Dyson Cyclone V10 Animal & Absolute Review

This is a review of the Dyson V10 Animal and Absolute. The only difference is the extra Fluffly Cleaner Head attachment that comes with the Absolute, but not Animal. While this is a review of the V10 Animal, the V10 Absolute is essentially identical.

The Dyson V10 is a great vacuum, considering the power, ease of use, maneuverability, and attachments. It's a bit pricey, but you do get your money's worth. The V10 is among the most powerful handheld vacuum cleaners on the market. The battery is still a limiting factor for some users, even though the V10 got a substantially larger battery over the V8.

The design is bulkier than previous generations, but it's still relatively lightweight.

The V10 got a major upgrade from the V8 model in terms of design, power, battery life, dust bin size, and reduction of charging time. However, the dust bin emptying process is slightly less convenient, the vacuum is bulkier, weighs slightly more, and is significantly louder than the V8.

Please note that the V10 Animal and V10 Absolute are identical except that the Absolute model comes with a Fluffy cleaning head which is good for hardwood floors. Expect to pay an extra $80-100 if you choose to get it.

Dyson V10 is not without its shortcomings. Here are some of the most common user complaints about the V10.

1. Battery degrades over time - Every battery degrades over time due to a large number of charge and discharge cycles. If you vacuum the average amount, you should expect your battery to last 4 years or more, depending on your needs. If you go through full charge/discharge cycles multiple times a day, you can expect to start seeing a degradation sooner. Since Dyson uses lithium-ion batteries, you should not see a degradation in performance, only in the running time. If you're seeing a degradation in performance, that is likely not caused by the battery.

2. Suction degrades over time - The main reason suction degrades over time is because of a dirty filter. The dirtier the filter, the harder it is for the motor to push air through it. You need to clean the filter and dry it fully biweekly or monthly. In addition, make sure there are no partial obstructions of the wand or inside the vacuum.

3. Holding power button - All Dyson handheld stick vacuums have a trigger power switch (so far). It can become annoying to constantly hold it down to some users.

4. Battery not removable - The V10 battery cannot be removed and swapped for another one. You need to upgrade to the V11 for that option.

5. Price is high - While I can sympathize with the cost of the Dyson V10, you do get what you pay for. If you're looking to save money, you will have to sacrifice on performance and features.

The Dyson V10 performs great on carpets, both low and high pile. On max power setting the suction is strong enough to seal itself onto the carpet, so you want to use the low or medium power setting if this happens to you.

The V10 boasts 25% higher brush roll agitation, increasing the effectiveness of deep cleaning.

The V10 picks up 99% of debris on High, 90% on Medium, and 80% on Low in just a few passes. The vacuum picks up pet and human hair with ease, however, the brushroll will tangle when enough long hair is picked up.

The V10 torque drive cleaner head comes with opening gates that allow larger debris to enter more easily. However, picking up large debris on hardwood floors is still difficult for the V10. The torque drive cleaner head is exceptionally good at crevice pickup, exceeding the V8 by far due to a much more powerful motor.

The Dyson V10 registers 79dB of noise on maximum power from a few feet away. This is considerably louder than the V8, and can be uncomfortable using in small spaces such as closets or cars. The vacuum emits 75dB on low, which is fairly quiet.

The V10 comes with 3 power settings: Low, Medium, and High. The battery takes just 3.5 hours to charge, compared to 5 hours from the V8. The vacuum can run for 60 minutes with no motorized tool attached, compared to V8's 40 minutes. The V10 comes with a 25 volt, 2600mAh battery.

The V10 battery now has 3 (up from 1) indicator lights to give you a better idea of your current charge level. This makes it easier to know when your battery will run out.

The V10 will only last 6 minutes on max power setting no matter what attachment you use. If you use a torque drive cleaner head, you can expect 30 minutes of cleaning on low power, or about 20 minutes on medium power.

The Dyson V10 comes with one of the most powerful cordless stick vacuum motors available. The V10 comes equipped with a motor that's 20% power moreful than its V8 predecessor. The V10 comes with 14 cyclones compared to the 15 cyclones in the V8.

V10 passed the sealed system HEPA filtration test which checks if the vacuum traps dust, bacteria, mold, pollen, and other tiny particles as small as 0.3 microns. A cleaner air means a better smelling air. The filtration system has been simplified in the V10. Dyson has combined the pre-motor and HEPA filters all into one. This means that you now have to clean out just one filter. The filter indicator light will start blinking when it's time to clean it out.

The filter is removed by lightly twisting it counter-clockwise. If the filter has any large debris, deposit it into the trash. Then, wash the entire filter thoroughly under cold running water. Once complete, set it aside and let it dry for 24 hours. A damp filter could permanently damage the motor. Even if it looks dry on the outside, the filter might still be wet inside.

Pro Tip: Get a second filter so you can use your vacuum while the first one is drying.

With the new dirt ejection system, you no longer have to touch the dust bunnies when emptying the dust bin. Emptying the V10 dust bin takes more force than V8, but it's still a painless process.

The new V10 dust bin was expanded to 750ml (0.20gal) in capacity, a considerable 50% increase from the V10 motorhead or V8.

The Dyson V10 weighs 5.9 lbs in a stick configuration, and 3.6 lbs as handheld. Compared to the V8, the V10 is slightly heavier. Nonetheless, it's easy to lift it up and vacuum the ceiling or ceiling fan blades for the average user.

All V10 attachments are connected and released using Dyson's Quick Release System. It snaps everything together with one simple click. To release, just hold down the red button and pull gently.