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 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.