Dyson V15 Detect  Vacuum Review

This vacuum is fairly well-built. It's similar in appearance to many other Dyson vacuums, particularly the Dyson V11, with an eye-catching design that looks upmarket. Not all of the vacuum's stylistic touches are purely aesthetic; the top part also has a rubber strip that lets you lean the vacuum against the wall without it falling over. Unfortunately, its primarily plastic construction doesn't feel especially sturdy, with flimsy floorhead wheels and a fragile-feeling clear plastic dustbin.

Thankfully, out-of-the-box assembly is very easy, thanks to the prevalence of easy-clip mechanisms.

This vacuum isn't too hard to maintain. Quite a few parts require regular maintenance, though they're very easy to access. Still, you may want to consider the Shark Cordless Pro if you want a vacuum with fewer maintenance requirements.

• Dirt compartment: The dirt compartment is connected to the main body of the vacuum. You can empty it by pressing the release button, but you must remove its wand before doing so. You can also detach the dustbin by pressing the red release button on the spine of the main body. It lets you clean the lint screen, which you should wipe periodically with a damp cloth to clear any stuck-on debris.
• Fluffy brushroll: You can rotate the indentation on the left side of the Laser Slim Fluffy vacuum head to release the fluffy brush roll from its housing. You should regularly clean it under cold water when needed, but you should remove the bearings inside first. Regardless, it's very easy to clear away any stuck-on dirt or tangled hair. You can wipe down the laser sensor lens with a clean, soft, lint-free cloth periodically, too.
• Motorized head brushroll: You can access the brushroll by using a coin to remove the side cover on the side of the motorized vacuum head and then sliding the part out. While it isn't quite as easy to clean as the fluffy brushroll, you can clear any stuck-on debris by hand and remove hair wraps with scissors.
• Turbo brushroll: You can access this part by pulling a release latch on the back of the turbo brush and clearing it of stuck-on debris when needed.
• HEPA Filter: The filter is placed near the top of the vacuum and can be removed by twisting it counterclockwise to release it from its housing. You should wash it under cold water at least once a month or whenever the maintenance light indicates it needs cleaning. Be aware that the vacuum doesn't turn on if the HEPA filter isn't mounted in place.

Any parts that you wash under cold water should be left to dry for at least 24 hours before being re-installed.

This vacuum incurs virtually no recurring costs. As long as you regularly clean its HEPA filter, it won't need replacing. You can purchase replacement components from Dyson's website if needed.

This vacuum is easy to store. Unlike the Shark Vertex Pro Lightweight, it comes with a wand clip that allows you to carry around two accessories, while its docking station has a place to put two other tools.

This vacuum's dirt compartment is alright. It's a little small for a cordless stick vacuum, with a smaller capacity than alternatives like the Samsung Jet 90 Complete. It'll likely need emptying somewhat frequently, though its horizontal orientation makes it easier to empty than the smaller vertically oriented dustbin found on the older Dyson V8. Thankfully, since it's made of clear plastic, you can check roughly how full it is at all times. If you'd prefer a bigger dirt compartment, check out the Dyson Gen5outsize/Gen5outsize Absolute.

Emptying this bagless vacuum might produce a cloud of dust if you're not careful. The Samsung Bespoke AI Jet offers an emptying station to handle this task, allowing you to empty the dustbin into a sealed dustbag.

• Dyson V15 Detect vacuum
• Vacuum body/dirt compartment
• HEPA filter
• Laser Slim Fluffy vacuum head
• Wand
• 1x Battery
• User Guide
• Various tools and brushes
  • High Torque motorized vacuum head
  • High Torque Brush vacuum brushroll
  • Soft bristle brush
  • Stiff bristle brush
  • Upholstery brush/Hard bristle brush combination tool
  • Conical turbo brush
  • Crevice tool
  • Wand clip
• Docking station
  • Docking station
  • Installation manual with mounting screws
  • Charging cable

Since this is a cordless vacuum, its range is limited only by the remaining battery life and room left in its dirt compartment.

This vacuum is impressively portable. It's noticeably lighter than the Dyson Outsize and has a carrying handle that makes lifting and moving it around easier. That said, if you'd like something even lighter, you could consider the Shark Detect Pro.

The Dyson V15's battery performance is alright. It supplies more than 70 minutes of runtime if you use it in its 'Eco' power mode with no attachments. However, this drops to under 10 minutes if you run it continuously in its high-power 'Boost' mode with the motorized head, so you need to work fast when dealing with stubborn messes. That said, it's worth noting that battery life can vary drastically in its self-adjusting 'Auto' mode depending on the surface you're cleaning. The LED display on top of the vacuum gives you a rough estimate of the remaining battery life. Unfortunately, this vacuum takes quite a long time to charge, at just under four hours.

The Dyson V15 has a couple of quality-of-life features. Its Laser Slim Fluffy vacuum head has an integrated laser light to help you see small particles on bare floors. You can also choose between three different power modes: the energy-efficient Eco mode, the high-suction Boost mode, and the Auto mode, which automatically adjusts the suction power depending on the surface you're cleaning. It's worth noting that the latter mode is only available when the brush head is fitted in place; otherwise, it reverts to the intermediate Med mode.

There's also a suction gate on its motorized head to help you further tweak its suction force on different surfaces. The vacuum also features a piezo sensor to monitor the quantity of differently sized particles in your home. That said, unlike the Dyson Gen5detect/Gen5detect Absolute, it has a trigger instead of an on/off button that you can press once to keep the vacuum running, which is more comfortable for longer cleaning sessions.

The Dyson V15 Detect comes with a broad selection of tools and accessories. It has unique tools, like its Laser Slim Fluffy head, which helps you see small particles on bare floors. There's also its conical turbo brush, which can clean pet hair from fabric-lined surfaces, and a combination tool that features an upholstery tool and a sliding hard bristle brush. The separate stiff bristle brush can dislodge stuck-on dirt and debris from different surfaces. Another soft bristle brush is well-suited to dusting off delicate surfaces. You can also use its crevice tool to tackle messes in tight spots. All the included accessories can fit the main wand to help you clean hard-to-reach places.

You can reconfigure the Dyson V15 into a handheld vacuum by removing its wand.

This vacuum delivers great performance on hard floors with its Laser Slim Fluffy cleaner head. The soft roller collects a wide mix of debris on flat surfaces without issue, though it's worth noting that finer material like sand can be caught at the back of the head and dragged around when pulling the head backward. It's also worth noting that trying to clean a large amount of large material, like cereal, can sometimes clog the suction inlet, as seen here.

This vacuum delivers impressive performance on high-pile carpet when used with its multi-surface Digital Motorbar floorhead. While a small amount of finer debris, as well as pulverized bits of larger material like rice or cereal, can be left behind, especially in corners, it still clears away the majority of debris within a single pass.

This vacuum does a good job of cleaning low-pile carpet when you use it with its multi-surface Digital Motorbar floorhead. It doesn't have too much trouble dealing with large material like cereal and clears away the majority of fine material like sand worked into carpet fibers. However, you'll probably need to make an extra pass to clear away everything else.

The vacuum's pet hair pickup performance on low-pile carpet is exceptional when fitted with its Digital Motorbar floorhead. This attachment's brushroll has stiff enough bristles to thoroughly agitate carpet fibers and lift away both long and short strands of hair.

This vacuum delivers very good suction force. The manufacturer advertises the motor to provide 230 AW of suction power, which is remarkably potent for a cordless vacuum. It can exert a strong level of suction force at its floorhead and hose since both parts generate a pretty tight seal against most surface types.

The Dyson V15 Detect delivers very good airflow performance. It's one of the most powerful cordless stick vacuums on the market, and its airflow performance compares favorably to some mid-range corded models, thanks to a powerful suction motor and efficient filtration system. It'll have no trouble lifting away all kinds of debris. If raw airflow performance is all you're after, consider a high-end corded model with an even more powerful motor instead, like the Dyson Ball Animal 3 Extra/Complete.

This vacuum isn't too loud. When used with its soft roller floorhead on bare floors, it won't cause much of a disturbance. However, it is a little bit louder when used with its multi-surface brushroll, especially on carpets, where it automatically ramps up its suction power to the highest level when used in its 'Auto' mode.

The Dyson V15 has good maneuverability. It can easily navigate cluttered spaces thanks to its rotating head. Due to its lightweight construction, you can maneuver over or around obstructions like electrical cords. Removing and attaching different tools and accessories is simple, and cleaning on top of furniture in its handheld configuration is rather easy. You need to crouch fairly low to the ground to clean under couches, tables, and other low-lying furniture thanks to its bottom-mounted handle and slightly protruding filter. Unfortunately, it could be hard to clean high-pile rugs due to the high suction power, which makes it hard to push around and can drag smaller carpets around if you don't stand on them to keep them in place. Consider the Dyson V12 Detect Slim if you want something that has less trouble cleaning shaggier carpets and rugs.

This vacuum does a great job of dealing with pet hair on upholstered furniture when used with its Hair Screw Tool. It tends to collect hair and turn them into densely packed ball-shaped tangles, making them easier to pick up. Consider the Samsung Bespoke Jet if you're looking for a vacuum with an even more effective turbo brush attachment.

This vacuum's whole-machine filtration system results in good air filtration performance.

This vacuum does a great job of clearing away debris in crevices. Its relatively powerful suction motor, combined with the fact that its soft roller floorhead generates a tight seal with hard floors, enables it to clear away debris in both shallow and deep cracks.

This variant of the Dyson V15 Detect does a terrible job of scrubbing away stains on bare floors when used with its Laser Slim floorhead, which isn't surprising given that this isn't its intended use. Consider the Dyson V15s Detect Submarine model if you want a V15 variant with a dedicated mopping floorhead.

This variant of the Dyson V15 isn't designed to clear liquid spills.