Dyson V6 Absolute Review
I must confess that I am a terrible cleaner. I despise cleaning and wish I was better at it. I tidy up a lot (I have 3 kids so this is a necessity) but vacuuming and dusting isn’t my thing. My current vacuum cleaner is shoved in a closet at the front of the house while all our living space is towards the back. The thought of getting it out to vacuum up a small area isn’t appealing so I often don’t bother, or used the broom instead.
After seeing a demonstration of the cordless Dyson V6 Absolute at the Brisbane Good Food & Wine Show, I had very high expectations. I have never owned a Dyson and even though I have always heard great things about the brand.
Demonstration at the Brisbane Good Food & Wine Show thanks to Kids Business
After using the machine in my home for a month, I am happy to admit that it has exceeded my expectations and then some. The compact design is great for storing in a tight space, and it is light enough to use for the smallest tasks. I’ll go into more detail below about my experiences, plus there’s a lot of feedback about this machine on the BAFM Facebook page so if you’re interested, read the comments here.
Design & Features
The cordless Dyson V6 Absolute has the following features:
- Cordless design which allows easy and convenient access
- Docking station so it can be charging constantly
- A brush head which is great for carpets
- A velvet head which is great for tiles and wooden floors
- HEPA filtration for capturing allergens
- Extra attachments great for small spaces around the house such as window tracks, and even the ceiling
- Digital V6 Motor
RRP $899
![cordless Dyson V6 Absolute]()
Function
FunctionI found the machine extremely easy to assemble, use and charge. The swivel heads make it easy to manoeuvre around furniture (especially the kitchen table and chairs) and picks up dust and particles with ease.
The first time I used the machine, I was surprised at how much dust it sucked up, especially from my carpet. This could be due to the fact that with the Dyson you can actually see how much dust is sucked into the clear canister as opposed to my current machine where it all goes into a bag and thrown straight into the bin.
To put the machine to the ultimate test against my current vacuum cleaner, I cleared out my son’s room and went to work. I gave the entire floor a good going over with my existing machine. At this stage I thought the floor was pretty clean and certainly didn’t expect what came next.
I then went over the floor again with the Dyson to see if its suction would pick up anything extra. By the time the room was finished (and it is a small room), the Dyson sucked up a whole lot of extra dust. I tipped it into a bowl as shown in the picture labelled ‘bedroom test’. This is ‘extra’ dust that my existing vacuum didn’t pick up.
The vacuum also has a nifty little attachment that is perfect for small spaces such as the car. The long body is removed and the attachment clicks straight onto to the handle to turn it into a small hand held cleaner. I have a 7 seater car and have never been able to vacuum in the back row given the tight space. Needless to say, the floor was full of sand, grass, crackers, crumbs etc. I am embarrassed to show you the photos but think it is necessary as part of this review. The Dyson got right in there without any dramas and cleaned the whole thing.
Another hurdle that I face when vacuuming is my long black hair – it’s everywhere!! Almost every room in my house has black hair on the floor and my current vacuum cleaner struggles with this. I am constantly unblocking it by poking in a wire coat hanger to remove all the hair and other particles caught up in the head of the vacuum. The Dyson copes very well with my excessive shedding. The hair winds around the brush head while cleaning and when you are finished, you can remove the brush section and cut away the hair with a pair of scissors. Insert the brush back into the head and away you go – no blockages!
It’s so easy (and light enough) for kids to use too.
Storage
The vacuum should be mounted on the docking station to ensure it is always charged and ready to go. It is best to mount it near a power point. I wanted to keep the machine close to the kitchen, dining & lounge area so it is conveniently located for when I need it, so I mounted mine inside the broom cupboard which has a power point inside it.
The docking station fits well into tight spaces as you only have to mount the handle of the machine. The long body and the attachments can be stored elsewhere if space is a problem.
Considerations
The most important thing to note about this machine is it’s not designed to vacuum your entire house in one go – unless you have a smaller house then this is a possibility. It is a cordless vacuum that sits on the docking station and charges away to be used at your convenience. Personally, I would rather vacuum sections of my house at any given time so this suits me.
The operating manual specifies a running time of 16 minutes at regular power and 6 minutes at maximum power. This seems to be a conservative estimate as I timed the performance of the machine and the results were as follows:
- Regular power – The machine ran for a total time of 18 mins
- Max power – The machine ran for a total time of 7 mins 30 secs.
If you run the machine on Max power, the time goes so quickly and I found that halfway through my job, I had to replace the machine on the docking station and wait for it to charge. I now run the vacuum on standard power and get through my task in one go.
Overall
The Dyson V6 Absolute is fantastic around my home and it makes housework a whole lot easier. It is so much better than my previous vacuum cleaner! The strong suction works great on carpets, couches and cars. While it’s not designed to replace a regular vacuum, many users we spoke to hardly use their regular vacuum anymore because it’s so easy and quick to do quick clean ups whenever you need to.
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