My Dyson V7 Review: Was it worth the money?
After staring at the Dyson cordless vacuum for a few years, I finally found a deal worth giving it a try. In hindsight I should have taken the leap sooner.
One of my favorite local shop owners uses a Dyson cordless vacuum in her shop and loves it. Between her strong recommendation and a tip that Amazon usually has a model on sale during Prime Day, I decided to take a closer took.
Once I realized i could buy the cordless Dyson at a price worth the experiment, I was grateful to have taken the chance. I quickly realized that I could use it more tasks than I originally through, making it completely worth the money I spent.
Getting started with the Dyson V7
The first thing I needed to do was fully charge the vacuum. While slightly annoying I decided to actually follow the instructions for once. For the Dyson V7 Animal, the battery is built into the handle.
Overall it was quick to click together the attachments to the main power handle. I admit that I haven’t installed the wall hanger yet as I’m still trying to decide where to put it.
What I like about the Dyson V7
The battery charge was enough to cover the main reason I bought the vacuum, clean the hardwood on my first floor. And with the extra attachments and long wand I was able to sneak into places I haven’t cleaned in years, particularly behind the couch.
The attachments were included with my purchase and feel like a must have. I put them to work cleaning baseboards, slatted doors, the laundry room, and even my car.
A lot of these tasks I procrastinated doing because trying to use a regular vacuum was either awkward or hard to find a plug within the right distance.
Tip: Double check which attachments come with your Dyson stick vacuum. The extra attachments including crevice tool and brushes really help increase how much cleaning this vacuum can help you do.
What I don’t like about the Dyson V7
I was surprised at first at the weight of the power handle. It felt heavier than I expected. After the first few uses, I honestly don’t notice it anymore. For me that’s less of an issue but if you’re sensitive to how much weight you can hold in your hand, this might be a problem for you.
You need to hold the power button while vacuuming
The power button as far as I can tell works only when you press it. Meaning, you have the hold down the button the entire time you’re vacuuming. It’s also a hair trigger so it’s easy to accidentally turn on the vacuum. Both of these are on the annoying side. To some degree I’m trying to be a little more mindful about where I put my fingers when I’m holding the handle to avoid touching the power button.
The battery is built into the handle, not swappable
On the Dyson V7 the battery is built in and not swappable. That means once you use up the current battery charge you need to wait until the unit recharges. This could disrupt your cleaning process. If there is an indicator that the battery is running low I missed seeing it. The unit just shuts off once the battery charge is done.
With a little bit of planning and shifting around cleaning tasks, you can make it work. And honestly who wants to do hours of straight vacuuming anyway!
Pay attention when you empty the collection cup
This is a bagless vacuum with a tiny collection cup. You’ll likely need to empty it frequently. But the first time I emptied the cup I couldn’t figure out how it worked and I dumped everything on the floor. Oops!
Tip: Before you use this vacuum for the first time, make sure you try emptying an empty cup. I expect the bottom of the cup to simply pop open, but instead the filter pulls up and then the bottom opens.
Wrapping up my review of the Dyson V7
I was procrastinating vacuuming because of the hassle to take out the regular upright vacuum and deal with the cords. The Dyson V7 Animal is just enough to make it easier to clean my first floor and then some. 20 minutes of vacuuming time is more than enough to keep on top of my cleaning because let’s face it who wants to vacuum for hours straight anyway?