This is going to be one of those posts that might not be relevant to everyone, but for those of you thinking about replacing your vacuum/hoover, I hope this information will be useful!
For my 30th birthday, my parents wanted to get me something nice. All I could think about was how much I wanted a new vacuum. Our old one is Lucy’s Henry hoover, which is perfectly fine, but it doesn’t pick up our hair and my back would go into spasm every time I cleaned the house because Henry is heavy and I had to scrub the carpets to pick up dirt. We both decided that a new fancy vacuum would be a practical and generous present.
Choosing the Model:
I knew I wanted one of the cordless Dyson models because they are reasonably lightweight. Dyson also has a great reputation for suction power so we wouldn’t need to scrub the carpets.
The V6 range are the older models with less suction and shorter battery life (20 min). Lucy has a V6 at work and she says that the older models are more fiddly with regards to emptying the canister, and the click joints for attachments aren’t as sturdy at the V8. The V8 range came out last year, or perhaps 2016. There is also the V7 range which also recently came out, and this is marketed at people who want a middle-range price point (£250-£400). Essentially, the differences come down to battery life, and the number of brush heads you get.
I wanted one from the V8 range because of the maximum battery life (40 min) and improved features. I also wanted to make sure I got brush heads that worked on both carpet and hard flooring. The top of the line model in the V8 range is the Total Clean. This model is a whopping £550.00! Over Christmas this model wasn’t on sale. I simply couldn’t justify that price, and I really don’t think any vacuum is worth that much. The only extra features are a tool bag and quick release top adaptor.
I decided to go with the Absolute Pro because it’s the next best model. As far as I can tell, there is no difference between the Absolute and Absolute Pro, other than the Absolute Pro being an “exclusive black model”, i.e. a black handle instead of a yellow one. At the time I was looking, the Absolute Pro was on clearance offer for £349 compared to RRP £520, whereas the Absolute was a bit more expensive. The V8 Animal doesn’t come with the brush head for hard floors so I felt this wasn’t a good choice for us.
I should stress right now that you SHOULD NOT buy any Dyson at full price. They are always on offer so wait until Black Friday or Boxing Day.
The Troubles with Online Shopping:
It was a hassle getting this vacuum. I ordered it in a boxing day clearance sale from John Lewis. Now, I love John Lewis but they have terrible online customer service. Apparently if you order expensive items online, John Lewis customer service call you to verify the order to “prevent fraud”. The problem was that I was in Canada and I put down Lucy’s number so she’d get the delivery updates. They didn’t want to speak with Lucy and ended up delaying the order. I was assuming they wouldn’t let her pick it up at the click&collect so I decided to take the opportunity and order a second vacuum direct from Dyson because they price match, and the John Lewis delivery would just get refunded.
Long story short, John Lewis did give us the vacuum after Lucy brought in loads of paper work proving we live at the same address. Ironically, Dyson didn’t email me that my parcel was ready for delivery so it ended up sitting at the post office and I had to arrange to get that one refunded. If you can, definitely take advantage of holiday sales, but make sure you are able to pick up the vacuum in person or are at home to accept deliveries.
Apart from the difficulties of actually getting the vacuum, I can happily report that both Lucy and I love it! It makes it so easy just to give one room a quick tidy without worrying about cords, bags, or a heavy canister. But, there are some elements that could still be improved. Here are my specific thoughts:
What I like:
- Two power settings. The strong one really picks up the hair in the bathroom carpet. Using the high power, the battery lasts about 20 min.
- Easy click connectors and easy to dock in the port. Everything feels good quality and sturdy.
- Lots of brushes. I love the carpet beater, but the detailing tools are also great for the upholstery. Plus, since it is cordless Lucy can clean the car (tricky to do when you live in a 3rd story flat). You get: soft roller, motorhead (carpet beater), combination tool, mini motorhead, crevice tool, and a dusting brush.
- Long battery life. I can imagine it would get frustrating if the battery only lasted 20 as in the older models. It charges fully in 5 hours.
- Came with a 2 year warranty
What I don’t like:
- I wish there was a way to permanently switch it on as you need to hold down the button.
- Although emptying the canister is easier on this model than the V6, it’s still tricky. I find I need to get my fingers in there to pull out all the hair that gets wrapped around the filter. Also, it fills up so quickly! We have a carpeted 2 bedroom flat and I need to empty it after vacuuming all the rooms. However, we both have long hair, we have carpet that molts, and we live in a dirty area with traffic and aircraft pollution/dust.
- Still surprisingly heavy. But, as was wisely said in Jurassic Park “Are they heavy?” “Then they’re expensive put them back”. That good quality motor is the reason it’s still heavy. 2.61 kg to be exact.
All in all, this vacuum is highely recommended by me and Lucy!
