Dyson V11 Torque Drive

Right power, right price; easy mover with smart features – The V11; is it ‘all that’? It is; this machine is a true ‘Iron Mike’; insanely powerful. It runs smoothly, powerfully, has a big battery (which is also perfect at preserving power through auto mode) and it tells you how much time remains on a swanky LCD screen. Best of all, despite its appearance, it’s not heavy and moves gracefully. All new… Read more ·  1

generation V11s also have click in battery option (great if you want a spare to rotate, simpler removal and no screws!)

V11 VS V11 OUTSIZE The V11 Outsize (also discontinued) is really good for massive houses and for easy cleaning of the head. With 225AW, it’s a powerhouse; it easily sucks up almost anything in its path. Additionally, it has a click in battery, a 125% bigger bin, 25% bigger floor head plus it had a fluffy head for hard floors. A former top of the range Dyson, it remains a fantastic vacuum; just maybe too big for some. If you can’t pick one up from remaining stock, then a Gen 5 Outsize is your next closest choice.

V11 vs V8 For those of you saying “I’ll stick with my V8, thank you.” That’s fine; the V8 rocks. But just remember, with 60% more power, that’s how the V11 rolls.

V11 vs V10 A V11 has 40% more power than a V10. There’s also higher max suction (150 AW on the V10, 220AW on the V11). Both have 1 hour battery life. A V10 has screw in battery only while a new V11 gives you the option of Click In. This model has a screw in battery. A V10 offers 3 manually adjustable power modes via a switch. A V11 offers a digital screen with 3 modes that tells you how much battery time remains. Auto/Medium mode optimizes for all all floor types and runs for up to 40 minutes. So the remaining 20 mins will be via Eco mode- clever stuff, as in that time, Auto mode will have taken care of the major nitty gritty, boosting power when needed depending on the level/type of floor/allergen.

HEADS (MOTORBAR) The V11 Torque drive option has a head with an adjustable gate (3 settings); superbly powerful and a great all-rounder. Changing the setting on the gate will increase/decrease the battery time. On newer V11s, the new motorbar has improved tackling of pet hair (via 56 de-tangling vanes) and also prevents hair build up on your brush bar. This is also the same motorbar as on the newer V7, V8, V10, but crucially, the power it receives from the V11 is notably greater. The quick release mini motorhead is brilliant for cars, pet stations and pillows. It has now updated to an anti-screw tool.

BATTERY Lots of people misuse and overuse max power (known as boost from V11 upwards) to the detriment of the battery. With a V11, auto mode intelligently switches you only to boost mode as and when needed. How? You ask. The smart sensors detect how much dirt or what floor type you are on and switch to either eco, auto or boost. That way, you are preserving you battery life and vacuuming your house without compromise.

CHARGER/STAND The plug is the same as that for the V11 Outsize, V10 and V15. There is also a Dyson standing floor dock available as an optional extra.

FILTER The advanced filtration captures 99.99% of particles as small as 0.3 microns. The LCD screen also prompts you when it needs cleaning. There is, however, nothing to stop you from purchasing a green Dyson HEPA filter which will give you a better level of filtration, down to 0.1 microns (we are getting to such a level of deep cleaning here that it can pick up viruses!) It will fit, but be careful not to pick the Outsize filters, as they are bigger variants that will not fit.

TOOLS Comes with a clip, crevice tool, combination tool, stubborn dirt brush, soft dusting brush plus a quick release mini motorhead.

WEIGHT The V11 is 1lb heavier than a V10 (6.68lbs vs 5.8lbs)

SUMMARY The V11 is in the middle of the fleet and is likely to keep more users, more happy, more of the time due to its weight, power and price - one of my favourite Dyson's for sure. If you want a bigger bin, better power and the best battery option compared to a V7, V8 and V10, start from here as your first Dyson port of call. It is also nice to have a click in battery option as well as the digital display which takes the effort out of picking modes (via Auto) and guessing how long is exactly left on your battery. Another swaying factor for getting a V11 is the choice of heads or motorbars. If you are a pet owner and want a V11, strongly consider the the motorbar de-tangling technology. If you want greater power and gate adjustment, then opt for the Torque drive version (but keep in mind this doesn’t have the hair detangling vanes.) It also tends to move a little smoother, also, but availability maybe limited. For most (given the popularity of pets) the newer motorbar will be the go to. If you want both features, however, you will have to go for a V15 or Gen 5. Back to the V11; as bigger Dyson vacuum, that’s both easy to move and packing punchy power, the V11 is a true hit, plus one that simply has to be on your consideration list.

The long battery time and display screen countdown are great – What I love the most about the V11 is its battery features. The first is the LONG run time. It goes for 60 minutes on a single charge, and that is plenty of time for me to be done with vacuuming, even if I'm also doing the car. As with past models, the fact it only goes while you're pushing the button means all the patches of time where you're… Read more

moving the couch or picking up stuff don't drain the battery, only actively using it.

The second is that there is a display screen on the end which tells you how long you've got to go before the battery will die. It counts you down in real time and is so handy. As you change modes between Eco, Med, and Boost, the display adjusts the battery time remaining accordingly. Obviously using boost runs it out a lot faster. I have mostly wooden floors throughout my house, with four big carpet rugs. With my Dyson V6 I used to leave the rugs until last because they needed boost mode, and I had no idea how much battery time I had left, so would get everything else done first and then boost on the rug until it died, which often was frustratingly just seconds. No such guess work needed now. It also has auto mode which detects how hard it needs to work for the current surface and automatically adjusts the suction to suit, along with battery time remaining.

In the past I had disliked spinning motor heads on vacuums because I felt they just flicked bits off hard floors back up at me, and got tangled up too easily with threads and hair. My V6 did win me over on this, but still solid bits of things would need the head taken off and to be sucked up with just the wand. The V11 though, will suck them up with the rotating brush head. Winning! You can raise the level the head sits at, and I think this would help with it not getting things stuck in the brush so much. I have mostly just been using it on the middle setting and it defeats my arch nemesis - unpopped popcorn kernels - with a single swipe. I really don't know why my family is so intent on sprinkling popcorn kernels all over my kitchen and lounge so persistently, but I was so impressed that I have made a video of it sucking them up, and comparing to my V6 trying to do the same thing. That and gum wrappers, which also appear from nowhere with alarming persistence, and used to get wrapped up in the head of my V6, but can be seen in the attached video heading straight into the canister of the V11. The increased suction of the V11 leaves my rugs with the lovely raised pile lines that make it look like you've just had a carpet cleaner through and make short work of getting white pet fur out of the black rug, which my V6 struggles with even on boost.

The other bane of my vacuuming life is nerf bullets. Everywhere. I try to avoid them of course, but with my V6 if I ever accidentally sucked one up it got wrapped around the brush and stuck in the head. I accidentally sucked one up with the V11, and it disappeared. I stopped right away because I thought I'd hit it, I first checked the head but it wasn't there, so I was looking all around on the floor in case it had flicked away, looking in the dust catching canister in case it had actually managed to suck it right up, looked down the wand, couldn't find it. I put it down to one of the great mysteries of the world and resumed vacuuming, only to have the screen on the vacuum alert me with an "Airways Blocked" message, and run through a little demonstration of all the places I should check for the blockage! I've uploaded a video of this. It was in the first place it suggested looking in the display - inside the canister but not out where it was visible from outside, tucked in the inside of the pipe part, foiled at the very last hurdle.

You know all those times that you think a vacuum isn't working properly so you put your hand over the pipe and it sucks your hand so you think it must still be working ok, but you're not completely sure... never again. You'll get a little video demonstration on your vacuum's screen telling you where the blockage is. The future is now, people.

Other things I liked were: * It came with all the extra attachments, no need to buy them separately. Combination tool, crevice tool, mini motorised tool (I love this for the car), mini soft dusting brush, stubborn dirt brush, the dock to attach it to the wall for storage and charging, and absolutely brilliant -the wand storage clip so you can carry the tools you use most, attached to the wand so they're on hand whenever you need them.

* The wand storage clip is great for me because I like to go around the cornices with the brush on the combination tool, to get the little tiny spiders that proliferate up there, because I am a monster who ushers adult spiders gently outside but vacuums up babies with heartless abandon. It is always an extra chore though, because I never carry the combination tool around with me so I have to come back later to do the ceilings round the whole house separately. Now though, I can have it attached at all times and just do it room by room easily. It's such a simple thing - a clip on carrier for attachments - but makes life so much easier.

* The bin emptying is now a truly simple one-step-no-mess action. It was supposed to be on the V6 too and compared to emptying bags or even most other bagless vacuums I've used it was, but now the bin is so much bigger and it's also even easier to empty in my opinion.

* It's so quiet. I was surprised when I watched back the attached video that in it the V6 and V11 sound quite similar in noise level, but in real life it is definitely quieter. It has this lovely kind of hum as the spinning head kicks in, and I've told people that it feels like driving a spaceship - there's some kind of hovering bounce that I can't really explain but it just feels smooth, effortless, and quiet.

In trying to think of negatives for the purpose of this review, I can offer:

At 3.05kg, it's about 1kg heavier than my V6. I haven't found this a problem, I can vacuum my whole house and the cornices without the weight of it bothering me. However, for the elderly or someone who has issues with holding up 3kg for a while, well it is heavier than earlier models.

The bin being bigger and also being in a straight line rather than sitting down lower than the motor, it's a little more bulky for doing things like cleaning the car, when you're poking around under the seats etc.

Because you have to hold the trigger in the whole time it's actively running, I'm not sure someone like my elderly mum with arthritis would be able to use it. Again for me, no issue.

When you remove the wand off the older models, there was still a little jutting out connection which you could use to suck up something. Now when you remove the wand, it's just a flat surface, with a central hole, making it less convenient to use as a little handheld. I keep the combination tool clipped onto the wand so I just clip that on if I want to use it as a handheld for something quickly, so it's not a big deal, but until I started keeping those attachments clipped on there were a couple of occasions where I found it weird to not be able to remove the wand and quickly use it as a handheld spot vacuum.

The head having a much bigger rotating brush and sitting up that much higher, while great for being able to suck up things that the V6 just flicked back at me, does mean it doesn't fit under things that my lovely flat V6 head could. This was something I really loved about the V6, that I could get under the fridge and the washing machine and chest freezer and all those sorts of spots without removing the head. No such luck with the torque drive head, although given how much easier it makes the rest of the house, it's a compromise I would choose to live with.

Dyson V11 - our first impressions – I would like to start this review by clearing up some assumptions. This is not our first Dyson cordless vacuum cleaner. Our previous one was V8 Absolute. As Dyson cordless vacuums evolved we moved on from corded ones to combo of robot/cordless vacs. Robot picks up all visible stuff during the week and cordless is for better/deeper cleaning over… Read more

weekend. This review I’ll be comparing V11 to V8 Dyson cordless vacuum. Our house has 5 carpeted bedrooms. This review may not perfectly depict our experience with V8 in comparison to V11 to someone who may use vacuum in smaller environment. We don’t have any animals (so I won’t touch on how it deals with fur), but we have small child, which is part of testing vac too LOL. So here it is: 1. Packaging. Unlike other desirable brands Dyson doesn’t pack their products to impress. V11 is not any different. However, to compare to V8 packaging I notice how much more thought was put in securing all objects in packaging to make sure nothing can be damaged during transportation. I know, it might be silly thing to say, but I was very impressed by actual quality of packaging. Also, on the box there is very large, hard to miss warranty registration barcode. Warranty registration was always hassle for us as the process is not straight forward. Dyson made registration a breeze. Well done. Dyson did also pretty good job in reducing their non-recyclable materials in packaging. Very impressed! 2. Retail box content. For some reason there was no surprise here, nor that we wanted surprises. Box had all vac attachments, docking station, charger and brief instructions. Nothing else to add. 3. Using it for the first time. Well, as per instruction vac had to be fully charged before the first use. According to instructions it may take 3 – 4 hours to fully charge the vac from empty. This is the moment I thought: “sure, sure”. Fear not, it did take a long time to charge, I did not time it, but probably good 3 hours. It is not a problem, but for those, who spend a lot of money on the product and can’t wait to use it maybe unboxing late at night and satisfying your vacuuming desires :-) next day is the best thing to do. It takes much longer to charge V11 compare with V8. It is not by any means a negative thing, but knowledge is power. 4. Vacuuming. Isn’t this part why people buy a vacuum cleaner in the first place? :-) V11 does feel in hand completely different from V8 probably because it’s shape, but one thing is to be ready for V11 is heavier than V8 and it is also bigger machine. It might be important if your area (where not only attachment, but also vacuum need to fit in) is not as big or you used to reach those hard to squeeze in places. Most of times it is not a big deal, but again I felt that it could be valuable for some. The big positive change from V8 though is battery life, suction and emptying the vac. On my opinion, those three points where Dyson did an exceptional job. V8 suction was adequate on power mode, but that would deplete the battery very quick. V11 auto sense the environment and adapts. We had no trouble to vacuum 5 carpeted bedrooms, tiled areas and flyscreens all on one charge. Mind you, battery was flat when we finished. V11 suction power is simply great and should be enough for most vacuuming jobs. Also, one pretty good thing I forgot to mention as main change from V8 to V11 as there is no need to change vacuuming head between tiles and carpet. Somehow that was tad annoying on V8. Also, after vacuuming done we found emptying V8 was kind of not that convenient. V11’s designed totally fixed that. It is easy and straight forward. 5. Attachments. I think the main change is in tile/carpet autosensing smart attachment which I already mentioned in the previous section. All other attachments that came with vac are like V8 which is great. Why to change something that works and works well? 6. Overall. Dyson introduced an LCD screen that is very informative. Not only it allows to choose the mode of vacuuming, but also tells you live how much battery (in numbers) left. I thought initially that LCD on vacuum is a bit of gimmick, but I was proven wrong. It is nice and functional All in all, it is subjectable if Dyson V11 is evolution or revolution compare to previous models. In our opinion, Dyson truly perfected what was already pretty good in earlier models. I think V11 comes close to be perfect cordless vacuum cleaner. I know my review sounds very positive, but I stop shy of calling it the perfect cordless vacuum. Well, the price of V11 isn’t cheap by any means which could be a deterrent to some. Also, when most people spend that kind of money they expect nothing, but perfection. I think it is perfect, but maybe feedback from others will inspire Dyson to engineer something even better than what V11 is now. All in all, we love our V11 and can’t recommend it high enough if you can afford one.

Versatile, but tiring to use – I’ve been using the Dyson V11 for several weeks now as part of the Ambassador Programme. It’s ideal for blitz cleaning – when you want to spruce up the house or part of the house in a hurry. I really like the maneuverability of the omni-directional swivel foot – vacuuming in tight spaces like gaps between the fridge and the wall is much easier… Read more

with the V11 than with our conventional vacuum cleaner (a Charles).

I also really like the portability of the V11. I can just grab it in one hand, walk down the stairs with it, and start vacuuming the car or the granny flat. This is much easier than lugging a conventional vacuum around or having to drag a cord behind you.

Another thing I like is the “storability” of the V11. It takes up less storage space than a conventional vacuum cleaner and it can be wall mounted if desired.

Unlike a conventional vacuum cleaner, the V11 has a choice of three power settings – economy, auto and boost modes. It also has a display which counts down the minutes left before you need to recharge it.

At the time of writing, the run time before recharging is excellent if you use it on economy mode on hard floors. I can vacuum our 3 bedrooms, the living room, kitchen and dining area on one charge and it still has about 40% battery charge left in it when I plug it back in to recharge it. Run time from full recharge is about 60 minutes in economy mode, 40 minutes in auto mode and 10 minutes in boost mode on our hard floors. Run time until recharge is reduced if you are vacuuming carpet instead of hard floors. Run time is also reduced if you have an obstruction in the pipe or filter.

The V11 charges just like a mobile phone. The display indicates how full the battery is, before and after charging it. It takes about 4 hours to charge from 20% battery remaining up to full charge.

Performance wise, the V11 picked up sand, dog hair, dust and bird seed effortlessly. I found the V11 worked best on wooden floors, cork tiles and ceramic tiles in economy and auto modes. I was also happy with its performance on lounge upholstery and metal stairs in economy and auto mode. Its performance on carpet was okay although I found I had to use it in boost mode most of the time to get the same results as my Charles vacuum cleaner.

Dyson have made the V11 intuitive to use and maintain. It is straightforward to empty the dust collector and remove blockages from the extension pipe and the foot. The top filter is also easily removed to clean it. A message on the display warns you if the filter cover has not been clicked back into place correctly, and the display shows you a brief tutorial on how to fix the issue. (See photos 1-5 below).

The V11 could replace a conventional corded vacuum cleaner in many households, with these exceptions… • The V11 is a dry vac only, so it won’t suit your household if you require a wet-dry vacuum cleaner. • It might not suit you if you have a house full of carpet or a lot of muddy foot traffic. • The V11 works by manually holding in a trigger (like when you’re using a drill). The trigger itself is responsive, but your remaining fingers have to support the weight of the V11. While I don't have arthritis, I found holding the trigger in was tiring - borderline cramping. If you have stiff or painful hands, you may have trouble using the V11. • The V11 is not heavy when you initially pick it up, but after vacuuming a few rooms, your hands, wrists, forearms and upper arms feel like they’ve had a real workout. If you have achy or sore joints, you may have trouble using the V11.

Design modifications I think consumers would appreciate… • A button that locks the trigger on (like the trigger lock found on some drills and fuel bowser fillers) would make it less tiring on the fingers. • An arm rest (like the brace found on some metal detectors) would make it less tiring on the arms.

Summing up, Dyson are clearly leading the field when it comes to cordless, rechargeable vacuums. The compact design and performance of the V11 makes it ideal for people who live in caravans, smaller apartments, and larger homes with hard floors. While the weight of the V11 is probably mostly due to the rechargeable battery, some minor improvements in design like a trigger lock and an optional arm rest would make the next version of the V11 more user friendly.

Very powerful suction. Pulls up a lot of dirt even directly after another vacuum had cleaned an area – Update 8/2020 - It's still going great. It is our main vacuum now as it is so convenient to just pick it up and whizz around to clean the place. The suction is quite amazing. Have recommended it to quite a few friends. These days I usually set it to maximum power as it cleans faster, although it mows through the battery pretty quick Tip to… Read more

maximise useful life - The battery is lithium. So don't store it on the charger when not in use as that isn't real good for the lithium battery - just charge it up when needed. Preferably aim to keep it between 20-80% battery level for lithium.

Original review To be upfront I am reviewing this Dyson as part of the Ambassador program. I have however have taken the time to put it to the test over several floor types and gain a variety of peoples input over the past month as if it was their own.

It's been put it to the test against a few other vacuums that we've collected over the past few years including: a $130 Makita stick site vacuum (without battery), a $130 cheap wet and dry, a friend's $400-500-ish Electrolux bagless the Aldi bagless vacuum we were given a few years ago

test floor types: Tiles, Floating timber veneer flooring, Economy "rental property" grade carpet, Mid-range hallway durable carpet a very high quality long 'shag pile' carpet

Test settings: full power for all vacuums, really why bother with the other settings in a performance test

Test 1 - Other vacuum first, Dyson second over the same area

Results: In every comparison, the Dyson V11 was able to extract sizable amounts of dust on the same patch of carpet that the other vacuums had already just vacuumed first (see photos). A rather disturbing amount of dust in some cases, given the small 4ish square meter test areas of 'Just vacuumed' carpet.

Test 2 - Dyson first, with another vacuum second Results: None of the other vacuums could extract anything significant after the Dyson

So moving on to some of the other aspects

Amazing things: *****Very strong and effective suction - especially so on full power - see attached extracted dirt photos

*****Easy to empty canon style bin

***** Very effective dust filter. Unlike some vacuums where it feels like there is more dust in the breathable air after/during vacuuming, With the Dyson I felt the air was as clean after as before vacuuming.

*****It is rewarding to see how much dirt is being extracted

*****Zero disposable plastic used to wrap the product in the box! Only recyclable cardboard. Well done Dyson. - see attached unboxing photos

*****Battery life is decent - I never felt the need to stop vacuuming and recharge. Display is nice to advise how much time approximately left to run. We could do our 2 bedroom flat with large living room, kitchen, 2 bathrooms and laundry about 2-3 times on a charge at automatic and 1.? on full power

*****All things are washable, including the very effective dust filter

Pros: ****Lots of attachments - the power head is very effective

****Bits clip on and off easily

****Auto adjustable power makes life very easy to swap between different surfaces and generally does a decent job

****Full power really extracts a lot of dirt/dust particles

****Good for vacuuming a lot of a car interior - as in pulls out a lot of dust

****Being battery rather than cord is handy to save plugging and unplugging

****Very handy for quick grab, target clean areas that need cleaning - ie kitchen spills - just Grab, Zap and Return

****easy to live with

Ok things/ neutral things/ just observations ***Takes a few hours to charge. It's not an issue for it's intended household duties.

***Quite noisy in as much as you couldn't converse with anyone when the vacuum is running (subjective observation most vacuums are considered noisy, if it is effective in use then the noise is justifiably ok in this case), My friends who have had experience with older Dyson stick vacuums say that the V11 is noticeably quieter than the older versions (I wasn't able to coordinate a back to back test to confirm)

***Dyson specialises in making their vacuums out of durable yet plasticky feeling materials. To me, it doesn't feel premium however it is a smart design choice for effectiveness

***The bin looks dirty quickly as the dirt seems to stick (electrostatically?) to the clear plastic barrel- (nature of the beast I guess given the cleaning nature of the machine)

Not ideal **The stick is not height adjustable. As such it makes it a bit awkward for people at the short and very tall ends of the height spectrum.

**Feels a bit 'weighty' - while 4kg isn't a lot in itself - all the weight is carried at the top where the handle it so you notice it on your wrists. My Mother (mid 70's) how has wrist pain definitely felt it was too heavy for her to do an extended vacuum, everyone else I asked said it was fine, albeit noticeably heavy. This effect is amplified when it is powered on and thus sucking itself to the floor. (I'm not sure what the alternative would be given the motor, tank and battery is all there and work very well to create strong suction which after all is why it exists in the first place - I'd rather slightly heavy and very effective than light and less effective any day of the year).

**Pricey currently at about $1100 puts it firmly in the high price for a domestic vacuum. Price is always a subjective thing depending on own values.

Cons / considerations *Sometimes is a bit too bulky. It struggles to get to hard to reach spots in tight places - ie a car - where a hosed vacuum can easily reach such as under the seats and the gap between the seats and tunnel, this can't due to the motor tank handle unit being directly attached to the attachment is about 40something cm in rigid length. A flexible hose attachment would address that requirement

*Have to hold the button to make it run - I guess this extends the battery run time but it is quite easy to bump the button unintentionally as well as quite easy to let go of the button unintentionally too.

The Ultimate test conclusion - Would I pay full price?

Before using it now I would have said 'absolutely no' - having never owned/purchased an expensive vacuum before I'd have walked straight past it to a more 'cash in my pocket' friendly option. To also call out 'the elephant in the room', I also felt Dyson vacuums were a bit 'overhyped' (I had no first-hand experience just my honest pre-existing perception) in the way I feel apple products are.

However, having now experienced firsthand just how effective the Dyson is at extracting dirt I'd now very strongly consider it and recommend it to friends (funds permitting) wanting an effective and convenient vacuum because: It is a very very effective vacuum - embarrassingly so for the other vacuums on test It feels great seeing the dirt come out of the carpet - like a job well done. I really like the recyclable packaging and the durable nature of the machine It is very convenient to have a battery powered vacuum that works well.

There are however 2 things that make me think about the purchase - they are (and why I knocked a star off): *The inability to reach some spots due to design choices- which *means you still need a hosed vacuum that takes up space between use for use on those spots.

It would be an absolute no-brainer 5 star yes purchase, corded vacuum replacement machine with a flexible hose attachment and I'd ideally like a button that could stay switched on allowing for alternate holding positions.

Pricey yet high performance. Absolutely worth it if you value clean floors in a cordless package.

Very happy and impressed with the Dyson v11.