Dyson’s Cyclone V10 cordless vacuum spells the end for corded cleaning

The Dyson Cyclone V10 cord-free vacuum that Dyson unveiled today at an event in New York is a new milestone for the company’s strong line of battery-powered vacuums. In fact, it spells the end for plug-in models, even for holdouts who’ve been reluctant to ditch their big bulky continuous power versions.

Dyson’s Cyclone V10 has Dyson’s most advanced digital motor yet. In a briefing, Dyson showed me the motor and how it compares to its previous generation version. I’m no electric motor engineer, but I can say that it’s significantly smaller and lighter (made possible using some ceramic in place of metal in its construction) and it’s a something that will blow away the existing models in terms of performance.

Performance is obviously what matters most to end users, and while the enabling technology underneath is interesting to gadget and tech-lovers like me and our beloved audience here, the vacuum’s use in day-to-day cleaning is what makes it a real step change in terms of Dyson’s vacuum advancements.

I’ve used a lot of cordless Dyson machines, but the Cyclone V10 is the first that I’ve come across that has me truly eager and able to ditch my canister vacuum for whole home cleaning purposes. The suction, which is improved around 20 percent compared to the V8 it replaces, is way better, and the bigger bin that’s fit in line with the vacuum’s shaft instead of perpendicular not only holds 40 percent more dirt and dust, but also enables better air flow because air doesn’t have to travel anywhere but in a straight line right down the machine.

The thing’s light, too – it looks like it’s going to be heavier and bulkier than previous versions, but it really doesn’t seem it, and it’s easy to operate for lifting up to ceiling corners and other hard to reach areas.

Battery life is really the killer feature on this vacuum, however – it can operate for up to 60 minutes on a single charge (which takes only 3.5 hours plugged in to achieve). That’s a full hour of cleaning, which h is more than most people need to vacuum their entire place thoroughly. There’s also a super suction mode that’ll delete your charge in under 10 minutes, but that really does the job when you have ground in dirt, for instance. And new to this model, there’s an intermediary stage for when you want to balance power and time.

Dyson’s also done something terrific with the user interface on this machine, putting more info on the battery via simple LEDs. You’ll now see when there’s a blockage, for instance, and also be alerted when the vacuum detects that its single filter needs washing to restore full suction power. It seems like a small detail, but based on my past experience with Dyson’s vacuums, having a clear sign of when you should be cleaning those filters is actually a huge help.

In the box with the Cyclone V10 are a variety of cleaning head options, including two cleaner heads, with one designed for hard floors and the other geared towards carpets. Both feature built-in motors to boost their cleaning power, and the carpet brush also features adjustable ‘gate’-type things that can be raised and lowered to allow larger debris to get sucked up rather than be pushed around.

Dyson’s focused on its portable vacuums with a clarity of purpose that it takes from having basically wound down its attention to plug-in models (also useful since motor and battery tech could apply to its car plans, too, so there’s a unification of purpose), and the advantages of that are clear in the Cyclone V10. It’s proven a terrific vacuum for my two-floor apartment, which has about 1300 square feet, and I’m happy to report the plug-in model I was using hasn’t left the closet since I got it.

The Cyclone V10 is on sale staring at $499 U.S. ($599 in Canada) via Dyson’s website beginning today and will be available in retail starting in April.