We were thrilled when given the opportunity to review a recent cordless vacuum cleaner from Dyson. Among other things (hairdryers, purifiers, lighting, air treatments, etc), they’re known for their powerful vacuum cleaners. The Dyson Outsize is not only top of their cordless vacuum cleaner line but our experience tops all the cordless vacuums we’ve used or tested over the years. One of the things we love most about this comprehensive cleaning beast is its powerful suction – wow! We could tell the difference in our living space immediately, so if you have dust allergies and are sensitive to dirt, this is the model for you.
The Dyson Outsize
When Dyson sent us a unit, the first thing that surprised us was the size, which is likely why it is so effective and has so much force. Like a more traditional upright vacuum cleaner, the Dyson Outsize has incredible power but without having to plug it in, which is a godsend for those who do quick cleans and often, like me. And, unlike most uprights, the Dyson Outsize has so much more maneuverability, making every cleaning experience fast and efficient. Yup, efficiency is a great word to describe the Outsize, for its myriad of features and advanced technology truly make cleaning your home a breeze.
Additional Add-Ons & Accessories
There are a bunch of add-ons that come with the Dyson Outsize, including a docking station, a charger, an additional battery in case you need it for larger homes or offices, something they refer to as a wand clip, a combination tool and a dusting brush which is great for furniture.
The one we use the most is the High Torque XL Cleaner Head, which is twice the size of the previous model we reviewed, a hair screw tool — super useful if you have pets — and a stubborn dirt brush. Gotta love the name. They also have a crevice tool which we used to clean tight corners of rooms, as well as for ceiling corners as well (super useful here). We also tested the crevice tool for corners in soft plush chairs and couches as well.
The tools and accessories that come with the Dyson Outsize
Different Cleaning Modes
They offer three cleaning modes, all of which are optimized for a variety of tasks, so you can choose the right balance of power and run time whenever and wherever you need it. Not all vacuum cleaners offer this, so it’s useful to have different ‘degrees’ to choose from depending on your needs.
Digital Display Intelligently Reports in Real-Time
The Outsize has a digital display which shows run time countdown to the second and displays maintenance alerts, giving you complete control of each cleaning session that you do. BTW, we love love love this feature.
Super Powerful Digital Motor
The Dyson Outsize includes an integrated digital motor that spins the brush bar up to 60 times a second. Why does this matter? It drives stiff nylon bristles deep into carpet to remove dirt, while carbon fiber filaments capture fine dust on hard floors. The Dyson Outsize vacuum also drops into a wall-mounted dock that charges the machine and can store tools as well.
Note that the above left, there’s a digital display that shows run time countdown to the second and displays maintenance alerts. The bottom image shows the docking station which is where and how you store your Dyson Outsize — we love having it on the wall as it frees up our floor space for other items in the closet. It also means that your vacuum is always readily available, charged and ready to go.
The first thing that surprised us with the Dyson Outsize is its massive bin size, yet despite its size, it’s remarkably light. Is it as light as our previous model? No, but it’s because of the bin size as well as the size of the main cleaning tool at the bottom. That said, the additional luxury of having a larger space for your dust and dirt and the bigger cleaning tool far outweighs the additional weight of this model.
Note: it’s not as heavy as a traditional vacuum and certainly manageable for me to bring up and down the stairs with ease. Their ‘point-and-shoot’ system makes emptying the bin a snap and unlike previous ‘hands-free’ models, the dust is more contained when you do empty it.
“We love the Point and Shoot hygienic bin emptying —
it’s such a breeze!”
It also has a click in battery pack and Dyson’s power-optimizing technology and battery-saving trigger which increases the run time. If you set it to something called Eco-mode, you get around 120 minutes of run time before you need to charge it again. And, also remember that the Outsize does give you that additional battery so you can keep it fully charged if you want to use it for longer cleaning jobs. For our purposes, one charge is always ample.
The Dyson Outsize click-in battery pack.
As mentioned above, there are additional tools included with this model for versatile whole-home cleaning. For those with pets, you’ll love their anti-tangle hair screw tool for removing pet hair from upholstery and tight spaces.
“Power upon power upon power. Suction upon suction upon suction.”
Also, the Dyson DLS technology automatically senses and adapts to changes in floor type to extend run time for the right balance of power and run time when you need it, something we found to be a particularly useful asset in our own tests.
Power upon power upon power. Suction upon suction upon suction.
Technology Features
There are also a number of advanced technology features including a battery that has fade-free power to clean everywhere in your home. Their Hyperdymium motor touts twice the suction of other cordless vacuums, which we can vouch for — it’s one of the things that sets this model apart. They also offer something they refer to as Radial Root Cyclone technology, which is designed to flint dust into the bin without clogging the filter, so there’s no loss of suction during use, another great add-on.
Then, there’s the ‘whole-machine filtration’ which is said to trap 99.99% of particles as small as 0.3 microns. I want to add to this: although I can’t confirm that it is this technology which filled the bin, we were astonished at how much dust it captured after one sweep of the entire house — in other words, it was completely full, something we’ve never seen with another vacuum, including our previous Dyson model.
Their acoustically engineered technology helps to keep the noise down and yes, we can concur, it’s pretty quiet to use compared to other vacuums we’ve tested. Back to more suction, their in-line configuration helps with this as well, resulting in more suction because of the alignment of all motor, bin and cyclone. Bravo bravo!
So far, so good — two thumbs up and we’re excited to see what else it can do in the coming weeks and months as we continue to test it in a more robust way. Visit their upright cordless vacuum page for more about their cordless offerings, and head here for more about Dyson offerings in general.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
