Dyson V11 Review

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Avg. consumer rating = 91/100 

Dyson is starting to close the performance gap between lightweight cordless vacuums and full-size corded uprights or canister vacuums.  The cordless stick vacuum has always been a compromise. You get a light, easy to move vacuum that is not tethered by a power cord, however the limited battery power usually results in either average suction, limited run times, or both. Not so with the V11. It uses an advanced motor, a large powerful battery, and a host of other technology to deliver long run times and also very respectable suction.  No, it is still not a match for your Dyson Ball Animal 2 upright vacuum, but to date this is as close to full-size vacuum cleaning ability that we’ve seen in a stick vac.

V11 MODELS

There are two V11 models available in the USA at this time:
1) V11 Torque Drive
2) V11 Animal

The Torque Drive includes: 

The Animal includes: 
- High torque cleaner head
- Mini motorized tool
- Combo tool
- Crevice tool
- Stubborn dirt brush
- Docking station
- Charger
- Wand storage clip (Dyson website does not indicate you get the wand storage clip but we contacted Dyson and they told us that it is included)
- Manual & warranty card
- LED control panel

CONSUMER RATINGS

We’ve done some digging online and found a number of owner ratings (119 to be exact) for the V11.  These are shown in the table below.  When averaged these generate an overall score of 91.3 out of 100.  This is a very good score and it is fairly apparent that most owners are pleased with the V11.

PROS & CONS

We’ve analyzed a host of owner comments and combined these findings with our own V11 experience to create the following pros and cons list:
 
PROS
- Very powerful in Boost mode for a cordless vac
- Decent size dust canister
- Very respectable run times
- Fairly quiet operation
- Maneuverable and easy to move about
- High quality filtration
- Tools click fit into place
- Display provides real time battery life
- Auto suction adjustment works well
- Mini motorized tool is useful for stairs
- Brushroll can be removed for cleaning

WHAT ARE OWNERS SAYING?

Many consumers are praising the battery life of the V11 (something not common with many of today's cordless vacuums).  Owners are also pleased with the LCD interface which provides a continual countdown of run time in each power mode.  In addition, folks feel that the V11 does a good cleaning job (even on pet hair) and that the suction is reasonably powerful. 

WHAT"S IN THE BOX?

Our V11 Absolute came with the following:

TECHNOLOGY

In many ways this vacuum is similar to the Dyson V10, however there are also a number of differences. The most dramatic technological differences are probably the V11 control panel and the AUTO power mode.  The LCD control panel on the V11 Torque Drive has a colorful interface and provides one touch control of many vacuum features.  The AUTO power mode adjusts motor speed on the fly depending on the floor type.

POWER MODES

The V11 has three power modes:

CONTROL PANEL

The LCD control panel on the Torque Drive is located on the back of the handheld unit and it:

- Allows you to choose a language
- Reminds you when to clean the filter
- Tells you if the filter is not fit properly
- Informs you of any blockages
- Displays the cleaning mode and continually reports remaining run time
- Indicates when the battery is in need of a charge
- Allows you to change power modes

BATTERY

The V11 battery is larger than other Dyson stick vac batteries.  The V11 battery has the following specifications:

RUN TIME - OFFICIAL

According to the manufacturer V11 run times with the High Torque cleaner head are as follows (approx):

RUN TIME - TESTED

We performed run time tests on the V11 in each power mode.  For each test the vacuum was fully charged and the High Torque cleaner head was placed on a medium pile carpet with the suction control slider set in the middle.  The vacuum was run until it stopped and the total time was recorded with a stopwatch.  Results follow:

RECHARGING THE V11

The time to recharge a fully depleted V11 battery is about 4.5 hours.  This is perhaps a little on the long side.  Dyson managed to get the V10 charge time down to 3.5 hours – however consider that the V11 battery is larger and it delivers more power and longer run times.

SUCTION POWER

V11 suction power is quite good and the unit delivers respectable power in all modes.  The V10 felt a little weak in LOW power mode but the V11 in ECO power mode (its equivalent of LOW) does not.  Also, in BOOST mode the V11 delivers more Air Watts than any other Dyson stick vac.

CLEANER HEADS

The High Torque cleaner head on the V11 looks physically the same as the Torque Drive leaner head on the V10 (different color scheme though).  However, as mentioned previously, the V11 cleaner head has a sensor that detects brushroll resistance and (in AUTO power mode) will change vacuum suction accordingly between carpet and bare flooring.

VACUUM WEIGHT

The V11 is the heaviest of the Dyson stick vacuums and you can feel it.  If you haven’t used a Dyson stick vacuum before it may not be apparent but if you have a previous version you will instantly notice that the V11 is more hefty. 

HANDHELD VACUUM

As mentioned, the handheld component of the V11 feels heavier than its predecessors.  We placed the V7, V8, V10 and V11 handheld components on a scale and got the following results.

These are very much estimates as our scale in not extremely accurate but it does serve to show approximate differences in weight, and the extent to which the V11 has a heavier handheld unit.  When using the V11 you will notice this difference and it is not really comfortable to use the handheld component for long periods of time or for twisting your wrist or arm to get into awkward areas.  This, of course, will depend to some extent on your arm/wrist/hand strength.

CLEANING PERFORMANCE - CARPET

We carefully measured out the following amounts of very fine debris, small debris, and medium sized debris.

 

CLEANING PERFORMANCE - BARE FLOOR

Similar tests were performed on a tile surface.

DUST CANISTER

The dust canister on the V11 is the same as that on the V10 and the means of emptying it is identical – see short video clip below:

NOISE LEVEL

We used a noise level meter that measures peak decibels and tested the V11 in all three power modes (with the High Torque cleaner head).  We measured the noise at a distance of 3 feet from the front of the cleaner head with the vacuum in the upright position.

In our opinion the V11 is a fairly quiet vacuum, especially in ECO mode.  Dyson has added sound insulation to the machine and it works.

FILTRATION

The V11 has a HEPA level filter and also a sealed system.  The HEPA filter is located on the back of the handheld portion of the vacuum and it is designed to remove 99.97% of all particles with a diameter of 0.3 microns or larger.  This level of filtration is very useful for households with those suffering from asthma or allergies. 

WARRANTY

The V11 carries a Dyson 2-year parts and labor warranty.

VERDICT

The V11 is a worthy successor to the V10.  Dyson decided to increase run time and power at the cost of weight.  In our opinion the increase in performance was absolutely worth the additional weight.  The V11 is able to run for almost 1 hour in ECO mode and in BOOST mode the V11 delivers more power than the V10 and runs for almost twice as long. 

DYSON V11 MANUAL

Like most Dyson manuals the V11 manual is heavy on graphics.  The graphics are easy to understand and they do help quite a bit.  There is a separate manual for each V11 model: one for the Torque Drive and one for the Animal.  This is because the vacuums have very different control panels.  You can find a copy of each manual here:
V11 Torque Drive Manual
V11 Animal Manual