Dyson Cyclone V10 Absolute Vacuum Review

We purchased the Dyson Cyclone V10 Absolute Vacuum so our reviewer could put it to the test on her hardwood, ceramic, and carpeted floors. Keep reading for our full product review.

Dyson consistently ranks as one of the best household vacuum brands—no matter who you ask. The company’s cordless stick vacuums (and other household appliances) are notoriously well-designed and have all the latest features and futuristic tech advances. The Dyson Cyclone V10 Absolute cordless stick vacuum cleaner is the perfect example of Dyson’s cutting-edge innovation and design. 

While it's not the newest model in the Dyson Cyclone lineup (the Cyclone V11 launched in March 2019), it’s remained highly rated as a household must-have (as has the previous model, the Dyson V8). As you would expect, the V10 is light, powerful, and easy to use. It makes vacuuming feel less like a chore, even in my three-bedroom home with a husband, toddler, and a dog. Of course, it’s also expensive compared to other handheld and corded vacuums, so before you go ahead and treat yourself, read the rest of our review and see how it measures up.

Setup Process: Everything clicks into place

Like a new smartphone or gaming console, unboxing and setting up the Dyson Cyclone V10 Absolute is actually kind of fun. Yes, you read that right. Dyson makes attractive vacuums, and when our box arrived, we couldn’t wait to put it together, test its features, and explore the functionality. It definitely doesn’t feel like the kind of vacuum your grandma would own, but it sure cleans like one. 

The V10 has a long wand and includes seven attachments: a torque drive cleaner head, soft roller cleaner head, mini motorized tool, mini soft dusting brush, combination tool, crevice tool, and docking station. Assembling the Dyson V10 was super easy since all of the attachments and pieces click in and out of place with ease. After we carefully read the operating manual and safety instructions and fully charged the battery before use (which takes approximately three hours), we were ready to vacuum. 

Even the drop-in docking wall mount, which required screws and measuring tape, was painless for us to set up and added huge value to the vacuum system as a whole. It acts as a two-in-one compact tool storage solution and charging dock, and it matches the design of the rest of the vacuum. The only issue we had with the dock was choosing a place in our home to hang it that was within reach of an outlet but also tucked away. Even if it’s as beautifully designed as a Dyson, nobody wants to stare at a vacuum all day long!

Design: Versatile and good-looking, just as you’d expect

If there’s one reason to shell out the big bucks for a Dyson cordless stick vacuum like the V10, it’s for its unique design and high-tech features. The fully cord-free V10 is available in blue, copper, and black. It has Dyson’s signature cyclone motor; the brand says that the 14 concentric array cyclones generate “forces of more than 79,000g” to pull dirt and debris into the bin. 

There are three power modes—1, 2, and Boost—all operated via a soft-touch trigger. Although the soft-touch trigger was designed to save battery power, we would have preferred a lock-on button. It’s a little annoying to have to press the trigger the entire time you clean, and it’s easy to accidentally let go.

The filtration system traps bacteria so that it expels clean air no matter what you’re sucking up through the nozzle. Engineered to absorb vibrations and keep sound levels down, this vacuum was quieter than any we’d ever used. 

We love how compact this Dyson is, at about 49 inches long and just 5.9 pounds; it’s slimmer, lighter, and more balanced than any other stick vacuum we’ve tried and made dusting and reaching high and awkward spaces (like under the sofa!) super easy. It’s also very versatile, easily changing it to a handheld vacuum cleaner with the click of a button. We used ours many times to clean up after our toddler in the back of the car, in his car seat, and in his stroller. We never had to fumble with bags, cords, or a heavy vacuum.

Unlike previous models, the V10’s motor, bin, and cyclone are aligned. According to the Dyson website, this straight line gives the vacuum 20 percent more suction power than the V8.

The “point-and-shoot” emptying bin makes for a more hygienic cleanup experience. We found that we never had to get our hands dirty when emptying the bin. When we pulled the latch, the dust, and dirt in the bin kind of just flew out of the vacuum into the garbage. 

Cleaning Performance: Powerful suction with all the right accessories 

We’ll be the first to admit that as much hype as Dyson vacuums get, they aren’t necessarily lauded for their power and suction abilities. When it comes to real, deep cleaning and consistently high power, most people still reach for corded vacuums. But Dyson seems to have addressed these concerns with the power and suction abilities of the V10. Plus, we don’t have a huge space or a ton of high-pile carpeting, so the power of the V10 was more than enough to keep up with the dust and dirt from our household. 

The vacuum head we used most during our trial was the Torque drive cleaner head. We like it because it works on all surfaces and has a motor within the brush that deploys extra power to dislodge stubborn debris, like pet hair, from carpets. Our second favorite accessory was the Soft roller cleaner head. It has soft woven nylon and anti-static carbon fiber and worked perfectly to collect dust, dirt, and stray cheerios from our hardwood and ceramic floors. 

Battery Life: Depends on the mode

As with any cord-free stick vacuum, we were curious to see how the Dyson V10 would perform in terms of battery. The device has a seven-cell, nickel-cobalt-aluminum battery. How long it lasts depends on which power mode and which attachment you use. 

If you’re not running on Boost mode with a motorized head, you can get a lot of run time out of one charge—up to 60 minutes on low power mode. You really can’t beat that with any other cordless vacuum. On low power mode, the Soft roller cleaner head gave us up to 40 minutes of run time, which was awesome for a quick clean before guests would arrive or after a long day. 

We were disappointed that the vacuum realistically ran for less than 10 minutes on Boost mode with one of the motorized heads, though. And no, there is no option with the Dyson V10 to swap out the battery or run the vacuum while plugged into power. 

Since we had the hang-up docking station and aren’t really “clean the whole house at once” type of people, the run time didn’t bother us, but the battery life is something you should think about before you invest in this item.

Price: Very high and might not be for everyone

At just under $600, the Dyson Cyclone V10 Absolute is one of the most expensive vacuums money can buy. That said, depending on your needs, the hefty price tag can definitely be worth it. We saw so much value in the Dyson V10’s power, design, functionality, and versatility and felt it was perfectly suited for our household and therefore well worth the price. However, if you want a vacuum that you can use to deep clean your carpets for three hours on a Sunday afternoon, look elsewhere. Also, not unlike other household tools, keep in mind that the Dyson brand name and sleek design features are reflected in the price.

Competition: A newer model, and a cheaper alternative

Dyson Cyclone V11: Choosing between the V10 and Dyson’s latest Cyclone model, the V11 (view on Amazon), is kind of like choosing your favorite child: nearly impossible. They have very similar power and design except that the V11 is longer and almost a full pound heavier (which you will notice after vacuuming for 20 minutes) and has an added digital screen that shows the current cleaning mode and remaining battery life. Most importantly (to us) the V10 includes that soft hard floor cleaning head, where the 11 doesn’t so we think the V10 has the same, if not more, value, and we’d stick with it over the new V11 model.

Hoover LiNX Cordless Stick Vacuum Cleaner: For a lot less money, you can get a comparable cordless stick vacuum from a well-known brand: The Hoover LiNX (view on Amazon). It’s heavier (10 pounds), doesn’t come with a variety of heads, and doesn’t have the same level of suction as the Dyson V10—but it has a good run time, a changeable battery, and it won’t break the bank. We would choose the Hoover LiNX over the Dyson only if we owned other vacuums that could make up for its lack of versatility.