Dyson V10 Cyclone Review + Real World Testing

Dyson V10 Review

Dyson has made itself a household name. One of their more recent, and premium vacuum models, the Cyclone V10, was released in March of 2018 but is still considered to be one of the best stick vacuums on the market.

In this review, we're going to take a deep dive into the details of the Dyson Cyclone V10 Absolute so you can decide whether or not it's worth the hefty price tag.

Let's get started!

Summary:

The Dyson Cyclone V10 Absolute is a premium, powerful stick vacuum. It has industry-leading power and battery life. It's able to clean effectively on high and low pile carpet, tile, and hardwood. The vacuum itself is a cordless vacuum and relies on a battery, which gives about 60 minutes of cleaning time on a single charge. 

Pros

  • Incredibly strong suction
  • Long battery life (60 minutes per charge)
  • Lightweight
  • Extremely versatile - it allows you to clean your home from floor to ceiling. Literally!

Cons

  • Pricey
  • Nearly as loud as a blowdryer
  • Can't stand upright by itself

The Dyson V10 Cyclone Design

Dyson V10 Design

If you're in the market for a cordless vacuum (stick vacuum), the design of the Dyson V10 Cyclone won't come as much surprise to you. However, if you're used to powerful upright vacuums that need to be plugged into a power outlet to work, the Dyson V10 Cyclones design & power combination may come as a bit of a shock.

The meat and potatoes of the V10 Cyclone lie in the handheld unit. Depending on what type of cleaning you're doing, you add attachments to match.

If you're vacuuming your floors as you would with any other upright vacuum, you use the wand and vacuum head attachment(s). This allows you to clean your floors with as much power as you'd expect from a traditional upright vacuum.

The dust bin is up near the handle and is larger than other Dyson V models. The mechanism to empty it has also been improved. Rather than simply flipping the bottom of the dust bin to empty it, you push a switch forward, which opens the bottom of the bin and also helps push some of the debris out, so you don't have to dig around.

Accessories


With all Dyson Cyclone V10 Absolute vacuums, you get a handful of accessories. The accessories that come standard include the following.

  • Cleaning wand
  • Soft Vacuum head for hardwood floors
  • Standard vacuum head
  • Charging cableWall Mount
  • Motorized handheld brush roll
  • Combination tool
  • Crevice tool

Each of the accessories comes with a quick-release attachment, which makes changing out the different accessories quick and easy.

Cleaning Wand

The Dyson V10 cleaning wand is a simple tube that attaches to the handheld unit that allows you to use the vacuum as you would a traditional upright vacuum. The design is standard among stick vacuums.

Soft Vacuum Cleaner Head 

If you have hardwood floors, you'll be excited to know that Dyson includes a soft, hardwood friendly vacuum cleaner head that is great for sensitive hardwood floors, and can also be used specifically for large debris. The soft roller is separate from the V10 motorhead, which is used for carpet and rugs and may be too abrasive for sensitive hardwood floors that require a soft roller / cleaner head.

V10 Motorhead

The V10 motorhead is the basic cleaning head for the Dyson Cyclone V10 Absolute when it's in upright mode. The V10 motorhead provides excellent cleaning power for high and low pile carpet, as well as tile.

Charging Cable and Wall Mount

These two accessories allow you to wall mount Dyson Cyclone V10 Absolute and keep it charged. Since it can't stand upright on its own, the wall mount is essential.

Motorized Handheld Brush Roll

This mini version of the standard vacuum head is designed to be used on upholstery, or other fabrics that could benefit from agitation. We used it mostly on couches and car interiors.

Combination Tool

The combination tool can be used as a dusting brush for shelves. By sliding a button, you reveal a light gray nozzle that can be used for upholstery or bedding.

Crevice Tool 

This tool allows you to clean in hard to reach areas, and works great for edge cleaning, and car interior cleaning. 

Cleaning Performance

A vacuum should ultimately be judged by its cleaning performance, and that's exactly what we do here at Modern Living 101. While putting together this review of the Dyson Cyclone V10 Absolute, we tested it on a variety of flooring types, against a variety of debris types. Here are our results

Carpet Cleaning Capabilities

We tested the Dyson Cyclone V10 Absolute on high and low pile carpet. It didn't have issues with either. It's a truly remarkable combination of power and maneuverability, which gave it the strength to pull up debris on the carpet without getting stuck on a higher pile.

Here's how it cleaned specific debris types on the carpet.

  • Cereal - 100%
  • Cat Litter - 99%
  • Soil - 99%
  • Sugar - 100%

As you can see, the Dyson V10 absolutely killed it on our carpet cleaning tests.

Hardwood and Tile Cleaning Capabilities

With hardwood, you need a vacuum that not only has the power to clean effectively but is gentle enough not to scratch your floors.

Here's how the Dyson Cyclone V10 performed on hard floors.

  • Cereal - 95%
  • Cat Litter - 100%
  • Soil - 100%
  • Sugar - 100%

As you can see, the Dyson Cyclone V10 still performed excellently on hardwood, with only minor issues with cereal. Because cereal is such a large debris item, the Dyson Cyclone V10 tended to kick some of it up, rather than to draw it in.

How Easy Is The Dyson Cyclone V10 To Operate?

Using any stick vacuum is going to be a breath of fresh air when compared to a traditional upright, and the Dyson Cyclone V10 is no different. By design, its incredibly light and maneuverable.

Once you get the Cyclone V10 unboxed and charged, you can get cleaning right away. The hardest part will be deciding how to use it. Since it can be converted into multiple different styles, the cleaning possibilities truly are endless.

Maneuverability

The maneuverability of the Dyson Cyclone V10 is what makes it stand out among other stick vacuums. The Cyclone V10 swivels like butter and allows you to turn as sharp as 90 degrees.

This means you can easily navigate around walls, chair legs, under furniture, all before switching it to handheld mode to clean shelves and your ceiling.

Maintenance

When it comes to maintenance, as with any vacuum, you can expect to have to change the filters periodically, and with stick vacuums, you also have to consider the battery. When these parts of the vacuum begin to wear down, you'll have to replace them.

You can clean the filter to extend its life, but you should still plan on changing it completely every six months or so. The vacuum hasn't been out long enough to test the life-span of the battery fully, but if we use other Dyson V models as a comparison, you can expect it to last anywhere from 2-3 years before starting to lose juice.

Is The Dyson V10 A Good Value?

Overall, the Dyson V10 is an excellent vacuum with cleaning capabilities far beyond what you'd normally expect to see from a stick/cordless vacuum. However, due to the extremely high price point, it loses points on value.

Yes, the Dyson V10 could be considered the best of the best, but we have tested vacuums that are a fraction of the price, and perform 90% as well. (Like the Tineco A11)

However, if you're sold on the Dyson V10, rest easy knowing it comes with a 2-year warranty and a 90-day return policy, but we don't think you'll need that. The biggest hurdle to get over is the price, and if you can justify that, you're going to love the V10.

Check out the Dyson V10 on Amazon, and be on the look out for semi-frequent deals!