Try to think of vacuum cleaner brands, and we can almost guarantee that one of the first names that to your mind is “Dyson.”
In the cleaning industry, the Dyson name is virtually synonymous with innovation. The brand has a revered status in the global market for its ability to push the needle year on year, bringing the latest and greatest technology the industry has on offer.
Dyson first popped on the scene with the invention of the Dual Cyclone bagless vacuum cleaner by Sir James Dyson in the early 80s.
Dyson’s cordless vacuum cleaner completely revolutionized the world of vacuums. This vac brought a brand new futuristic design, unmatched suction power, and most importantly, Dyson’s innovative bagless technology. First launched commercially in Japan, the “G-Force” was Dyson’s first widely-available vacuum cleaner.
In the new vacuum, Sir James replaced the dirt filters dual gas vortexes that use the effects of gravity and rotation to separate dirt from the incoming air. This original method bypasses filters, a common point of failure for vacuum cleaners. Hard filters will always get clogged. That’s why the measure of a good vacuum filter is not if, but how long it takes before it gets clogged.
Since its original product launch, Dyson has developed its unique filtration system, producing newer, more advanced vacuum cleaners every year. This culture of rapid innovation has paid off big time for the brand. Over the years, Dyson has put out several bestselling high performers. And among vacuum cleaner manufacturers, only a handful can boast similar numbers in the worldwide market.
Dysons are so famous for many reasons. Their powerful suction motors, hi-tech features and looks, excellent maneuverability on most models, and the high-efficiency filtration on their tangle-free cyclonic turbines keep them at the forefront of the competition.
However, despite their sustained pursuit of excellence, not all Dysons are created equal. Also, some price averse consumers make sure to steer clear of Dyson products as some of the top models can get pretty pricey.
So, picking the best Dyson cleaner for your home, and budget, can quickly get confusing. That’s why, in this review, we take a look at the top Dyson vacuum cleaner models.
We analyzed all the Dyson vacs on the market today, from uprights to robots to handhelds, to bring you recommendations that will match your specific use case. Also, we take a look at some of the budget-friendly models that defy the popularly held belief that all Dyson retail at throat cut prices.
But wait, should you even get a Dyson?
Before we delve into our picks, let’s take a look at who the brand is for and why you should or should not get a Dyson vacuum cleaner.
Why Should You Buy a Dyson Vacuum?
Superior Suction Power
Look up information on Dyson vacuum cleaners on any website, and one of the first things you will see is praise for their superior suction power.
Most Dyson vacuum cleaners output a suction quotient of over 100 AW with monsters like the Dyson Ball Animal 2 reaching a whooping 306 AW. Such massive suctioning abilities help Dysons mop up every single dust particle, leaving your home sparklingly clean.
Dysons also features intelligent motors that self-regulate to ensure that the suction does not drop midway through a clean.
The Efficiency of their Cyclonic Filters
The cyclonic technology incorporated in the onboard turbines also contributes to the sucking power of Dyson vacs. While active, the cyclones spine air in a circular pattern generating centrifugal force that helps force dirt into the container.
Newer Dyson vacuum cleaners take this a step further with double layers of the cyclone, creating a massive force that even the tiniest particles can’t escape.
Bagless/filterless Comfort
Get a Dyson, and your days of recurrent bag purchases are over. Also, there are no dirty or clogged filters to wash or replace as you get a single lifetime use filter. Dyson’s cyclonic technology ensures that emptying the dirt bin is your sole maintenance worry. And some models feature hygienic bin emptying that lets you unload the dirt bin without even touching it.
Ease of Use
Despite their high tech design, Dyson vacuum cleaners are some of the easiest to use. A big part of their friendly design is its simplified controls and minimized weight.
Eye-catching design
If you have never seen a sleek vacuum cleaner then you probably never met a Dyson. The innovations on their product line are not just on the inside of the vacs. All Dyson vacuums, even older models, stay true to a colorful, futuristic color scheme that is sure to impress.
Compact and lightweight build
Except for the Dyson Ball series, most Dyson vacuum cleaners feature very minimal design. Their compact build makes most models lightweight, ergonomic, easy to maneuver.
Why You Should not Buy a Dyson Vacuum?
Price
If your number one criteria for selecting a vacuum cleaner is price, Dyson cleaners may not be for you. While you can get older models for reasonable prices, newer cleaners may be too pricey for some. Most of the latest models retail at least $499 and the latest Dyson V11 Torque Drive Cordless will set you back 600 bucks. However, considering the features on offer, it would be much more surprising if Dysons did retail at low dirt prices.
Small Capacity Bins
Dyson vacuums bring some of the best features to size ratio on the market. Their minimal and ergonomic design means they are often lightweight and a breeze to handle. However, their quest for compactness leads to problems in some categories like the bin capacity. The dirt canisters on several Dysons are quite small sized. So you will need to make more frequent dirt disposal trips than with a large dirt cup vacuum like the Bissell ProCup BG101DC.
Allergens Escape
The bagless vacuum model comes with many advantages but also a few drawbacks. One of the shortfalls of this model is that the process of emptying the dirt canister is not airtight. Some tiny particles might be released into the air when you open the canister lead. Hence, some Dyson models may not be suitable for people with allergies, except if you have someone else handle dirt disposal.
Dyson Vacuum vs. Other Brands
Since its original product launch, the Dyson brand main focus has been on improving the vacuum cleaner with innovations and significant breakthroughs. This overarching mission statement is unsurprisingly Dyson main advantage over other vacuum cleaner brands. For example, Dyson Ball Animal 2 Total Clean best a competitor like the Shark Rotator in both features and the number and functionality of added tools. However, the Dyson makes compromises in dirt canister size with only a 0.57 gallons bin capacity compared to the Rotator’s 0.825 gallons.
Dyson’s cyclonic technology combines with its reliable suction power to create super-efficient dirt sucking machines. This combo, with HEPA filters on the V10 and newer, give Dyson vacuums an edge over competitors like the Hoover Linx Cordless.
Dyson handhelds are super-efficient at cleaning carpets hardwood floors but fall a bit short dealing with extra thick carpeting. If you are working with a thicker carpet, you should look into a specialty vacuum like the Miele Complete C3. The C3 does wonders on large areas of both thick and soft carpet layers.
Related: Best Robot Vacuum for Carpet
Dysons are in the mid-range of prices for vacuums with most models costing in the $400-$500 price range. However, compared to vacuum cleaners with a similar design, Dyson vacuums may be a bit too pricey for some. For example, the Dyson V11 Torque Drive Cordless retails at $600 while a Shark X40 Lightweight Cordless with a similar blueprint sells for just under 250 bucks. However, the Dyson does pack a punch and tons of extra features.
More: Dyson V6 vs. V7 vs. V8 vs. v10 vs. V11
Honest Reviews on Dyson from real customers
From our findings, customer reviews for Dyson vacuum cleaners split evenly across the board. The brand score average to good ratings with an average rating of 3.9/5 on the review sites we sampled.
Based on a sample of reviews from multiple review aggregators, approximately 50% of the reviews were positive 5-star reviews, 20% were 4-star reviews, while 30% were three stars or lower.
Dyson reviews highlighted the ease of use, the lightweight and suction efficiency of their Dyson vacs. Other users praised the smooth warranty process for their broken cleaners.
The negative reviews were largely centered on quality control issues and subpar performance of their unit.
One reviewer states:
While another complaints about the poor price to value ratio:
We were concerned about the complaints of inconsistencies in quality and random breakdown of units. However, if you do decide to get a Dyson, you can rest assured in their robust warranty program. We found no complaints about their warranty and repair service.
Dyson offers a two to five-year warranty depending on the model. The warranty covers any defects in material, construction or function. If a part is found to be defective during the warranty period, the vacuum will be repaired free of charge provided that the original purchaser is living in the United States.
Best Dyson Vacuums We Recommend
From their lineup of products, Dyson’s cordless vacuum cleaners are their primary focus and consequently their most popular models. With their minimal, futuristic designs paired with their powerful suction output, it’s not hard to see why.
Dyson also put out several upright, handheld, and cylinder vacuum cleaners as well as one robot vac. Depending on your budget and preferences, here are the best Dyson vacuum cleaners you can get on the market today:
Best Overall Performer: Dyson Small Ball Upright Vacuum Cleaner
For a reliable, all-round vacuum cleaner that checks all the boxes and retails at a reasonable price, the Dyson Small Ball upright vac is your best bet. The Small Ball was Dyson’s bestseller for years and is still one of their most recognizable cleaners.
The Dyson Small Ball Upright launched as a replacement for the classic DC39 and DC40 models. The newer vacuum benefits from improved tech, improved noise reduction, and an improved power profile.
You can go wrong with the Small Ball. The cleaner ships with the latest Dyson’s signature cyclonic technology and features carbon fiber filaments to catch ultrafine dust particles. As a result, the vac works wonders with both fine dust and larger debris chunks.
The self-adjusting cleaner head on this model dynamically adjusts the suction to match your surfaces. Whether you are cleaning carpets, tiles or other hard floors, the Small Ball provides just the right suction for a perfect clean.
At just 12 lbs, the Dyson Small Ball upright is lightweight, easy to carry, and quite comfortable to maneuver. The vacuum’s ball technology adds to maneuverability as it allows you to steer it into close-cut corners smoothly. It also features a retractable hand that help saves on storage space.
With positive reviews across the board, users praised its lightweight and easy maneuverability citing its ease of use across multiple floors in multi-level homes.
Best for Features and Power: Dyson V11 Torque Drive
The successor to the high-powered V10, the V11 Torque is the most powerful and feature-rich Dyson yet. Producing a sustained 185 AW for up to 60 minutes per charge, this lightweight cordless powerful enough to match most full feature uprights. The V11 weighs just 6.68 pounds.
The Torque Drive is not just all about the power. Featuring an intelligent monitoring system that monitors system performance at up to 8000 scans per second, It is much smarter than its predecessor.
One of the V11’s coolest features is an LCD screen that displays real-time performance stats. The screen gives you battery and filter stats and lets you adjust settings to improve performance.
Like the Dyson Small Ball Upright, the V11 Torque Drive’s cleaning head comes with Dyson’s Dynamic Load Sensor technology. The load sensor allows the cleaner head to adjust suction to match your surface type automatically.
The V11’s ultra-quiet sound profile, thanks to acoustic engineering that absorb vibration noises is one more reason to ditch your upright for good.
Dyson’s V11 Torque Drive retails for $599 online and ships with nine accessories: an intelligent cleaner head, mini motorized tool, crevice tool, soft dusting brush, combination tool, dirt brush, wand storage clip, and a docking station. The cleaner comes with a 2-year warranty.
Related: Dyson V6 vs. V7 vs. V8 vs. v10 vs. V11
Best for Pet Hair: Dyson Ball Animal 2 Upright Vacuum Cleaner
One price we have to pay for our fury cuties is the constant battle with stray hairs. This is why Dyson launched the Dyson Ball Animal 2 Upright, one vac to end all your pet hair worries.
The Dyson Ball Animal 2 Upright is one of the most effective options on the market today. The vacuum cleaner packs a whopping 306AW of suction that is guaranteed to suck up every single pet hair from your carpet, hard floors, and upholstery. This massive suction power paired with its advanced auto-adjusting cleaner head completely blows competitors like the Shark Rotator True Pet out of the water.
At just 15 pounds, the Dyson Ball Animal 2 packs less weight than anything in its class, making it super easy to move around. Furthermore, the hose, wand, and power cord combine to create a maximum reach of 50 feet, allowing for easy maneuverability when low access regions like stairs, underneath furniture, or even up walls.
The entire machine provides HEPA grade filtration to ensure every hair is caught and stays in the bin until disposal.
The Dyson Ball Animal 2 upright excels at cleaning plush carpets, furniture, and hard floors. However, their overpowered suction means extremely low pile carpeting will be a challenge.
Best for Hardwood Floors: Dyson V7 Motorhead Cordless Stick Vacuum Cleaner
Are you working with tiles or hardwood floors? Then you should skip the premium on a multi-surface vac and look into the Dyson V7 Cordless.
This special-use cleaner sports a soft roller cleaning head that adjusts automatically to rid hard floors of dirt and debris. The vac cleans through a straight suction on all its cleaning tools, capturing dust entirely in one pass.
If your home has less carpeting, the Dyson V7 Motorhead Cordless Stick Vacuum Cleaner will leave your sparkling after every clean.
The one pitfall of the vac is its short 30 minutes runtime per charge. However, thanks to its superior one-pass cleaning abilities, 30 minutes should be enough to complete most regular-sized homes.
Best Handheld: Dyson V7 Trigger Cord-free Handheld Vacuum
Need a handheld to handle spot messes in your house or car? The Dyson V7 Trigger Cord-free Handheld Vacuum is the leader of the pack in this category across brands. The versatile handheld cleaner weighs only a few pounds and comes with an array of accessories to match all your upholstery cleaning needs.
Best Bang for Your Buck: Dyson V8 Absolute
The value king in the Dyson lineup is the Dyson V8 Absolute. One of the best cordless vacuums available, the V8 packs a rare mix of power and versatility in an ultra-lightweight package. At just 6 pounds, the V8 is also Dyson lightest vac.
While the V8 Absolute does not match power output as the V10 or V11, it can still hold its own when it comes to general cleaning performance on both carpets and hardwood. Furthermore, it ranks pretty high on every convenience chart.
Final Thoughts
All Dyson vacuums feature the brand’s patented cyclone filtration technology and high-powered suction motors for that perfect clean.
You can go wrong with Dyson cleaners.
Their dynamic powerheads provide constant suction, while their cyclonic filtration means they are a low maintenance system with no dirtbags or filters to replace.
Dyson offers generous warranties on all their products. The corded uprights and canister vacuums come with a 5-year cover while the cordless types have 2-year warranties.