I Tested Dyson’s Newest, Most Powerful Cordless Vacuum on the Market—My Floors Have Never Been Cleaner

If you’ve read my articles here at Well+Good before (hi Mom and Dad), then you probably already know I’m constantly in a losing battle with my two gigantic, hairy dogs. I love them so much, but they leave my entire house incredibly gross. Whether they’re scratching up my couch or drooling on my faux hardwood floors, it’s near-impossible to keep up with the mess they leave behind, and so it really takes a couple of key investments (like furniture re-coloring balm and the Tineco mop-vacuum duo) to keep my place clean-ish. I’m always on high alert for cleaning tools that’ll help make my home stink a little less and look a little better.

So when I discovered Dyson was releasing its newest, top-of-the-line cordless vacuum, the Dyson Gen5outsize ($1,050), I asked the brand if I could review it, and see how it would perform at my home’s worst, most disgusting state. Spoiler alert: I’m impressed.

Dyson, Gen5detect Outsize Cordless Vacuum — $1,050.00

Also buy on Amazon.

Pros:

• Strong suction and motor
• The light technology illuminates all the dirt on your floor
• Doesn’t clog easily
• Up to 140 minutes of battery life
• Comes with several attachments and dusting tool
• Uses single power button to run, instead of needing to use trigger handle the entire time

Cons:

• On the heavier side
• Doesn’t stand up on its own
• Expensive

The Dyson Gen5outsize: Everything you need to know

It’s the most powerful Dyson vacuum, ever

What sets the Gen5outsize apart from the rest of Dyson’s lineup is its sheer power—and Dyson is renowned for its muscle and sleek ingenuity, but the Den5detect vacuum goes above and beyond. I’ve tested a couple of Dyson cordless vacuums at this point (including the original Outsize ($600) which was its biggest and most powerful up until now), and it’s shocking how intense the Gen5outsize’s suction is. That’s thanks to its monster of a motor (the fifth-generation Hyperdymium motor spins at 135,000 rpm), which offers 280 air watts of suction. In other words: It’ll suck up large pieces of trash your old vacuum could never, all without batting an eye.

It’s the most advanced vacuum Dyson’s launched

Tech-wise, you can’t get a smarter vacuum. The Gen5 has a Fluffy Optic cleaner head that literally lights up the dirt on the floor for extra visibility, so you’ll be able to clean up even the most microscopic dust. Plus, its LED display shows you how dirty (or clean) your floor is.

Something I especially love about this vacuum is that it features a single button control, so you don’t have to hold down the trigger the entire time you’re vacuuming. All you do is press “on” and go about cleaning, which makes navigation a lot easier. If that gives you pause about battery life, you don’t really have to stress much—it’s got up to 140 minutes of run time with the two batteries included (the Gen5detect ($950), which I haven’t tried, has 70 minutes on just one battery included).

It’s bigger

The Gen5outsize (versus the standard Gen5) has a wider cleaner head, a bigger dust bin (150 percent bigger, in fact), and comes with two batteries, so you technically have 280 minutes of run time (if you switch them out). This is ideal if you have an especially large house and especially furry, messy pets. And/or kids.

What the Gen5outsize comes with

• A cleaner head
• Wall dock for storage
• Fluffy Optic cleaner head
• Charger
• Hair screw tool
• Combination tool
• Built-in dusting and crevice tool (so convenient for dog hair that gets stuck in between couch cushions, as well as the car!)
• An LED screen that shows you when your floor is clean
• Extra battery
• A bigger bin than the standard Gen5detect

My honest thoughts about the Gen5outsize

I’ve been using the Gen5outsize since its launch (June 6), and it’s not only cut my cleaning time in half, but I actually…enjoy vacuuming now? I didn’t mind it with my Outsize, but since the suction is so powerful, I rarely have to go over surface area again—it gets it all in one go.

The Gen5outsize gets all the dog hair without any issues (the Outsize was fantastic, but the filter would often get clogged with hair), along with the mess of crumbs we leave behind in the kitchen. It even picks up leaves and dried-up flowers that the dogs bring inside from my backyard without coughing or sputtering. The Gen5outsize (like the Outsize) will switch gears from hardwood to carpet since it’s smart enough to know what kind of surface it’s dealing with.

Watch it in action here (my dogs say hello):

In terms of usage, it’s easy. It comes with some extensions, like the hair-screw tool, combination tool, and a built-in-dusting and crevice tool that I use for places like the couch, bed, and blinds. You can really knock out both vacuuming and dusting if you want. You just simply pop off the extensions and click in whatever you’d like to use, based on your needs, and where the debris is located.

The LED screen is a really awesome component since it’ll show you just how clean or dirty your floor is—it’s really satisfying.

As for its charge, my house is 1,700 square feet (all faux hardwood, two rugs), and I don’t even come close to using up the battery life. I generally will have 100 minutes of run-time left (if I started using it with a fully-charged battery). Since the Outsize’s dust bin is larger than the standard Gen5’s, I can generally get half the house done before I have to dump the debris out.

Is the Gen5outsize worth it?

The thing about the Gen5outsize is that’s over $1,000. That’s a lot! Is it better than other versions of Dyson? Absolutely. It’s stronger and has smarter tech. It’s a great product, especially if you have medium-to-large square footage, pets, and/or kids. It’s an amazing tool if you feel like you’re constantly in an uphill battle against the mess in your home and need a solution that’s not a regular cleaning service (also expensive).

Ultimately, what sets this apart from other Dysons (and other brands like Shark and Tineco), is that it’s really powerful, and it’s very, very easy.  In reviews, the Gen5outsize has been called the “Lexus” of vacuums—and after testing it for two months, I have to agree.