Dyson V6 Absolute
VerifiedMPNs: 20956801, 35905017 and DSN-V6ABS685 reviews
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ProductReview.com.au's selected consumer review.
Battery Life – I bought this and after 2 years the battery died. I replaced it 3 years ago and it won't charge again. Replacement battery costs $119 AUD so it is an expensive vacuum now Show details
$799 worth of rubbish – Having both wooden and carpeted floors, suction was good for the first few weeks but became very frustrated with low battery power would cut out after about 11 - 12 mins. Always clogging up, hard and very dirty to empty, finally gave up and went back to my Meile vac, the Dyson has been hanging on its rack as no one wants it. If you want a reliable long-lasting stick vac DON'T, buy this Dyson. Show details
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Showboating lightweight cordless power & flexibility to the max! With 100AW and spinning at 110,000 RPM, the Dyson V6 Absolute offered tantalizing glimpses of just how good cordless vacuums would become. In the carpet corner (although it can be used on all floors), the direct drive cleaner head on the Dyson V6 Absolute flagship variant has a… Read more · 1
blistering 75% more brush bar power (driving bristles deep into the carpet) than previous V6 models, which were armed with the basic motorized cleaner head for a more economical price. In the hard floors corner, the soft fluffy roller head offers added security for protection of your hard floors while picking up fine dust and larger debris with ease. On top of the improved power and technology over the previous DC44, the vacuum also offered 20 minutes (high suction) run time and up to 6 minutes in max power mode. But that's not all; with easy to empty bins, a trigger mechanism to save battery, supreme flexibility with modes of use (floor or handheld) and different tools and floor heads for almost any and every occasion, the V6 turned the cordless vacuum market upside down. There's more, but read on through to find out why the V6 is such a hottie for your health.
POPULARITY Dyson were really starting to find their cordless feet with the V6, with multiple versions including: -Dyson V6 Car & Boat handheld -Dyson V6 Fluffy -Dyson V6 Absolute -Dyson V6 Animal - Dyson V6 Slim -Dyson V,6 Mattress These could be a handheld only version, feature a direct drive or standard motorized cleaner head, a fluffy head for hard floors, a slimmer, even lighter version or models with more or less attachments such as the mini turbine head or with a HEPA filter. While discontinued from 2018, the V6 maintains a cult-like following; you will probably see more of these guys for sale and bought secondhand than arguably any other cordless vacuum. There used to be so many models, that if you were on a budget, you could get the same power on every model but with less tools, handheld, or a cheap floor head etc. However, while this was a nice touch, from a business perspective, this would have been hard to sustain; Dyson’s are already so flexible and still have a huge range of cordless vacuums, but there can be such a thing as too many variants. However, with less options within the range and improved technology and performance, you are left forking out more.
SIZE The beauty of this machine is how lightweight and versatile it is - if you want a slimmer, flatter floor head, you can pick the slim version or older V6s.
SIZE MATTERS, RIGHT? It does, and some of the bigger Dyson’s maybe more suited to your needs. However, an average sized 3 bed 2 bath house is achievable on the high suction setting. Furthermore, if you have stairs, the V6 takes no effort at all to lift up.
HANDHELD MODE Its ability to act as a handheld vacuum - for surfaces, inside draws, window or wardrobe tracks, fan blades, couch, mattress, car, pet stations etc - is a powerful weapon. Dyson have all the attachments and even a mini motor turbine to help meet your particular need. These days, the V7 trigger filled the void left by the V6; as for now, the V8 Car and Boat is the latest incarnation, offering up to 50 mins battery power.
HEPA FILTER Capturing 99.9% of particles down to 0.3 microns, say goodbye to dust, pollen, pet dander, mites and other allergens when vacuuming with the V6 Absolute version. Health has always been important and this feature effectively meets that need. Wash once a month, under cold water, and leave until completely dry (approximately. 24 hours.) If you want to improve the means of reducing allergens, you may want to invest in not only the Absolute model, but also additional tools.
BIN The point and shoot bin works via clicking the red tab; different from the newer V7 in terms of operation and removal, but still fairly straightforward once you get the hang of it. However, it would still be recommended to do this outside if you suffer from allergies.
DOCK STATION With lightness, there are always issues with storage, so the Dyson docking / charging station for safe placement of your machine is handy. Just attach your plug into the wall mount.
NEWER V6 Newer V6s such as the Absolute version reviewed here have fatter, more powerful direct drive cleaner heads, which agitate carpets and general floors to a greater degree, meaning better pick up power where debris and fine dust is concerned. They can be used on all floors. The standard V6 motorized head has a flatter, smaller design - kinder on the pocket, but not as effective. The Fluffy head isn't just a pretty face; the soft roller not only better protects your floors, it better performs through picking up more larger debris and fine dust.
WILL YOUR GENERAL HEAD WORK ON ALL FLOORS? A certain yes, but the profile is not designed to tackle larger debris and fine dust on hard floors as well as the custom designed soft fluffy roller head. But if your home has mainly carpets and few hard floors, you will be better suited to a standard V6; however, you also lose the HEPA filter, which from a health perspective is a big win.
TOOLS / COMPATIBILITY V6s have a wide range of tools, including: -Bendy extension crevice / brush for hard to reach places -Up top tool - Stiff dirt and soft dusting brushes -Crevice tools -Combi brush - Hoses -Mattress tool -Mini motorhead turbine for cars, cushions and so on. These have a grey tab or no tab at all - so they aren’t compatible with red tab Dyson’s. The same applies with batteries, wands and the floor heads, although the V6 fluffy roller will fit on earlier DC models. Note that the V6 Slim also has a different fitting on the bin and wand for the slimmer floor head.
CLEANING / MAINTENANCE Another nice feature of the V6 is the ability to clean deeper. For example, cyclone covers can be removed and vacuumed or wiped. Older V6 floor heads also are very easy to clean once the roller is removed. The newer heads have a better, bigger motor and performance, but aren’t as easy to clean.
V6 vs V7 -If you are contemplating a V6 over a V7 or v8, while you might get a lighter machine and arguably a more accessible to clean cyclone if you clip off the outside mesh, you won't be able to get your machine serviced from Dyson as it has been discontinued. You can pick up parts still, however. Differences include: +30 mins battery on a V7 +An anti tangle comb on the direct drive motorbar +An easier to remove bin and cyclone +A more powerful vacuum. +HEPA filter on all new V7 models Tabs have also become red, so your V6 tools and floor heads will not be compatible.
THE FLIP SIDE As mentioned above, tech moves at a rapid rate so as good as V6 remains, it is more advantageous to have a newer model. - Removing the cyclone does require a flathead on either side of the white clip tabs if you don't have the officially supplied Dyson tool. -Also, the battery is a respectable 20 mins but bigger houses certainly will benefit from the 30 minutes of the V7. -The direct drive cleaning head is superb, but you will find hair gets quite tangled on the brush bar over time if you don't regularly clean it. This will be particularly problematic from a cleaning aspect if you have pets or a family with generous portions of hair. -From experience, you will require a spare top HEPA filter as well as they can be more unpredictable compared to a V7 or v8 one. You will normally hear a squeaky noise that will alert you to an issue.
V6 ABSOLUTELY The V6 top of the range Absolute is the complete package. Firstly, it took things to a new level with a washable HEPA filter, which previous V6 models did not have. Additionally, it offers everything your floors need, with specifically designed heads for carpets and hard floors, as well as the nifty mini turbine head which is fantastic for pillows, fabric couches, car, pet stations and so on. Of course, the direct drive head was at the time the far better than Dyson's other general/carpet head, so this would have been a big deal - to this day, its still a powerful performer, setting the template of how Dyson heads would look from the V6 to the V10, give or take some subtle changes. On top of all that, the classic red is as eye-catching as the performance itself; and complete with the lightweight design and flexibility of the attachments and handheld mode, this is one of Dyson's best. While Dyson has moved on dramatically since (and despite some minor reservations), this vacuum stands the test of time; particularly the V6 Absolute version, which still maintains its popularity (and good looks!) to this day.
Reviews with attachments
Worst cleaner I have ever owned – If there was an award for the worst vacuum cleaner this would win by a mile. Purchased new, should have returned when I discovered what an underperforming product this was. Very poor suction, very limited battery life (about 7 mins run time on full power), and now the suction hose inside the motorhead is broken ($125 replacement cost). All this in a machine that is less than 3 years old. Show details
best vacuum cleaner – Super strong suction that sticks onto floor. The different heads are also useful. Note that fillter needs to be washed regularly. Otherwise it smells bad. a bit noisy sacrifices for strong susction. Show details
Positive reviews
this is AMAZING – the portable function which is the most I like as it also help me to clean my car my flat is small the mins it allows for 20 mins it just enough of coz, the longer the better also the design of the machine is really smart and easy to be stored Show details
Great vacuum – Love this vacuum, awesome for quick cleaning jobs when i don't want to use the big vacuum. specially great on wooden and tiles with the extra power the carpets are quickly cleaned. Show details
good to use but battery issues – I bought it 2 years ago and I replaced battery twice. First time dyaon service centre sent me new battery because problem happened within 1 year. But new battery was dead after 3 months so I bought non genuine battery from ebay it is much better than genuine battery and capacity is much bigger as well even if the battery is cheaper than genuine one. Show details
Negative reviews
Does not live up to the hype, and now it has died on me after minimal usage – With the particularly high price tag of this unit, one would expect exceptional performance. But with what I have purchased here, I have found that it more has the feel and performance of some cheap chinese knock-off stuff. The fact that I see all the rave reviews makes me wonder if I have a dud? I am a mechanical engineer so perhaps I… Read more
expected too much?
I have tile floors and I have to vacuum over everything twice, and it routinely struggles to even pick up small leaves. It feels plastic-y. Doesn't really work on the one carpeted room I have, but that wasn't really part of the plan anyway. I gave it 2 stars instead of 1 because it does partly fill the role of a vacuum cleaner, but it's more trouble than it's worth. And now it doesn't even work for any more than say 30s of vacuuming with very little use over it's lifetime
Complete waste of my hard earned money in my opinion and I should have just bought a broom.
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Unreliable parts break easy and to replace cost a lot so paying and paying – Stick was broken less than a year and I paid 800$ for it as it had expensive heads taht I cannot use now bec of the stick and I lost the receipt this king that Dyson is a great brand paid a lot so won’t have any troubles Show details
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The worst designed piece of crap – Worst designed piece of crap I have ever seen its filthy dirty to empty, very poor proper battery, wish I had never laid eyes on it in Currys when there are so much better products around, Shark, Gtech, so much better designed. Show details
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Recent reviews
overpriced under average vacuum stick – I use this stick vacuum very little, just 2 persons in house, using normal Miele vacuum. 1st problem : battery didn't last, now second problem : fluffy powerhead have a flexible ( dark Blue) rubber which is cracked on 2 places.For the price what I paid and used so little it should be any problems.I think is better to buy a cheaper stick vacuum and… Read more
when there is problem just buy another cheaper. My partner is appliances technician from 1997 in business and he believes this product is a very average and unfortunately very overpriced.
We are sorry to hear you are disappointed with your Dyson… Read more (+11 replies)
rubbish – ive got a robo vac that goes everyday so this v6 hardly gets used maybe once a week for ten minutes it still works it only goes for about 30 secs then cuts out then i need to put it back on charge for 5 secs then it works a bit more like 45 secs then off back on charge then maybe a minute its only 18 months old LAST DYSON ILL EVER BUY Show details
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Find out how Dyson V6 Absolute compares to other Stick & Cordless Vacuum Cleaners
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Bad investment, waste of money – Don't buy this vacuum bad investment, i have dyson v6 absolute it only last for 2 and 1/2 years, battery life only last for 5 seconds of use now, what a waste of money very shameful product Show details
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Terrible service at Dyson – Purchased the most expensive vacuum of our lives and was told by the shop that it will our best investment. Now the battery is not working and a part on the motor head is not working and it has only a two year warranty. We were told when sold it had a 5 year warranty, now Dyson wishes to charges us aud$120 plus$79 to fix it. I can’t believe! I… Read more
would strongly not recommend the vacuum if only after light use in a small house this is what we were told . I expected Dyson to fix the issue or charge a small fee. Unbelievable!
We apologise for any disappointment, to confirm, all Dyson… Read more
Poor battery life – Good product initially but have had to replace motorised head and battery in short time. Have had machine just over 2 years. Suction decreased and then would work for a few minutes. Recommendation from customer care...buy new battery Show details
Revolutionary – Comes with different heads and accessories which I’ve found to be useful for around the house and in the car. Max setting chews battery fast, I’ll be looking to upgrade with a longer battery time next. Easy to take apart and clean. Sometimes the emptying mechanism can be tricky but it is ok once you get the hang of it. Show details
After sale service is rude,arrogant and non existant – If you pay 5 times the price for a dyson vacuum cleaner you expect the product to last longer than the guarantee.What a heap of junk! Clumsy,awkward and fittings are difficult with the brush sucking into the pipe. Service person is rude and arrogant and 10% of next purchase as recompence is laughable! Who'd buy another expensive disaster. Save your time and money and never buy DYSON vacuum cleaners. Show details
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Absolute Crap – Poor Suction..When applying Max mode lasts for a couple Mins..have tried cheaper Vacuums and they work better..Very expensive and for Brand name with very poor performance. Dont bother waste of Money Show details
To confirm, your V6 should achieve a run time of 6 minutes… Read more
Easy to use – Very easy to use .. im happy with overall performance but only problem is the battery.. i have to re-placed the battery. And always have to change can’t expect long battery life Show details
Don’t expect long battery life or a durable product – I have a Dyson V6 and am having very similar issues to many others asking questions. The battery would seem to be charged after following the Dyson charging instructions. Using vacuum after charging battery and the vaccum would cut out after up to 30 seconds on regular speed and almost immediately if running on max. The blue lights on the battery… Read more
would flash on and off. Connecting the battery back to the charger (if only for a couple of seconds) and this process can be repeated. The general advice from Dyson is that this is a sign of a battery not holding charge or being depleted which can be fixed by purchasing a new battery. Be warned by my experience, that this may not be the case. After purchasing a new battery, charging it and attempting to use my vacuum, my problem was not resolved.
There are a couple of things: - If there is a problem that causes the vaccum to shut off like described above, connecting the battery to the charger "resets" the battery and allows the vacuum to run for a few seconds again before cutting out. This can be repeated over and over and although this may appear to be a battery fault, there may be other faults. - Check to see if the "MAX" light flashes as the vacuum starts and cuts out. It seems that if this happens, there are bigger issues and the only way to find out any more is to contact Dyson. I don't think that there is any info in the manual about the "MAX" light flashing, but it's my guess that this is more likely a sign that there are issues with the motor. Particularly if you have made sure there are not blockages. - So if you are like me, you've already spent some cash to buy a new battery, only to find that there are more issues than that and potentially you have disposed of a working battery. From here you can either cut your losses and look for a replacement vacuum (probably not a Dyson), or you can contact Dyson who will tell you that you can send it to their service centre for $65 for diagnosis of the issue, or $45 if you deliver it yourself. After diagnosis, they will provide a quote for parts and labour to repair. The only other part to repair on these vacuums is the motor body, which is integrated into the handle, for which they will charge you $120. - So if you are like me and you spend the $79 on a new battery and your vacuum still doesn't work, you could be up to another $185 to get your vacuum back up and running. If you have issues with the charger too, as this can be caused by poor contact on the plug, then maybe more. A lot of money to pay for a vacuum that might only be a little over two years old.
Our vacuum first showed signs of these issues after about 2.5 years. Unfortuntely this being outside the warranty period we just used an old plug in vacuum and delayed purchasing a new battery. Having now purchased a battery it is 3 years post purchase and I'm on my own.
Dyson will tell you that it is unexpected behaviour, but despite the canned company response from Dyson that it is unexpected behaviour, a quick read of this site will tell you, it is very much not unheard of, nor potentially uncommon. Dyson marketing will tell you that they are the pinnacle of all things vacuum, but when pressed if such a "halo" brand would be expected to fail within three years, they are very tight lipped, instead just pushing you to send your vacuum to their service centres to lighten your pockets and fill thiers. For a very expensive vacuum, the Dyson V6 performance and durability has been found wanting. It's battery performance is mediocre and the inability to quick swap batteries limits it's versatility. The actual performance is on par with other vacuums.
On carpet floors, the vacuum performance is good when used with the power head and in the max setting. If used on a low setting, performance is on par with any other vacuum.
On timber floors, the regular speed setting must be used, but when using the hard floor power head, the Dyson scatters crumbs across the floor rather than picking them up first go.
Would I ever buy a Dyson vacuum again? For the price and the durability, not likely
The battery sucks not the vacuum – The only good thing about this Dyson vacuum us when I’m boiling eggs I use it as a timer. The water boils. I start vacuuming. About three minutes later the battery runs out and ta da! My eggs are ready. Perfect. If you live vacuuming half a stair case then this little beauty is the winner fit you. Biggest waste of money. Show details
Find out how Dyson V6 Absolute compares to other Stick & Cordless Vacuum Cleaners
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Over priced and poor assembly – When we purchased this it was said to be ok for pet hair. It isn’t! 6 blockages at least every time I use it. Difficult to empty - not robust. Never again! Gone back to my corded vacuum! Show details
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Poor battery life, poor performance, over priced – It doesn't matter what surface I use it on, it continually thinks it is clogged so shuts off. Battery life is woeful. The high price doesn't justify the poor performance. Battery failed after less than two years. Show details
We certainly wouldn't expect your machine to routinely shut… Read more
Never charged properly, now dead at 2 years. Cost $350 per year! – Decided to splash out on a Dyson as I had a $100 gift card to take the edge off the cost. Never splurged on a vacuum before so was pretty excited! It is well built and worked well for a while then had problems getting it to charge, had to twist the plug in charger just-so to get it to light up. 2 years later and it just tripped my electric when I… Read more
plugged it in to charge and is now dead. I suspect there will be no warranty. Wanted to support a British inventor, but I’m not a charity! Won’t be buying a Dyson again.
We are sorry to hear you are having trouble with your Dyson… Read more (+1 reply)
Still trouble after 3 years – After 3 months suction decreased only got "fair" suction by using it on turbo all the time. After 18 months had to replace battery. After 3 years needed to replace battery again, obviously using it on max setting all the time decreases the life of the battery. Decided not replace it and buy another brand. Very expensive and overrated . Show details
Under normal use with routine maintenance we wouldn't… Read more
Extremely Poor quality and Value for money – This product is expensive and the quality and value is certainly not there. The unit cuts out after 12-15 mins and recharging takes forever! Takes twice the time to vacuum my small home. Would not recommend! Show details
To confirm, your V6 should achieve a run time of 6 minutes… Read more
Great features – So happy with this Dyson I even talked my mum and sister into buying one. Easy to use and picks up so much. I have a long haired dog and cat and it works wonders. Show details
This is amazing – I am very glad to bought it!! It’s so light and I can clean up everywhere!! I was struggling with a house dust allergies, but since I started using this, I fell much better now! Show details
Totally overrated – The unit cuts off within 5 minutes and restarts after resting. Doesnt pick solids from hard floor but better for carpets.My cheap corded stick vacuum works better! Poor technical support. Show details
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Battery problem on Max mode – Using this V6 absolute for 2 years. Had problem with battery as it goes flat after 5 seconds use on max mode. Costumer service was great. Step by step over the phone assessment was great. Got new replacement battery shortly after. However I find this vacuum cleaner is not the finest quality. The canister attachment to hanset is somewhat flimgy. Also the bottom door opens itself while cleaning. Not a happy cleaner Show details
We certainly wouldn't expect the bin on your machine to… Read more (+2 replies)
Adaptability and Reliability to the MAX! – Having purchased our V6 Absolute about 3 years ago and after a recent warranty repair I feel compelled to offer support for this product. Being a 'mere male' I was originally hesitant coughing up the funds that the retailer was asking for the V6 Absolute but as I was to find out very quickly it was money worth spent. Having already purchased a… Read more
240v Dyson cleaner about 6 years ago we knew the reliability was going to be high but did we really need another vacuum cleaner? Yes we did. Our house is a combination of hard timber flooring and carpet and was pleased the kit came with all accessories to suit our needs. With busy lifestyles and two teenage boys, along with our Kelpie who thinks shes a human, the daily floor debris would be annoying as hell and the thought of getting out the 240V cleaner and dragging it to its required location was a chore. Chore no more, the Dyson V6 Absolute when installed using the wall charging bracket made its accessibility a magnet to drop everything and clean the floors without fuss. Going from the timber floors to carpet was a breeze changing the cleaning heads along the way. The V6 Absolute has a 'turbo' mode function that offers an extreme amount of vacuum, however we have never had to use it, the standard vacuum power offered is more than suffice. Earlier this year the battery housed within the V6 Absolute suddenly went to battery heaven. There were no warning signs it just died overnight. Luckily we had purchased extra warranty with the V6 Absolute and within 5 working days we had a brand new battery to fit into the V6. The battery came with excellent instructions and the new battery hasn't missed a beat. For blokes daring enough a V6 Absolute could be the best Christmas prezzie ever for your partner, or vice versa. I use and recommend this product and have not been offered payment for my comments.
Love this – This makes vacuuming fun. It glides from the polished timber to the tiles and then over carpet so easily. The only thing that is a bit of a pain is emptying the canister. The battery last longer then expected and has a great feature of the boost button. The boost helps to get all the crumbs from around the kids seats at the table and also picks up spilt kitty litter from the cat kicking it out of the litter tray! Dyson has fantastic products. Show details
Awesome vacuum! – We bought the V6 absolute to replace our Hoover branded hand-held vacuum and were immediately blown away with the power, attachments and battery life (20 minutes with the max boost button pushed). Attachments all do their jobs. Very happy with purchase! Show details
Lives up to expectations – I use this on floorboards and tiles. It has great suction - manages to vacuum most dust particles away compared to other brands of vacuum cleaners. Only downside is that I would prefer a longer battery life. At the moment it’s sufficient for a quick vacuum here and there but would like to use it more for a full house clean as it is cordless and very mobile. Show details
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Hey there, Kim. In most cases any issues with cord-free… Read more