Credit:
Reviewed / Jon Chan
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Credit:
Reviewed / Jon Chan
Reviewed's mission is to help you buy the best stuff and get the most out of what you already own. Our team of product experts thoroughly vet every product we recommend to help you cut through the clutter and find what you need.
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This Dyson has powerful suction power and long battery life, plus it has a great built-in laser that illuminates even the finest bits of dust on your floors and furniture. Read More
This powerful upright vacuum offers an unparalleled cleaning performance, but the trade-off is its heavy weight. Read More
The Dyson Gen5Outsize is a bulky cordless vacuum with strong suction. It comes with two brush heads and a tool for cleaning pet hair. Read More
The Dyson 360 Vis Nav is a marvel of engineering. It has one of the most powerful motors on the market, but has trouble with tight spaces. Read More
The Dyson Gen5detect is a powerful cordless vacuum with a removable battery, multiple brush heads, and an LCD screen on the back. Read More
Are Dyson vacuum cleaners worth their price—and which is the best? Here at Reviewed, we hear those questions a lot from consumers curious about the popular brand synonymous with expensive models.
To find the answers, we’ve put all the current Dyson vacuums to the test in our labs to see which ones perform and if any don’t. After testing, the latest cordless vacuum from the company, the Dyson V15 Detect (available at Amazon) , emerged as the best Dyson vacuum for its battery life, suction power, and a laser that illuminates the tiniest speck of dust.
While our tests show that Dyson vacuums always live up to the brand’s claims, whether this is a value equal to or greater than their cost is a little more complicated to break down. Here are the best Dyson vacuum cleaners we’ve tested, including both cordless and corded models:
The Dyson V15 Detect is an all-around great cordless vacuum.
Dirt detection
Excellent handling
Long battery life
Small brush head
The Dyson Ball Animal 2 is the most powerful vacuum we've ever tested.
The Dyson Gen5outsize has a long lasting battery life, making it the best Dyson vacuum for cleaning large homes.
Good suction
No-tangle brushes
Long battery life
Bulky
Difficult storage
Intuitive and easy to use, the Dyson 360 VisNas robot vacuum is one of the most powerful robot vacuums we’ve ever tested.
Excellent cleaning
Easy to use
Can't navigate tight spaces
Powerful suction
Good battery
Easy to use
Cumbersome storage
Expensive
Powerful suction
Large number of available attachments
Only seven minutes of battery life on high
Hi, I’m Jon Chan, the senior lab technician at Reviewed. If you clean with a product, it’s likely I oversee its testing in our labs. This includes everything from laundry detergents to washing machines.
We test Dyson vacuums on three different surface types.
Over the years, we’ve tested hundreds of vacuum cleaners, from cordless vacuums and handhelds to uprights and robot vacuums.
We like to think we know our stuff, and we back up our assessments with scientific data. That’s true with our tests of Dyson vacuum cleaners, too.
Read more about how we test vacuums in the Reviewed labs.
Whenever you see a Dyson V8 Absolute or a Dyson V8 Motorhead, you’ll know the difference between them is the attachments included. Typically, Trigger and Motorhead models come with the fewest attachments, while the Absolute models come with the most.
On older models, Animals have more attachments than All Floors.
Dyson suggests that its filters be cleaned at least once a month to keep its vacuums running efficiently. Here’s how the company says it should be done: Remove the filter from the vacuum cleaner. Remove excess dirt by tapping the filter in a trash bin. Rinse the filter with cold tap water and rub it with your hands. Dyson says you shouldn’t use detergents. Fill the filter with warm tap water. Then cover the open ends with your hands and shake them firmly. Repeat until the water runs clear. Let your Dyson filter air dry for at least 24 hours.
An overly-filled vacuum will not operate efficiently. Dyson suggests that its vacuums be emptied as soon as they reach the maximum fill line. With upright or canister models, remove the dust bin from the vacuum and, while holding it over the trash, press the release button to empty it.
With a stick vacuum model, hold the vacuum by the handle and remove the wand from the unit. While holding the machine over the trash, pull the release lever to empty the dirt bin.
For the most part, cordless vacuums should be viewed as supplementary cleaning tools to be used in between heavier cleaning sessions whereas you would use an upright or canister vacuum, which typically offers a more powerful deep-cleaning performance. You’d also want a cordless vacuum in situations where a full-sized vacuum is too cumbersome.
This said, if you’re willing to pay a higher price for the privilege, it’s possible for a cordless vacuum to stand toe-to-toe with a full-sized vacuum—with a few caveats. The top-rated Dyson V15 Detect has a suction force similar to that of an upright vacuum, but you'll only be able to use it for this level of cleaning for about 9 minutes before it runs out of power and needs to be recharged.
In many cases, the only difference between a cordless vacuum and hand vacuum is the cordless vacuum’s long extension, which allows the brush head to reach the floor.
Although rare, some two-in-one–models come with a handheld vacuum that can be removed and used to clean without the floor extension—a real bonus when you’re cleaning furniture or a flight of stairs. The best example of this is probably the Miele TriFlex, which can transform into three different modes to tackle just about any situation.
Jonathan Chan currently serves as the Lab Manager at Reviewed. If you clean with it, it's likely that Jon oversees its testing. Since joining the Reviewed in 2012, Jon has helped launch the company's efforts in reviewing laptops, vacuums, and outdoor gear. He thinks he's a pretty big deal. In the pursuit of data, he's plunged his hands into freezing cold water, consented to be literally dragged through the mud, and watched paint dry. Jon demands you have a nice day.
Our team is here for one purpose: to help you buy the best stuff and love what you own. Our writers, editors, and lab technicians obsess over the products we cover to make sure you're confident and satisfied. Have a different opinion about something we recommend? Email us and we'll compare notes.
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