Dyson with its decades of heritage, has solidified itself as being one of the finest vacuum cleaner manufacturers on the market. That’s why any new product out of them is always a source of excitement for loyal consumers.
So it’s not surprising that their latest model, the Dyson V11 has built-up quite a bit of hype. This cordless model follows in the design footsteps of the wildly popular V10, which set a high bar for cordless vacuum cleaners across the market.
In this Dyson V11 review, we’ll be looking at what all the hype is all about, and see what kind of upgrade the folks over at Dyson have in store for us.
Dyson V11 : A New Age of Cordless Vacuum Cleaners
When Dyson released the V10 last year, the internet was abuzz with claims that the cordless V10 was as powerful as any corded vacuum—if not more-so! As you might already know, Dyson delivered above and beyond our expectations! The V10 was a smashing success and marked Dyson’s egress away from the corded vacuum cleaner market, as they moved entirely to cordless models.
With Dyson’s V11, they’ve iterated on the greatness of the V10, and produced an even more powerful and fully-featured cordless vacuum cleaner than before.
3 Models, Perfect For Any Cleaning Situation
The V11 comes in three different versions: Animal, Torque Drive, and Absolute, in order of increasing price. The availability of each version depends on your region, but they share a similar core feature set. We’ll talk about the differences between the 3 models later, and for now, we’ll focus on the features that all Dyson V11 models have.
The Dyson V11 Offers A Unique New Design
Common to all versions of the V11 is a unique design that aligns the cyclone system, the motor, and the bin. Because air is now being sucked in a straight line through the whole mechanism, the D11’s suction is markedly improved, to the point that the marketing page says in massive letters, “Twice the suction of any cord-free vacuum.”
It also includes seven tools that provide different functionality, such as a crevice cleaner and a dusting brush. Up to two of your favorite tools can easily be snapped onto the wand for convenient storage and easy access, thanks to a plastic clip that holds them in place.
Featuring A Powerful 125,000 RPM Motor
The suction system itself consists of a powerful motor that spins at a dizzying 125,000 RPM, significantly more powerful than last year’s V10 model. It also integrates a “triple diffuser” system that greatly reduces the vibrations generated by the cyclone system. This makes the vacuum cleaning experience as a whole remarkably quiet, even more so than your run of the mill Dysons are famous for.
V11 Has Superior Suction Performance
The V11’s suction performance is highlighted by the Dynamic Load Sensor, a system that automatically adjusts the motor 360 times per second; detecting resistance in the cleaner head to increase or decrease the suction strength depending on whether you’re vacuuming carpet or a flat, hard floor.
Both V11 Models Feature A High Torque Cleaner Head
Both the Animal and Torque Drive models come with the High Torque cleaner head, which includes the microprocessor for the automatic Dynamic Load Sensor mode, as well as an effective combo of tough nylon bristles that force dirt out of carpets, and soft carbon fiber bristles which kick fine dust up into the suction chamber. You can select from three modes—Eco, Auto, and Boost—which provide a trade-off of suction performance vs battery life.
Whole Machine Filtration
“Whole-machine filtration” ensures that 99.7% particles up to 0.3 microns in size are caught, with the vacuum releasing cleaner air into the environment. Everything that’s caught in the filter lands in the cyclone chamber, which uses forces of up to 79,000G to throw particles into the bin. The bin itself is easy to maintain and clean: Simply pull a lever on the side of the V11 and it empties downwards, with little risk of a spill.
V11 Boasts a 4.5 Hour Battery Life
The V11’s battery life depends on what mode and tool you’re using. It takes 4.5 hours in the included stand and charging dock to charge the battery to 100%. From here, you’ll get 60 minutes of total run-time in the Eco mode, about 30-45 minutes in Auto mode, and a rather unfortunate 5-12 minutes in the Boost mode.
Auto vs Eco Mode
In general, it’s a safe bet to stick to the Auto mode and let the Dynamic Load Sensor do its thing, as it’ll optimize for the best suction power and battery drain to use for the job. Using Eco to save battery might sound like a good idea, but you may not be cleaning as effectively as you should, which will probably lead to having to go over the carpet or floor again to get a perfect clean.
Animal vs Torque Drive vs Absolute
So far, we’ve talked about the core features of this new cordless Dyson V11 vacuum, but there are other features that are reserved for models of higher price points.
Figuring out how to get your hands on these models can be a little tricky, though. Dyson’s launch of the V11 has been marred by a little bit of regional controversy. Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom all have a different selection of models available for purchase. On top of that, each of these models sometimes has a different feature set.
Let’s take a look at the US versions that you can buy, then briefly get into the fully-featured Dyson V11 Absolute model that is only available elsewhere.
1. Dyson V11’s Animal
The Dyson V11 Animal comes with seven attachments and the Torque Drive head. This means that it has all the basic features that you’d want from the basic V11 model. As the name implies, this vacuum is the most suitable for pet owners.
On top of the barrel, it has a simple LED indicator with a three-segment battery display and a mode indicator, as well as filter check warnings.
2. Dyson V11's Torque Drive
The Torque Drive comes with one additional attachment, bringing the total up to eight included attachments.
The highlight of the Torque Drive is the replacement of the LED screen on the Animal with a detailed LCD screen that shows suction cleaning performance and remaining battery down to the second in real time. It will also show a quick animation of how to disassemble the vacuum and fix blockages if an error is detected.
The added value of the LCD feature is definitely worth the relatively small additional cost of the Dyson V11 Torque Drive model, so I highly recommend this model if you can afford it!
3. Dyson V11's Absolute
The Absolute is a little bit of a confounding factor here. In the UK, the Absolute model is equivalent to the US V11 Torque Drive model. In Australia, the Absolute gets an additional cleaning roller head. Then, another model unique to the region, the Absolute Pro, comes with everything plus an extension hose and two extra tools.
If you have the option to buy the Absolute, look up the feature set for your region and determine what you want based on the price you’re willing to pay, because the regional lineup is highly inconsistent.
V11 vs V10: Is The V11 Worth The Higher Price Tag?
Customers still have the option to buy the V10 at a cheaper price compared to Dyson’s latest release, the V11. So how do you choose between the two models?
How do the V11’s upgrades make it a worthwhile choice?
Finally, choosing the Dyson V11 model with the LCD screen (which the V10 lacks completely) gives you surprisingly useful insights into your vacuum’s cleaning operations, and lets you check the ‘health’ of your machine at a glance. It’s definitely worth the extra expense on top of the V11’s already excellent feature set.
Dyson V11 Review: An Obvious Choice
The Dyson V11 reinforces Dyson’s reputation for making some of the best vacuum cleaners in the industry and is a respectable evolution over its already star-studded predecessor, the V10. After completing this thorough Dyson V11 Review, I’ve chosen it as our top pick for vacuum cleaners in the price range and am confident it will go above and beyond your expectations.
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