Dyson Cyclone V10 Absolute review

We tried our first Dyson cordless vacuum three years ago (feel free to read my earlier V6 Absolute review) and found it hard to go back to corded vacuum cleaners — even though the battery life was really short. So when I heard that the new Dyson Cyclone V10 Absolute had hit the market and had a longer-lasting battery, I was game to try it.

And that’s because my husband, Big B, is vacuum-obsessed. The guy vacuums EVERY DAY. He sees a speck and gets the urge to vacuum not just the speck, but the 800 square feet or so around said speck. It’s behaviour that concerns me, but I don’t often say anything out loud…because, hey, he’s cleaning.

To be totally transparent, I’m not very domestic, so the thoughts that have gone into all of the vacuum reviews on my site — including this one — are based on feedback from the hubs and my mom, who also vacuums my house because she practically lives here. Both are extremely critical and neither has totally loved any of our previous vacuums (we’ve owned four different brands over the years), so they put the Dyson V10 Absolute through the ringer for this review.

THE GOOD

There she is — what a thing of beauty.

The convenience of a cordless cannot be understated. Being able to zip around our 3,000 square-foot space across three floors is infinitely easier with a cordless vacuum.

The Dyson Cyclone V10 Absolute may look similar in many ways to its predecessors, but it’s been redesigned with a smaller but even more powerful V10 digital motor. It boasts traditional, full-size suction power, too!

Dyson’s V10 is the first cordless vacuum we’ve tried that we believe can legitimately replace your corded, full-size vacuum. And that’s because of the new battery pack and increased bin size. I won’t lie — at first, we were worried about the battery crapping out before we could clean the whole house, like it had with our previous Dyson.

But those smarties at Dyson designed the V10 with three power modes (low, medium, high) and the battery power to match. If you’ve got it on max power, you’re going to be able to clean up RIDICULOUS messes, but it’s only going to last 16 minutes on a single charge. In medium, you will get more like 30 minutes. And on low, you’ll get at least 60 minutes.

Without a doubt, this is the only cordless vacuum that can handle an entire suburban home on one charge and still have battery life left to boot. The last time I checked, we’d had it on stand-by with intermittent use for several days.

And before you wonder if your suction will suck on low, the answer is absolutely not (or absolutely, depending on how literal you take “suck”). Translation? The suckage is still AMAZING! Big B and Mama Bear both agree that using the Dyson Cyclone V10 Absolute cordless vacuum on low is a dream and it still manages to clean incredibly well on carpet and hardwood. Very, very impressive and such a massive improvement from the V6 model we owned.

This model is quite lightweight considering how powerful it is and how much stuff it can pick up and hold in the canister. Even my little kids can manage it easily.

We aren’t pet owners, but for those of you who are, Dyson engineers designed a new torque-drive cleaner head that removes 25 per cent more pet hair. (That 25 per cent boost works equally well on dusty carpets other dirt, too, in our experience.)

This vacuum comes with all the attachments you need to get under and inside furniture, your vehicle, around corners, stairs and more. It even transforms into a handheld!

The Dyson Cyclone V10 Absolute also comes with a wall mount, so if you don’t have an inconspicuous corner in your dining room shielded by curtains like we do, this is a great option to get it up and out of the way.

Oh, and if you’re wondering if you need the “Absolute” model, it includes a soft-roller cleaner head designed for hard floors (to pick up both bigger debris and fine dust at the same time), so let that be your guide.

Finally, the thing takes a beating. You don’t have to be precious with the Dyson V10.

If you can swing the price, this is really a dream vacuum.

THE GAFFE

Literally the only downside either Big B or my mom could come up with was the price. The Dyson Cyclone V10 Absolute doesn’t come without paying a pretty penny. It’s $799.99 and, realistically, that will give some folks sticker shock. But you get what you pay for in this case — it’s worth it.

THE GEARS

4.75/5 (if it was a bit cheaper, they would have given it a 5/5 in a heartbeat)

DISCLOSURE: Dyson Canada provided the V10 Absolute to us for review purposes.