Dyson V11 Torque Drive Cordless Vacuum Cleaner, Blue

I have long believed, perhaps incorrectly, that Dysons high prices were unwarranted given the how they performed against the competition. Although Dyson offered unique innovations, the performance differences did not justify the cost in my opinion. I disclose this information because I want you to know that I am NOT a Dyson shill or even a fan boy. This is my first Dyson and only purchased after EXTENSIVE research... and I do mean extensive. I spent hours watching and reading independent reviews. If you are reading this review, perhaps you are in the midst of the same exhaustive process. Maybe I can save you some time - STOP READING & CLICK BUY! Seriously! OK, if youre still reading... then you are definitely more like me (which may not be good). I was initially looking for 3 things when deciding what vacuum to purchase [1] cleaning performance - duh, [2] ease of use / maintenance, and [3] reliability. However, once I dove into the process, my list expanded to include [1] battery performance, [2] flexibility in application, and [3] fatigue considerations*. * - I wanted to consider fatigue because, if I was going to utilize the vacuum based on flexibility, I needed it to work flexibly but to do so practically. In other words, flexible application that would actually be used because it is designed well, balanced appropriately, etc. So all this led to the ultimate question... can this stick / battery powered vacuum replace my corded Shark? By the way, Ive owned many horrifically expensive vacuums in the past and came to the conclusion that I dont keep any longer than 5 years because of the advancements in cleaning. Well, I cannot answer whether or not this has fully replaced the Shark... but I can tell you that I am definitely leaning in that direction. [1] I use this vacuum daily - I NEVER did that with the corded vac. [2] This vacuum absolutely compares in cleaning performance - much to my surprise. [3] Not dealing with a cord is a HUGE benefit and one that I could never describe adequately. I didnt think so (intellectually), but WOW, and I mean WOW. It is really hard to imagine using the corded vac unless I absolutely must. [4] It is light, maneuverable, well-built, quiet, and easy to use. I have only been using this vacuum for a few days... so if things go sideways - I WILL BE BACK TO LET YOU KNOW! This isnt a cheap vacuum, so my expectations are that, properly maintained, it will not break or degrade in performance. I hope this helped. So long as this purchase will not harm you financially, I truly recommend this vacuum. If you have a lot of hard surface flooring, you may wish to consider one of the felt roller head attachments (3rd party offer some for about $60 as opposed to the Dyson at $130). I also purchased a trigger lock, to reduce finger fatigue during protracted vacuum sessions. And finally, an extension hose and extra filters. If you do purchase, make certain to watch some of the great videos on YouTube explaining how to pull apart the vacuum every 6 months or so (depending on usage) to super clean / maintain the system. ENJOY

Purchased this vacuum looking for a premium product that would do the job well, have good reliability and in situations where there were issues, would have a good support team backing it up. Because after all, this is the premium option right? Unfortunately, this was not the case. The product lasted ~4 months with fairly minimal use and regular cleaning before the trigger began having issues. The product would turn on when you pull the trigger, but upon release, it would continue to run for 30 seconds to a minute before finally turning off the motor. We worked around it for a few days thinking it was just a bug or an issue but it continued this behavior. I was actually excited to contact Dyson because typically when dealing with a premium product like this, the customer service is top notch. Unfortunately again, this was not the case. The chat feature on their website would not work. It would take you through a script before asking you a question that would just error out. I ended up calling their support line where I had to jump through menus before finally getting to talk to someone where the immediate vibe was not how can we help but instead what do you want. I went through the issues with the representative where they informed me, that before they could do anything to even answer my questions, they needed to register me in their system. Fine, not a big deal. I went through the process of tracking down the serial number on my vacuum, communicating that to them over the phone, and telling them my information multiple times, only to be told that the product was already registered under a different name. I asked them how this could happen, and was told that the only way this could happen is if I was sold an open box product, which I will address later in this review. I told the representative that I had purchased it brand new from Amazon and that I would be happy to send them a PDF copy of the invoice from my original purchase (even though I dont think I should have to jump through this hoop for them to just make their $700 vacuum work as expected). The representative basically just said tough luck. If we cant register your product we will not answer any questions, you cannot speak to a support rep, nothing. I asked them what my options were and they said There is nothing we can do for you, you need to contact Amazon and have them replace the product. That was the end of my Dyson experience, I had already made up my mind that I would not be exchanging the product as I have no interest in ever owning another Dyson product if that is the level of their support. Now to Amazon ... I immediately went back and confirmed the listing that it was fulfilled and sold by Amazon (it was) and that the condition of the product was listed as New (it was) to make sure I hadnt made a mistake when ordering. Once I had confirmed this, I called Amazon to make the issue right. To their credit, they were willing to give me a refund, but told me that I was responsible for returning the product. I had to go purchase a box, pack it, and send it to them, even though the entire issue was their fault for sending me an open box product they had listed as new.

I named my Dyson Chewvacca because Its burly, meant to last, and a great addition to any spaceship. The only challenge Im having so far is that it takes an inordinate amount of time to charge as opposed to the runtime. From there another inconvenience would include its general weight and the fact that theres no trigger lock, so I know you only have to touch the trigger very lightly, but your inclination is to pull it down as hard as you can. Id say this is a safety feature that customers probably dont like but is likely necessary for its functionality.

The setup…I have always used extra strong canister vacuums but wanted to downsize without sacrificing quality when my kids went to college. We live in an old New England home with narrow and steep stairs, original floor boards that are uneven and have narrow spaces between many of the boards, and area rugs. And pets. Hair, scratching posts, litter boxes, dog beds. The good…excellent for pet hair and around the litter box and scratching posts. The maneuverability and coverage is great on the hidden, treacherous, hardwood back kitchen stairs as well as the carpeted stairs to the attic. The battery life. The battery shows three bars and it still had one bar after vacuuming 2500 ft2. Charging the battery, connecting and disconnecting the battery to the vacuum is very easy. Although my prior vacuum had slightly better clearance for under the furniture, this one gets into corners and around furniture much better. Also it can rotate 90 degrees so you can fully vacuum a small space between the toilet and the wall as an example. The bad…I had to empty the canister three times due to the area rugs. My canister vacuum filter lasted a month. Still, a small inconvenience versus moving the plug around to different outlets. It is top heavy (but again I am used to a canister). Not bad for me, but might be tough for an elderly person. You have to keep the button pressed down to keep it on so may be hard for someone with arthritis. It doesn’t vacuum well when pulling the head backward across the floor. All in all, I am impressed. It is still a new purchase so I have no idea if the battery life will erode over time. But my canister vacuum is going into the garage.

Ive never had a cordless vacuum before. Ive had a corded Dyson for several years, and it was time to get a new one. I did my research, and landed on the V11 Animal. There are other versions of the V11 that just have more attachments, but I know Im only going to use 2 or 3 of them, anyway, so this one was perfect. Im impressed how long the battery lasts. I almost bought the V11 Outsize, because of it having 2 batteries, but I figured that the area I need to vacuum wasnt that big, and one battery would probably work just fine. I was right. Im vacuuming about 1800 sq ft, with a mix of tile and carpet, and the battery indicator didnt even go down. There are 3 bars of battery life. I figured it would at least go down to 2 by the time I had finished, but all 3 were still lit. I do have more tile than carpet, and on auto mode, it does automatically use lower power for the tile and higher power for the carpet, and the couch. This thing is great. I was a bit worried that the smaller head was going to be a problem, where Id have to make more passes to cover the same area as my old corded vacuum, but its fine. In fact, because the head is not so wide, I can vacuum places under furniture, etc. that I couldnt reach before without switching to one of the attachments. All in all, this is a great machine. Ive been really impressed with Dysons technology.

I am loving everything about the V11 except emptying the canister. To empty you must remove any attachments before emptying the debris. The battery life was excellent, I vacuumed most of my house, cleaned the couches and rugs without any issues on power or suction. I replaced my V8 with the V11 and overall am happy with the purchases, would have given it 5 stars but removing attachments to empty canister is a hassle.

I’m 77, so I’ve had a lot of vacuums in my life. This is far and above the best. No cord to lift over. Suction is awesome for all the pet hair. Battery life is great. Dyson has thought this one out in detail.

NOTE: Update below... Just got the new V11 from Amazon. Shipping and packaging was excellent. Now onto the actual Dyson, the VAC itself is amazing!!! However, the Torque Motorhead was a big disappointment on my hardwood floors. The $100 Dirt Devil I have does a better job, but it’s corded, which is why I went for the Dyson. I heard so many positive things about the V11 that I assumed I was just using it incorrectly. Turns out I wasn’t and that the head it comes with isn’t great when using it on bare floors. I contacted Dyson and they said I have to spend another $150 for a bare floor head from the V10 model. Just a heads up for those with mostly hardwoods, look into a V10 package that comes with both heads as it’s a better deal. It comes with both heads and since the V10 is the last model, it’s much cheaper to boot! That being said, the suction seems good on this thing. With the front vent on the included head “closed”, this thing sucks itself to the floor!! Battery life on turbo mode is about 5 or 6 minutes which is enough to super clean a small or medium sized room. (SEE UPDATE BELOW) On regular mode I can do most of my house, which is amazing. It’s also pretty quiet. I don’t like loud noises so I wear noise canceling headphones and listen to music when doing things like mowing and vacuuming. I didn’t need them at all with the Dyson. Overall pretty impressive, just that initial shock of seeing debris left behind on the hardwoods makes me want to give only three stars. I’m hoping the new bare floor head helps. UPDATE: Ive been using the Bare Floor Tool for a few months now and it is 100 times better than the Torque Motorhead on bare floors. It picks up way more stuff and the battery life is more than doubled!! It can also roll over things (like Cheerios) where the Torque Motorhead will just push them around. Also Ive noticed that my bin is fuller when using the Bare Floor Tool, as if the Torque Motorhead was somehow leaving find dust and dirt behind. IF you have all bare floors, try to find a Dyson kit that has the vac and the Bare Floor Tool. The Torque Motorhead will be useless to you. Mine lives in the back of the closet now.

Light

I am writing this review from the perspective of someone who is in a wheelchair. I am paralyzed: I have no abdominal support, and my hands are weak—like 50% strength (C7 complete). Ill also mention that my house is carpeted, so that is its primary use. Ill leave performance reviews for others who have done much more testing than me (theres some great resources out there... a surprising number really). Upsides: First, let me say this: if youre in a wheelchair, corded vacuums are out of the question. Theyre heavy, theyre unwieldy, and the cord gets in the way all of the time. Thus, you need a battery-powered vacuum, in which case youre probably getting a lightweight stick vacuum. Stick vacuums are your best option if youre in a wheelchair. Theres no cord to get in your way, and theyre light enough to where you can just vacuum with one hand and maneuver yourself with the other. Maintenance is not an issue: its easy to empty the waste receptacle, and its easy to clean the filter. When it comes to using the extension stick or leaving it off, I actually find its easier to attach the power head directly to the vacuum and just lean over/forward to vacuum. This is an option that the Dyson V11 gives you, which other non-adjustable vacuums do not. If youre low to the ground (perhaps because youre short or because youre in a wheelchair) then you might not want all that extra length of the stick attachment, since it forces the head to protrude too far forward, which hurts leverage and becomes unwieldy. In contrast, if you live with a normal-bodied person who also uses the vacuum, then they probably want the stick on, so its good to have the option to leave the stick on/off when using the power head, which this vacuum offers. Downsides: To keep the weight down, the waste receptacle is quite small. This means youll have to empty it frequently. This is a problem inherent with just about all stick vacuums, so its something youll just have to accept. At least you dont have to purchase bags. The dust filter seems to get dirty very quickly (I have a dusty old house with two pets, so your mileage may vary). This is a good thing and a bad thing. On the one hand, its tedious to have to clean the filter so often (like after every full-home vacuuming). On the other hand, its quite effective at filtering dust, which is a good thing (less dust is expelled into the air). Its easy to remove and clean the filter, so no issues there. To use the vacuum, you must hold the button at all times. This is intended to conserve battery power, but it makes using the vacuum more difficult, especially when you have limited hand function like me. Luckily, however, you can buy a button lock from a 3rd party manufacturer for Dyson vacuums. However, itd be nice if they just had a click on/off method instead. -- In sum, Id say a stick vacuum is the best option for someone who is disabled and/or in a wheelchair. This Dyson was very expensive, but I have no buyers remorse. Its very good just on its own merits, and its great for me.