Dyson V6 vs. V7 vs. V8 vs. V10 vs. V11 vs. V15 Stick Vacuums

Dyson has shifted its focus from creating top-of-the-line uprights to creating top-of-the-line stick vacuum cleaners. As a rule of thumb, anything sporting the Dyson name is worth getting, but with so many Dyson stick vacs to choose from, which of them belongs in your hands? Read our comparative review of these Dyson stick vacuums below to determine which of them to take home with you.

Dyson V6 Animal

If you couldn’t tell from its name, the Dyson V6 Animal is a pet-oriented stick vac. This model offers both a highly efficient filter and powerful suction power to remove and retain pet hair and other common allergens, but the glaring downside of this stick vac is its unsatisfying 20-minute runtime.

The Dyson V6 Animal is among some of the more costly cordless stick vacuums on the market, which is typical since this is a Dyson-made tool, after all. However, it boasts a heavy-duty V6 motor that delivers maximum cleaning power on all floor types, leaving your floors absolutely spotless after just one or two quick passes. It also has a Boost Mode that cranks suction power to the max for cleaning high-pile carpets and area rugs.

Like every other Dyson stick vac out there, the V6 Animal can convert into a handheld unit for spot-cleaning above-floor surfaces. It comes with an assortment of cleaning tools, the most prominent of which is a motorized mini tool to extract pet hair from upholstery and auto interior. You can even attach any of the cleaning tools onto the extension wand to enhance your cleaning range.

But as noted earlier, the V6 Animal only runs for 20 minutes at most, after which it’ll need to recharge for upwards of two hours. Users pointed out that while it’s a beast of a vacuum cleaner, its limited runtime is a major source of annoyance.

Dyson V7 Allergy

Again, the name of this stick vacuum pretty much sums up what it can do. The Dyson V7 Allergy is designed to suction up common allergens like dust, dust mites and their waste, pollen, and dander. It does this by passing air and suctioned-up debris through a True HEPA Filter, which traps up to 99.97% of particles as tiny as 0.3 microns in size. Built with 15 radial cyclones, the V7 Allergy offers multi-tier filtration to ensure that nothing comes shooting out of the exhaust.

It’s an excellent 2-in-1 stick vac that converts into a handheld unit, and it comes with multiple cleaning spot-cleaning tools for upholstery, stairs, and auto interior. A single charge supplies up to 30 minutes of cleaning time, which isn’t bad considering the V6 Animal is limited to just 20.

Now, while this unit is a clear-cut winner when compared to many non-Dyson models, it’s still far from perfect. It excels at cleaning carpets thanks to the beater brush, but the motor may prove inefficient to remove dust from between tiles and hardwood floors. But considering in which areas this unit shines—compact design, convertibility, and excellent runtime for a stick vac—the V7 Allergy is certainly worth considering.

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Dyson V8 Animal

The Dyson V8 is another pet-friendly stick vac that supplies heightened beater brush power compared to its predecessors. It has a maximum runtime of 30 minutes on its lowest setting, and if you crank it to MAX Mode, cut that number by three but also increase its suction power by quite a lot—more than enough to extract debris from shaggy area rugs. To get started, you’ll have to charge the battery for five hours before it reaches max capacity.

Built with 15 cyclones, the V8 Animal separates fine from large debris, ensuring the washable filter never gets clogged during intense cleaning sessions. The incredibly lightweight build of this cordless stick vacuum allows you to lift the unit and clean drapes, ceilings, and tight spaces with relative ease.

The biggest gripe anyone has with the V8 Animal is that the dustbin is too small. The limited capacity might’ve worked well for other low-runtime stick vacs, but for this one that can clean for half an hour nonstop, we wish it were packing a larger dustbin. But the silver lining is that it’s easy to remove the contents and rinse clean.

What makes this pet-oriented stick vac better than the V6 Animal is that it comes with a washable HEPA Filter. This means two things: low recurring costs, and enhanced allergen removal performance. Another thing that you’ll love is the wide assortment of cleaning tools that comes with this stick vac.

Dyson Cyclone V10

The Dyson Cyclone V10 comes with a wide range of technological advancements as opposed to the V6, V7, and V8 models. But it all boils down to the V10 digital motor—an impressive piece of technology that spins at a rate of 125,000 RPM, which is about 20% faster than the older V8 models.

But Dyson didn’t stop there. The V10 has a front-facing barrel where all of your cleaning accessories are connected. Behind it is a 14-chamber array of cyclones that enhance filtration performance to prevent large debris from getting in the filter’s way. Speaking of which, the filter is stuffed into the back end of the motor house, and a simple left twist allows you to pull it out in one swift motion. The new and improved design offers about 30% increased suction power compared to its predecessors.

A lot of the guesswork regarding maintenance has been done away with, thanks to the LED control panel. Everything you need to know about the V10 Animal, you can read see directly from the digital readout. This includes knowing when the filter is either needs a quick rinse and drying, or whether it’s at the end of its lifespan.

The dustbin is also a generous 40% larger than that of the V8’s and is redesigned to make emptying out quicker and less messy. Simply detach the dustbin, point it at a trash bag, and press the button to release the latch and dump the suctioned contents out. However, due to the front-barrel design of the V10, you’ll have to detach the cleaning tool before this point-and-shoot system can work.

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Dyson V11 Torque Drive

If you thought the improvements in the V10 were amazing, you haven’t seen nothing yet. The V11 Torque Drive is a 2019 release, which boasts an even more powerful motor. While it runs at 125,000 RPM—the same as the V10—it comes with a triple diffuser, which, without getting too technical, enhances spinning efficiency and produces less heat over time.

The result is a more efficient motor that doesn’t overheat as quickly is enhanced airflow and noise reduction. Dyson claims that the V11 is 20% more powerful than the V10 while generating equal noise output. On its Boost Mode, you’re looking at roughly 80 dBA, and 70 dBA on its Eco Mode. Granted, neither of these cleaning modes is whisper-quiet, but at least you get awesome cleaning power for your troubles.

At the end of the motor house, you’ll find an LCD screen where you scroll between the three cleaning modes (Eco, Auto, and Boost). The three modes offer different runtimes, but on Eco Mode, you can squeeze about an entire hour of cleaning per three hours of charging. The digital display also alerts you when the filter needs a wash or whether you need to replace it entirely. There’s also a built-in pressure sensor that will alert you whether there’s a block in the vacuum tube.

With the V11 Torque Drive, you’ll receive multiple brush heads and cleaning tools, and a wall hanger and bracket to place the accessories (no room for the tools). When it comes to spot-cleaning, you’ll fall in love with the mini motorized brush as much as we did.

Dyson Stick Vacuum Comparison Table

Dyson	Dyson V7 Motorhead	Dyson V8 Animal	Dyson V10 Motorhead	Dyson V11 Animal	Dyson V11 Torque Drive
Run time	Up to 30 minutes¹	Up to 40 minutes¹	Up to 60 minutes¹	Up to 60 minutes¹	Up to 60 minutes¹
Bin size	0.14 gallons	0.14 gallons	0.14 gallons	0.20 gallons	0.20 gallons
Suction	Powerful suction	More powerful suction than the Dyson V7™	+20% more suction than the Dyson V8™	+40% more suction than the Dyson V8™	+40% more suction than the Dyson V8™
Modes	Powerful suction mode, MAX mode	Powerful suction mode, MAX mode	Suction mode 1, Suction mode 2, Boost mode	Intelligent Auto Mode, Eco Mode, Boost Mode	Intelligent Auto Mode, Eco Mode, Boost Mode
Cleaner head	Direct Drive	Direct Drive	Direct Drive	High Torque with Dyson DLS	High Torque with Dyson DLS
Extra tools	2	4	2	4	5
LCD digital display	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	Yes
For homes with pets	n/a	Yes	n/a	Yes	Yes
Whole-machine filtration	n/a	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Price	Check Price	Check Price	Check Price	Check Price	Check Price

¹Actual run time will vary based on power mode and/or attachments used.

Dyson V15 Detect

The Dyson V15 has to be one of the most extraordinary cordless stick vacuums on the market. Not only does it feature a beefier motor, but the LCD controls offer much more than just maintenance alerts and remaining battery life. Like the V11 Torque Drive, it has awesome battery life, but on Boost Mode, you’re looking at roughly one-eighth the maximum runtime per charge.

Dyson claims that this unit can run for 60 minutes nonstop on its Eco Mode, but by customer estimates, the figure is much lower. On Boost Mode, you’re only getting about eight minutes of runtime per three hours of charging. One huge benefit of this tool is that you can swap out batteries if you have a spare V11 battery pack on hand (sold separately).

Now, let’s focus on the tech stuff because that’s where it gets interesting. The Dyson V15 LCD control panel doesn’t just let you scroll between different cleaning modes and alert you how much battery is left. There’s also a handy particle gauge that measures how much debris the tool has suctioned. This gives lets users know which parts of their floors are still saturated with debris and require extra effort in cleaning.

Lastly, we want to talk about the Laser Slim Fluffy floorhead. It shoots out a green laser diode that illuminates hard floors to make particles more visible. It works by casting a shadow against larger bits of debris.

If you have any questions or comments, please add them below in the comment section. Similarly, please let us know if you spot any mistakes or omissions. Thanks!

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Last Update: 2024-04-23 | Affiliate links/Images from Amazon Product Advertising API