Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This is Dyson's top-end version, of their first take, of an all-in-one-cordless vacuum. It's expensive, but intended to replace your hardwood/barefloors cleaners, your normal-carpet vacuum, AND your handheld cordless vacuum. The result is fairly impressive, but with several weak areas. My conclusion: This V6 Absolute will work very well for somebody with limited area to clean, limited storage space, and a hefty budget (hello condo dwellers), even if you have animals. It will work very well for somebody needing a fancy cleaning tool for niche purposes: handheld, stairs, car, corners, etc. As the primary/only vacuum for a larger house with a mix of carpet and bare floors? You'll be sorely disappointed. Here's the breakdown of my experience: Size: The base unit is barely larger than the DC58 (now "V6 Trigger") handheld Dyson. It weighs only 2oz more, at 2lbs 13oz vs the 2lbs 11oz of the V6 Trigger. The upright length was surprisingly comfortable to avoid stooping or bending. See pics, V6 Absolute has the purple end-filter. Cordless: Dear lord, somebody finally cut the cord! Tangled cords (or crappy retractable cords) are the bane of anybody who has done much vacuuming. Pro: The unit weighs surprisingly little and is very well balanced. An included wall-mount ingeniously uses the wall adapter to turn into a charging base. Con: You have to hold the trigger the whole time (no trigger lock). You have to pick between "works well, battery runs out" and "works so-so, battery lasts longer" Battery life: The more powerful turbo mode sucks battery but works much better. Since there's no trigger lock, you can extend runtime by releasing the trigger when you lift the vac. But even so, it's limiting. Pro: Charges briskly. Full charge is enough to make 2 passes over a 12x10 carpeted room, and 2 passes up one flight of carpeted stairs (releasing trigger between each step). Con: That's not very much of a house. No interchangeable batteries to work across a bigger space. Running the battery to "empty" in one use left the battery too hot to be recharged right away (a warning light indicates when it's temporarily unable to recharge) Capacity: The bin is a marvel of mini cyclones, but it's far too small and hard to clean out if you overfill. Con: Small bin fills up rapidly especially with bulky dirt like fur. Fur/fuzz gets stuck near the top, and the bin is too narrow (while installed) to reach there with your fingers. Handheld: You can remove the long shaft and cleaner head, and use the small motorized head (similar to the one for Dyson uprights) or small attachments (similar to those with the Dyson handhelds), and it handles just as if you had bought a "V6 Trigger" handheld. Good for close spaces and spills. Pro: No need to buy a separate handheld vac. Carpet: It does a reasonable (but not thorough) job cleaning a carpet with pile. Should work better on a non-pile carpet like berber. Pro: Much more effective than a handheld. No stooping to clean carpeted stairs with my upright's attachments. Con: Doesn't lift the pile much, and doesn't get all the dirt out of the carpet, even with multiple passes. Bare-floors: A specialty head is designed to capture loose dirt on uncarpeted surfaces as well as remove dirt static-clinging to the floor (ie, what you would have used a dry swiffer for). Pro: Usefully replaces most hardwood vacuums and swiffer-style tools. The soft head can be disassembled and washed. If you're wondering what the "Absolute" adds: Over the "Animal": The soft (bare floors) head and an extra layer of filtration Over the "Motorhead": The above, the mini-motorized tool, and another brush tool. Over the plain "V6": All of the above, a crevice tool, and a "Direct-drive" cleaner head. I've long been a fan of Dyson vacs, having owned several Dyson uprights going way back to the DC07 (the first upright they sold broadly in the US), as well as the DC58 handheld. They were the first people to make vacuums that actually worked very well for household use, and have continually improved on those designs. Their machines work well and are generally easy to use, easy to clean, sturdy, and nice to look at-- with a consistently hefty price tag. (pics are V6 Absolute with purple filter cap, and DC58/V6-Trigger handheld, base units only) In this case, the Dyson V6 Absolute works well for small dwellings and niche purposes, but is trying to do too much to excel as a general purpose vacuum. Treat it as a very capable specialty vac, and you'll be happy with it.