 3-bedroom/2-bathroom Australian home with a mix of hardwood timber floors, ceramic tiles and sisal carpet. Our test home gives consistent and comparable results. The floor typically has walk-in/blow-in dust, detritus from shoes, small pieces of dry and wet food and paper. Regrettably, we don’t have a cute puppy (that is coming one day when we get over the’ lock and leave’ need).

We know afterwards – from the barefoot feel and the amount of dirt in the dustbin – if it is doing its job.

Our current reference vacs are a 2018 LG A9 Master and a 2019 Dyson V11 Absolute Pro. LG has two batteries, and we use about 1.25 in the test. The Dyson V11 (45-60 minutes) was the replacement to the V10 (20-30 minutes), so we have seen the increase in technology over time.

Over the years, we have used built-in ducted systems, Samsung, Vax, Hoover, and many other brands. In short, we test the way you use it.

The Dyson V11 Outsize is our new ‘reference’ device.

As is usual we will show FAIL, PASS or EXCEED against all our test paradigms.

Battery – 60 minutes typcial use – EXCEED

It has three modes – Auto (idiot-proof and the one we use as it thinks for us), Eco (lower suction for longer life) and Boost (battery sucking but great for dirty surfaces and shag pile).

Dyson V11 Outsize

After a full charge (that takes up to five hours before the flashing blue LEDs extinguish) the Auto readout shows 60 minutes estimated life. We say ‘estimated’ as it needs to learn your patterns to be more exact. You can charge the battery on or off the vacuum.

Test One – the whole of home – EXCEED

The Auto setting with the wide direct-drive head on a hardwood floor shows 60 minutes. After 15 minutes of vacuuming it indeed shows 45-minutes left. Then we move on to the three carpeted bedrooms, and it dips to an estimated 20 minutes (from 45-minutes) with an appreciable increase in suction power. Then to the two tiled bathrooms and large entry foyer and it goes back to 30-minutes left. Total vacuum time was 22 minutes so it should give 60 minutes use.

Test two – endurance – EXCEED as expected

We tested the torque head using Low, Medium and Boost on a carpet tile. Low ran for 60 minutes, medium for 40 minutes and Boost for 5 minutes. Obviously, the Auto setting favours low to medium speeds in a typical house.

Test three – a vacuum defeating rug – PASS

Finally, we throw a challenge – a designer, deep shag pile forest rug that defeats most vacuums. With the readout showing 30 minutes the torque ramps up and withing a few seconds the readout shows 10, then 9, then 8… At the end of 7 minutes, the readout shows Low run time. The key here is to adjust the power-head, so it does not bog in. Interestingly when we fire it up again on the timber floor, it shows 15 minutes.

Dyson V11 Outsize

Why the detail? Because runtime is directly related to suction needed. Most of the time, Auto or Eco is fine for wood and tiled floors, medium for carpets and Boost for lots of detritus.

Dyson’s claim of 60-minutes of fade-free power is correct. So, if your present home takes less than 60 minutes to vacuum a single battery will do it.

The battery is a seven-cell, 25.2V DC, 3600mAh and 91Wh. The charger is 30.45V/1.1A – these are the same as the 2019 V11. But the removable battery makes all the difference.

32cm wide head with Dynamic Load Sensor (DLS) – PASS

The variable torque direct-drive (has a motor) works on all floor types. It has both nylon bristles (brush) and anti-static carbon-fibre filaments (fine dust). It also has a slider control to adjust suction. Most will leave this on the middle setting, but you can adjust for different floor types (it slightly raises or lowers the head).

It is 65cm high (5cm higher than the standard head) and has good edge cleaning. We did notice that the edge got caught under some cupboard kickboards – the standard head does not.

Yes, its wider and in a straight line does marginally reduce vacuum time. But in corners and under chairs, the wider head can be an issue. Where the smaller 25cm head fits almost everywhere, the 32cm head can get in the way. It is not a significant issue, but we did notice that we needed to use a mini-brush in some spots where the small head just did it all.

It comes with a motorised Mr Fluffy, mini-motorised head and five tools – PASS

It is a 25cm direct-drive soft roller head a.k.a. Mr Fluffy, for hard floors and leaves a slight sheen.

The 14.5cm mini-motorised head it great to use on its own or to quickly whip around edges and under chairs etc.

The accessories brushes are stubborn dirt brush (hard bristles); dusting brush (soft); crevice tool; and a combo tool.

What is missing (in my opinion) is a flexible extension pipe wand and a telescopic adjustable wand (like the LG has) to make the best use of the tools. Still, if I had not told mentioned it, you probably would not miss these items.

Power – EXCEED

Dyson does not publish power levels – Air Watts (AW) or motor watts. ModernCastle claims the Outsize is 220AW and the V11 is 185AW – Boost mode.

LG A9 claims it has a 140W motor that equates to 175 AW. In theory, the Dyson has more suck, but in practice in our test home, it is hard to see any difference.

Cleaning/Maintenance – EXCEED

Remove the wand or tool, place the vacuum over a rubbish bin and pull the lever down. As a couple of Meerkats say – Simple!

Dyson V11 Outsize

You can also wipe clean the interior of the plastic bin (easy to remove) and brush the aluminium filter.

You must wash the top cap filter when the LCD readout says. This is easy, but it can take a day or more to dry.

The motorised head brush is easily removable to clean wrap-around hair and detritus and can be washed under cold water – ditto on drying time.

Weight/use – PASSable

It has a trigger grip (like holding a pistol) which means your arm and wrist are straight out. Dyson claims this is the best ergonomic layout as the vacuum becomes an extension of the arm.

We question the ease of hefting up to 3.7kg for too long.

Regardless, the whole unit including vacuum (1.7kg), battery (770g), wand (246g) and full-width head (876g) weight about 3.6kg. That is about 500g (a pound of butter) heavier than the V11 Absolute Extra. I have pretty strong wrists but many don’t.

The LG A9 is approx. 2.76kg with motorised head and telescopic wand. Putting the larger head and dust bin capacity aside if you have a weak wrist or arthritis then look at the V11 Absolute Extra instead.

Noise – EXCEED

In Eco mode, it varies between 64-67dB. In Auto mode between 67-70-dB. In Boost from 75-80dB (depends on the floor type).

This is reasonably comparable with 2019 V11 and slightly above the LG A9.

As a handheld – PASSable

The V11 Outsize is a little too large if you connect a tool directly to the barrel. It simply gets in the way of cleaning car seats, windowsills, and tight spaces. A flexible extension wand or even a short or telescopic wand would make a vast improvement. The smaller V11 Absolute Extra is more suited to handheld cleaning but with the same caveat.

Mr Dyson – take a lesson from LG that supplies both (on some model variations).

He is pretty clever

But nothing beats the Shark Ion WV203 ‘dust-buster’ for spot cleaning.

GadgetGuy’s take: Dyson V11 Outsize – is bigger better?

If you have a large home, then bigger is better. But its extra weight and less manoeuvrable big motorised head make the V11 Absolute Extra the one to buy.

Regardless both address the main pain points and give it a slight edge over the LG A9.

The rating is for the Dyson V11 Outsize – the smaller V11 Absolute Pro is similar, if not a tad ahead for normal use.

Features
9.6
Value for money
8.6
Performance
9.6
Ease of Use
9.6
Design
9.6
Positives
Large capacity dust bin
Removable battery
Wide head is good for most floor surfaces
Easy to maintain and it is a keeper!
Negatives
Wide head is less manoeuvrable in tight spaces
Extra battery is $199
Floor stand is $149
No flexible extension wand makes handheld cleaning harder
9.4