Dyson V6 Review

The Dyson V6 scored well throughout the test, but simply lacks the cleaning chops to be a top contender. This also makes it hard to reconcile the price, as less expensive models cleaned significantly better without a ton more hassle.

Performance Comparison

To score stick vacuums and determine which ones reigned supreme, we conducted a series of rigorous, head-to-head tests to find our top models. We conducted over 20 tests, divided among four weighted rating metrics — Carpet Cleaning, Hard Surface Cleaning, Convenience, and Ease of Use — with their weighting based on their importance.

Convenience

Ranking highest in terms of importance, the set of tests that made up our Convenience metric take responsibility for 35% of the total score. We compared how proficient each vacuum was at cleaning the non-floor areas of your home, whether or not it was corded or cordless — correspondingly rating either the maximum reach of the cord or the battery life, the weight of each model, and how it could be scored. The Dyson V6 scored very well, earning a 7 out of 10 and tying for the top spot overall.

This model does very well at cleaning other areas of your home besides your floor, delivering one of the better performances of the entire group. You can use the V6 with the extension for reaching hard to reach places, or without for counters or tables. However, the V6 has significantly fewer included attachments than the V8 or the Shark Rocket, reducing its versatility.

It is very easy to swap attachments in and out, using the locking button system. The V6 is pleasantly light, weighing in at 4.7 lbs, comparing quite favorably with the rest of the group.

This is a cordless vacuum, making it quick to setup and use. Unfortunately, this model didn't have a stellar battery life, lasting for less than 7 minutes on max power.

This model takes about 3 hours to completely recharge. Finally, this vacuum is not stable enough to stand on its own and must be stored in its wall mount.

Hard Surface Cleaning

Moving on to our next set of tests, the Dyson V6 did alright, earning a 5 out of 10 for its overall performance at cleaning hard floors. We based this on the V6's performance at cleaning up oats, flour, cereal, rice, and pet hair.

For the first test — rice clean up — the V6 did a somewhat below average job. This model did collect all of the rice in two passes, but it failed to collect any when pulled over the rice, only effective when being pushed forward over the debris. This was on the normal suction mode. However, the V6's performance underwent a dramatic increase when it came to cleaning up flour. It only took two passes to completely clean the area, even extracting flour up from the cracks between boards. This performance earned the V6 top marks for this test, tying with the V8 and the Rocket.

Unfortunately, this top performance was not sustained into the cereal collection test, with the V6 tying for the worst score of the entire group. The V6 became clogged, failing to pick up the Cheerios at all. This vacuum did bounce back a bit when it came to pet hair, tying for the top spot, but performance again plummeted when it came to sucking up oats. It took multiple passes, failing to efficiently collect the oats, primarily piling them up or spreading them around — in some cases, it even expanded the area of the original mess.

Ease of Use

This metric makes up 20% of the total score, covering how well each vacuum cleaned under furniture, close to walls, the different cleaning modes available to use, how the vacuum was stored, and the level of noise produced. The V6 scored very well, earning an 8 out of 10, tying for the top spot overall with the V8 and the Shark Rocket.

This vacuum has a high and low power mode — a handy feature for conserving battery life when the mess you are cleaning out doesn't warrant maximum cleaning power. The V6 does a great job at cleaning in close to edges, even without a specialized attachment, doing the best job of the bunch.

It performed similarly at cleaning under furniture, tying for the best score of the bunch and reaching the entire distance under our simulated testing sofa.

Although, this was one of the louder vacuums tested.

It can hold two attachments on its mount and has swivel steering.

Carpet Cleaning

The final metric in our testing method — Carpet Cleaning — claims credit for the remaining 15% of the overall score. We again used the same debris from the set of hard surface tests, but used both flat and fluffy carpet as testing surfaces for this round. The Dyson V6 did a good job, but failed to impress, earning a 6 out of 10 for its showing.

The V6 did an acceptable job at collecting rice on the flat carpet, again suffering from the same issue where it failed to pick up rice when pulled over it. The V6 looked like it did a decent job on the fluffy carpet, but the cleanup vacuum immediately began picking up a non-trivial amount of rice when ran after the V6. It did redeem itself a bit in the next test, tying for the top score overall when it came to collecting flour from the low-pile carpet.

For the next test, the V6 gave a poor showing. It again clogged when tasked with collecting Cheerios from the flat carpet. It didn't clog when sucking up the Cheerios from the fluffy carpet --most likely due to the fact that it barely collected anything. However, it did redeem itself in the final two tests. The V6 tied for the top position when it came to collecting pet hair, as well as meriting the runner-up position for oat collection.

Value

The V6 isn't a great value, offering medium cleaning power at a premium price.

Conclusion