Review: Dyson V10 Konical

I’ve spent the past week living with Dyson’s newest vacuums, and a clear favorite has emerged. But it’s not the one I expected.

I was ready to love the V16 Piston Animal for all the capabilities and suction power it offers, but as I’ve been testing, it’s the the Dyson V10 Konical that has left me most impressed for its performance at this price. Funny enough, when thinking about Dyson’s new lineup. it’s the least flashy offering, and the one I always forget about. The V8 Cyclone revives a longtime favorite, while the V16 packs the highest suction we’ve seen yet, making both easy to remember and exciting to try.

It was easy to let the V10 Konical fade into the background. It has the same power level as the V8 but a slightly higher price tag thanks to the new All Floor Cones cleaner head instead of the older Motorbar style.

When placed side by side, though, the V10 Konical easily justifies its $100 higher price over the V8 Cyclone. It did better than the V8 in almost every test I ran when comparing Dyson’s vacuums side by side, and it did the best when vacuuming up sand on a rug (even better than more expensive Dyson vacuums like the V15 Detect and Gen5Detect). If you’re looking for a good Dyson vacuum that doesn’t cost the better part of a grand, this is the one to get.

Stat Block

Photograph: Nena Farrell

The Dyson V10 Konical packs a solid range of features for its price. It packs 150 air watts of power, which is above average for lightweight stick vacs, though it is weaker than most of Dyson’s own stick vacs. Our favored V15 Detect has 240 air watts, for example, but the V10 Konical felt similar on carpet to the V15 Detect, even with the change in suction power. It even felt like it suctioned better when I used it in handheld mode.

That’s because just suction power alone doesn’t make a vacuum great at sucking up dirt and debris. A great motor and vacuum head design are equally important, if not more so. Dyson says the V10 Konical’s engine has 15 cyclone chambers built into it for air to flow through and create efficient suction. So while the power is lower than the V15, the two vacuums feel much more similar than I expected, since it still has impressive suction for its power and price point.

The V10 also has a seven-cell lithium battery that lasts for 60 minutes, like the more expensive V15 before it. There are three power modes, but there’s no screen on this device—just a built-in light on the mode button that shows you which setting you’re on. There’s green for eco mode, blue for medium mode, and red for max mode. The mode changes the suction level, so eco is great for lighter cleans while max is best for bigger messes; each higher mode uses more battery. The lack of a screen also means you’ll fly blind on battery life, so beware how long you spend on more powerful modes.

Photograph: Nena Farrell

The V10 comes with the new All Floor Cones cleaner head, which is similar to the head that comes with the new V16 Piston Animal (though that version can sense messes). The All Floor Cones head has cones on either side to suck up hair and debris; the cone design promises to detangle long hair instead of letting it get stuck around the vacuum head’s bar. So far, I haven’t seen any hair tangled around the cones, so it seems to be working as intended. There’s also a built-in illuminating light to spot dust and debris when you’re vacuuming hard floors, which is a nice bonus.

This vacuum comes with two attachments: a crevice tool and a mini motorized tool that’s designed for cleaning upholstery. Plus, unlike many older Dyson models, including the more expensive V15 or the cheaper (but equally new) V8, you’ll also get fully sealed, five-stage HEPA filters to keep allergens from circulating out of the vacuum and back into the air.

It’ll also be compatible with Dyson’s new docking station, the Auto-empty Dok, hopefully out later this year. Only the V10 Konical and the V16 Piston Animal ($980) are currently slated to work with it.

Comparison Game

Photograph: Nena Farrell

What made me like the Dyson V10 Konical so much was how well it did in my testing rounds. I tested it with sand and cereal on rugs, followed by litter on hardwood, and then carpeted stairs and bedrooms. It did better than many Dysons in its overall score, beating the V15 Detect, V16 Piston Animal, and V8 Cyclone with its score.

My scoring criteria ran 1 through 4 on five tests—sand, cat litter, Cheerios, general vacuuming, and handheld mode—with 4 representing the best performance and 1 being the lowest. The V10 Konical walked away with a 14 out of 20, while the V15 came behind it with a 12 out of 20. The V10 came in second overall out of five Dyson vacuums, with only the Gen5Detect beating it with a score of 17. The V10 pulls ahead of the Gen5Detect if you’re looking for add-ons, though, as the V10 will be compatible with Dyson’s self-emptying docking station that will release later this year.

While testing, I was particularly impressed with how well it picked up sand for its lower suction power, and it did a great job sucking up an intentional mess of Cheerios I created. I was less impressed with the hard floor results, but since the V10 doesn’t work with the Fluffy Optic head like Dyson’s high-end vacuums, it was never going to be as effective as vacuums that can switch to a head made for that surface. Still, it’s not bad—it was still able to vacuum up the litter I scattered on hard floors as a test. It just needed a couple of passes instead of a single pass to get it all, and it didn’t shove it into a pile like the cheaper V8 Cyclone did. The V10 does well in handheld mode and on carpet and rugs, and it felt a little easier to push around on a low-pile rug than the V8 did with its Digital Motorbar head.

Overall, I’d recommend this vacuum if you’re set on a Dyson and have a home full of mostly carpets and rugs. It’s a better buy than going for the cheaper V8, and I found it a better all-around experience than some of the more expensive Dyson vacuums out there. I still wouldn’t call it better than the Shark PowerDetect, but if you’re set on a Dyson, this is the best buy on the affordable end of Dyson’s scale.

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