Dyson V11 cordless vacuum cleaner for $570.02 at Amazon

For quite some time you have been asking for comparison models. Understandably, you would like to know how China’s top models compare with the large, established manufacturers. So we tested the Dyson V11 Absolute, the flagship model of the British top dog Dyson, and let it compete against the best battery vacuum cleaners from China.

We’ll start with the current number 1 from China, the Roborock H6. Let the games begin!

• Dyson V11
  • at Amazon from $570.02
  • at Amazon.de for 729€ | Amazon.co.uk for £679.99

Technical data: Comparison with Roborock H6

Of course, we compare the V11 Absolute with all current China top models, primarily with our top 5 of the best battery vacuum cleaners. Since the Roborock H6 has currently taken first place there, the V11 naturally has to compete against it first and foremost.

Expectations for the Dyson V11 Absolute couldn’t be higher when it comes to its price, from the packaging to the actual vacuuming.

Packing and delivery of the Dyson V11 Absolute

The postman holds a typical battery vacuum cleaner package under his arm. Like him, I miss the carrying handle here, as I transport the vacuum cleaners a lot on the way to various test scenarios, but this is probably negligible in the overall assessment.

Included with the Dyson V11 Absolute:

• Intake manifold
• Main element with attached 0.7 l dust chamber, fixed battery and handle
• Electric floor nozzle with attached soft roller
• electric Torque Drive floor nozzle with attached combination brush for carpet and hard floor
• various attachments
  • extra-hard brush
  • crevice nozzle (for grooves, cobwebs, narrow corners)
  • Soft brush for sensitive surfaces/objects
  • retractable combination brush
• Flex-Adapter
• Wall mount with integrated charging station
• Charging cable
• multilingual manual
• Quick guide for the display

The supplied wall bracket allows the owner to insert the vacuum cleaner into the wall bracket with integrated charging function, thereby charging the battery. Accordingly, the bracket must be placed near a power outlet. Practical to save space within the four walls and (if desired) to present the battery vacuum cleaner to guests. There is no need to hide such an expensive and modern device.

But what you really have to say when looking at the individual contents in the scope of delivery: You don’t feel like you’re unpacking a $600 Dyson. The brushes, the suction tube, the floor nozzles: The exact same material quality as the China top models from Dreame, Roborock, Roidmi and so on. Only more operating instructions are included. Either the Chinese have been copying very well for some time, or the individual parts all come from the same factory. Hmm.

The only thing different from the Chinese here is the main element in the typical Dyson design. This looks extremely futuristic, offers with 0.7 l potential filling capacity an above-average large dust chamber (standard 0.4 l) and a permanently installed battery (which is a pity). This main element contains the core of the Dyson V11 Absolute, including the motor and thus suction power. This is where the duel between Great Britain and China is decided.

Design and workmanship

Design is a matter of taste, but I think the Dyson V11 has to be credited with a modern and chic design. The main part, the head of the unit, you just think “typically Dyson”. Here, the British have created their own unique optical feature over decades.

Even if this rather falls into the evaluation of the handling, at this point for once: The V11 Absolute is anything but lightweight. This is primarily due to the 3.0 kg main part. If you move the 128.6 x 26.1 x 25.0 cm battery-operated vacuum cleaner through the four walls for more than ten minutes (including rotation of the floor nozzle in complicated corners), you notice this in the upper arm.

Unlike the Roidmi NEX, for example, the Dyson V11 doesn’t have the feeling of a self-propelled machine pulling its owner behind it. I am not the weakest person, but I can well imagine that some users might have their difficulties with the weight.

I’m not sure if I should be disappointed by the workmanship or if there is more to it than that. Let’s pull the image of the wall mount again for analysis:

Putting the single parts together works as easy and fast as usual. But also here you can find the plastic distortions (heat vs. plastic?) visible in the picture above. They are not really disturbing, of course, but could be a bit negative for other owners.

Of course, we do not need to talk about an existing CE mark here in an internationally operating company. The Dyson V11 Absolute has no LED lights (as we know them from the Roidmi NEX), which have their right to exist in dark corners. Provided that they are not permanently on, as with the Roidmi NEX, and draw battery power.

The Display

No LED lights on the floor nozzle, no problem. After all, we have a color display that can give us pleasure. Besides joy, it primarily offers information. The following data can be tracked on the LC display, which can display in color and also video graphics:

• Real-time battery status display
• Selectable suction modes and active suction mode
• Change filter
• Video instructions, such as how to tighten a filter, etc.
• Error messages (blockage, filter cleaning etc.)

The real-time battery status display is really helpful. How many times have I had the situation that other cordless vacuum cleaners suddenly refused to work because the battery suddenly gave way. If you can foresee this at an early stage, the work schedule can be calculated much better. Error messages are also practical, so that you can understand what the vacuum cleaner is having to deal with and can remedy it in a targeted manner.

It is best to show the display in a picture gallery:

Without wanting to say exactly who has copied whom and where, one can say: The display of the Roborock H6 shows almost the same things, but due to its much smaller size and elongated shape it is graphically not as nicely placed as the Dyson. Of course, a display is luxury for a cordless vacuum cleaner, but if you want one, the V11’s display is absolutely recommendable. It also gives the device that certain something in terms of design.

https://youtu.be/UvkkCjRx3aM

Handling, performance and working time of the Dyson V11 Absolute

After a charging time of just under 4 h, the V11 Absolute is ready for use for a working time of 60 min. There are already some models with a 90 minute battery life, but with a strong suction power you’re also well served with 60 minutes and, depending on the size of the apartment, you’ll get by quickly. The V11 can definitely be used on 150 m², but of course it also depends on the respective conditions.

Use the button below the display to switch between the suction levels Eco, Normal and Boost. Personally, I find the lowest one too weak, the middle one completely sufficient and the highest one much too loud. According to the sound level meter, the individual suction levels have 65, 68 and 74 dB (with ascending suction level). Especially the last mentioned value is too high, the V11 is felt to be the loudest model so far, but with 24.000 pa suction power it also has the current maximum of intake power in the engine.

In order to clean the HEPA filter, it can be easily removed by means of a screw cap, so to speak. Then simply clean it under the sink.

https://youtu.be/O4dB_I4hiLY

The motor works with 125.000 rotations per minute, correspondingly the ground roller at the nozzle is fast moving (rotates up to 60 times per second). I have done dozens of laps, here a small impression:

https://youtu.be/y1XDlNYXJ6c

What always bothers me personally – even though I know that there are different opinions on this: The trigger, the power button, so to speak, must be kept pressed continuously to vacuum. This is standard on all Dyson models, but in my opinion it doesn’t contribute to a more pleasant handling. I think the Roborock H6 is the most sensible solution. You can use the switch to decide whether you want to unlock the trigger or not.

Just because it’s often asked: Like most other models, the vacuum cleaner does not stand on its own, but has to be laid on the floor or leaned against a wall in between (e.g. to put something away). Or it can simply be put into the wall bracket. Still better than a cable vacuum cleaner. 😉

Dust chamber and electric universal brush

There are a few things that set the Dyson V11 Absolute apart from other models, most notably the huge dust chamber with a potential capacity of 0.7 litres. This is also emptied in a special way. This is done by pulling it down when a handle is pulled.

Another special you might have noticed in the scope of delivery: The Torque Drive brush. This is a universal electric brush that supplies the vacuum cleaner with information and thus enables adjustments to the performance. This saves battery power, as the suction power of the Dyson V11 adapts to the degree of dirt on the floor.

The Torque Drive also detects carpets as the floor and automatically increases the suction power. Admittedly, it only worked in about 60% of the countless cleaning cycles.

In general, you can say: Torque Drive for carpets, the other floor roller for hard floors. But with such a suction power, both are normally possible.

Attachments for different applications

For this I have spared no time and effort to create a beautifully labeled graphic, with which the individual essays can be explained. Yes, I spent more time writing the last sentence than I did on the caption. 😉

1. extra hard brush for less sensitive surfaces and surfaces where force can or must be applied
2. crevice nozzle (for grooves, cobwebs, narrow corners)
3. Soft brush for sensitive surfaces/objects
4. retractable combination brush

https://youtu.be/7wQbe4sWE3Q

In addition, we also have the electrically driven mite attachment. This is used for vacuuming and for sucking in house dust mites, which particularly like to make themselves comfortable in textiles and reproduce there unseen.

Since the pollen season has already started and challenges me as an allergy sufferer like every year, I took the chance to free mattress, pillow and blanket from the little beasts. And indeed the (of course emptied before) dust chamber was full of small white particles and other dirt.

Works, I now do this twice a week and notice clearly that I sneeze less and do not have a sudden runny nose before falling asleep. Here, the high suction power on the highest suction level of the V11 Absolute is really practical and advisable, so that the house dust mites have to leave their tents too. It would be desirable to have UV light built into the attachment, which would kill the mites and other dirt at the same time.

https://youtu.be/NiRAdZL80I4

Tip: Always clean the attachment first, otherwise the whole thing is somewhat pointless.

Dyson V11 Absolute comparison to China’s top models

For a long time we had promised you comparison models, now it’s finally time (exciting!). We start with the current number 1 from China, the Roborock H6.

The most striking difference in handling right from the start: With the Roborock vacuum cleaner, the user can choose for himself whether or not he wants to keep the trigger pressed continuously for vacuuming. This can be selected via a small button on the left side of the display. The trigger of the V11 Absolute must be kept pressed continuously, which can be uncomfortable when working for long periods.

I also see the Roborock H6 in front when it comes to handling, especially for people with little strength in their arms. Due to the heavy main element of the Dyson, longer jobs put noticeable strain on the arm and wrist. In terms of volume, the two models don’t give each other much.

The working time of the H6 is longer at each suction stage than that of the V11 Absolute. Especially on the lowest suction stage the difference is given: The working time of the H6 is 90 minutes there, and 60 minutes for the V11. Nevertheless, both are fully sufficient for rooms over 150 m². Of course, this assessment depends somewhat on the conditions in the four walls and the individual use.

Not all suction power is the same

And what does the Dyson do better now, Tim? It wins the race on two of the most important criteria in the evaluation of a cordless vacuum cleaner: it vacuums up more and larger particles and has a much larger dust chamber (0.7 l potential capacity vs. 0.4 l). Whether coffee beans, smaller stones or the usual household dirt: the H6 always left more (though generally less) than its British competitor. How can that be, when both have the same suction power on paper?

As you can easily see from the following table, the V11 Absolute’s display is much more than that of the H6. But you can also see that the Dyson display is very powerful, while that of the Roborock is more practically placed.

In fact, you can do much the same with both displays – and you can also ask yourself whether you need a display at all for a battery vacuum cleaner. The tracking of the selected suction level and battery status can also be controlled in other ways (sliders, LEDs etc.).

This is where Dyson’s decades of experience comes into play and is called “cyclone technology”. A total of 14 cyclones are built into the V11 Absolute and create a vacuum that transports microscopic particles into the dust chamber. This is where so-called centrifugal forces are at work. The firm nylon bristles on the floor nozzle penetrate more into floors or carpets and the roller simply rotates faster than on the H6 or Dreame XR. Here the Dyson engine still has its fingers in the pie.

Displays in comparison

As you can easily see from the following table, the V11 Absolute’s display is much more than that of the H6. But you can also see that the Dyson display is very powerful, while that of the Roborock is more practically placed.

In fact, you can do much the same with both displays – and you can also ask yourself whether you need a display at all for a battery vacuum cleaner. The tracking of the selected suction level and battery status can also be controlled in other ways (sliders, LEDs etc.).

What I miss in both models are the LED lights that switch on automatically when darkness is detected around the floor nozzle. For me this is still a criterion, but so far only the Roidmi models are really good at it.

From my point of view the differences between both models are there, but both have their advantages and disadvantages. And the advantages of the V11 Absolute are (attention, just my opinion) not worth a $200 price difference. But in the end, everyone has to decide that for himself.

Conclusion: Buy Dyson V11 Absolute?

Hand on heart: If we from China Gadgets would say now, that the Dyson V11 Absolute is not good, nobody would believe us. And we can’t and don’t do that either. We just say: We expected much more.

Of course, with a $600 model you assume the maximum. Accordingly, the expectations were higher than in any previous battery vacuum cleaner test. The V11 Absolute has to be credited with a strong suction power and chic design, but also with a very small lead over the best Chinese models.

Be it because China has known for decades how to copy well or because the Chinese are catching up technically, it is impossible to judge. In fact, I expected a clearer result here compared to the Roborock H6. Yes, the lead in vacuum technology is (still?) there, but in my opinion Dyson is losing some ground here. The points mentioned above are definitely not negligible, but from my point of view not worth the $200 price difference.

I understand that you want to own something special and have it at home, but I’m not sure that’s necessarily the case with vacuum cleaners. Personally, I wouldn’t spend more than $250 on a cordless vacuum cleaner, so I’d rather go for brands like Dreame or Jimmy, even if there are differences in quality.

Even if I’m afraid of the Dyson fans now: Can you understand our test result?