Review: I Tried Dyson's Newest V15 Detect Vacuum With A Pet Grooming Kit
The newest Dyson cordless vacuum comes with a price tag of $1,349. Here's what you can expect
By Michelle Lee SM -
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Dyson has launched what it bills as its most intelligent cordless vacuum yet, the V15 Detect. We took it for a spin and here's how it fared.
For the V15, it's rolled out three new technologies and features. For one, it's amped up with a suction power of 240AW, as well as a green laser to reveal small dust particles that would otherwise be barely visible to the naked eye.
That aside, it's also added on a Detail Cleaning Kit ($99) to reach all the hard-to-clean and hard-to-reach areas. This includes the Scratch-free Dusting Brush, Dyson’s first self-cleaning ultra-soft dusting brush that prevents the scratching of delicate surfaces, as well as the Awkward Gap Tool that can be twisted to cleaning the hardest-to-reach places around your home or car.
Those with furkids (and especially those that shed a lot), your curiousity might be piqued with the British tech firm's Pet Grooming Kit ($99), which comes with a brush and attachment that allows for brushing and easy cleaning of long hairs.
What you get in the box (Dyson V15 Detect Absolute (HEPA)): The vacuum, along with two cleaning heads and eight tools, including an in-built one. There's also a free-standing grab-and-go Dok, a docking station, and a charger. Photo: The Singapore Women's Weekly
There are two models of the machine, the standard V15 Detect Absolute ($1,299), and the Dyson V15 Detect Absolute (HEPA) vacuum ($1,349), with an upgraded HEPA post-motor filter to trap even more microscopic particles as small as 0.1 microns.
It feels solid, and boasts more powerful suction and a bigger bin, but that also translates to a heftier machine at 2.61kg. Using it to vacuum the floor is manageable, but might prove a little more challenging for older folks. Especially when using it as a handheld vacuum, I could feel my forearm getting tired after a while.
You'll also have to keep your finger on the trigger button while cleaning. It doesn't take too much pressure, however, and feels rather effortless.
A piezo sensor with a particle count graph shows the amount and type of dust particles it picks on an LCD, which also shows the mode and remaining battery run time in real-time. Not that I have any way of knowing if the stats are accurate, but knowing the amount of time before the machine runs out of time is certainly helpful.
Emptying the bin is a piece of cake too, and requires no more than pushing a lever down. It's recommended that the filter be washed at least once a month to maintain the suction power.
The box comes with two cleaning heads, all of which are movable and easily maneuverable without having to change cleaning paths.
Laser Slim Fluffy Head
Designed for hard floors, I used this the most since my floors are a combination of granite, ceramic tiles and vinyl. This particular head projects a green laser (that can be switched off) that spotlights dust, hairs and other particles — it's especially useful for my dark-coloured flooring and shadowy areas, where small particles aren't as visible. The soft nylon and anti-static carbon fibre filaments of the brush run smoothly and prevents scratches on hard floors.
The Dyson Digital Motorbar cleaner head
This has been re-engineered to include an anti-tangle technology, with a de-tangling comb that automatically clears hair from the brush bar. True enough, I didn't find any hairs clinging to the brush. If you use it in Auto mode, Dyson's DLS technology monitors brush bar resistance 360 times a second, intelligently adapting power across different floor types.
Compared to the Slim Fluffy head, the deep whirring of this brush head gets rather loud though, so you'd want to keep your vacuuming to the daytime.
The Hair Screw Tool
It's an attachment but consider it a mini handheld version of the cleaning head, designed for smaller tasks that the Digital Motorbar can't reach. Anti-tangle conical brush bar spirals hair off and into the bin, and I like it for ridding the pet's bed or the upholstery of hairs.
Other attachments
Apart from the hair screw tool, there are other attachments like an up-top adaptor for cleaning higher areas, a built-in crevice tool, a comb-and-crevice tool, and a mini soft dusting brush. I particularly like the wide fabric and mattress tool that effectively pulled out a good amount of dust from my sofa and mattress (both to my horror and satisfaction).
What's perhaps most intriguing of the new features (for pawrents, at least) is the introduction of a new pet grooming kit with a flexible extension hose for comfortable grooming.
The brush attachment comes with slicker bristles angled to grasp more hairs, and a self-cleaning function — once done grooming, continually press on the lever and turn on the suction so the hairs are pushed out, and can be sucked into the bin. And according to Dyson, it has also been acoustically engineered to keep things more peaceful for your pet.
I tried this on a cat I was cat sitting for a friend (with permission from the owner, of course). She enjoyed the grooming process enough (be very gentle!) but got a little spooked initially when the vacuum was turned on. However, she got accustomed to being around the gadget after a while.
How it fared: Granted, my feline friend has short hair, and Dyson recommends this for medium- to long-haired breeds, but the tool still managed to swipe a considerable amount of loose hairs. Most of the hairs were sucked into the vacuum, but some shorter, finer strands did remain behind even when the suction was on.
If your furbaby's sensitive to the noise, Dyson has these tips:
Place the vacuum and tool in the view of your pet, instead of only on cleaning days, to make them part of your pet’s surroundings.
Encourage your pet to go near the vacuum cleaner by feeding in front of it. Once comfortable, gradually repeat this step with the vacuum cleaner switched on.
Groom your pet without the tool attached to the vacuum cleaner, rewarding good behaviour.
Once your pet is comfortable with the steps above, start using the tool whilst it’s attached to the vacuum cleaner. Keep praising your pet and rewarding them for good behaviour.
The Detail Cleaning Kit ($99) is designed to make deep-cleaning your home an easier process.
For fragile, scratch-prone surfaces like glass table tops and vases, this is where the Scratch-free Dusting Brush comes in handy. It's crafted with 8,100 ultrafine bristles that are gentle and pliable to prevent scratches, and it does the job well, sucking up fine dust on the likes of mirrors, TV screens and even a lightbulb. That's not all, the versatile brush can also be used for dusting and suctioning the dust off fan grills, for instance.
To clean, there's a rotating cuff that removes dust and debris from the bristles — no contact with the bristles required. The accompanying extension hose makes it easier to maneuver the brush around objects without having to move the vacuum itself around.
And if you have narrow spaces - like behind a cabinet - the Awkward Gap tool, which comes with a movable brush, and can be twisted 22° to clean narrow gaps, car storage compartments, and other hard-to-reach areas.
Choose from three modes: The Auto mode, which intelligently adapts, for the optimum balance of power and run time, Eco for longer run time, and Boost for short, intensive cleaning.
The advanced seven-cell battery gives you up to 60 minutes of whole-home cleaning. The only drawback here is that it can take up to 4.5 hours of charging to go from zero to hundred. But with the detachable battery, this means you can invest in a spare and double the output.
Verdict: Is it worth the buy? It certainly comes with useful features and well-thought-out tools that make it a worthwhile investment. But depending on your home and needs, some attachments might not be utilised fully. Be sure of your cleaning habits and requirements before you decide if it's for you.
The Dyson V15 Detect Absolute is priced at $1,299, and the Dyson v15 Detect Absolute (Hepa) is at $1,349. The latter is only available direct from Dyson. Visit Dyson's website for more information, or you can also try it out for yourself at Dyson's Experience Stores.