Dyson Omni-glide Review

Avg. consumer rating = 89/100 

The Dyson Omni-glide is unlike any other cordless machine we’ve seen from Dyson.  It is a lightweight, slim, omnidirectional vacuum cleaner with two counter-rotating soft brushrolls, and it is designed specifically for hard floor cleaning.  It is also highly maneuverable and versatile, operating as both a stick vacuum and a handheld vacuum.  In this review we perform cleaning tests on hard surfaces, hair and edges.  In addition, we test the unit’s noise level, run times, and we look at its specifications and features.

	Highly maneuverable			Must remove wand to empty
	Compact			Run times are a bit short
	Lightweight			Small dust cup
	Great on hard floors			Cannot use on carpet
	Easy maintenance			Not great on pet hair
	Can lay completely flat
	Click-in battery
	Not too loud
	Good at edge cleaning

CONSUMER RATINGS
A thorough investigation of the Omni-glide at popular online retail outlets has provided the following owner ratings (see table below).  When we applied a weighted average to these figures we got an overall score of 88.5 out of 100.  This is a respectable score.  You can compare it to that of other stick vacuums in our stick vacuum ratings table or you can see all vacuum scores in our vacuum cleaner finder application.

WHAT'S IN THE BOX?
- Omni-glide handheld unit
- Wand
- Dual brushroll cleaner head
- Combination tool
- Docking station (with mounting kit)
- Charger
- Lithium-ion battery
- Filter
- Quick start guide

We did not receive an operating manual although you can easily download one online (see bottom of this review).

When we were unpacking the Omni-glide we noticed that Dyson had used no plastic in their packaging materials (at least none that we could see).  All packaging was paper or cardboard. 

TOOLS
The vacuum only comes with one tool, a combination crevice tool and brush tool.

This tool can be attached to the end of the handheld unit or the end of the wand for extra reach.  The combination tool has a set of nylon bristles that can be extended to the end of the tool which makes it useful for cleaning delicate surfaces.  With the bristles retracted you essentially have a long crevice tool.

POWER MODES
The Omni-Glide has two power modes:
1) ECO
2) MAX

There are two buttons on top of the vacuum handle (easily accessed with your thumb).  One button turns the vacuum on/off while the other button engages MAX power mode.  When the vacuum is turned on it is automatically set to ECO power mode.

This vacuum does not use a trigger system (like other Dyson stick vacuums).  With a trigger you have to constantly depress it for power.  If you release the trigger the vacuum will stop.  With the button system you simply press the button once and the vacuum remains on.

SUCTION POWER

As you can see, the Omni-glide is underpowered compared to other Dyson stick vacuums (power for the V8, V10, V11 is generally somewhere between the V7 and V15) however one must consider that the Omni-glide is not designed to contend with carpet.  We perform cleaning tests further down in the review.

BATTERY
- 4-cell rechargeable lithium–ion battery pack
- 14.4 Volts
- 2500 mAh
- 36 Wh

The battery has “fade-free power”.  This means that it will impart steady power until it is depleted.  Vacuum power will not slowly wane as you are vacuuming.  It takes approximately 3.5 hours to recharge a fully discharged battery.

The battery pack fits into the vacuum handle and it can also be easily removed (press a button and it slides out).  It is what Dyson sometimes refers to as a “click-in” battery.  You can charge this battery while it is in the vacuum or while it is outside of the vacuum.  But the main advantage of a “click-in” battery is the ability to double your run time if you have a second battery.  When one battery is depleted, you simply pull it out and pop in another fully charged battery and keep on vacuuming.  However, the Omni-glide only comes with one battery.  If you want another you will have to buy it separately.
 
RUN TIMES - OFFICIAL
- 20 min in ECO mode with non-motorized tool
- 18 min in ECO mode with motorized tool (such as the cleaner head)
- 5 min in MAX mode

RUN TIMES - TESTED
- 27 min 25 sec in ECO mode with non-motorized tool
- 23 min 43 sec in ECO mode with cleaner head
- 8 min 54 sec in MAX mode with cleaner head

Non-motorized run time was tested by using the combination tool on the end of the handheld unit.  Mototized tool run times were tested with the wand and cleaner head attached.  Run time tests were performed on a tile surface with a fully charged battery and a stopwatch.

We were very pleased to see that the tested run times were substantially longer than those indicated by the manufacturer.

CLEANER HEAD
The cleaner head has two soft brushrolls – one at the very front and one at the very back.  They move in opposite directions ensuring that all debris is pulled into the center of the cleaner head where the suction is concentrated.  One of the brushrolls is motorized and a series of gears from this brushroll moves the other brushroll.  Both brushrolls are easily removed from the cleaner head and they can be rinsed in water if they get dirty (of course they must be completely dry before reinstalling them).

The cleaner head is somewhat narrow.  We measured the width of the cleaner head at about 8 inches and the brushrolls themselves closer to 7 inches.  A narrow cleaner head has both advantages and disadvantages.  It allows you to get into cramped areas and it is very manueverable.  However it requires a lot of passes if you are cleaning large open areas.

VACUUM WEIGHT
The Omni-glide stick vacuum weighs 4.18 lbs (this includes the battery) which makes it very lightweight.  Lighter even than the Dyson V7.  For comparison purposes, in the table below we’ve compiled the weights of a few cordless units we’ve previously reviewed.

The handheld component (with battery) is also lightweight and we weighed it at 2.27 lbs.  This is lighter than the handheld component for any of the other Dyson stick vacuums.  These very low weights (handheld and stick vac) help substantially with Omni-glide mobility.

VACUUM MOVEMENT
The underside of the cleaner head has four 360 degree castors which allow for very free and easy movement.

You can actually turn the cleaner head a full 360 degrees by twisting the vacuum handle – see short video clip below.

In our opinion the maneuverability of this vacuum is excellent.  It has the best movement on hard surfaces of any vacuum we have tested to date.  The Omni-glide is also able to lie completely flat and the cleaner head has a low profile (we measured it at about 3.25 inches) thereby allowing you to get under very low furniture.  This can be a real problem for some machines but not the Omni-glide.

However, the vacuum may feel a little short for very tall folks.  It is not a large machine and we measured the height at about 43 inches.  Also, the grip isn’t small and it could even feel a bit large (thick) for those with smaller hands.  However, I should point out that I'm 5' 8" and the height and handle were good fits for me.

See deals on the Omni-glide at Bed Bath & Beyond.

HANDHELD VACUUM
Like a host of stick vacuums today, the Omni-glide wand can be removed so the vacuum can be used as a handheld.  The handheld unit of the Omni-glide is quite long.

The long body is helpful when getting into tight or cramped areas, but for lots of handheld work a more conventional body (perhaps like those on the handheld units of the Dyson V7 or Dyson V8) is easier and more comfortable to use.  The long body adds stress to the hand and arm during extended cleaning sessions.  

CLEANING PERFORMANCE – HARD FLOOR
Small-to-medium size debris was created from powdered fruit loops, chili flakes, flax seeds and split green peas.  It was placed in a 5 ft long line on a tile floor and the machine was passed over it once (about a 10 second pass) in ECO power mode.  The percentage pickup was calculated.

We’ve done this test with a host of vacuums and 99.3% pickup is very, very good.  This is clearly where the vacuum excels.

We also performed a large debris test using fruit loops.  See video below.

The machine struggled a bit with debris as large and hard as fruit loops.  It did pick most of the fruit loops up but it pushed a number of them forward.  We performed this test multiple times and sometimes the vacuum performed better, sometimes worse.  The vacuum can tackle some amount of large debris (of the size and consistency of fruit loops) but not lots.

CLEANING PERFORMANCE – HAIR
The two soft brushrolls had a tough time in our hair test.  We placed some short white pet hair and long black human hair on tile and ran the Omni-glide over the tile in ECO power mode – see video below:

The brushrolls tangle easily with hair and it also gets caught around the wheels on the underside of the cleaner head.  The Omni-glide may be ok for dealing with some occasional hair but it is not designed to handle large amounts of hair.  It would probably not be a great choice for homes with shedding pets.

CLEANING PERFORMANCE – EDGES
Chili flakes were placed up tight against a wall in this test.  The vacuum was run along the edge of the wall to see if it could pick up everything.  The Omni-glide was able to tackle this with both the long and short side of the cleaner head – see video below.

This is a pretty good result and we’d say that the vacuum has good edge cleaning capabilities.

DUST CUP
The dust cup on this vacuum is small.  It has a capacity of 0.05 gallons (or 0.19 liters).  When we compare this to the dust cup capacity of some of our other cordless machines there is a significant difference (table below), although it is larger than the dust cup in the Shark WANDVAC System.  However, the Omni-glide is used solely on hard surfaces which doesn’t typically fill a dust cup as much as carpet cleaning.  But, at the end of the day, if you are dealing with lots of debris you are going to have to empty the Omni-glide frequently.

AIR FILTRATION
Dyson states that the vacuum filter will capture 99.7% of particles 0.3 microns or larger in ECO mode and 99.9% of particles 0.3 microns or larger in MAX mode. 

The filter sits on the back of the handheld unit and is easy to twist and slide off when it needs to be cleaned.  It can also be rinsed in water and re-used which saves on consumables.  Just remember that it needs to dry completely (typically 24 hours or more) before it can go back on the machine.

NOISE LEVEL
We used a digital noise level meter to perform a noise level test.  We placed the meter 3 ft in front of the vacuum cleaner head and over a 10 second period captured the maximum decibel level.  We’ve done this test on a host of cordless machines (some examples below):

The Omni-glide is not too loud in ECO power mode and it is a comfortable noise level to work with.  But the noise level does jump when the unit is in MAX power mode.  That said, even in MAX power mode it is tolerable and we have worked with a host of machines that are louder.

STORAGE
The package includes a docking station (wall mount) and mounting kit (kit has screws & dowels as well as sticky pads – can mount using either).

The docking station works but it isn’t perhaps what many would envision as a typical wall mount.

The docking station will not support the weight of the vacuum, rather it is a bracket that attaches to the wall and locks the top of the vacuum in place while the bottom (vacuum cleaner head) rests on the floor.  Some owners would have preferred a wall mount that would allow storage of the vacuum above the floor (like the wall mounts for the V7, V8, V10, V11, V15).

WARRANTY
The Dyson Omni-glide carries a 2-year parts and labor manufacturer's warranty.

VERDICT
This vacuum cannot be used on carpet, and it does not handle large amounts of hair well. So it would not be a good choice for those with lots of carpet or homes with shedding pets.  It is also a smallish machine so it may not be the best fit as the sole vacuum for very big homes with large areas of hard flooring.

However, the Omni-glide is a fantastic vacuum for small-to-medium size homes with hard flooring and limited hair.  Pickup of small-to-medium size debris is very, very good and the vacuum is extremely easy to move and maneuver.  This maneuverability also aids the unit in cleaning up tight against edges.  While the run times are not too long, our tests showed figures substantially longer than those provided by the manufacturer, and a full battery charge should be enough to clean a small-to-medium size area easily (in ECO power mode).  

DYSON OMNI-GLIDE MANUAL
The manual is short but it covers the basics and it has good, easy-to-follow graphics.  You can view it here: Dyson Omni-glide owner’s manual

Nigel Russco has been reviewing and testing vacuums for over 14 years. He is a professional engineer and uses his review platforms to help consumers determine which vacuum cleaners are the best for their cleaning needs. Follow Nigel on facebook or view his vacuum review videos on the Vacuum Cleaner Advisor YouTube Channel.