You can clearly see the stark contrast in the design of the Roidmi F8 and Dyson V8 in this photo.
I’ve been testing the Roidmi F8 and the Dyson V8 extensively, and this review will be a result of those tests.
Roidmi claims that the F8 is the lightest and the most powerful cordless vacuum, so let’s see if those claims are true.
I’ll be comparing it against the Dyson V8 to see if what the manufacturer says is true.
The runaway success of Dyson has spawned lots of copycats. Just do a quick search on Amazon for “cordless vacuum,” and you’ll know what I mean.
You’ll see a lot of products that are blatant rip-offs. The sad news is none of them can match the quality and performance except for a few brands like Shark.
The Roidmi F8, based on my tests, looks promising, scoring high in nearly all tests I did. Scroll down to see all the results.
A quick look at the Dyson V8 vs. Roidmi F8
Dyson V8
Introduction to the Roidmi F8 and Dyson V8
The Roidmi F8 and Dyson V8 are two of the best mid-priced cord-free options right now. Both products offer similar versatility thanks to the interchangeable tools.
The top-spec V8 Absolute is slightly more expensive than the F8 as of this moment (but that may change) so we’ll look closely if the V8 is worth the premium over the less expensive Roidmi.
Note: Roidmi just launched their latest stick vacuum, the X30 Pro. Please check the link to see the review and results of the tests.
Let’s dig deeper into how these stick vacuums are similar and different.
Just in case you didn’t know, Roidmi is a Xiaomi product, and that is reflected with a predominantly white color scheme and sleek design that looks like a Macintosh.
Dyson’s design is loud compared to Roidmi’s minimalism with a bright blue, red, orange, and gray combination. It retains the same design cues of the V6 product line, but it has a better dust cup with the hygienic feature.
I like the upgrade because the mechanism automatically pushes the dirt down even dust bunnies from the metal filter in the middle (more on that later).
Roidmi doesn’t have a hygienic system or even a quick-release latch, making it messier to empty.
Xiaomi Roidmi F8 vs. Dyson V8: Design and Ergonomics
The Roidmi F8’s (on the right) power switch is at the top of the looping handle, while the Dyson V8 (on the left) has a trigger switch right below the motor.
Next, let’s look at how the Roidmi F8 and Dyson V8 are different when it comes to ergonomics and design. While these two products are similar in terms of functionality, both are different as far as design is concerned.
The F8 screams simplicity with its almost monotone finish, while the V8 is loud and obnoxious with its bright orange wand and trigger switch.
Roidmi F8
The Roidmi F8’s handle is looping and offers a lot of grip options. One disadvantage is the weight distribution that puts the most pressure on the wrist.
In typical Xiaomi fashion, their stick vacuum comes in an all-white finish with some red accents. Fit and finish are excellent, with all of the attachments locking in place with a solid feel.
You wouldn’t think that a Roidmi is a Dyson knock-off because it looks so much different.
While it uses the same design principle with the motor and bin at the top, the concept is different.
The bin orientation is similar to the Dyson V10 where it is horizontally aligned. The power switch is at the top of the looping handle where you have easy access.
You don’t have to worry about continually squeezing a trigger because the motor stays on when you press the power switch.
To access the max mode, all you have to do is press the power button a second time. Turning it off is a bit tricky – you’ll need to hold the power button for a few seconds to power off.
Although the handle allows for different grip options, I feel that the design leaves my wrist and arms more tiresome using it to clean anything above the waist as I need to bend the wrist or grip the handle at the rear.
Another option is to hold the handle at the rear, but doing this will tire out the wrist quickly as you’re carrying all of the vacuum’s weight.
Dyson V8
The V8 uses a trigger switch that sits right under the motor. Continually squeezing it can be tiring, but the handle position provides better weight distribution compared to the F8’s handle that puts most of the weight of the vacuum on the arm and wrist when cleaning areas above floors.
The Dyson V8 is much colorful than the Roidmi, with shades of blue, gray, red, and orange. As you can see in the photo above, it utilizes a trigger to power up the motor.
Based on my tests, the handle position of the V8 provides better weight distribution than the Roidmi F8 because there’s no need to bend the wrist as much which puts less strain.
Consumers have complained about this for a long period, but Dyson continues to use this system even in their newer V10 and V11 models.
Each variant will have a slightly different color scheme, but that’s irrelevant to the performance as all V8 products have the same motor and produce the same amount of power.
For earlier variants, the trigger wasn’t as soft, which meant more effort. Newer options have more malleable triggers, so finger and wrist fatigue won’t be as big of an issue.
How much power does the Roidmi F8 and Dyson V8 have?
Looking at both products’ spec sheets, these cord-free vacuums have the same air watt numbers at 115. So technically, power should be the same.
To confirm this, I did an airflow test using an anemometer to measure airflow at the wand. I did this several times to ensure the best accuracy possible with the windows and the fans closed to minimize any external turbulence that may artificially bump up the numbers.
Please refer to the table below on the airflow numbers of each model at the wand.
| Airflow rating | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Dyson V8 | 24 CFM | 41 CFM |
| Roidmi F8 | 20 CFM | 37 CFM |
That’s an 18% difference on low and 10.25% difference on high which is quite significant.
So despite being equal on paper, the Dyson V8 produces more airflow than the Roidmi F8 on different power settings.
Dust Cup Design
Another difference between these two products is the design of the dust cup. Dyson has a larger capacity bin that can hold up to 0.54 liters of dirt, while the F8 is smaller with just a 0.4-liter capacity.
Roidmi F8
Before emptying the Roidmi F8 bin, you’ll have to remove it from the body.
Roidmi’s bin has a similar orientation as the Dyson V10, where it is aligned horizontally with the motor behind it. One reason they did this was to increase the efficiency of the motor and filtration.
The downside to this design is the smaller bin size. To empty it, you’ll have to remove the canister from the frame and slowly unlock the latch that holds the trap door underneath.
Unfortunately, the F8 does not have a quick-release latch. To open, you’ll have to unlock the latch carefully, and this can be messy.
Dyson V8
The hygienic system employed by Dyson makes emptying the V8 much easier than the V6.
The Dyson V8’s bin capacity isn’t what you consider significant, but when you put it side by side versus Roidmi, it’s visibly larger.
Dyson says that the V8’s bin can hold up to 0.14 gallons (or 0.54 liters) at the fill line. But it’ll still work way past it, which easily doubles that number.
The V8’s bin is easier to empty with the hygienic system than the Roidmi F8 that doesn’t even have a quick-release latch.
Comparing the Main Cleaning Heads
The two Dyson cleaning heads flanking the Roidmi F8 floor tool.
As you can see in the photo above, the Dyson V8 utilizes two separate tools to clean hard floors and carpets, while the Roidmi F8 only has one tool and two separate brushes. Both tools are solidly built and can swivel and go flat to clean deep underneath furniture.
Roidmi F8
Closeup of the Roidmi F8 main cleaning tool and brushes.
Unlike the Dyson that uses two separate attachments, Roidmi only comes with a single floor tool with interchangeable brushes.
Out of the box, you’ll get two roller brushes – a soft roller bar and the combo roller brush.
The soft roller bar will work best on bare floors, while the combo brush works best on carpets.
However, in my tests, I found that the soft roller bar can also be used on the carpet.
It will pick up at least the surface dirt on low pile rugs and carpets, but it won’t deep clean.
Since it uses a single tool, the soft roller bar and combo brush clearance is the same.
It has enough space to fit Cheerios-sized dirt and minimizes the snow-plowing effect common with low-clearance tools.
One advantage Roidmi has is that the primarily cleaning head has more clearance than the V8’s direct-drive attachment.
The soft roller bar does an excellent job of picking up dirt efficiently on hard floors.
Roidmi also has a row of LED lights that helps with visibility in low light conditions.
If you have not used a tool with LED headlights, it helps a great deal with tracking dust under the furniture.
It’s a feature that none of the Dyson cordless vacuums have.
Dyson V8
If you choose the high-end Dyson V8 Absolute, you’ll get both the fluffy tool and the direct drive (or combo brush) tools. These tools will work the best on bare floors and carpets, respectively.
On the left is the soft roller brush and on the right is the direct drive tool.
I’ve already mentioned this above, but one of Dyson’s soft roller bar tool’s biggest advantages is the amount of clearance it has.
The high clearance means more roller bar exposure, which translates to better results when dealing with a huge pile of dirt.
There will be less risk of this vacuum kicking bits of dirt around except for stuff like rice and quinoa.
The next floor tool available is the direct drive cleaning head, Dyson’s version of the combo brush.
This tool combines soft carbon fiber and stiff nylon bristles to pick up fine dust and agitate carpet.
These brands will do an excellent job at cleaning surface and embedded dirt (more on than in the cleaning performance section).
Filtration
Roidmi uses a four-layer filtration system that includes a mesh filter, cyclonic, HEPA filter, and a polymer sponge. All these combine to keep dirt and allergens inside the bin.
The exhaust blows to the side, so you don’t have to worry about air blowing on your face as you vacuum.
However, the F8 filter isn’t washable and should be replaced periodically. Roidmi has an app that tells you when to replace the filter.
The good news is that the Roidmi F8 filters are cheap and readily available on Amazon.
Dyson uses a similar system with a pre-motor filter, mesh, cyclones, and a post-motor filter.
Both vacuums passed the 5-micron test, so their filtration is enough to keep allergens inside the dust cup.
Dyson filters are supposedly lifetime filters that should last the life of the vacuum. Still, I would strongly suggest buying replacement filters to eliminate downtime while waiting for it to dry.
Battery and Run time
The Roidmi F8 uses a high-performance LG lithium-ion battery that the manufacturer claims to run for 55 minutes.
However, the tests I did reveal that it’ll only run for up to 50 minutes and 33 seconds using suction-only tools at the low setting. Using the motorized brush reduces the battery life to around 47 minutes.
The V8, on the other hand, uses a nickel-cobalt battery that Dyson says will run for up to 40-minutes. It actually exceeds that figure slightly at 41 minutes if you’re using any of the non-motorized tools.
In the highest setting, with the main cleaning head, that number goes down to 8 minutes.
Attachments for the Roidmi F8 and Dyson V8
There are two different Roidmi F8 options if you look at Amazon: the Deluxe Set and Economy Set.
The Deluxe set is more costly but comes with more tools, and these include the following:
Here’s what comes in the Deluxe set.
- Main cleaning head: The F8 comes with one main cleaning head and two separate brush attachments for hard floor and carpet, respectively.
- Crevice/brush combination tool: A multi-purpose tool with a brush and crevice portion for cleaning more areas like vents, keyboards, and small areas.
- Flexible hose: An excellent tool for extending the reach of other attachments such as the crevice and brush tool. Unfortunately, it isn’t usable with the mini-turbo brush.
- Mini-turbo brush: It is a smaller version of the main cleaning head where a motor powers a roller brush. A useful attachment for cleaning fabric upholstery and carpet stairs.
- Extension tube: This tool provides the F8 its versatility converting it from a handheld to a stick vacuum.
- Magnetic dock: A wall-mountable tool for storing the F8 vertically.
- Cleaning brush: An excellent tool for cleaning the different areas of the vacuum.
The Dyson V8 offers more tools at your disposal but minus the flexible hose. There are sellers on Amazon that sell flexible hoses just in case you need this functionality.
What attachments you’ll get out of the box will depend on the model. The Absolute variant offers the most attachments while the Animal version has the same attachments, but minus the soft roller head.
Tools that come with the Dyson V8 Absolute.
- Soft roller: Dyson was the first to introduce the soft roller tool, and outside the Shark Duo Clean system, it an excellent tool for cleaning bare floors.
- Direct drive: Combines soft and stiff bristles for cleaning surface and embedded dirt on carpets. It lacks the adjustable gates that the V10 has, so it’s limited to cleaning small debris if used on bare floors.
- Combination tool: A two-in-one tool that has a brush tool and an upholstery tool tucked inside.
- Crevice tool: Excellent attachment for cleaning tight areas between seats or cushions.
- Soft dusting brush: Tool for cleaning more delicate surfaces such as lampshades or curtains.
- Mini-turbo brush: A Smaller version of the direct-drive head designed to cleaning embedded dirt from upholstery.
- Charger: Plugs directly on the vacuum or the dock.
- Extension wand: You can attach any of the floor tools in the stick vacuum configuration or any non-motorized tool to extend reach in handheld mode to clean areas up high.
- Charging dock: Helps store the V8 in a vertical position. It does require holes to be drilled on the wall.
Wall Mount
The Dyson V8 wall mount on the left, Roidmi F8 wall mount on the right.
Since both these stick vacuums can’t stand on its own, both come with wall brackets that you can mount on the wall. Dyson comes with a bigger wall mount with a built-in charger.
Roidmi’s mount is much smaller and relies on a magnet rather than clips to hold the vacuum in place.
It looks much sleeker and futuristic, not cumbersome.
Imagine if the MacBook Pro had a wall mount. This is how it would look like.
Cleaning performance
Next, let’s see if the Roidmi F8 can match the Dyson V8 in cleaning dirt on hard floors and carpet.
First, we’ll look at the test results to get an overview of how each vacuum performs.
Dyson V8 results
Overall
97.08%
Hard Floor
99.66%
Carpet (Surface Pickup)
97.29%
Carpet (Deep Cleaning)
94.3%
Roidmi F8 Storm results
Overall
94.76%
Hard Floor
98.45%
Carpet (Surface Pickup)
93.75%
Carpet (Deep Cleaning)
92.1%
The Dyson V8 did better than the Roidmi F8 if you look at the percentages, but the difference isn’t that significant. While the F8 is close to the V8 when it comes to cleaning hard surfaces, it didn’t do well when it comes to cleaning carpet.
The F8 scored 93.75% on surface dirt and 92.1% in the deep cleaning tests. One factor for the difference would be the brush design as the V8 has a combination of soft and stiff bristles while the F8’s brush consists of soft bristles and rubber blades.
Take note that the 92.1% score is pretty impressive, considering the price difference between the two.
Hard floor cleaning
Both vacuums excelled at cleaning hard surfaces thanks to the soft roller attachment. However, both will also struggle if you try cleaning a large number of fruit loops.
Here are some before and after shots for the Dyson V8 and Roidmi F8.
Dyson V8
Testing the Dyson V8 on coffee grounds
Testing the Dyson V8 on quaker oats
Roidmi F8 Storm
Testing the Roidmi F8 on quaker oats
On coffee grounds
The results are almost identical if you look at the photos, which is reflected in the scores.
Carpet cleaning
However, the gap widens in the carpet cleaning tests, with the V8 doing better across the board.
Here are some before and after photos.
Dyson V8
Testing the Dyson V8 on quaker oats
On coffee grounds
Roidmi F8 Storm
Testing the Roidmi F8 storm on quaker oats
On coffee grounds
The brush design of the V8 that combines soft and stiff bristles proves to be a better performer when cleaning surface and embedded dirt. But considering the price difference, the F8 actually fared well, still picking up above 92% in the deep cleaning test.
Warranty
All Dyson cordless vacuums come with a 2-year warranty. And if you purchase it from Amazon, extended warranties of up to 3 years is available for that extra peace of mind.
Roidmi only comes with a 1-year warranty with optional extended warranties of up to 3 years.
Spec comparison of the Xiaomi Roidmi F8 vs. Dyson V8
| Model | Xiaomi Roidmi F8 | Dyson V8 Absolute |
|---|---|---|
| HEPA filtration |  | |
| LED Headlights | |  |
| Cleaning path | 10.08" | 9.8" |
| Run time | up to 50 mins | up to 43 mins. |
| Dirt capacity | 0.4 liters | 0.54 liters |
| Weight | 3.3 lbs. | 5.75 lbs. |
| Airflow | 37 CFM | 41 CFM |
Where can I buy the Dyson V8 and Roidmi F8?
These cord-free stick vacuums are available in online stores like Amazon. Please check the links below for more details about the latest pricing.
- Dyson V8 Absolute on Amazon and Walmart.
- V8 Animal on Amazon.
- Roidmi F8 on AliExpress and GearBest.
Disclaimer: Please note if you purchase through any of the links above, I will earn a commission, but at no additional cost to you. So it’s a win-win for both of us.
Which offers the better value?
There is a significant price difference between the Roidmi F8 and Dyson V8, so the question is, are you willing to spend the premium for the V8?
There’s no question that the Dyson V8 is an excellent product that comes with outstanding support from a known brand that pioneered the bagless vacuum.
It comes with a more varied toolset than the Roidmi, but it does not have a flexible hose. The V8 has more power and will do better at cleaning embedded dirt on carpets thanks to the better designed standard brush roll.
Both brands will do well at cleaning bare floors, but the V8 does better at cleaning large debris such as Cheerios, where the F8 will clog up.
One advantage of the F8 is that it will run longer – up to 50 minutes versus the V8 that clocked at 41 minutes.
So help you make a choice, I’ve enumerated reasons to go for either cordless vacuum.
3 Reasons to go with the Roidmi F8
- Want something less expensive: The Roidmi F8 is an excellent option for people looking to buy something at a lower cost than a Dyson. It performs well and is very close to Dyson when it comes to cleaning surface dirt.
- Live in a home with lots of hard floors: The soft roller bar is excellent at cleaning dirt on hard surfaces.
- Want something that’ll run longer: Based on my tests, the Roidmi F8 will run longer than the Dyson V8 in all power settings, that is, if you don’t mind having less airflow.
4 Reasons to go with the Dyson V8
- Need something to clean carpet: The Dyson V8 will clean the carpet better thanks to its higher airflow and stiffer brushes.
- Want something with a larger dirt capacity: Dyson has the edge here with a 540 milliliter capacity versus the 400 milliliters of the F8.
- Need something easier to empty: The hygienic system of the V8 makes it easier to dispose of dirt without getting your hands messy.
- Better ergonomics: Despite being the heavier product, the V8’s design puts less pressure on the wrist when cleaning areas above floors.
- Availability of parts: There is a bevy of aftermarket parts for the Dyson V8 – from batteries, cyclones to filters. If you need any of these parts, it will not be an issue.
To wrap up
The gap between Dyson and other brands has shrunk over the years. You cannot say that Roidmi is a cheap knockoff because it is well-made.
All the attachments are solidly built, and locks-in place with an audible click. Run time is better with the Roidmi thanks to the high capacity LG lithium-ion battery.
My only gripe with it would be the small dirt bin that’s quite messy to empty. It has a good number of attachments, but not as many as the Dyson V8.
Dyson is a complete product with more tools. That means better coverage and versatility. It also beats Roidmi in terms of warranty and fast shipping times, thanks to Amazon.
If you don’t mind trying something new, then the Roidmi F8 is a good option with a minimalist yet functional design.
It does not have a trigger switch, so don’t have to squeeze it to use continually.
But Dyson has a bigger bin and better warranty, so there will be trade-offs.
Comments on this entry are closed.
It’s difficult to find direct comparisons between Dyson and the Roidmi F8 Storm (probably because the F8 is so new). This comparison is the best I’ve seen. Two questions:
(1) You say “When it comes to filtration though, Dyson does a better job thanks to the better quality washable HEPA and pre-motor filters.” How did you determine that the Dyson filtration does a better job?
(2) I’ve seen instructions online for replacing the Dyson battery when it wears out (even though it seems this is not officially supported). Do you know if the Roidmi F8 Storm’s battery is officially or unofficially replaceable?
Dyson’s filters are made from more dense fabric thus allow it to filter out more and there are two of them, one before and another after the motor. So this instantly doubles filtration, add to that the cyclones that provide an additional layer of filtration. Roidmi’s filter consists of foam and paper element that got pretty soiled after the cleaning test.
As for the Roidmi battery, unfortunately it’s built into the body so it isn’t a plug and play thing.
Thank you for this clear comparison. An important point to add (I think) is the noise level. The Dyson makes quite a lot of noise with 82dB, while the Xiaomi with 75dB is a lot more quiet.
The Dyson V8 vacuum motor is also and brushless design and the battery chemistry is Lithium Ion.
Dyson is noisy and hurts my ears.
I can’t clean my car without it going flat… and I can only use it in short bursts which is annoying.
Battery degrades very quick as in after 2 years, it required charging for 2 hours for 2min of usage.
Motor is not brushless and the first V8 died and considering battery too, wasn’t worth fixing.
Ik gebruik de F8 ondertussen meer dan een jaar. Top product, enig min punt is het zuivermaken van de afvalbak hiervoor dien je echt je tijd te nemen om het grondig te doen en is een stoffige bedoening.
Ter info : met de Dyson heb ik geen ervaring.