Make Vacuuming Enjoyable with Dyson V8 Absolute

Dyson V8 Absolute mounted in a small closet.
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I recently wrote a review on the differences between the various Dyson Stick vacuum cleaners (V7, V8, V10, V11). Since the Dyson vacuum cleaners are not cheap, I extensively researched Dyson vacuums to determine which Dyson model best fits my needs. I determined the Dyson V8 Absolute would be fit my needs because it comes with the HEPA filter, easy dust bin emptying, and both hardwood and carpet attachments. And when the Dyson V8 Absolute was priced new at $249.99 before tax with free shipping, I decided that would be a good price and a great present for the house for Christmas. Surprisingly, I was excited when the Dyson package arrived and immediately used it after a full night charge.

Wireless Vacuuming

I can't stress what an amazing revolution this has been for me. I usually hate vacuuming around the house, mainly because it's a chore. But now that I've used the Dyson stick vacuum, I think the real chore of traditional vacuum cleaners was:

  1. Hauling the large heavy vacuum out from the closet
  2. Unwinding the power cable
  3. Locating an un-occupied power outlet (potentially unplugging something)
  4. Vacuuming
  5. Unplugging the vacuum from the power outlet (and replacing anything that may have been unplugged)
  6. Dragging the heavy vacuum to the next room
  7. Repeat steps 3-5 for every room
  8. Rewinding the power cable

With a Dyson stick vacuum, it's so much easier. It can be easily operated with one hand. And there are some many less steps:

  1. Unlatch Dyson vacuum off the wall
  2. Attach desire attachment
  3. Start vacuuming as many room as necessary
  4. Empty dust bin into the trash
  5. Attach back to wall

Due to the convenience of the Dyson V8 Absolute, I've used it all the time to clean up dust around the house. I search out hidden areas I may have missed so I have an excuse to use the Dyson stick vacuum. It also makes me wonder if purchasing a wireless lawn mower will be enough to do my own home gardening.

Quiet Operation, Powerful Suction

The next largest surprise is the quiet operation.

Compared to an old Dirt Devil vacuum that I bought 10+ years ago, this thing is so quiet. The old vacuum was so loud that we purchased a pair of earmuffs to dampen the the noise. With the Dyson V8 Absolute, I have no reason to use the earmuffs anymore. With this Dyson V8, I have no concerns about the noise.

And despite the lower noise, I'm surprised how powerful the suction is when using both powered and non-powered attachments. We also have a simple corded handheld vacuum cleaner that we use for edges and bugs, but this Dyson V8 is more powerful, plus it's wireless.

Well Designed Product

The Dyson attachments are very well designed. Again comparing to my 10+ year old vacuum, the Dyson is well designed. When using my old vacuum cleaner, taking the attachment was always a bit challenging. I would have to attach the two parts together, then make a very tight twist so the plastic pieces would lock together. The Dyson designed it so the attachments simply snaps on. To release, press the large red button and the attachment easily detaches. And the range of attachments are perfect and well thought out to clean every part of my house. Both the direct drive cleaner head and soft roller head are fairly low profile, so it can slide into areas I couldn't previously reach.

Then there's the wall mount for the Dyson. We decided to mount it inside the closet much lower than they recommended. This means I'd have to detach the long metal pipe before docking the Dyson V8 Absolute. But given how easy the attachments are to remove, this wasn't a huge concern. For me, having the vacuum in a convenient location inside the house was much more important. The mount also has the ability to snap-in two attachments, though it's oddly not enough for all attachments.

There's an battery indicator LED light that is on while actively charging. It turns off once the Dyson V8 is fully charged. Then while the Dyson V8 is in operation, the blue LED lights also light up. There are three LED bulbs that indicate how much juice is left in the battery. However, it's easy to simply use vacuum cleaner until the battery runs out, especially with the powered attachments.

Battery Life

The battery life on max suction with a motorized head is fairly short on paper (at 6 minutes). However, when it comes to actually vacuuming, depending on the size of your room, 6 minutes is almost good enough for two large rooms. Recall that it's 6 minutes of active use. Time spent moving items out of the way don't count toward the 6 minutes, since the trigger needs to be held to actually vacuum.

Charging from empty to full take about 5 hours, so I assume I have one charge per day. In a way, this limitation sort of gamifies the cleaning process, forcing me to clean efficiently. The reason I'm not upset if I'm half done cleaning the room is the process to recharge the stick vacuum is so easy that starting again the next day is not much of a hassle. And splitting the cleaning up over 10-15 minutes instead of 30 minutes at a time keeps the task short and easy to fit into any random day.

However, I'm surprised Dyson did not include the ability to easily swap out batteries (similar to most electric drills), as they could increase sales. However, given the simplicity of use, I'm not sure I would purchase a spare battery. It is good to know replacing a battery is a DIY project involving removal of a few screws.

Where in the House to use the Dyson V8 Absolute

Since the Dyson V8 Absolute is so versatile, I've used it in places I haven't ever used it before. Here is a short list of all the different areas around the house I've used the Dyson stick vacuum cleaner:

  • Carpet (direct drive cleaner head + extension rod) - Obvious use case
  • Non-carpet, like hardwood and bathrooms (soft roller head + extension rod) - Obvious use case
  • Carpet staircase (mini motorized head + crevice tool) - Without the long rod, cleaning with the mini motorized head is surprisingly easy.
  • Fabric couches (mini motorized head) - Never vacuum this before, but surprised how much dust it came off the couch.
  • Window Blinds (mini soft dusting brush) - I just close the blinds so that 90% of the surface is available to clean and swipe in the direction of the blinds. Surprised how much fine dust came off the blinds.
  • Furniture Surface (mini soft dusting brush) - Had to move many small items, but a single pass over the surface was enough to make it all clean
  • Above Door Frame (mini soft dusting brush) - A part that is rarely cleaned
  • Under the lip of the couch (mini soft dusting brush) - A part that is rarely cleaned, but the soft dusting brush fits nicely under.
  • Cobwebs (crevice tool + extension rod) - Lots of cobwebs have accumulated in corners that were too difficult to reach.

The items above highlighted in yellow were the less obvious situations I never thought would require vacuuming, but come naturally with the Dyson. And given we don't have any kids around the house, I hear from friends that the Dyson is superb at picking up crumbs, and I believe it! But have the Dyson stick vacuum also eliminates the need for owning a separate duster and duster replacements.

Dyson products aren't cheap, so I wanted to make sure I purchase the right stick vacuum. From researching the differences between Dyson stick vacuums to purchasing, and long term ownership reviews.
  1. Choosing the Right Dyson Stick Vacuum (Dyson V7, Dyson V8, Dyson V10, or Dyson V11)
  2. Make Vacuuming Enjoyable with Dyson V8 Absolute
  3. Dyson V8 Cordless Vacuum After 2 Years (Battery, Filter, Soft Fluffy Cleaner, etc)
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