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I used to go out to the pub on Saturday nights in weather-inappropriate outfits to drink cheap sparkling with my friends. Now I invite a friend or two over, cook up a roast chicken from Samin Nosrat’s Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, and brag about my new vacuum cleaner. And let me tell you, it’s way better than overcooked steak in the freezing pub courtyard.
Last weekend, during a low-key dinner party with a good friend (Hi, Jeremy!), the topic of conversation turned naturally to cleaning and organising. We discussed how we both find an overwhelming satisfaction in tidying up and in particular, the euphoric feeling of seeing a vacuum filled with dust that appeared invisible before you started the weekly clean.
It was the perfect segue for whipping out my new Dyson V15 Detect (was $1,499.99, now $1,274), and in no time, my dinner party resembled an early-noughties infomercial — “but wait, there’s more!” I found myself saying on more than one occasion.
Dyson’s newest and most powerful vacuum cleaner comes in two models. There’s the Dyson V15 Detect Absolute Extra with HEPA filtration ($1,449 ) and the Dyson V15 Detect Total Clean ($1,399). They’re near-identical, with the only difference being the quality of air filtration. I have the latter, and in the pursuit of answering your inevitable question of whether the new Dyson V15 Detect is worth it for the price, I spent a week getting to know the ins and outs of mine. Here are my three favourite features.
An honest Dyson V15 Detect review
The laser
Undoubtedly one of the most exciting and appealing features of the new Dyson vacuum is the green integrated diode laser on the cleaner head. It’s positioned precisely at a 1.5-degree angle to create a contrast between dust and the floor, and actually lights up any dust and debris in its path that your own eye wouldn’t normally be able to see.
Though very Spy Kids, this editor can confirm the laser is no gimmick. It really works to bring your attention to dust bunnies, hairs and crumbs that hide in plain sight under the table, furniture and in spots you’ve already cleaned (or thought you had).
The laser only comes attached to the Laser Slim Fluffy cleaner head which is most ideal for hard floors. But the other attachments are just as effective, which brings me to…
The hair screw tool
People with long hair or pets that shed will be delighted for a vacuum that does not spool hair in a tight bound around the cleaner head. Acknowledging this as a common issue for homemakers, Dyson engineered the hair screw tool to be released with the V15 Detect.
The compact, conical-shaped attachment picks up hair before spiralling it up the head and into the bin. Neat, easy, and instant, it’s an absolute game-changer in my home.
And for when you’re doing larger surfaces like floors and carpets, the High Torque cleaner head has an anti-tangle comb that works to remove hair from the brush bar.
Real-time dust display
For their most powerful vacuum yet, Dyson engineers integrated an acoustic piezo sensor that actually hears dust and counts and sorts its particles by size at a rate of 15,000 times a second. The vacuum then relays this information in real-time via the LCD screen at the handle. When you run over a particularly dusty patch, the bars will go up to indicate the size of the debris, and once it levels back out, you’ll have scientific proof of your spotless floors.
But wait, there’s more!
The device can detect whether you’re on carpet or hard floors and will kick into a higher gear of power to ensure it sucks everything up. It will also up the ante for especially dusty spots.
Is the Dyson V15 Detect worth it?
$1,399 is a lot to drop on a vacuum cleaner, there’s no doubt about that. And whether or not that expense is “worth it” will be up to the user and their cleaning needs. I, for one, don’t have a pet but find the hair screw tool saves me from spending my weekend detangling hair from the brush head, and that feels pretty worth it to me.
The hour-long run time is another very “worth it” factor to consider if frequent charging seems to bother you or you’re not able to make it through your entire house before the battery runs out (in which case, you may like to consider the Dyson V11 Outsize).
So I suppose it really depends on how you measure “worth”. Is it time you get back in your day? The comfort in knowing your home is really, truly clean? Or is it the fun talking points a super cool vacuum with laser beams brings to your dinner party conversation?
I say if you have the means and love cleaning as much as Marie Kondo, go for it. Yes a Dyson V15 Detect is an investment, but a good one at that.
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