Dyson V11 Absolute Cordless Vacuum Cleaner, 760 milliliters, Blue

Product Information

With around an hour of run-time, you should have enough power to whizz round an entire house. After all, with the trigger action, you’re only using battery power while physically vacuuming. Those with larger houses may find that the run-time isn’t quite enough. With 4.5 hours for charging, some people may need to change their cleaning schedule a little to get a full clean. A more significant change is the new V11 motor, which Dyson claims is 20% more powerful than the V10, delivering 185 air watts (that’s better than a lot of corded vacuum cleaners). The improvement in suction comes via the more powerful motor, but Dyson has made some improvements to airflow, too. These include a more efficient diffuser design that straightens airflow thus reducing turbulence, and a new impeller design.

V11™ cordless vacuum cleaner – Overview | Dyson V11™ Overview Dyson V11™ cordless vacuum cleaner – Overview | Dyson V11™

When it comes to runtime, Alison found that there was plenty of time to vacuum the whole house, which included three double bedrooms, an upstairs bathroom, a hallway, living room, study, dining room, kitchen and utility room. One charge lasted for a thorough clean throughout, which we were really impressed by. Remove the extension pole and the V11 Absolute turns into a capable handheld unit. It’s a touch chunkier than some of its competition, but not to the point of being unusable. The motorised brush makes light work of each step, with standard mode our preferred choice of power mode. You can even use the main power heads for a bit more power.The High Torque head has another significant benefit, too. On either edge of the cleaner’s head, there are grooves that allow for dust to filter in from the sides, giving the head a wider cleaning path than its direct drive counterpart. With some smart new sensing tech to adjust power automatically, and a screen on the rear this model is clearly designed to be the best a – and it delivers. Switching to the Soft Roller head – which is really designed for this job – and everything was gone on Eco mode, showing the true power of this vacuum cleaner and its well-designed heads.

Dyson V11 Absolute review: Peerless cordless cleaning power | Expert Dyson V11 Absolute review: Peerless cordless cleaning power

Pet hair was the next test, and again the V11 Absolute performed impeccably, cleaning the hair from the rug with little effort – the results were equally evident from looking at the amount of hair collected in the bin, highlighting its useful size for a cordless cleaner. Moving seamlessly between floor types, the Dyson V11 Absolute is a breeze to use on a day-to-day basis. The suction adjusts automatically depending on floor type to ensure optimal battery life and efficient cleaning – there's 185 air watts of suction power in boost mode. The display also rids another problem: battery anxiety. While the old V10 had only a basic display on the battery to show a rough level of charge, the V11’s screen shows a countdown timer, so you know exactly how long is left. Once again, the battery has a handy rubber pad on it so that the V11 doesn’t fall over when you stand it up against a wall. It’s a small thing, but great for anyone who’s watched an older Dyson cordless cleaner fall to the ground.It’s easy to get to the filter to remove and replace it for cleaning, but you do need to rinse it thoroughly before leaving it to air dry, which could potentially leave you without the use of a vacuum for up to a day. This is a powerful vacuum and, as a result, one of the noisier machines we tested. In eco mode it comes in at 71 decibels, on standard mode it's 74.6 decibels, and on boost mode it reaches 84.6. In my view, though, it’s worth putting up with that extra weight for the extra power and convenience that the Dyson V11 Absolute delivers. It’s a simply brilliant vacuum cleaner. We test a vacuum's capabilities by replicating three typical household cleaning scenarios: oats scattered on a tiled floor; carpet freshener and talc scattered on a carpet; and pet hairs on a rug and sofa. We also test maneuverability for cleaning around and under furniture and on stairs, ease of emptying the bin, and battery life. One of the least messy bagless vacuum cleaners Alison has ever used, alongside the similarly tidy Gtech AirRam Mk2 K9, the V11 Absolute is also ideal if you suffer from allergies. It has a six-layer filtration system that Dyson claims traps 99.7% of particles.

|Dyson V11 Absolute Cordless Vacuum Cleaner, 760 milliliters, Blue Dyson V11 Absolute Cordless Vacuum Cleaner, 760 milliliters, Blue

It's one of the priciest cordless vacuums out there, but if you want one of the most effective and user-friendly cleaners money can buy, and can stretch to the price tag, it’s money well spent. As you may have noticed, I’ve not quoted the figure for the Medium setting. That’s because, unlike the V10, the Dyson V11 doesn’t have one. Instead, the V11 has an Automatic mode, which changes power levels depending on floor type. That said, unless noise is a particular issue for you, the advantages of this vacuum cleaner more than outweigh its volume levels. The instructions are in diagram form and our tester, Alison, found them clear and easy to follow despite not really needing them for set-up.As with the V10 the filter unscrews, lifts off and can be washed under a tap until the water runs clear. The bin empties in the same way, with the trigger opening the end and sliding the unit forward and into the bin without spitting dust everywhere. As a result of the design of the bin, you have to remove the pole or accessories to empty it – a fair trade-off, given that you can prevent dust spilling out. The only real issue she experienced during testing was having to continuously hold down the power button. This is to preserve charge so that you’re only using power when you’re actually vacuuming. While we can see the point of this, Alison has arthritis in her fingers and holding the switch down became uncomfortable after a time.