Verdict

Pros

Cons

What is the Dyson V6 Absolute?

Building on the strengths of the main Dyson V6 handheld bagless vacuum unit, the V6 Absolute tops Dyson’s cordless cleaner range with even better dust filtration and a raft of accessories to cover just about any vacuuming task.

It packs plenty of suck in standard or the shorter duration max power mode and comes with a large direct-drive motorised turbobrush head for carpets, a dedicated hard floor head, a mini motorised head for stairs and upholstery, and an extension tube to get to those hard to reach cobwebs.

Rechargeable, wall docking and easy to empty, this V6 aims to be Dyson’s absolute best cordless cleaner.

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Dyson V6 Absolute – Accessories

Dyson’s packaging department must be nearly as clever as its engineers, as the small V6 Absolute box belies the host of tools and accessories supplied with this range topping cordless cleaner.

Like other V6 models, the convenient clip-in wall-mounted docking station, built-in lightweight battery and easy-to-empty 0.4-litre dustbin are all well-designed and easy to use. Run time is claimed at 20 minutes on normal power and 6 minutes on max power, activated by a button at the rear of the handheld unit, on a three and half hour charge.

The max power button lights up to remind you that you are in max power mode, just in case you missed the additional suction power and very high-speed/high pitched motor noise.

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On other V6 models you would also notice the exhaust air being pushed out of the back of the cleaner, somewhat like a hairdryer in this mode. Not so the Absolute. This model has been fitted with an additional exhaust filter at the back, claimed to capture particles as small as three microns, which nicely diffuses the exhaust airflow.

By filtering almost all dust particles and most household bacteria (which are around three microns in size), Dyson claims that the air that leaves the back of the V6 Absolute is actually cleaner than the air in the room.

This extra filter also makes the V6 Absolute ideal for cleaning mattresses and bed sheets, as it can suck up dead skin cells – the stuff dust mites like to eat – and the dust mite faeces that can cause skin irritation. The upcoming Dyson V6 Mattress, which is specially designed for this task, is based on the same filter as the V6 Absolute.

Both this exhaust filter and the main filter, housed in the centre of the cyclone, are washable to eliminate any ongoing consumable costs. Dyson recommends a monthly filter clean schedule for peak performance.

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You won’t be left wanting for cleaning tools with the V6 Absolute, either. The main floorhead, to be used on the funky metallic pinky-purple coloured extension tube, is Dyson’s direct-drive turbobrush head.

With a larger bar than in other V6 models, this motorised turbobrush has a fully articulating neck and features a combination of stiff nylon bristles for agitating carpets and picking up larger dirt debris as well as rows of carbon-fibre filaments to pick up fine dust particles.

The motor is housed inside the brush-bar for belt-free drive and the bar itself can be removed with two coin-turn clips for tool-free cleaning.

While Dyson suggests the direct-drive head is great for both carpets and had floors, the dedicated hard floor tool supplied with the Absolute is our weapon of choice for tiles, parquet and laminates.

This lightweight head runs on plastic blades that help to seal the airflow and pull debris from cracks and crevices. The ‘max’ setting on the head engages a second row of blades, further increasing the seal and suction, although on really smooth floors this made the head clamp to the surface like a limpet.

If the main direct-drive head is a little too large for smaller carpet jobs, no problem. The V6 Absolute also comes with the range’s motorised mini turbobrush head, ideal for steps, stairs and smaller cleaning tasks like the sofa.

For even smaller detail cleaning jobs, a combined standard nozzle/dusting brush and long crevice tool are supplied too. All of the tools can be used on the handheld unit or on the extension tube and, as we have come to expect from Dyson, everything clips together easily.

The only thing you don’t get with the V6 Absolute is the clever ‘Fluffy’ hard floor cleaning head from the V6 Fluffy. This arguably makes that the better choice if you have lots of hard floors, though it lacks the extra filter that the Absolute includes.

Dyson V6 Absolute – Battery Life

The V6 series, including the Absolute tested here, uses a built-in single battery.

This reduces weight in the hand and keeps things simple, but also means you have just one charge-worth of cleaning before needing a three to three and half hour re-charge.

The trigger on/off switch means you tend to switch-off while moving between areas, but is Dyson’s claimed 20-minute run-time (14 minutes with power-tools) or the six-minute max power mode enough?

If anything, Dyson is a little conservative in its run-time claims and we managed over 21 minutes using just the crevice and brush tool, dropping to a reasonable seven minutes in max power mode.

In standard mode using the direct-drive turbohead, the Absolute gave us nearly 16 minutes of cleaning time.

Now that doesn’t sound a lot but, without wishing to blow smoke up Dyson’s crevice nozzle, when a cordless cleaner delivers this much suction you don’t need a lot of time. Moreover the trigger switch mechanism means you won’t have it running when moving from area to area or moving furniture to clean behind, so its run time is all genuine cleaning time.

It’s still no endurance cleaning machine, of course, but if you can adopt the cordless ‘little and often’ cleaning methodology, we found it ample.