8 reasons why you'll want Dyson's V8 cordless vacuum

Longer battery life, more powerful cleaning

The latest Dyson cordless vacuum, the £499 Dyson V8 Absolute, replaces 2014's Dyson V6 and marks a decade since the company first released a cordless vacuum cleaner

Read our full Dyson V8 Absolute review

Cordless vacuums have already come of age in terms of their cleaning ability but – just like phones and laptops – their battery power has been limited. Not so with the V8, which is why it's one of the best vacuum cleaners you can buy.

Check out the best cheap Dyson deals on the V8 here and the reasons why you'll want one further down.  

The best Dyson V8 Animal deals

If you're considering a cord-free, lightweight vacuum cleaner, definitely take a look at the Dyson V8.  Probably more suitable for smaller homes, as the Nickel-Cobalt-Aluminium battery only lasts up to 40 minutes, or 25 with a motorised floor tool attached. However, with it's 2 tier Radial cyclones technology and direct drive bristles that get deeper into the carpet, its cleaning performance is  very good. 

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The best Dyson V8 Absolute deals

With twice the suction of any other cord-free vacuum the Dyson V8 Absolute is a worthy contender. This multi purpose vacuum can transform into either a handheld vacuum or a lightweight ceiling vacuum through an extended cleaning head. Multi heads have been invented for the Dyson V8 to give a thorough clean on carpets or hard floors.  

So why is the Dyson V8 so great? 

1. It's got much better battery life

Aside from the motor, the major advance with the new Dyson V8 Absolute is the doubling of usable battery life – now 40 minutes instead of 20.

That's enough to vacuum all but the largest homes, whereas you'd have to pace it around to clean decent-sized homes previously for fear of having to come back to the job later after a recharge.

A battery runtime indicator gives you a visual indication of cleaning time remaining.

2. The V8 motor is better than the V6 (well, obviously)

Dyson has long extolled the virtues of its motors versus those of its competitors and having tested many of them, it's clear that performance varies wildly. “Some cordless vacuum cleaners use small motors that can be weak, while others rely on heavy motors that can compromise versatility,” it says.

The V8 motor runs at 425W, compared to the previous generation V6 which ran at 350W. It spins up to 110,000rpm for powerful fade-free suction. It's what Dyson has invested most money in developing over the last decade. The V8 is “the result of 18 months research and development and 500,000 hours of testing,” says James Dyson himself.

In 2016, Dyson says it will produce 8.8m digital motors – that's approximately one every 3.5 seconds. 376 robots are used to assemble Dyson digital motors, as even the most dextrous human hand isn't precise enough: the smallest manufacturing tolerance is +/- 3 microns, which is approximately a quarter of the thickness of a human hair.

3. There's a more powerful max mode

The max mode offers higher suction for more difficult tasks, and is activated with a redesigned switch in the V8. It also now provides 115AW of suction, compared to a max of 100AW on previous generation machines.

4. There's something called a hygienic dirt ejector

The new V8 Absolute has a new bin emptying mechanism, called a hygienic dirt ejector. Put simply, this means you never have to touch the dirt as you bin it. As the bin is emptied, a rubber collar slides down the shroud (which itself was redesigned and now constructed from chemically-etched stainless steel, which has a smooth surface punctuated by approximately 15,000 holes measuring 0.4mm each), scraping dirt off. This drives out trapped dust and debris in a single action, with no need to touch the dirt, which you often do with other cleaners. The bin also has a larger capacity than the previous generation.

5. It only weighs 2.6kg

Ley components like the motor and battery are positioned near the hand to shift the centre of gravity and making the cleaning end of the vacuum much lighter. The overall weight isn't different to the V6, so it's just as manageable despite the new motor and other components like the larger bin.

Interesting fact: the polycarbonate clear bin is made from the same durable material as riot shields.

6. It can clean carpets and hard floors

A direct-drive cleaner head removes ground-in dirt and pet hair from carpeted floors and is 150 percent more powerful than the equivalent V6 accessory, while a soft roller cleaner head can remove large debris and fine dust from hard floors.

All tools feature a new quick release catch enabling you to change smoothly between tasks.

As standard, the Dyson V8 Absolute vacuum includes the direct-drive cleaner head and the soft roller cleaner head, in addition to the mini motorised tool, the combination tool and the crevice tool.

7. It's got a charging station

Many rival products have a charger you have to unravel and plug in, but the V8 has a charging station instead.

8. It's quieter than the V6

Up to 50 percent quieter, in fact. The air flow paths through the machine have been reworked, to reduce the noise associated with air moving fast through tight spaces. The post-motor filter has been redesigned, so it helps to muffle sound. And acoustic felt and closed cell foam inside the machine absorbs vibrations, also reducing noise.

Liked this? Then check out our guide to the best vacuum cleaner

The best Dyson V8 Animal deals

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The best Dyson V8 Absolute deals

Dan Grabham

Dan is a previous Editor for T3.com and covered the latest in computing, home entertainment and mobile tech. He's also the former Deputy Editor of TechRadar and former Editor of Lifehacker UK. Dan has written for numerous computing and lifestyle magazines and has also written a book, too. You'll see him pop up in numerous places, having been quoted in or on The Sun, BBC World Service, BBC News Online, ITN News, BBC Radio 5Live, BBC Radio 4 and Sky News Radio.