Dyson V10 Review [Absolute vs. Animal vs. Motorhead]

The Dyson V10 Absolute is one of the most expensive cordless vacuum cleaners available on the market. Can it replace a full-sized upright? Is it worth the high price tag?

I’ve put this cord-free stick vacuum through a series of rigorous tests to assess its performance and determine if it lives up to the hype; you’ll find all the results in this review.

James Dyson says that Dyson is no longer releasing new upright vacuums and will focus their efforts on cordless stick vacuums. The release of the Dyson V11 less than a year after the V10 proves that they are serious.

Introduction to the Dyson V10 Absolute

The V10 is a complete redesign from the previous Dyson V8. Gone is the dust cup that is aligned vertically and now replaced with a horizontally aligned bin that provides better airflow.

This change allows for a larger dust cup size, up to 0.76 liters of dry dirt, which is almost double the V8’s capacity of 0.54 liters.

Having the larger bin means you don’t need to empty as often as the V8, but it’s still smaller compared to the Shark ION P50.

Like all Dyson cordless vacuums, the V10 features a range of interchangeable tools (more on that below) that enable it to clean the entire home.

It can be used in various configurations – from handheld to stick vacuum configurations for cleaning floors, upholstery, stairs, and more.

What are the improvements that the Dyson V10 has over the V8?

Here’s a quick overview of the improvements that V10 has over the V8. For a more detailed comparison, please click on this link, which provides a comprehensive comparison of these two models.

Most Versatile: Dyson V10 Absolute

The Dyson V10 Absolute is the most versatile option in this line. It has the most tools that come in the package, but it is also the most expensive.

It is the variant you’d want to have if you live in a medium or large home with a mix of hardwood, tile, and carpet, as it features both soft roller and direct drive tools for the task.

On a side note, please check this link if you want to learn how to clean hardwood floors.

If you don’t mind spending on something versatile and efficient, it’s an excellent option.

Great for Carpet: Dyson V10 Animal

The Dyson V10 Animal comes with the same toolset as the V10 Absolute, except for one notable difference – the soft roller head, which makes it an excellent option for homes with extensive carpeting.

This variant is also capable of cleaning bare floors thanks to the adjustable gates. It does need a little coaxing to fit larger bits of debris to either gate. I believe this option is better since the torque drive head is very decent on hard surfaces.

Cheapest Option: Dyson V10 MotorHead

The Dyson V10 Motorhead is the most affordable option among the V10 variants. It features the same motor and battery as the other models, but with a smaller dust cup – approximately half the size.

This option also has the fewest tools of all the V10 variants, so it lacks versatility.

It does have a direct-drive cleaning head that works well on carpet. This vacuum is suitable for use in smaller homes with carpet.

Other big-name brands, such as Shark and Bissell, have blatantly copied Dyson’s design.

What I’m talking about is a vacuum where the motor and bin sit on top, with a removable wand and the primary cleaning tool that will clean floors.

Dyson was the first to introduce this idea, and the V10 still employs this design with some minor modifications.

How does the Dyson V10 Absolute Clean?

The Dyson V10 Absolute comes with two floor cleaning attachments. On the left is the soft roller cleaning head, which works great on hard floors, and on the right is the torque drive head, an excellent tool for carpets.

Like earlier model Dyson vacuums, the V10 is built on the concept of adaptability. Its most significant strength is the ability to clean different parts of the home with efficiency.

V10 does it with a myriad of tools that help it vacuum different surfaces.

First, we’ll examine the two primary floor cleaning tools that make it one of the most effective cleaning tools for both carpet and various types of hard floors.

The soft roller cleaning head

Here’s a close look at the soft roller cleaning head of the V10 Absolute. Notice the ample clearance in front that allows this tool to pick up larger bits of dirt.

Dyson was the first brand to utilize this type of brush roll.

Unlike a traditional brush that uses bristles, a soft roller has a cloth-like covering with grooves spiraling around that help grab dirt of various sizes.

The ample clearance in front of this tool allows it to capture larger bits of dirt.

It is one of the best innovations that any manufacturer has developed, changing how vacuum cleaners handle hard surfaces.

This tool performs tasks that a traditional nozzle cannot, such as cleaning up massive piles of dirt.

Torque drive attachment

The torque drive head has two gates (green arrows pointing at it) that give it enough space for large debris such as Cheerios to fit. However, it cannot clean a big pile of it the way the soft roller attachment can.

Another improvement in the Dyson V10 over the V8 is the torque drive head that has Dyson claims has better agitation and comes with two adjustable gates. These gates make it possible for this tool to pick up large piles of dirt without plowing it forward.

The additional power and gates do two things. First, it enhances the Dyson V10’s ability to clean embedded dirt on the carpet.

Second, the gates allow the torque drive tool to pick up large debris, such as Cheerios.

It won’t outperform the Shark’s Duo Clean head in extra-large debris pickup, but it’s a significant improvement over the Dyson V8.

Other tools

Aside from the two main cleaning heads, the V10 also comes with other attachments that allow you to use it in different configurations.

Mini-turbo brush: This tool is a miniature version of the torque drive, featuring a motorized turbo brush. It is a handy device for cleaning flat surfaces such as stairs and sofas. The stiff bristles will also come in handy for removing pet hair from upholstery in the home or vehicle.

Crevice tool: This is very useful for picking up dirt in tight areas, such as spaces between the cushions and around the seats inside the vehicle.

Combination tool: It is a combination of a brush and upholstery tool for cleaning areas such as the vents or keyboards. Pulling the brush tool portion back reveals an upholstery tool that’s useful for picking up pet litter and any significant bits of dirt that may not fit on the crevice tool.

Soft dusting brush: It is an excellent tool for cleaning more delicate furniture, such as lampshades or Venetian blinds. I like using this tool inside the car’s dashboard with the flexible hose attachment, which can be purchased separately.

Extension wand: This tool provides the V10 with the flexibility to be used as either a stick vacuum or a handheld vacuum. All of the attachments are compatible with this aluminum tube, providing extra reach if needed.

Charging dock: Dyson adds this contraption for storage purposes since the Dyson can’t stand on its own. It has slots that can hold two other attachments. However, you’ll need to drill holes in the wall. If that’s not ideal, storage pods are available on Amazon that do not require drilling.

Charger: This plug can be directly plugged into the vacuum or the dock to charge the vacuum.

How much power does the Dyson V10 have?

To measure power, I used an anemometer to check the amount of airflow that flows through the extension tube and main cleaning nozzle, and here are the results.

The V10 produces decent airflow in both areas and boasts one of the highest airflow rates among all cordless stick vacuums available. It isn’t as powerful as the top-spec V11, but

How long will the V10 battery run?

According to Dyson, the official time is 60 minutes. In my tests, it exceeded those numbers slightly, at 61 minutes and 59 seconds, but that’s using the crevice tool on the lowest setting. On the highest power setting, the V10 will run for 5:07 using suction-only tools, 5:42 with the torque drive, and 9:22 with the soft roller attachment.

Please refer to the table below to see the test results.

These figures are impressive, considering the motor’s considerable power.

Cleaning Test

Before I go through all the details, please watch this video where I share most of the cleaning tests I did with the V10 on hard floors and carpets.

One of the biggest strengths of the V10 Absolute is its ability to clean dirt from different types of surfaces. Whether it’s carpet or a hard floor, this vacuum will do the job.

Let’s examine how this model performs on each surface in detail. First, let’s review the test results.

• Overall: 97.21%
• Hard Floor: 98.84%
• Carpet (Surface Pick Up): 98.4%
• Carpet (Deep Cleaning): 97.03%

Hard floor Results

• Quaker Oats: 98%
• Coffee: 98.2%
• Quinoa: 100%
• Pet Litter: 100%

I tested the V10 on several types of debris on hard floors, specifically laminate flooring, and it did a fantastic job of picking up surface debris. Let’s examine the before and after photos to see how the soft roller tool performed on cleaning hard floors.

The soft roller job of the V10 did a fantastic job at cleaning Quaker oats on hard floor.

The soft roller was also outstanding at picking up fine coffee grounds.

One of the toughest items to clean on hard floors is quinoa, due to its solid texture similar to rice, but the V10 was able to pick up all of it.

For the cleaning test, I used three different debris: coffee grounds, quinoa, and Quaker Oats. The V10 Absolute’s soft roller brush had no issues with cleaning these types of debris.

It was child’s play for this cordless stick vacuum. If there’s one issue for the V10, it would be cleaning a big pile of Fruit Loops, as the size of it will clog the nozzle.

Related: How to Clean the Dyson V10 Soft Roller Nozzle

Sand on hard floor test

This is a new test that I implement on all cordless stick vacuums I review to check how well they pick up sand on hard surfaces. For the Dyson V10, I experimented using the soft roller and torque drive attachments.

The results were impressive as the V10 was able to pick up an average of 100% of sand using the soft roller and the torque drive tools.

Sand on hard floor test using the soft roller attachment.

Here’s the second test – using the torque drive for cleaning sand.

Please note that while the torque drive tool can do an excellent job at picking up sand, it left a trail in the forward pass.

The good news is that it was able to pick up the trail of sand on the backward pass. However, if you’re looking for a vacuum that can clean sand on hard floors, I would recommend opting for the V10 Fluffy, if available in your area.

Hair wrap test

Next, we’ll look at how the V10 handles pet hair on hard floors using the soft roller attachment. For this test, I scattered one gram of 5 to 7-inch human hair.

This was how much hair wrapped around the fluffy tool.

There was a small amount of hair that wrapped around the soft roller, which was a surprise to me. Most of it went inside the dust cup.

Carpet cleaning test

To test the effectiveness of the new torque drive head, I evaluated its performance on coffee grounds, Quaker Oats, and quinoa.

Here are some photos I’d like to share of how the V10 did on the tests.

Low pile results

• Quaker Oats: 98.4%
• Coffee: 98.5%
• Quinoa: 100%
• Pet Litter: 98.8%

The V10 did an excellent job at cleaning quaker oats on a low pile carpet.

Even on med pile carpet, the V10 picked up most of the fine coffee grounds.

Mid pile results

• Quaker Oats: 98%
• Coffee: 96%
• Quinoa: 100%
• Pet Litter: 98%

For most tests, V10’s torque drive head performed outstandingly in picking up surface dirt. Although I noticed on a few occasions that the brush kicked some debris backward, it was picked up on subsequent passes.

One issue with the low-profile head is its tendency to snowplow large piles of dirt, but it will eventually pick everything up as you push forward.

The adjustable gates did help in minimizing this issue to some extent, providing a pathway for dirt to pass through.

It did leave a nasty stain since the carpet I’m using is beige, but most of the dirt ended up inside the dust cup.

Deep Cleaning Test

To test how the V10 cleans embedded dirt, I applied 100 grams of sand to medium-pile carpets. This test has two parts. The first was in the middle setting, which I believe is the best compromise between runtime and power.

The Dyson V10 picked up an average of 81.35% (two tests) in the middle setting and 97.03% (three tests) at the max. So the average for the V10 in the mid and high setting is 89.19%.

Regarding outright carpet deep cleaning, the V10 may not be as effective as the V11; however, considering the price difference, the V10 remains a decent option.

Hair wrap test

Another test I conducted with the Dyson V10 is the hair wrap test, which uses one gram of five-inch-long human hair. This test aims to see how well the torque drive brush can handle reasonably long strands of hair.

I used a digital weighing scale to weigh 1 inch of human hair.

Please note that there is a margin for error in these tests, but they provide a good baseline for evaluating how well vacuums can handle hair.

I then spread the strands of hair on a medium-pile carpet to see if they would wrap around the brush.

The torque drive attachment did an excellent job at resisting tangles, at least from five-inch-long human hair. One factor is the large-diameter brush that resists tangles better than smaller brushes, even without the anti-wrap contraption.

There were only minimal tangles, if any, after several passes.

There were just a few strands that barely wrapped around the brush. The rest of the hair went inside the dust cup.

I didn’t weigh the few strands of hair left because it wouldn’t register on the scale. So, for this test, the Dyson V10 passes with flying colors.

How easy is the Dyson V10 to use?

Next, let’s examine how easy it is to use the V10, specifically its ergonomics.

Ergonomics

The Dyson V8 and V10 differ slightly in weight, with a 0.1-gram difference.

However, the new design of the V10 shifts some of the weight to the upper part of the vacuum, making it more top-heavy.

Using this to clean above the floor will be more tiring on the arm than using the smaller V8, but it isn’t as bad as the Roidmi NEX’s looping handle.

Trigger switch

The V10 uses the same trigger switch as earlier-generation Dyson vacuums. Squeezing it for extended periods can be tiring on the wrist and arm.

Whether or not this is a valuable feature will depend on your preference.

Other brands, like Tineco, utilize the same trigger switch; however, these vacuums come with a lock that holds it in the on position without squeezing it.

Dyson has not made the change in the V10 or the V11.

Power settings

On top of the trigger is a slide switch that toggles between the three power settings – low, medium, and max. Dyson began using this type of switch, starting with the V8. It’s much easier to use than the button design in the V6.

The addition of the middle setting is something that I like very much because it provides an excellent balance between power and duration.

Maneuverability

Dyson is one of the best when it comes to how their product swivels, and the V10 works excellently at maneuvering around and underneath furniture.

The ball machinery that they use is genius in that it’s easy to clean without having to spend a lot of time digging through nooks and crannies.

The soft roller tool has a smaller “roller” at the back and two tiny wheels up front. Mobility won’t be an issue since the main roller bar helps propel this tool forward.

If you’re having difficulty using the torque drive tool on rugs, this is a good alternative, at least for cleaning surface dirt.

The torque drive head has two tiny wheels underneath that require periodic cleaning, but since this tool is mainly used on carpet, this is a non-issue when it comes to maneuverability.

Is it easy to empty the dust cup?

One issue with the Dyson V6 variants is the lack of a hygienic system. This makes disposing of dirt a messy chore.

Dyson improved the V8’s design and developed a mechanism that pushes the dirt down when the lever is pulled.

The V10 retains the same principles as the V10, but the change in orientation changes a few things.

Unlike the V8, where the bin is aligned vertically, the horizontal direction of the V10 dust cup means you’ll have to remove the wand before emptying the bin.

It features a “point and shoot” approach, where you simply point the vacuum at the bin and then press the lever.

Yes, it has an extra step, but most of the contents come out of the bin, which is what matters, in my opinion.

Cleaning muck that stays inside won’t be an issue because the bin is detachable.

Dyson V10 Maintenance Costs

The good news is that the filter inside the Dyson V10 is what you call a “lifetime” filter, which means it does not need to be replaced during the duration of ownership.

Part of upkeep is washing the filter to keep it clean and maintain the vacuum’s performance.

Dyson V10 replacement filters

Dyson recommends washing it once every 30 days. But if you live in an area with a lot of dust or sand, it is a good idea to clean more often.

Replacement filters are available for purchase in case you need an extra one to minimize downtime while waiting for the filter to dry.

Replacement batteries

Replacement batteries are available now for the Dyson V10 at varying costs. You can opt for an original Dyson replacement, but pay a premium or opt for OEM replacements at just a fraction of the cost. The good thing is there are options.

Replacing the V10 batteries isn’t difficult – you only need to loosen three screws.

James Dyson said that new Li-ion batteries in the V10 will last at least 15 years. Whether that is true or not, only time will tell.

Brush roll maintenance

Another area that needs upkeep is the two cleaning heads. The more you use these tools, the more hair and dust bunnies stick to the bristles and the axles of these tools.

Fortunately, removing the brush is easy on the torque drive head, but the soft roller bar isn’t detachable, so you’ll have to clean it as is.

Noise levels

To measure noise, I used an anemometer to measure the decibel level from about three feet away.

Here are the results of different power settings:

The torque drive tool attached will be the noisiest due to the vibrations from the spinning brush, while the soft roller tool will be less noisy.

How big is the Dyson V10 Absolute?

The V10 Absolute has a substantial length of over 49″ long and 9.8″ wide.

Any long-term concerns?

I’ve had this Dyson for over five years and have had no issues with it except for the dustbin seal.

It’s not an issue limited to the V10 model, as I’ve experienced this issue with other models I’ve owned.

Another concern is the battery, but the V10 battery is replaceable, and aftermarket options are available, as are previous generation V6 and V8 options, which had many replacement batteries available.

Must Read If You Own a Dyson

Whether you’ve just joined the Dyson club or you’re still window-shopping, these are your must-reads. Think of them as your Dyson survival kit — full of tips, tricks, and maintenance know-how that’ll keep your vacuum running like new.

• Before you buy a Dyson, Read This! Common Issues You May Not Know About
• 6 Dyson Cordless Vacuums That Run For Over an Hour
• Dyson Maintenance

Product Specifications

Does the Dyson V10 offer exceptional value?

The Dyson V10’s price tag may scare off some people, but don’t let it dissuade you from considering this option.

With the V11 now on the market, the prices of the V10 have decreased, which is good news for consumers.

This vacuum offers outstanding performance, regardless of the surface, and can be a viable standalone option for small homes.

The soft roller and torque drive cleaning head do an excellent job of picking up surface debris and deep cleaning carpet.

It won’t last as long as the V11, but it’s less expensive.

Considering this product can be used as a handheld, there’s no need to buy a separate unit to clean areas above floors.

Dyson backs all of their cordless vacuums with a 2-year warranty. Extended warranties are also available on Amazon.

5 Reasons why you should buy the Dyson V10 Absolute:

The Dyson V10 Absolute represents a significant step forward in James Dyson’s vision for cord-free stick vacuums, replacing bulky upright models.

This product has the power, versatility, and portability you’d want from a cord-free stick vacuum.

The attachments that come with this are varied and capable of cleaning almost all dry areas inside the home and vehicle.

It has enough power to deep clean small sections at a time. This variant lacks the extended deep cleaning performance of the Dyson V11. Still, it’s considerably cheaper, so if that is a deciding factor, then this may be a good alternative.

Purchasing replacement filters and batteries won’t be an issue in the long run, as it is a popular item; there will be a plethora of aftermarket options.