Stick vacuum cleaners have been around for awhile. When I first tried one I thought they were great, but I could only picture myself using one like I’d use a handheld vacuum cleaner. It would be the perfect, portable backup to my Dyson Multi-floor Upright, but I didn’t think a cordless could stand up to my house and all of the dirt and debris tracked in.
That was my opinion before I tested out the Dyson V10 Absolute Stick vacuum cleaner. My opinion now is that this stick vacuum cleaner is the only vacuum you’d ever need. It has powerful suction, a huge dust canister, and a long-lasting battery that feels like it never quits. You can glide from surface to surface, changing the levels of suction as you go, and you’ll be able to clean for a long time before you have to empty the canister or recharge.
Here’s my look at the Dyson V10 Absolute Stick vacuum cleaner
Stick vacuum cleaners are lightweight, and the Dyson Cyclone V10 Absolute Cordless Stick Vacuum is no exception. Made from durable plastic parts, it’s easy to lift with one hand. The weight of the main part of the vacuum cleaner is very well balanced with the bottom half, and that’s important in a stick vacuum. You want to be able to lift it over your head and reach up into the rafters if you need to.
The Dyson Cyclone V10 Absolute stick vacuum is literally packed with features.
- 60 minute battery life that doesn’t fade as you keep cleaning
- Has a whole machine HEPA filter that captures up to 99.97% of particles
- The dust canister is 40% larger than other stick vacuums and has an easy-empty lever you can just pull to dump
- Includes extra attachments so can be used as a handheld vacuum to clean cars, furniture, or in tiny corners
- Three power modes you can choose from
- Three types of suction available on the torque drive cleaner head
- Includes a docking station for your wall so you can store it and keep it fully charged
- Filters are easy to access and clean
- Powerful suction for a deep clean
Setting up the Dyson V10 Absolute Cordless Stick Vacuum
Unpacking a vacuum cleaner from a box can be a bit intimidating when you’ve never set one up before, but unpacking a Dyson vacuum cleaner from the box is always easy. They include very detailed instructions and each piece clicks together. I’ve set up a few and I’ve never had a hard time.
The Dyson V10 Absolute includes several different attachments and a mounting bracket. The mounting bracket will mount to any wall, and you thread the charger through the mounting bracket so when you attach the vacuum to store it, it charges until you need it again.
Floor tools included with the Dyson V10 Cyclone Stick vacuum
The Dyson V10 Cyclone stick vacuum includes several floor tools designed to clean your entire house. There’s the torque drive cleaner head that you’d use on both carpet and floor and the mini motorized tool that lets you transform the vacuum to an extremely powerful handheld vacuum. The soft roller cleaner head glides right over dirt and larger debris on hardwood floors and removes even the tiniest spec.
The Dyson V10 also includes a combination tool, a mini soft brush, and a crevice tool. You can use each of these in different ways, but my main focus is usually the cracks of the couch, stairs, car seats, and to remove dust from blinds and window sills.
Testing out the Dyson V10 stick vacuum cleaner
When it comes to vacuum cleaners, there’s really nothing like a Dyson. I’ve had one at home for the past five years and it still maintains its suction and cleans like a dream. Now that I’ve used the Dyson V10, it might be time to retire my faithful upright.
The first step to using the Dyson V10 stick vacuum cleaner is to charge it. It takes approximately 3 1/2 hours to charge fully, and you can watch your charging progress on the blue LED lights located on the handle. When the third LED is lit up, the vacuum cleaner is charged.
I wanted to see how long the battery would last when I was cleaning with it on max suction. My house is about 1400 square feet from one end to the other, so I was optimistic I would get it all done in about 20 minutes. That should give me 40 extra minutes to clean my car with the mini motorized tool.
I have a combination of area carpet and hardwood floor, so out of the three power levels you can select on the Dyson V10, I choose the mid-level. I attached the torque drive cleaner head and I headed off to my area rug.
To use the vacuum you just need to choose your level of suction on both the handle and the torque drive cleaner head, then pull the trigger. Once I did, I immediately noticed how strong the suction was. I had it set to low suction on the handle and max suction on the torque drive head, and as I rolled along I watched the dust bin fill up. I was shocked at how much stuff it pulled up from my carpet. Clump of dog hair that my border collie enjoys dropping everywhere, dirt from outside, and a ton of tiny, unidentifiable particles all ended up in the bin.
This machine has a whole machine HEPA filter built in, so you know that it’s capturing allergens as they float through your air too. It also has a dust bin that’s 40% bigger than the last Dyson stick model, and that really makes a difference. I managed to vacuum my shockingly dirty area carpets and floors without having to stop and empty the dust bin once.
When I put it on max suction, the suction was so strong I initially struggled to push the vacuum cleaner around. The only analogy I can come up with to really describe the suction is that it reminded me of how Spiderman sticks to walls. According to Dyson, the torque cleaner head removes 25% more dust than the previous cordless stick vacuum. I believe it.
It took me approximately 22 minutes to vacuum my floors, and although I switched between power levels and used max suction most of the time, I still had two bars of battery power.
Using the Dyson V10 stick vacuum as a handheld
The Dyson V10 easily transforms to a handheld vacuum cleaner, and it’s a breeze to use in your car or on your furniture. You can add one of the many included floor tools or snap on the mini motorized brush. That brush works as a mini power pack, and it really does a great job on your car’s floor carpets and car seats. Because of the excess dirt on my floors I easily filled the canister before I was finished cleaning. The battery did manage to hang in there for the entire time.
It took me 20 minutes to clean out my car, and the vacuum turned off right when I was in the trunk. That was approximately 42 minutes from fully charged to dead battery, but I definitely put the vacuum to work and changed up the power levels.
What Dyson says is fade-free suction is true: the vacuum went full stream ahead until the moment it shut off.
Cleaning the filter and the dust bin on the Dyson V10 Absolute stick vacuum
Emptying the filter on the Dyson V10 is easy, and because of the point and pull design of the dust bin, it’s also easy to keep the excess dust from flying out when you dump it.
I removed the stick on the Dyson V10 and put the entire vacuum in a plastic bag. I then held the top of the bag around the top of the vacuum and pulled the level through the side of the bag. The junk emptied out, I removed the vacuum, and no dust flew out.
You may have to take a look inside the canister when you’re dumping out the debris, especially if you have pets and you’ve sucked up hair. I had to pull a bit out once or twice, but I had emptied the dirt already so I didn’t breathe in a dust cloud when I did it.
There is a filter located on top of the vacuum that you’ll need to empty out once in awhile too. The only trouble I had with the Dyson V10 was when the ‘clogged filter’ light came on. That meant one of two things had happened: I either had something blocking the intake inside the dust bin, or the dust filter itself needed to be cleaned.
Dyson has washable dust filters on many of their vacuum cleaners, and I’ve had to rinse out my multi-floor filter many times over the years. I wanted to keep cleaning to test the battery out on the V10, so I took a dry brush and removed the excess dust over the garbage can. This, of course, caused quite a blast of dust, but when I put it back on I was able to continue cleaning.
To actually really clean the filter you’ll need to remove it from the top of the vacuum, run it under water both inside and out, and let it dry for 24 hours. Don’t put it in the dishwasher or the washing machine. That could ruin the filter.
How quickly the filter clogs up all depends on how dusty your house is. My house was clearly very dusty, and I think if I was to buy this vacuum I’d also grab a replacement filter so I always had a clean one handy.
Overall thoughts on the Dyson V10 Absolute Stick Vacuum Cleaner
I’m completely sold on stick vacuum cleaners now that I’ve experienced what its like to use the Dyson V10. I would happily hand off my own Dyson in exchange for this one. It’s got everything you’d need.
The suction rivals that of a plug-in powered upright or canister, and that’s saying something considering you’re relying strictly on battery power. Although the suction is amazing, the versatility of this vacuum is what will surprise you.
You can mount it on the wall and grab it for any occasion, and I was in love with how well it transformed into a handheld and cleaned my car floors. The whole machine HEPA filter is a great feature if your family suffers from allergies, and the long lasting battery power was, in my opinion, a huge bonus on a vacuum that’s already amazing.
Overall, the Dyson V10 Absolute cordless stick vacuum is an absolutely great vacuum cleaner. Just try one out and I think you’ll agree. Thanks to Dyson, the stick vacuum is an amazing choice for whole home cleaning.
