On a list of most hated tasks in my house, vacuuming comes second to ironing. While there are tricks to get around the ironing situation that don’t involve accepting that you’ll always look like you slept in your clothes, the vacuuming situation is a little more difficult.
It’s just the sheer inconvenience of it all. You have to drag a vacuum cleaner around the house behind you and, if it’s just for small jobs, it just doesn’t seem worth the hassle. To try to get around this, I’ve gone through several mini cleaners (we’ll leave brand names out of this) and while they’ve done a passable job, not one has threatened the existence of the full size vacuum that lurked in the cupboard.
That was until a couple of years ago, when Dyson began bringing out its own cordless cleaner. The latest version is the V6, split into different models that include the curiously names Fluffy and the high-promising Absolute.
The V6 Absolute is designed for not only hard floors, but carpets, too, and it comes with an array of tools to make sure it does the job. There is a specific hard floor tool that will tackle the dust and debris that can accumulate easily, along with the usual mini motorised tool and crevice cleaners.
On the inside is Dyson’s V6 digital motor. For the size of the device, the motor packs a punch. Team that with the compact size and you have a very versatile cleaner.
THE GOOD
On the performance side of things, the V6 Absolute can stand up beside the full size vacuum cleaner. It tackles everything from hardwood floors – and those annoying gaps that trap all sorts of grit and dirt – to carpets and the dust they can trap. Because it is so portable, it is perfect for tackling awkward jobs like stairs and the cobwebs that manage to appear in corners of your ceiling overnight.
Yes, the bin is small, but it is easy to empty. Push a button while holding it over the bin and it will dispense with the dirt quickly.
While the Absolute is similar to what Dyson has released before, there are two important differences. The first is in the more efficient direct drive brush head, which will dispense with all but the most stubborn dirt around your home and claims to be 150 per cent more powerful that the version that comes with the V6 Animal cleaner; the second is the post motor filter. If you have used a Dyson cordless cleaner before, you know all about the filter – the one you have to pop out on a regular basis and give it a rinse to make sure the cleaner stays at its peak performance. The Absolute adds a second post motor filter that will clean the air the V6 is putting out as well. That means less dust being pumped back into your home.
THE NOT SO GOOD
The V6 Absolute, like the rest of the Dyson range, is designed not to lose suction, even when the battery is running low. That’s great when you are trying to whizz around rooms for a quick tidy, but the problem is you won’t know that the battery is running low until it’s almost too late. Then you’ll get the flashing blue light followed shortly by a shutdown. It’s not the biggest flaw in the world, considering the battery lasts about 20 minutes on the normal mode (about six minutes on the high powered max mode) depending on what tools you have attached, so you can guess when you are pushing the limits of the battery. It still managed to tackle the bottom floor of my home, which is an average three-bed. It takes a few hours to fully charge; it also comes with a dock you can attach to the wall and charge the device when it is not in use.
THE REST
The washable filters mean you have one thing fewer to replace – although you have to remember to do it on a regular basis. The V6 Absolute also works just as well as a mini cleaner for the car or to tackle small jobs. At just over 2kg, it’s light enough to carry easily.
VERDICT
HHHH The Absolute may be pricey but it lives up to its promises. Could it replace your regular vacuum cleaner? It depends on the size of your home, although if you don’t mind tackling your cleaning in two blocks, it could easily do the job for most homes.
