Dyson V8 Absolute+ Review

Dyson V8 Absolute+ review: The Dyson V8 vacuum cleaner is two things which the traditional ones are not. One, it is bagless; and two, it is wireless.

One of the lasting memories from my childhood is of a salesman coming home to demonstrate a vacuum cleaner, then a state of the art gadget. One of the lasting pains of my adulthood, however, is the vacuum cleaner I bought a few years back, which has been gathering dust somewhere in the house. Vacuum cleaners might be effective, but in their traditional form they are cumbersome and not that practical. Which is why in many Indian households, they end up with the same fate as my dust sucker.

But then a Dyson could change all that. The Dyson V8 Absolute+ vacuum cleaner is two things which the traditional ones are not. One, it is bagless; and two, it is wireless. So the two hassles, of cleaning the bags which also affects the suction after a point, and of figuring out how to manage the wire wherever you are cleaning, have been swept under the carpet with its stick vacuum cleaner. In fact, it looks more like something out of a Star Wars movies than a prop from Ghost Busters.

Dyson V8 Absolute+ stick vacuum cleaner

The Dyson V8 Absolute+ does not look like a vacuum cleaner. That is because it does not have a bag or a chassis to hold one. Instead it has a motor with a circular bin at the end of it. The bin is made of special plastic and you don’t need to dirty your hands to clean it. It has a click mechanism that unlocks the bottom to release all the dust collected inside.

The Dyson digital motor V8 looks like something out of a nuclear reactor, but is a powerful motor that spins up to 110,000 rpm. So the suction is more powerful than anything we have seen before. In fact, there is a turbo mode where the suction is almost double and works really well for stubborn dirt, the kind we seem to have patented in India.

Also, there are HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filters at the back of the motor, which means the air that is coming out is actually cleaner than what was sucked in. But what really makes the Dyson V8 Absolute+ great for the Indian market is its attention to details. The cyclone motor can suck in fine dust which is the bane of Indian homes from everything from rugs to sofas and you can see the, often scary, results in the transparent bin right away.

Dyson V8 Absolute+ hangs on a wall, where it also charges up for its next call to action. This also means it is in your sight and easy to pick up for the next cleaning job.

The Dyson V8 is a cordless vacuum cleaner. So a single charge of the battery, using a charging cable or a dock that goes on the wall, will give about 40 minutes of cleaning. Unless you are cleaning up for Diwali, that is all you will have the propensity for.

But the real beauty of a cordless device is how practical the vacuum cleaner becomes in the process. In fact, for me, the Dyson V8 is a like a gun with a trigger that does only good things. It actually has a trigger, which is also a good way to conserve power. It hangs on a wall, where it also charges up for its next call to action. This also means it is in your sight and easy to pick up for the next cleaning job — this storage is where a lot of the traditional models have struggled. Also, this form factor means you can take the Dyson V8 to your car and don’t need to invest in another devices for that.

The gun-like design also makes it easy to use. You can lift it up to clean cobwebs and point it at your bookshelf to suck in the dust that’s settling on the Orhan Pamuks and Pico Iyers. Also, with the many attachments you can remove dust from carpets, sofas and under them. The bendable extensions make it easy to do these chores without bending your back more than needed.

Dyson V8 Absolute+ actually has a gun-like trigger, which is also a good way to conserve power.

At the end of the day, the Dyson V8 has been made for a global market. So the one big issue that vacuum cleaners face in India, still remains. We don’t think a floor is clean enough until it has been mopped as well. And Dyson is a very dry cleaner in that context. But India is still not a very carpet heavy society and our dust is more real and in your face. So the Dyson V8’s impressive suction which is more show than tell, could impress a lot of households.

But then the Dyson V8 is a luxury product. With a price point of Rs 39,990, this is not for everyone and a lot of buyers will weigh it against the cheap cost of domestic help in India. However, there will also be those who would see the value this brings to the home and also want the world to see a Dyson V8 hang on their kitchen wall.

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