Exactly one year ago on this day, I reviewed Dyson’s V10 cordless vacuum. I had a lot of fun with it and it served its purpose for the past year in my home. It was easy to use, powerful and versatile (I never clean the car without it). The V11 just made its way to our office and it’s undoubtedly an improved version of its predecessors. But is it worth the thousand dollars or are you just paying for the Dyson brand name?
Dyson has had a whole series of cordless stick vacuum cleaners, with earlier versions like the V7, V8 and V10 still available on its website. They are around $100 in difference from each other. For example, the new V11 is $999, the V10 Absolute is $899, the V10 Fluffy is $799, then it jumps down to the V8 Fluffy and V7 Fluffy+, both at $549. There’s a version for various price points, but naturally you can expect — the more you pay, the newer the technology and hence the more powerful and long-lasting it is.
Here’s the V11 Absolute:
above: the Dyson V11 Absolute box.
above: all the parts in the Dyson V11 Absolute box set.
As usual the first thing I do is go about labelling all the heads, so everyone in the house knows not to mix the “dirty” ones (for floor) with the “clean” ones (mattress and table tops).
above: ALL THE ATTACHMENT HEADS LABELLED.
above: EACH OF THE ATTACHMENT HEADS HAS A DEDICATED PURPOSE. THE ONES I USE MOST OFTEN ARE FOR CREVICES.
The immediate upgrade everyone will notice with the V11, is that it has an LCD screen that reports the mode and amount of time left in that mode. Dyson calls it “intelligent reports in real time”.
above: there are 3 modes — eco, med and boost.
above: when the vacuum is on, it shows how much time is remaining on the selected mode.
Another clear difference with the V11 Absolute is the translucent filter cover. The filter (which now looks white) can be seen through the cover so you don’t need to remove the cover when you want to check on how clean or dirty it is.
above: the almost clear filter cover allows you to see through to the filter.
Differences and upgrades that you can’t see are a more powerful suction from previous models and a longer battery life — the two things that users expect from every new version of Dyson’s cordless stick vacuum cleaners.
The same conveniences include: being cord-free (duh), having easily removable and replaceable attachment heads, and a generally attractive form factor (subjective).
Is the V11 Absolute useful? Most definitely — and it is certainly desirable for any home owner. But at almost $1,000 for a vacuum, it’s a no-brainer; buy it only if you can afford it and are in the market for a vacuum cleaner — this is the ultimate top-of-the-line home cleaning device to have.
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