We’ve put the new Dyson V10 through its paces to see if it is worth the $999 price tag. Do you use stick vacs, or would you prefer a more traditional corded vacuum?
Read the review:
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Your review doesn’t mention
- what type of battery it is;
- is it user replaceable; and
- how long do Dyson guarantee to stock the replacement batteries and other parts.
I would assume that the battery will at best last a couple of years, and if it can’t be easily replaced, then that’s one expensive vacuum.
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@BrendanMays, @meltam’s questions seem pretty basic and should have been referenced in any review. The review focuses on performance not the overall product although some product features are referenced, if that makes sense.
Choice editorial staff may be well served to pass drafts through the lens of the product not just its performance. While #1 might be considered prurient interest the battery type is important to understand it’s characteristics as well as for eventual disposal. If #2 is ‘no’ it becomes a throw-away except for the technically able and ambitious.
Re #3 stocking is an interesting question not just for Dyson - if ‘they’ make what they deem is a 10-years parts supply based on statistical modelling (rather than ongoing production) and they get it wrong, that supposed 10-years supply could only last 5 or fewer years. The problem is exacerbated when a company makes a bad part and changes it for the better but the new part is incompatible with the old so the customers are left in the cold.
While OT, it would be interesting if companies had to actually support their products for a given time, and if they could not, they would be obligated to replace them at some cost between free to pro-rata.
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Perhaps before they post some of these reviews or actually do the testing have some Defenders look at a preview of what is to be tested or the review before it is posted to pass a “critical eye” over it to see if anything else should be asked/added?
Didn’t mean that Choice isn’t very capable but just an additional check.
@PhilT and @meltam I really liked your questions and points on this as I think it reflects across almost all the reviews we see. Some of the reviews might also benefit from just a read to see if any grammar needs fixing before it goes public.
Phil, your point re parts supply and a real timeframe rather than a wriggle room “reasonably available for a reasonable period of time” is worth it’s weight in gold. Who sets the current reasonable for both availablility and period in that section? I know if I was a manufacturer I would be at the very minimum of both if not slightly south of it and if a problem arose it would be easier to argue what was reasonable than have to manufacture and store parts for a real given time.
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Also, how robust is it.
Stick vacuums are often dropped…accidentally especially when rested against something when for example moving a dining room chair to vacuum under. I don’t know of anyone who carefully places it on the ground in such situations.
At $999 a pop (
), I would expect that the vacuum would be very robust but a little dubious as it appears to me made from moulded hard plastics. It is worth noting that damage from the end of the vacuum is not covered by warranty.
This possibly leads on from @meltam, are spare parts available for any accidental damage caused to the plastic casing or wand? Are they replaceable?
Maybe a repetitive drop test (say leaning the vacuum against a wall and then allowing it to drop onto a hard surface) would be useful to see if it is as cracked up to be as good as the rest of the review.
Also was the vacuum provided by Dyson for testing…hope it wasn’t but it could be assumed it was the case since it was a pre-release test/review. If it was provided by Dyson for pre-release testing I wonder if Choice should be making such disclosures in reviews when the manufacture provides products for testing and the product was not selected randomly from store stock (to try and maintain independence and impartiality). Also was the tested product 100% the same as the store model…or was it a ‘special’ one from Dyson?
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I can’t imagine spending a thousand dollars on a vac, even if it came with an appropriately costumed operator.
On a slight tangent - its a little surprising the makers of power tools haven’t come up with a range of household appliances that take the same external rechargeable batteries, then you could share the same pool of batteries if the leaf-blower, the vac and the angle grinder all took the same … oh, wait … 
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Like Ryobi or Aldi’s lines? Yeah all the household items including mixers, hair dryers, toasters, microwaves 
the list could be lengthy indeed.
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Hi, thanks for the feedback. We do disclose at the end of the review that this was a model provided to us by Dyson for a First Look. These are not “full” comparative reviews with an overall score, etc. Once it goes on sale, we will buy it again and choose from floor stock in order to compare it fully with other stick vacuum cleaners.
It was a boxed and sealed model, but as the stick vac is supposed to have the ability to tell the weather, it may well know when it’s in a consumer lab tester’s hands! 
Given that Dyson has decided to stop developing corded models, we felt there was enough public interest to review this ahead of its general release (which is in another month from now). As mentioned, we’ll give it the full review treatment when it is on general sale.
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"VW"esque flavours there 
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In answer to your questions:
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Type of battery: The battery itself is a 7-cell lithium-ion battery; Li-ion is the most common type of battery we encounter in these appliances (the other being nickel metal hydride) so I didn’t mention it, but once a full comparative review goes online we would list it as a spec in a full review under “Battery type”.
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User replaceable: As with all the Dyson stick vacuums (and most stick vacuums in general), the batteries are not easily swappable but it is possible to unscrew and replace the battery pack with a new Dyson one if the battery eventually fails to perform as effectively. The ability to do an easy swap if the power depletes has been a long-running bugbear with the people who own these devices. Our reliability survey data shows that few Dyson stick vacuum owners complain about the cost of replacement or the process (more than 1000 members). But it’s certainly an important topic. Edit: I should point out there are brands do let you swap over the battery, the LG CordZero for example comes with an interchangeable dual powerpack.
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Guarantee: Under Australian Consumer Law you should be entitled to a repair/replacement after a fair amount of time even if you’re just outside the warranty period, so that’s not something we would routinely highlight, but for the record the guarantee is two years.
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The next upgrade will be bluetooth enabled with an app to tell you when to clean the filter and empty the dustbag. Then wifi and a 4G SIM will be added. It will play metronome like music to guide the to and fro motions. The stick will be able to ‘talk’ to the net enabled washer, fridge, and toaster, and call you via google home. The additions of ‘extra valuable technology’ are mind boggling.
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Don’t forget about it talking to the bin and your diary to schedule the optimal time when it can be emptied.
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For a thousand dollars I’d expect a lifetime guarantee, my life not some legal way to say product life which is 2 years, transferable to my children and grandchildren - with new for old replacement delivered by a fair maiden in a horse drawn carriage … no, still can’t get over that price for a stick vacuum. The equivalent of 83 Sabco 300mm indoor brooms … with change. Or maybe I’ll just open the sliding door and use my AEG battery yard blower again, but this time remember to secure the cat beforehand …
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Apologies, I couldn’t recall seiing the Italic statement on the review’s closure when reading the review earlier. It might not hurt in adding wording that Dyson provided the vacuum for Choice to test pre-release.
I expect such was a marketing exercise on their behalf.
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If I pay $1,000 for a TV, Fridge, or pretty much any other item in my home I expect more than 2 years guarantee, probably more like 4 years and they’d better have spare part for at least that long (probably shows my age about what $1,000 means to me).
And I am still roflmao in response to @draughtrider’s comment…just can’t get that cat image out of my head.
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We purchased a DYSON V6 CORD FREE HANDSTICK ($346) a year ago largely on friends recommendation. My wife thinks its terrific. She even does the stairs with it (a task previously falling to yours truly, due to precarious stance with barrel on stairs). It is incredibly handy for that sort of task and quick run overs. Currently its battery charge supports longer than the hour or so it is used. We mainly use the motor head, but rarely use the Boost function. I like our very old D5 barrel and use it for the majority of our home. Apart from scatter rugs that the handstick now does, the rest of floors are hardwood. We have no issues with emptying the dust bin of either machine and very much appreciate the absence of perpetual requirement for bag replacement. I do not think the handstick without its stick is as manageable in the car as the barrel. The angles do not seem to fit so well and suction weaker than the barrel. Personally a slightly longer stick would suit me better too.
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Makita has a couple of vacuum cleaners that match their 18V range. Price is around $140 and is a “stick” type, but without fancy HEPA filters that Dyson boast. On the Dyson, we’ve had a "stick’ type for 4+ years now and the only issue is service - still waiting after lodging a call with their agent after three weeks. The warranty was an extended 5 year bought with the machine whereas the normal warranty was 12 months. Cost was around $500 including the extended warranty. It’s been an excellent unit, but the cost of a V10 at around $1000 is a bit of a far reach for a vacuum IMO. We are going to wait until the hubris dies down and will consider when it’s at a more reasonable price. Having said that, the Dyson “stick” vacuums work really well.
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I bought a barrel type Dyson vacuum cleaner in 2010. The carpet cleaner attachment has been playing up for a couple of years but didn’t worry about doing anything about it as I have a robot style cleaner so don’t use the Dyson so much. But recently, I thought I’d see if I could get a service on the Dyson and hopefully fix the problem. However, when I rang Dyson, I was told they don’t have parts for my model but would give me a discount on a new model. Am disappointed that an expensive machine only 8 years old is obsolete.
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What does ‘playing up’ mean? It could be so simple as a loose electrical connection at the wand, often easily fixable. If it seems like a loose electrical connection it could be the socket on the head or the plug on the wand.
Barring that, did you look for the part on ebay? If it is an electric head just beware of US 120V or Japanese 100V products for compatibility. Power heads usually are stepped down voltage and universal, but best to be sure.
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