Dyson V15 Detect+ cordless stick vacuum cleaner review – The best one yet.

REVIEW – There’s an old saying that says, “The more things stay the same, the more they change.” Wait—that’s backward. No matter, because it applies where Dyson is concerned. Their line of cordless stick vacuum cleaners has revolutionized the market. It seems everyone is now copying what Dyson began. Years ago, we bought a Dyson upright—a beast of a machine that we still use on our back porch carpet. Later, we graduated to a Cyclone V10 Absolute stick vacuum and never looked back. Since then, Dyson has released a few upgrades, which leads us to the newest—the Dyson V15 Detect+ cordless stick vacuum. At first glance, it looks a lot like our older V10, but oh, it’s so much more than that. 

What is it?

The V15 Detect+ cordless stick vacuum cleaner is the latest in a long line of Dyson stick vacuums. It’s battery-operated, making it much easier to vacuum a house with no cord restrictions. Even though it’s cordless, it has the power of most corded vacuums. The battery will last up to 60 minutes (on Eco mode) and is now (finally) swappable, so you can continue vacuuming longer with an optional extra battery. There is also a slew of accessories I’ll get into later in this review.

What’s in the box

• Vacuum cleaner main unit
• High torque cleaner head
• Laser Slim Fluffy head
• Hair screw tool
• Combi-crevice tool
• Stubborn Dirt brush
• Mini soft dusting brush
• Combination tool
• Wand clip
• Low-reach adapter
• Docking station
• Charger

Specs

• Weight: 6.8 lbs
• Charge time: 4.5 hrs
• Bin volume: 0.2 gallon
• Run time (Eco mode): 60 mins
• Cyclone technology: 14 concentric array cyclones
• HEPA filter

Design and features

As I said, the V15 Detect+ looks much like other Dyson stick vacuums, but that’s where the similarity ends. This is a different animal—more useful and dare I say, more fun to use. It feels balanced in your hand—easy to maneuver whether vacuuming the floor or upper walls where spider webs can accumulate. 

The motor—Dyson calls it the Hyperdymium motor—spins up to 125,000rpm. In other words, it sucks (I couldn’t resist). All I know is that when we are done vacuuming, there is a lot of dust and hair to empty from the bin.

Dyson has always made interesting-looking and sometimes beautiful products. While I wouldn’t call the V15 beautiful, it does exude a cool, industrial vibe. The 14 gold-colored cyclone chambers along with the bright, transparent teal HEPA filter cover and red accessory tool connectors say, “Use me.” 

The handle is comfortable to hold while vacuuming. It fits perfectly in your hand with its trigger-action power button. The V15 runs when the trigger is pulled and stops when released. This helps prevent battery waste when not actually vacuuming.

The V15 Detect+ includes a full-color LED screen that displays battery life, what mode you’re using, and preferences. In Auto mode, a built-in piezo sensor sizes and counts dust particles and automatically adjusts suction power as needed. It then displays real-time information of how much has been sucked up on the LED screen as you vacuum. While it’s pretty amazing that the V15 can count dust, it wasn’t long before I stopped caring and concentrated on how much battery time I had left.

While the V15 is counting all that dust, its built-in filtration traps 99.99% of fine dust as small as 0.3 microns. Plus a new, upgraded HEPA post-motor filter traps additional microscopic particles as small as 0.1 microns, which means that almost all the air expelled from the vacuum, is as clean as can be. My allergy-suffering wife really appreciates this feature. 

There are almost too many attachments that come with the V15. Here is a list with thoughts on each.

High torque cleaner head – This is the main vacuum head. It’s perfect for carpet cleaning. We have two dogs and they shed. Our house is all tile, but we have a large rug in the living room that gets vacuumed almost every day. The V15 vacuums so well, that the bin will fill up just from the rug—every 24 hours. It’s amazing—and disgusting. We don’t use the head on the tile (it’s not recommended for hard floors) because the brushes spin so fast, that debris can be swept through the head before it can be sucked up. Dyson makes a different head for hard floors—the Laser Slim Fluffy head.

Laser Slim Fluffy head – Hard floors benefit more from a soft head that sweeps as it spins while vacuuming. Dyson has now included a feature that both infuriates my wife and has her addicted to the V15 Detect+. They added a laser at the end of the attachment that shines a bright green light across the floor as you vacuum. My wife—a clean freak and a germaphobe—is constantly vacuuming and steam-mopping the floors. Our shedding dogs don’t help matters. That laser light is amazing. It sees everything. Every time my wife vacuums using the fluffy head, she can’t stop commenting how much she hates it—as she vacuums until the laser shows nothing left. The Laser Slim Fluffy head is such a cool feature that I’m sure it will be only a matter of time before it shows up on other vacuum cleaners.

Note: The Laser Slim Fluffy head roller is removable and washable. this head also works perfectly on our older V10. It can be purchased separately as a replacement part but is currently sold out. However, I make no guarantees it will work on your Dyson.

Hair screw tool – Think of this as a mini-torque cleaner head. Don’t let its weird conical shape fool you, this tool is great at vacuuming sofa and seat cushions—and its tangle-free brush picks up lots of hair without jamming from hair wrapping around the brush.   

Combi-crevice tool – This is just what it looks like—a crevice tool with a removable brush on the end. I don’t use the brush part of the tool very much preferring just the crevice tool by itself.

Stubborn Dirt Brush – The bristles on this tool are stiffer which makes it useful for vacuuming car mats and carpet. It’s good for loosening ground in dirt or dried mud while sucking it up.

Mini soft dusting brush – This is great for vacuuming keyboards, sensitive electronics, and anything else that needs dusting more than hard vacuuming. 

Combination tool – I don’t get this tool. Many vacuum cleaners include a tool like this and I’ve yet to see its advantage over just a brush or crevice tool

Built-in dusting and crevice tool – This is a hidden tool. Detach the wand (shaft) by pressing the red button and it reveals a crevice/brush tool stored inside. It’s a clever design that over time became extremely handy.

Wand clip – This tool clips to the main shaft of the vacuum and holds two tools you might need often, like the crevice and brush tools. Note that some of the larger attachment tools won’t fit on the clip. Also, it doesn’t clip on that tightly. I’ve knocked it off a few times bumping into furniture.

Low-reach adapter – This tool allows you to vacuum under a chair or couch without bending down. It bends backward at any angle you need for the V15 to reach under furniture. It will also lock into a straight position for regular vacuuming. 

Docking station – I never attached our V10 to the wall using the included docking station. It just sits on a shelf ready to use. This time I decided to use the wall-mounted docking station for the V15. Even after correctly attaching the station, it still doesn’t feel all that secure. I keep wondering if it will pull out of the wall since it has a 7 lb. Cleaner hanging from it. The good news is that the V15 charges while it’s attached to the station, so you always have a fully charged vacuum cleaner ready to use. 

Charger – Finally, Dyson’s battery is removable! If you have a large house or a lot of carpet, vacuum time can be doubled with one battery charging while the other is in use. The battery connection is solid and tight. Dyson batteries run full power with no fading until drained, so the V15 will never lose suction while in use.

Vacuuming with the V15 Detect+ is simple and smooth. The head easily swivels around furniture legs and stays straight when you want it to. Attachments are intuitive and easy to swap. There’s no time wasted trying to figure out how anything fits or how to use a tool. Dyson is all about design and it shows in ease of use. Most of the parts are plastic, but it feels well made and everything connects perfectly.

We are able to vacuum our 2300 sq. ft. house in about 30 minutes using Auto mode without draining the battery. Keep in mind this is on tile flooring. A carpeted house will take longer and usually require a higher setting resulting in shorter battery life.

What I like

• The Laser Slim Fluffy Head is wonderful
• Powerful motor
• Parts are solidly built and fit together perfectly
• HEPA filter makes it even better at dust-free vacuuming
• Loads of attachments

What I’d change

• Quite expensive
• Wall mount docking station doesn’t feel securely mounted to the wall

Final Thoughts

I said earlier that the V15 Detect+ is almost fun to use. It does such a good job at vacuuming that it almost justifies its high price tag. I’ve always thought that Dyson charges too much for their products. But, as I write this review, they are sold out of the V15, so Dyson can obviously charge what they want. Then there’s that laser. Without that, the V15 is a very good vacuum cleaner. With the laser, it’s freaking awesome—even if my wife won’t admit it.

Price: $749.99 US
Where to buy: Dyson and you can find their vacuums on Amazon (not the V15+ yet tho)
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Dyson.