Dyson V11 Absolute Cordless Vacuum Cleaner
My wife and I have both had Dyson DC07 vacuums since before we knew each other.
One died when a friend borrowed it thinking it could vacuum up a water spill! The other has continued operating for well over 16 years with me only really replacing hoses and the swivel stair tool attachment. Its still working fine but when the stair attachment broke again the temptation of a new one took over.
Since the DC07 lasted for so long there wasn’t any real research for me to do other than to determine which was the latest version on the market.
I did however look at the video by “Vacuums Wars” this guy reviews loads of different vacuums and I knew of his channel when I was looking into a robotic vacuums and mops (Jo wasn’t keen). His review of its features, capabilities and his opinions of it after 7 months use just seemed to further strengthen the argument to stick with a Dyson.
Unboxing
The box contains a variety of components
- Dyson V11 Absolute –
- Torque drive motorhead
- Soft roller cleaner head
- Mini motorised tool
- Combination tool
- Crevice tool
- Mini soft dusting brush
- Stubborn dirt brush
- Wand storage clip
- Docking station
- Charger
- Manual
All are well packaged and protected and as you unpack there seems to be an never ending stream of parts coming out of the relatively small box.
Primary features
Display
The V11s display is straightforward and clear. Displaying the charging level while plugged in and during use it allows you to select different power levels, displaying the estimated running time for the selected mode.
Swapping Attachments
The different attachments are very easily swapped, using a large button to release the tool and attaching another is simply done by sliding the tool into the opening, snapping the tool in place.
Emptying
Dyson has a really neat solution to emptying the debris. Remove the attachment from the power head go to the bin, pont the unit into the bin, slide the red handle down – DONE!
The action opens the bottom port dropping the debris into the bin then as you slide the handle further down there is a rubber seal that wipes down the inside of the debris bin removing all the finer bits and hair that may be stuck.
Slide the handle back up and clip the bottom back into place, it really is a very efficient and clean way to empty it.
Motorized Heads
As all the power and motors are in the power head the vacuum requires separate motors in the attachment heads to power the rotary brushes. The V11 comes with the main large head and a mini motorised tool both of these work really well getting up any hairs from the carpets. However, they do not like long haired rugs and come to a stop, but even our DC07 didn’t really get on well with these.
Battery Life
From a 100% charge level the different modes give differing estimated duration on the screen, each of these values are with the large power head attached on standard carpet.
ECO Mode – Predicted 48 minutes runtime.
Boost Mode – 9 minutes
Auto Mode – This is harder to provide information on as it adapts the power to what is sensed at the head. With the power head switch on its lowest level setting on carpet it gave 30 minutes but switch to the highest setting this dropped to 20.
General vacuuming
First impressions
The performance of the vacuum is comparable with the DC07 but where it wins is the maneuverability of the head and the size of the head for getting under and around things. The torque drive motor head really does get into the carpet, adjusting the head level setting allows easier use on different thicknesses of carpet or rugs.
The weight of the head unit is light considering whats packed into it but its still a weight to manoeuvre and hold compared to a normal upright. If you don’t have any upper strength your going to struggle more than with a conventional upright. But this is going to be the same with any vacuum of this style.
Stairs
Vacuuming carpeted stairs is always a pain, grappling with the extendable hose and stair tool. Pulling your way up and lugging the vacuum up and down them.
The V11 makes life slightly easier but its not all perfect. The extra weight of the unit does make its-self known when vacuuming stairs and trying to angle the head to do the stair risers is quite a task. I would have thought Dyson creativity could have come up with a solution for this as its not possible to angle the unit horizontally and maintain the required level for the debris bin as per the instructions. The heads really need to be able to swivel or be mounted at 180 degrees to allow for the risers to be accessed.
Hardwood floors
The soft roller did seem to pick up the debris but didn’t do anything to clean / polish the floor. I don’t think its the intention of the tool to do this but it looks like it should as its soft roller seems to imply this. The advantage for us is it can be used on our hardwood flooring where as the DC07 couldn’t and the small head on the long tube allows us to get right under the sofas and chairs easily (Not as easily as a robotic vacuum – still trying).
Overview
Overall I’m very pleased with the V11, the motorised heads really do make a difference. I haven’t experience of the other vacuums without this feature but I do feel that if it didn’t the vacuum wouldn’t have been capable of being a full replacement for our old upright.
Lets hope the V11 lives up to the 16 years service of the DC07.
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