Dyson V11 Torque Drive – the review of the latest premium cordless stick

Dyson unveiled a new cordless stick at the end of this spring. If you’re a Dyson fan, you know what an upgrade from the company means. Usually, they tend to increase the suction, increase the life of the battery and maybe add 1-2 extra features. With the V11, the company moves closer to the concept of Internet of  Things.

The Dyson V11 Torque Drive succeeds the earlier model, the V10 absolute, and is taking the vacuums world by storm. What cleaning abilities does the new vacuum offer and how does it compare to its older brother? Join me as I review the Dyson V11 Torgue Drive here. I will also bring you a comparison of this new model, the cheaper Animal version and its predecessor so you can see for yourself the improvements. Let’s start with a review of the V11.

Dyson V11 Torque Drive – Quick Table

Looks

Specifications

Suction/Cleaning Power

The Dyson V11 creates a strong airflow that into 185 Air Watts. This is one of the best on the market, which means that the vacuum will clean all types of floor in your home. Besides the strong suction, the V11 comes with a motorized brush that spins at an incredible speed of 60 revolutions per second. The improved cleaning power results from the redesigned blades and the new Torque Drive brush roll that spins at high speed.

V11 motor

Input Power

This model uses a 7-cell nickel-cobalt-aluminum battery to power the electronics and drive the motor. The battery charges in 4.5 hours and offers 60 minutes of cleaning time when using the lowest cleaning speed. When using the Auto and Boost modes, the runtime reduces to 40 and 7 minutes respectively. Using high-powered cleaning is only necessary for really tough stains; in all other cases, conserve battery power and extend the runtime by running on the Eco mode.

Dyson V11 battery

Dust Capacity

The V11 comes with a 0.2-gallon (0.75 liters) bin to store vacuumed dirt. This capacity is large enough to allow you uninterrupted cleaning activities, especially if your home isn’t high-traffic. The dust bin is an “aim and shoot” mechanism. This is an unique design that features a trigger and a lid that opens to empty the bin’s contents.

Dyson V11 dirt bin

Filtration Efficiency

Dyson vacuums are known for their allergen-trapping filtration systems. They use what the company calls cyclonic technology to remove particles from the air and into the bin. The Dyson V11 Torque Drive is no exception. It captures 99.97% of allergens and particles as small as 0.3 microns. That means you and your family are protected from all kinds of allergens when using the V11.

Dyson V11 HEPA filter

Weight and Dimensions

Because the vacuum can be used as a stick and handheld, we will look at the weight and dimensions of both. As a stick, the V11 weighs 6.68 pounds and measures 50.6 inches in length, 10.3 inches for the motor body height, and 9.8 inches cleaning head width. When in the handheld mode (and without any attachments), the unit weighs 4.2 and measures 15 inches long, 4.5 inches wide, and, 10.3 inches high.

Dyson V11 dimensions

Warranty

The V11 comes with a manufacturers warranty of 2 years. Dyson vacuums are reputable products that offer exceptional durability. They also rarely come with defects.

Accessories

Inside the box

The Dyson V11 Torque Drive comes with these tools and attachments:

• Torque Drive nozzle – the main cleaning nozzle when using the V11 as a stick
• Mini motorized nozzle – for use with the handheld version. It boosts suction when cleaning fabrics, especially when there’s pet hair to clean
• Extension wand – generally for use when the vacuum is in the upright mode, but you can also use it to extend reach when in handheld mode
• Crevice nozzle – for the hard-to-reach spots
• Combination tool – serves as both a crevice tool and a dusting brush to clean various surfaces
• Brush for stubborn dirt – features longer and stiffer bristles to scrub dirty surfaces
• Mini and soft dusting brush – soft bristled brush for the sensitive surfaces
• A docking station, a charger and a user manual

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Special Features

The Dyson V11 Torque Drive retains the design of the earlier model. Some of the specs, too. But the model comes with a few additional features aimed at improving cleaning tasks. These features include:

Auto Adjust Cleaning Head

When you set the V11 to Auto mode, you don’t have to adjust the height of the brush roll to match the floor. The vacuum does that automatically, using its advanced floor sensing technology. This should be a welcome feature for users who dislike manual brush roll adjustment. Also, if you have different floors that need to be cleaned at the same time.

Dyson V11 auto-adjusts the height of the head depending on the floor type

Auto Mode

This vacuum features one of the most useful modes in a cleaning device – the auto mode. Many people forget to switch the cleaning mode to a lower speed, even when high suction is no longer needed. This drains the battery quickly and reduces the runtime. When you have set the V11 to clean in the auto mode, you do not have to remember anything. The vacuum switches between the modes automatically, and battery power doesn’t get wasted.

3 cleaning modes – Eco, Auto and Boost

Torque Drive Technology

Dyson used this technology on the V11 to improve its ability to clean different floors, especially carpets. The brush roll spins at a speed of 60 revolutions per second, agitating embedded dirt more vigorously. If you have carpets, this is a feature you will find indispensable. The torque drive technology combines with the strong airflow at the nozzle to deliver unrivaled cleaning power.

Inside Dyson V11 brushroll

Ability to Clean as a Handheld

You will not need a separate vacuum for the lighter tasks. When you’re not using the V11 as a stick vacuum, you can attach a smaller nozzle and use it as a portable handheld. The handheld version offers the same bin capacity and motor power as the stick version. While the suction will depend on the attached accessory, you can expect it to be strong enough for different surfaces. Attaching the extension wand allows you to vacuum higher places with ease.

Cyclonic filtering

I thought Dyson ditched this tech in cordless vacuums, but it made a great comeback with the V11. 14 cyclones filter the air intake before it actually reaches the HEPA filter, lowering the maintenance and improving the whole-machine filtration.

LCD Screen

This is one of the major features that came with this new model. The screen displays the following:

• Battery life with a countdown of how minutes and seconds remain before the vacuum runs out of power
• Controls to switch cleaning modes between eco, auto, and boost
• Performance reports
• Maintenance alerts

LCD display showing a maintenance alert

The LCD screen is located on the back of the vacuum, a convenient position that lets you monitor and control suction on the go.

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Usability

The Dyson V11 Torque Drive offers no challenge to set up. After you’ve assembled the vacuum, you will find it easy to operate and cleaning tasks effortless. One of the features that enhance the usability of the V11 is its relatively low weight. At only 6.68 pounds, the unit offers no challenge to push around or even carry from one part of the house to another. The handheld version is even lighter and allows you to clean for extended hours. Being cordless, the vacuum is also highly portable both as a stick and handheld.

Another feature worth mentioning is the LCD screen. While cleaning, you can see a countdown of the time that you have left before the battery drains completely. That means you will easily plan your cleaning tasks and will not experience unexpected cases of a dead battery. What’s more, the countdown changes based on the cleaning mode that’s active at the time. As I mentioned earlier, the screen is located conveniently on the vacuum’s back.

The dustbin is large enough to allow you nonstop vacuuming. But it also features one of the most innovative emptying mechanisms. You only need to hold it facing downwards into a trash can, work up a trigger and have the contents fall out. The bin is designed to allow complete emptying in addition to being easy to clean.

Emptying the bin

Dyson vacuums use cyclonic technology for the filtration system, plus they are bagless. They have almost zero maintenance costs as the filters are the washable lifetime types. That’s what the V11 offers. You will only wash the vacuum in running water, allow it to dry up, then reinstall it for continued trapping of dust.

When it comes to maneuverability, the Dyson V11 Torque Drive performs superbly. The extension wand is the flexible type which allows you to guide the cleaning head into various spots including under furniture. The cleaning head moves smoothly over surfaces, and you shouldn’t have trouble pushing the unit around. The vacuum also comes with an automatically adjusting cleaning nozzle that doesn’t need your input to switch from one floor to another.

If you’re wondering how loud or soft this vacuum is with its powerful motor, here is what to expect. Tests put the highest sound level of the vacuum to be 78 dB. This is when the device is in the Boost mode. The Auto mode produces lower noise levels, at 75 dB, while the lowest is 70 dB in the Eco mode. As you can see, the V11 isn’t a very loud cleaning machine.

Having looked at the V11, the features it comes with and other aspects, let us now see how it compares with the earlier model.

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Price and Discounts

Being the latest in the game, the V11 is not cheap. Most of the time, you will find this product priced around $700.  You can occasionally get this product at a discounted rate from here.

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Dyson V11 Torque Drive vs. Dyson V11 Animal vs. Dyson V10 Absolute

Looking at the 3 vacuums, you may not notice any differences in design, only the colors. However, the two are different in a few areas. The newer models offer several new features, some not seen before in the stick vacuum produced by the company.

Starting with the cleaning abilities, we see that the V11 Torque Drive offers a higher suction. It achieves 185 AW while the V10 Absolute could only reach 150 AW. The high suction of the V11 may not be apparent on hard floors, it would be a different story with carpets. This makes the new model a good choice if you large carpeted surfaces.

The new Dyson stick vacuums were designed with carpet cleaning in mind. That’s evident from the lack of the soft brush roll that was present on the earlier model. While to spinning brush of the V11 Torque Drive is meant to clean all floor types, a soft brush roll would have made cleaning sensitive surfaced much safer.

For the controls, the new models score higher than the V10. It comes with an auto mechanism to adjust the brush roll height when transitioning from one floor to another. It also features a better display for the battery charge. The older vacuum had LED lights that indicated the remaining power. In the new models, you have an LCD/LED. This screen provides many reports that include the amount of time that the remaining battery charge can power the vacuum for. On the LCD, you can even change cleaning modes unlike in the older model which used a toggle switch for that.

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Dyson V11 Torque Drive Pros and Cons

Here is a summary of the good things about the new cordless stick from Dyson, as well the downsides:

Pros

• Offers strong suction that allows the vacuum to clean different surfaces with impressive results
• Features a Torque Drive brush roll that agitates the most of stubborn dirt and cleans carpets more effectively
• Comes with a wide range of useful tools and attachments, especially for use with the handheld version of the vacuum
• The LCD screen that offers easy controls as well as performance and maintenance reports
• Provides the user with a clock count down for the battery’s remaining runtime to prevent unexpected shutdowns
• The unit is lightweight, which provides for easy cleaning especially when using the handheld version

Cons

• You need to dig deeper in your pockets to acquire the vacuum
• It lacks the soft brush roll that the earlier model came with for sensitive floors. However, it uses a multi-floor cleaning head, and if you really need the soft brush, you can buy it separately

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Final Comments

The V11 offers the features that every cordless stick vacuum enthusiast would yearn for – powerful brush roll, strong airflow, superb filtration, intuitive controls, 2-in-1 function, an assortment of accessories, long runtime, and effortless maneuverability. Despite the price tag, I find this model a perfect choice if you a vacuum that:

• Can clean a high-traffic home or large areas of low-pile carpets
• Can be used for both heavy and light tasks
• Cleans with minimal effort
• Offers a runtime that’s long enough to allow you to vacuum large areas between charges
• Clean sensitive floors without damaging them
• Keeps allergens trapped
• Doesn’t produce a lot of noise

What do you think about the Dyson V11?