I tested one of Dyson’s oldest and cheapest cordless vacuum cleaners - this is why I’m swapping my newer machine for this veteran

On paper, the Dyson V8 Absolute is a golden oldie. Released back in 2016, it’s one of Dyson’s oldest (and therefore one of the cheapest) cordless vacuum cleaners still in circulation. But is the Dyson V8 Absolute still worth it in 2024? After all, times have changed.

Yes, we all know that Dyson offers some of the best vacuum cleaners and best cordless vacuum cleaners on the market. But since the V8 Absolute was released almost a decade ago, Dyson has released a multitude of new, modern vacuum cleaners (both cordless, corded, wet and dry, and even robot), all boasting multifunctional tools, smart technology, self-cleaning capabilities, and so much more.

This makes you wonder whether the V8 Absolute can compare to its modern counterparts - even with the onslaught of accessories that serve as the main difference between the Dyson V8 and the Dyson V8 Absolute. But as someone who loves a bargain, I was intrigued to discover whether the cheaper price point reflected a cheaper, less-capable product. So, I tested it out.

Dyson V8 Absolute product specs

• Weight: 2.54 kg.
• Max. run time: 40 minutes.
• Bin volume: 0.54L.
• Charge time: 5 hours.
• Modes: 2 suction modes.
• In the box: Main body, Motorbar cleaner head, Fluffy cleaner head, docking station, charger, mattress tool, dusting brush, crevice tool, combination tool, hair screw tool.
• RRP: £399.99

Unboxing, setting up and first impressions

One thing that always impresses me about Dyson products is how efficiently everything is packaged. The Dyson V8 Absolute arrived in a sleek, slimline box with everything arranged around and in between an eco-friendly cardboard shell.

Inside the box was the main vacuum cleaner body, the wall-mounted docking station, two different cleaning heads, a charger, and all of the extra tools - including a mattress tool, dusting brush, crevice tool, combination tool, hair screw tool.

And while these accessories and tools are what make the Dyson V8 Absolute a selling point, I do think Dyson misses a trick by not offering an accessories bag on such an accessory-focused machine.

However, my first observation of the machine itself was how incredibly lightweight all of the components were. And at just 2.54 kg, it is generally hailed as one of the lightest cordless vacuum cleaners. This was a major plus point for me, as I often struggle to clean my steep and narrow stairs due to the hefty weight of modern vacuum cleaners.

Assembling the Dyson V8 Absolute was incredibly easy. And while the whole process was fairly self-explanatory, I followed the ‘Quick Start’ instructions that explained exactly how to click all of the components together. All in all, it took just a few seconds.

Once assembled, I could finally see the full scope of the vacuum. Like all Dyson vacuums, the design is well-thought-out, and the colour combination of gold, silver, and purple is very classically Dyson. But at this point, the age of the Dyson V8 Absolute was noticeable.

As one of the oldest Dyson vacuum cleaners on the market, it doesn’t have a large LCD screen or fancy buttons, which is one of the reasons why some people love this innovative brand. The main bulk of the vacuum cleaner - which houses the bin, the trigger, the filters, and the attachment for the docking station - is very simple and uncomplicated and requires very little interaction.

While I don’t believe modern vacuum cleaners need all of these bells and whistles (a personal preference, of course), I was missing a larger indicator of battery life. There’s just a small blue light on the side of the charger attachment, which is easily missed and not very precise. But it might not be an issue if you have a small home and don’t require a long cleaning window.

Once again, though, I felt like I was missing an accessory bag. I didn’t quite know where to store the accessories, so they were easily accessible but still tucked away nicely so they weren’t cluttering the house.

However, as someone who finds storing a vacuum cleaner incredibly difficult in my small home, I do find the wall-mounted docking station a major plus as it saves valuable floor space.

Using the Dyson V8 Absolute

My first impressions of the Dyson V8 Absolute were extremely positive - much more positive than I anticipated. And as I was eager to give it a whirl, I decided to use it on the rug in my dining room using the Motorbar cleaner head.

While I knew there would be a lot of dog hair on the rug (we had groomed our dog in that room the night before), I didn’t anticipate the Dyson to pick up as much as it did. But after just a few back-and-forths, I was extremely impressed (and a little horrified) to see how much it had picked up. The de-tangling vanes within the cleaner head meant that there weren’t any stray hairs caught in the blades, either.

I then used the same cleaning head on the carpets and other rugs in my house, and it was just as effective. The 0.54L bin is perhaps a little small and filled up rather quickly - but I do live in a house with a shedding dog, and I myself have long hair that gets everywhere. So, I think I have much more to pick up than the average Joe.

All in all, I could vacuum two large rugs and my carpeted stairs before emptying the bin. Once emptied, I vacuumed two larger and one smaller carpeted bedroom upstairs before emptying again.

While the Motorbar cleaner head also efficiently cleaned the hard flooring downstairs in my house, I was curious to see whether the fluffy head attachment would work any better - especially since I’ve recently been using the Dyson WashG1 to clean the laminate and tiled flooring in my home.

Changing to the Fluffy cleaner head instantly made a difference on the hard flooring. I could visibly see that it was picking up dust and debris, even on my terrazzo-tiled kitchen floor, notorious for hiding dirt in plain sight.

In fact, using the Fluffy cleaner head added an extra sense of ease to the task. The vacuum cleaner slid across the floor, making the whole process effortless. It was also easily manoeuvrable and even managed to clean underneath my low TV cabinet, which gets very dusty. And while this particular tool doesn’t come with edge-to-edge technology, I found it got into the crevices of my kitchen with no problem.

For such a lightweight and affordable vacuum cleaner, the suction was impressive no matter which cleaning head I used. Although I expected it to struggle, the V8 motor, which spins at 110,000 RPM, was so powerful I accidentally sucked up the tendrils of one of my husband’s favourite hanging plants and pulled a few leaves off.

My only niggle - which is common among Dyson users - is the sensitivity of the trigger button. On many occasions, I accidentally pressed the trigger while changing the accessory or simply picking it up. So, I may have to take advantage of this Dyson vacuum cleaner trigger hack and buy a tool from Amazon to prevent that.

Using the attachments

Like many other cordless vacuum cleaners, the Dyson V8 Absolute also can turn into a handheld vacuum cleaner in seconds. In this form, using the attachments that come with this machine is a doddle.

You simply choose your weapon and click it on, but it can sometimes be hard to know which vacuum cleaner tool is right for each job. I couldn’t find any detailed instructions in the manual for these attachments, so I had to use the limited information on the website and my own common sense.

Mattress tool

Vacuuming is a key step when cleaning a mattress, and while I’ve previously just used the normal cleaning head of my vacuum cleaner, having a specialised tool did make the job easier. Of course, it’s always hard to see a visible difference when vacuuming a mattress, but the tool was quick to attach and was simple enough to use.

Crevice tool

To test out the crevice tool, I decided to use it on the area that is the bane of my life… the sides of my sofa. Despite having a perfectly good dining room, my husband and I eat all of our meals on the sofa, and crumbs quickly fall down the cracks. The crevice tool made light work of picking up this debris, and I also used it on my staircase to get into the small nooks and crannies. However, it struggled to pick up the dog hair.

Hair screw tool

Dyson describes the hair screw tool as a motorised anti-tangle brush bar that removes hair from pet beds, car seats, and stairs. I tested it out on my dog’s bed, and my carpeted stairs and it definitely picked up the hair on both. There wasn’t any hair stuck in the blades afterwards, either. I did have to go back in with the crevice tool to get into the corners of both, though.

Combination tool

The combination tool was somewhat of an enigma to me. One look at the website told me it was a ‘wide nozzle and brush, for quick switching between cleaning and dusting tasks around your home or car,’ but that didn’t really narrow anything down for me. So, I decided to use this tool on the main vacuum itself (i.e. not as a handheld) to dust away some of the hard-to-reach cobwebs in the corner of my bedroom. And it did the trick.

Quick-release mini soft dusting brush

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Through my research, I discovered that the quick-release mini soft dusting brush is designed for dusting delicate objects and surfaces. To test this out, I passed the baton to my car-obsessed (and car-cleaning-obsessed) husband to see how it fared on the dashboard of our car.

His verdict? ‘It’s good, yeah’ - which is high praise from a man of few words. His only niggle was that the handheld was slightly too big to get to the front of the dashboard, but as it’s not a specific car cleaning tool, that’s something that can be forgiven. I also used it to vacuum my computer keyboard, and it did a very good job.

Cleaning and maintenance

Emptying the Dyson V8 Absolute is incredibly easy and surprisingly hygienic. You don’t need to touch anything aside from the red ‘bin’ button on the machine, which you pull up.

Although it does feel like you’re going to break it when doing this, it eventually pulls up, and the bin lid pops open to empty straight out. So, you must ensure that you have your bin or bin bag ready to catch the contents.

And while I haven’t needed to just yet, you also need to wash the soft roller of the Dyson V8 Absolute. To do this, you just need to remove it from the head and rinse it under the tap before allowing it to dry fully - but full details on how to do this can be found in the instruction manual. This should be done every four weeks. This is also the prime time to clean your Dyson filter to ensure it continues to work effectively.

Of course, to maintain your Dyson V8 Absolute you also need to charge it. During testing, I found that the charging time was exactly as expected - around five hours from empty. This is pretty long compared to other Dyson vacuums out there, so it is something to consider if the 40-minute run time won’t clean your whole house.

Dyson also suggests mounting the charging dock at least 1.2 metres from the ground and near a plug socket to allow for slack when charging on the dock.

How does it rate online?

The Dyson V8 Absolute rates extremely highly online. At the time of writing this review, it has just over 18,000 product reviews on the Dyson website, with an average star rating of 4.5. 73% of reviewers would also recommend the V8 Absolute to a friend.

Like me, customers love the suction power that comes from such a lightweight vacuum cleaner, and many pet owners were quick to congratulate its ability to pick up hair while also keeping the blades free from tangles.

However, they criticise the time it takes to charge and the lack of smart features that you find on more modern Dyson vacuum cleaners. Some especially miss the headlights on the cleaning heads and a clearer indication of battery life.

How does it compare to similar models?

We can’t discuss the Dyson V8 Absolute without comparing it to the Dyson V8. Essentially, these two vacuum cleaners are exactly the same - aside from a slightly different colourway and a lack of accessories. And at £70 cheaper (the V8 retails at £329.99), it’s down to you whether you think the added accessories are worth the extra pounds.

Personally, I do. But if you’ve previously owned a Dyson vacuum and already have these accessories to hand, you may find that they are interchangeable. However, it’s important to note that not all accessories are interchangeable - so that’s a risk you’ll have to take.

As it’s a Dyson product, it’s also worth comparing the Dyson V8 Absolute with the Dyson Gen5detect, dubbed the ‘Best Overall’ vacuum cleaner out of all of the vacuum cleaners that the Ideal Home team has tested. In fact, it was given a glowing 5-star review.

Despite being released seven years apart, these two Dyson offerings have some similarities. They look extremely similar, and they boast exactly the same accessories.

However, the Gen5detect is almost £300 more expensive than the V8 Absolute and significantly more advanced, meaning the run time is much better (70 minutes to be exact), it has whole-machine HEPA filtration, 262 air watts of power (which technically makes it Dyson’s most powerful HEPA cordless vacuum), a smart LCD screen on the machine, and it has single-button power control - which solves the irritating problem I had with the V8 Absolute.

The same can be said when comparing the Dyson Absolute V8 to the Dyson V15 Detect Absolute, which scored the same 4.5-star rating during its review. The V15 Detect Absolute is, according to the brand, their ‘most-awarded cordless vacuum’ and has an RRP of £649.99 - still significantly more than the Dyson V8 Absolute.

But, like the Gen5detect, it’s also significantly newer and features more mod cons like the Digital Motorbar cleaner head that automatically adapts suction power across different floor types and the Piezo sensor that analyses dust particles entering the machine before adapting suction power once more. It also has up to 60 minutes' run time.

Of course, you’re paying a lot more for those extras and that modern technology. And if you’re a vacuum cleaner purist who prefers the simple life, you don’t necessarily need all of the added extras that come with the more modern, more expensive Dyson offerings.

If you’re someone who just wants a clean home without all of the extra faff or confusion, the Dyson V8 might actually suit you more. And that’s one of the reasons why I’ve ditched my modern Shark vacuum for this older Dyson model. With age comes wisdom, after all…

Should you buy the Dyson V8 Absolute?

If you’re looking for a modern, tech-focused Dyson vacuum cleaner, the Dyson V8 Absolute is not for you. If that’s the case, you’ll have to splash out a bit more cash on either a newer Dyson or another brand that offers similar smart features.

If you’re looking for a no-frills-attached Dyson vacuum that will effectively clean your floors and get into every nook and cranny, however, the Dyson V8 Absolute is absolutely worth it. It’s one of the best vacuum cleaners I’ve tested in terms of suction, and the machine's lightweight manoeuvrability is ideal for general cleaning.

Because of this, I think that the target market for the Dyson Absolute V8 is people who want an entry-level Dyson that does what it needs to do without the extra smart features.

Perhaps you’ve just stepped onto the property ladder and need a reliable but affordable vacuum cleaner to get the job done. Or perhaps you’re an empty-nester with dexterity struggles who wants a no-fuss vacuum that won’t cause you any pain as you clean your home.

Alternatively, you're the parents of older children who no longer throw their food on the floor at mealtimes. After all, I don't think the Dyson V8 Absolute is equipped to handle the big messes made by young families.

If you’re any of those things, I believe you'll be extremely happy with the Dyson V8 Absolute.

About this review, and the reviewer

You can find more info on how we review products at Ideal Home here. On this occasion, the Dyson V8 Absolute was tested by Lauren, a freelance contributor who works from her small Victorian terrace in Kent, writing about cleaning, gardening, DIY, and more. When she’s not writing or trying to find the next best home improvement hack, she can be found hiking with her dog and husband or browsing homes she can’t afford on Rightmove.

She tested the Dyson V8 in her 3-bedroom home for just over three weeks, trying to use it as naturally as possible while also making sure to test out all of the attachments. And while Dyson kindly gifted the V8 Absolute for Lauren to review, this in no way impacted her honest and impartial review.