Dyson V10 Review – Overhyped or the Real Deal?

Sir James Dyson has declared that there is no need to make corded vacuums anymore because the Dyson V10 is that good. A huge statement to make and a great marketing ploy by Dyson. Cordless vacuums are the future but to date have not been able to match their corded counterparts due to limitations of battery run time. Will the Dyson V10 mark a major turning point where they can finally compete? Our Dyson V10 Review goes beyond the advertising hype to find out.

It doesn't seem too long ago that Dyson introduced the V8, having only been released in mid-2016. The V8 was a marked improvement on the V6 in terms of power, noise reduction and battery life. With the V10 Dyson have again made some huge improvements compared to the V8. Lets take a closer look at the main features of this cordless vacuum.

In our assessment of the Dyson V10 we've reviewed the specification of the vacuum cleaner and compared it against its predecessors and other vacuums in the market. We've also researched and reviewed results of independent tests from organisations such as Consumer Reports amongst others. In addition we've looked at feedback from consumers that have been published on the manufacturer's and suppliers' websites and to see if there are any common complaints or indeed positive points that we weren't aware of.

So you can rest assured that in this Dyson V10 Review we are presenting not just our opinion but a combined view taken from a number of credible, reliable sources. Let's look at some key issues.

As we've mentioned, Dyson have strategically marketed the V10 as delivering up to 60 minutes run time from its 25.2 V / 2600 mAh battery, however there is a large variance in run time the vacuum will deliver depending on the power setting that you use.

The table below shows the official run-times we've been given by Dyson so you can clearly see what is on offer. However, you should take this as a guide only and runtimes will vary further depending on the type of flooring that you are vacuuming - hard floors delivering the longest runtime, followed by low pile carpets then high pile carpets.

We contacted Dyson whilst conducting our review of the V10's run times and they offered the following guidance:

Please keep in mind that the high power max suction mode is meant for quick spot cleaning or tough jobs, not necessarily for vacuuming your entire home. Suction modes one and two would be sufficient for vacuuming the home as well and may give you more run time.

Following the above advice will mean that you get optimum runtime from the V10. It is not practical to run the vacuum in max mode for all your vacuuming tasks since the battery will completely drain in a short space of time. An obvious improvement that could be made would be to make the battery replaceable (like the one on the the Shark IONFlex 2X DuoClean), which would double the possible cleaning time.  

In terms of longevity, there are no concerns, with the Dyson V10 battery being confirmed by Dyson as built to last for 15 years. 

As you can see from the above table, the V10 delivers 151 air watts of suction when on Max mode. This compares to the 180 air watts that the Dyson Cinetic Big Ball upright vacuum is capable of and so even in Max mode, the V10 doesn't quite measure up to a top performing upright like the Dyson Cinetic Big Ball. 

Dyson's V10 has 3 suction modes as shown in the table above: one, two and max. 

In addition the torque drive cleaner head also has 3 switchable power modes of minimum, medium and max located on the head itself. The longest run times are available using the lowest suction and power modes.

The V10's suction and agitation is comparable to a full size upright when in max modes using the torque head and this has been verified in Dyson's testing and independent testing. However in suction modes 1 and 2 the air watts delivered is significantly reduced and is much less than you would find on many full size corded vacuum cleaners. 

The video below from AskDyson confirms the info above along with some guidance on the different power modes.

Consumer Reports think not. We think it depends. If you have an apartment or smaller sized home without extensive carpeting then this could be a solution for you. For those with extensive carpets or larger homes we would still recommend a corded vacuum cleaner. The technology and performance on the V10 is state of the art, however battery run time is still the limiting factor. 

In our opinion, the Dyson V10 is not yet ready to replace mains powered vacuum cleaners in all homes, although it is the best cordless stick vacuum that we have reviewed to date.

Dyson claim a 60 minute cleaning time is possible, however this will not be the case for all floor surfaces and on full power. Whilst the performance is exceptional, doubters will point to the short battery run-time of only 6 minutes on Max mode as a reason why corded vacuums are still essential for extended cleaning. If used regularly though to keep on top of your home cleaning it is certainly capable of being your main home vacuum if you don't have extensive carpets or a large home. 

As battery technology continues to improve, it will only be a matter of time until corded vacuums are phased out and Dyson have certainly made significant progress down that road with the V8. We really like the improvements that have been made to the design in the key areas of battery run time, suction performance and dirt bin capacity.

Battery run time and cost aside, the only other complaint that we've come across is that the trigger needs to be constantly depressed for the vacuum to be on and cannot be locked off. Some find this uncomfortable after long periods, whilst for others it is no problem at all as the trigger is very light to press. 

The Dyson V10 is the best cordless vacuum cleaner that we've reviewed to date. If you want a cordless vacuum and are ok with the cost and the battery run times on offer and want the best technology available then this is your best option right now.