Dyson V7 Trigger Pros & Cons

 

Dyson has both V6 handheld vacuums and V7 handheld vacuums.  The V7 Trigger is one of their more popular machines.  In our opinion this is a good handheld vacuum and it is versatile and sufficiently powerful for most cleaning jobs.  It is not cheap, but the fact that it is bagless and the filter is rinsable helps reduce costs over the long term.

 
What do you get when you buy your Dyson V7 Trigger?
- V7 Trigger handheld vacuum (includes filter)
- Charging unit
- Combo tool
- Crevice tool
- Mini motorized tool
- Owner’s manual
- Warranty card

 

 

PROS

• This is a cordless vacuum so you are not tethered by a power cord.  This provides the ability to vacuum pretty much wherever you want and not only when you are near a power outlet.  Today, most handheld vacuums are cordless but not all.
• The V7 comes with Dyson’s Hygienic Emptying System.  This works well and is designed to help empty the dust canister.  You will not find this on the V6 handhelds.  You can see it in operation in the video below.
• The time to fully charge the battery is 3.5 hours (from a completely depleted battery to a fully charged battery).  This is reasonably quick compared to some other handheld on the market. 
• The vacuum weight is 3.04 lbs which is quite light.  It is easy to hold and is well balanced, with the battery below the hand (not in front of the hand).  The two non-powered tools (combo and crevice tool) are also very light. The mini-motorized tool does add some weight however.
• Suction in Max power mode is strong.  It produces almost 5 times more suction than Low power mode.  The V7 Trigger in Low power mode generates 21 air watts of suction while in Max power mode it generates 100 air watts of suction.
• In Low power mode the vacuum is not too loud.  It generates 66.5 dB in Low power mode.
• It is effective at pulling up pet hair from carpet.  A test was performed on long dog hair embedded in medium pile carpet.  The mini-motorized tool was used and the pet hair pickup was very good (although there was some tangling in the brushroll).
• It is good at picking up all manner of debris (from fine powders to larger items like cheerios) on both bare surfaces and carpet.  In our tests we used the combo tool on low pile carpet and tile (see video below for tests).
• The tools “click fit” into place and are held fast on the vacuum.  They do not fall off like some “compression fit” tools do.  The tools also have a red button that you depress to release them.  The system works very well.
• Actual run times were higher than the “official” run times.  We tested the vacuum run times with motorized and non-motorized tools in both Low and Max power modes.  In all tests the run times lasted longer than the officially posted run times.  (input table from the article – may want to remove suction column)
• The filter is easy to access and when it is dirty it can be rinsed in water.  The filter is simply inserted back in the vacuum when dry.  This approach reduces operating costs.
• We feel that this vacuum is a great fit for doing vehicle interiors.  It is powerful and not too large.  It also comes with useful tools.
• Having 2 power modes is helpful.  It essentially allows you to consider the cleaning job then choose between power and run time.  Max power has a low run time while Low power has a much longer run time.

 

Check out V7 Trigger owner reviews on Amazon.

 

You may wish to watch our video below where we walk through all the things we really love about the Dyson V7 Trigger handheld vacuum:

 

 

CONS

• While pet hair pickup is good when using the mini-motorized tool, there is quite a bit of tangling in the tool’s brushroll.  We found ourselves having to clean the brushroll after a very short pet hair pickup exercise.
• Run time in Max mode is very short – something like 6 minutes.  If you are choosing to clean in Max mode you have to make sure you have a short cleaning job to do.  If not, you will find yourself waiting while the unit recharges before you can finish your work. 
• The V7 Trigger does not come with a wall mount.  All the Dyson stick vacuums (V6, V7, V8, V10) come with a wall mount which is a very useful addition (and likely a very inexpensive one for Dyson to produce).  It helps you easily and conveniently store the vacuum and the tools, and it is designed to also recharge (the recharging cable inserts into the wall mount).  It is a shame that the vacuum does not include one.
• No HEPA filter.  A HEPA filter is very handy for those suffering from asthma or allergies (or who have household members with asthma or allergies).  It will remove the likes of pollen, dust mites, pet dander, cigarette smoke, etc. 
• There is only 1 charging light.  We have noticed that the handheld components of the Dyson V8 and V10 stick vacuums have moved to a 3 charging light system.  The 3 charging lights indicate how much charge is left (useful when you are vacuuming) and, when the unit is on charge, how much charging is left to do.  With one light you have no insights into any of this.
• In Max mode the V7 Trigger is rather loud.  We used a digital noise level meter and tested the noise of the V7 Trigger against the noise of the Shark APEX – a full size upright vacuum.  The V7 Trigger generated a peak decibel reading of 72.0 while the Shark generated a peak decibel reading of 72.5.  So the V7 Trigger was almost as loud.  One would expect a handheld to be quieter than a full size vacuum.
• The Trigger is rather pricey for a handheld vacuum cleaner.  It is somewhere in the ballpark of $200 USD.

 

You may wish to watch our video below in which we discuss the things we dislike about the Dyson V7 Trigger handheld vacuum:

 

 

If you want to learn more you may also wish to read our detailed Dyson V7 Trigger review.