Dyson V11 Torque Drive Cordless Vacuum Cleaner, Blue

I live in a small apartment with wood floors so a traditional vacuum is a little overkill. The Dyson v11 Animal fits the bill. It does a great job on cat fur. It’s numerous attachments make it very versatile and I especially like the different power settings. You can drain the battery pretty quickly while using the Boost setting. I recommend running it on Eco or Auto unless you need the extra suction for a particular job. I’ve had my v11 for just under 3 years and my only complaint is a few of the plastic parts are not built strong enough. I’ve had to replace the trigger twice and the main body that holds the trigger once. The latter was because the plastic posts where the screws inside attach break relatively easily. It’s not like they are exposed making them vulnerable to dings while cleaning, but all it takes is dropping it or having it tip over a few times and you’ll have broken screw posts. The only time it’s a problem comes when you have to replace the trigger. The good news is the v11 is easy to fix without having to pay Dyson to do it. I recommend buying a metal after market trigger, put it in as soon as the original plastic trigger breaks and then never open the housing again. There are videos all over the Internet that can walk you through the process and the tools you need to do it (like a long, thin, size 8 star screwdriver). So, all-in-all it’s a good vacuum with a few minor design flaws. UPDATE: Dyson has changed the way it manufactures the main body. They now cover the internal circuit board with silicone sealant. This means in order to install a metal trigger, you have to carefully scrape off the sealant with a razor or x-acto knife to get at terminal connections. Those connections must be disconnected in order to replace the trigger. I’m not sure why Dyson did this. A cynic would say it was to make it harder to self-repair or repair out of warranty, but I hope that was not their motivation.

Dyson log: We purchased a Dyson V11 Outsize cordless vacuum from Amazon. It arrived promptly as Amazon committed to. We unboxed it, read all of the instructions (you must download the owner’s manual from the internet; a warranty written in Spanish came with the unit; no English version sent.), and assembled the vacuum. Enjoy reading the warranty if you can. Why can’t one just say: if you break it and it’s our fault then we fix it and if you break it and it’s your fault, you pay for us to fix it? The next day, Tuesday, April 6, 2021, I called Dyson’s customer service line with a minor problem. A recording came on asking if I would participate in a customer survey after the call. I responded “yes”. I was then put on hold telling me that they were experiencing higher than normal call volume. I heard that message a large number of times during my 20-minute wait. There were no apologies for my having to wait nor a way for me to leave a return number. As my battery was running low, I hung up and decided to try their chat which I think uses artificial intelligence to respond. My problem was simple: one of my two recharger units sent with the V11 Outsize was defective. I plugged it in with a battery attached and it didn’t light up. I switched recharger units and its battery and unit recharged. I switched batteries on the recharger unit and it didn’t light up or charge. Of course, the outlet worked as I tried every combination to identify that the recharging unit was defective. Using the chat was also a frustrating experience just as waiting and waiting on the telephone line was. There was no option to report a defective part or unit, none. I was directed to a video that explained how to charge a unit, how to connect a battery to the vacuum, etc. After several very frustrating attempts at trying to solve the AI program just to report a defective charging unit, I again gave up in frustration. I then decided to email Dyson. A third very frustrating experience. By this time, I was fuming: pay almost $800 for a vacuum and I can’t talk to a human just to say: defective charger, send me a replacement. One interesting point is that every time a customer sends an email to Dyson support an automatic response comes back “Thank you for contacting Dyson. We are experiencing unexpectedly high contact volumes and increased response times due to the many challenges of recent weeks. We apologize in advance and truly appreciate your patience as we work to provide you a resolution within 24 to 36 hours.” Same “we are experiencing…” but at least now someone has apologized. The automated response was apologizing also for my problem with registering my product; I had no problem registering my wife’s product! So I responded again, much more frustrated this time and probably nasty by now. I left my model number, serial number, registration info, telephone number, the problem: DEFECTIVE CHARGER, etc. The email was signed by the Dyson online team. In my initial email, the automated response saying they would respond in 24-36 hours, and their actual response have the same minute stamp 1:17 PM on them. Amazing! I think their customer service was able to respond in the same minute as it was evident that no one had read my email! I replied to that specific e-mail from Gulam as he was requesting my serial number which was in the email I had sent. I said look below and again printed in very big font my serial number and sent it back to Gulam. I then got another automated response …. I then got another email saying they were unable to locate my account. Recall I had no problem in registering my vacuum by serial number. I sent them my wife’s email address for them to look that up, I got the automated response immediately then another email 17 minutes later from Fareeda apologizing for the problem and stating “It would really help us if you could send us a short video clip or pictures of the issue youre experiencing.” How do I send a picture of something that is not working? I sent Fareeda the following: “Fareeda, The battery recharger unit is DEFECTIVE. It doesn’t recharge the battery. No light blinks! NOTHING. On either battery, NO BLINK. The other unit works fine! Send me a new recharger.” I got the automated response again. Then I got an email from Dibya apologizing and giving me directions to repackage the Dyson, UPS would pick it up, and they will replace the V11 free with an equal or better product at their choice OR I could contact UPS and they would box it for me and ship it. Recognize that all I wanted was a $29 replacement recharger since that model included two batteries and two recharge units. A rain check would have been sufficient. I said to myself: how stupid can company management be in this day and age???? I reflected on my Dyson experience and I hypothesized that Dyson doesn’t know how to manage its retail and repair parts inventories. I went to their website and sure enough, they were out of the recharge unit and some other accessories. I was pretty certain that my hypothesis was correct. BUT to be completely certain I searched for a Dyson Service Center and I called them (The NORCROSS DYSON SERVICE CENTER). I explained the DEFECTIVE CHARGER PROBLEM. He stated: No problem! Come by and I will give you one free; it is covered by your warranty.” I stated that I lived a distance from his location and he agreed to mail the replacement. It arrived yesterday! Nice guy! There are a couple of lessons to be learned here. I learned my lessons; you can imagine what they are. BUT Dyson in order to save money doesn’t staff to answer customer telephone calls. Expect to wait! Expect to not get called back for the survey of their responsiveness on the telephone if you hang up in frustration. Sounds like a biased survey to me? Don’t expect their chat to know what you are talking about. They will tell you about self-help videos for this and that BUT no help if you don’t exactly match an item listed for responses. If you answer OTHER expect some nonsense messages. If you use their email system expect that you will get a different person responding each time and they will not have the benefit of the previous emails even though you responded to those emails. How could Dyson improve their service? First, staff your call center to service your customers instead of to save money. Quit blaming the pandemic for your poor service. Be proactive, ask for the customer’s phone number and DYSON calls them back. You waste your customers’ time and frustrate them. Have people that one can talk to immediately and get the right answer. Call the guy that answered my phone call to the service center in Norcross GA. He solved my problem in far less than 5 minutes! I tried to give him my mailing address and he stated: give me the email address and I can pull it up. He did in 10 seconds! Second, recognize that you (Dyson) are operating an antiquated PUSH inventory distribution system and read “It’s Not Luck” and/or “Isn’t It Obvious? Retailing and theory of constraints” by Goldratt to determine how to run an effective PULL distribution system. How do I know you have an antiquated PUSH inventory system? You have too much of some parts and not enough of others (look at the out-of-stock items). Where is that inventory? It is out at the end of the supply chain, at your service centers sitting on shelves waiting for a potential customer to have a unit serviced while you are offering other customers new products because you are stocked out in your central location. These Goldratt books are business novels; both are easy reads like The Goal and full of knowledge. The first thing you should determine is whether Dyson is in the business to make money or if Dyson is in the business to save money? If you are too impatient to read a book then go to the TOCICO website and there are many free videos on the basics of TOC supply chains. Find and view them. I hope this criticism is far better than any survey that you might ask customers to fill out. We have used the vacuum twice; the vacuum works fine. What do I give Dyson as a rating on Amazon? A 5 star for the vacuum or a 0 star for the customer service. You already know the answer if you read this far. I hope Dyson has read this far!

Light

Great power, flexible, easy to use—battery lasts no problem- only issue was one tool was missing in the box we received. Dyson replaced it in a few days no charge.

Only could give this 4 stars because it was near impossible to get the battery charger separated from the other part that attaches to the wall!!! Instructions says just click but it doesnt just click. I actually had contractor try to get it off, called the 800 number on the manual says tech services at your assistance and the hours I was in the hours provided had the model number but I spoke to someone that would not admit there were no tech services people there at all or if ever(?). I repeatedly stated I want to talk to tech services person and and maybe they can walk us through separating these parts so it can be attached to the wall. She finally admitted there are no tech services people! All she could do was order another part and have it sent as this was new and still under original warranty. After hung up we finally got it open but had use several different tools and pry it apart which sort of damaged the plastic. So thats the deal otherwise the vacuum works great maybe its just that part I received but its on the wall now and still havent received the replacement part if this was a deal where it wouldnt charge I would not have a vacuum of any kind so their service department is severely lacking or non existent.

We owned an V8 Absolute for over 2 years. We decided to upgrade to V11 Animal when we wanted another vacuum cleaner for upstairs. V11 has stronger suction power (185 AW vs 115 AW) and longer battery life. We can vacuum the whole house which is almost 2400 sq ft in one cleaning on auto mode. Although we dont have pets, it does a great job at picking up my wifes long hair. Most importantly, V11 comes with only one cleaner head which will automatically adjust the suction power to different floor types, so you wont need to change the heads between carpets and hardwood floors. Its so much more convenient! The downside is that its bigger and heavier than V8 (6.68 lbs vs 5.8 lbs.) It will be a bit of a challenge for a average size woman to hold with one hand. Because of its in-line design of a long dust bin canister, the V11 with the cleaner head attached will lean forward when placed on the floor. I find it kind of awkward. Last thing I want to mention is that emptying the dust bin is a little messy for the V11 due to the lack of an enclosed lid. You can just close the lid on V8 after emptying it, there wont be dust falling out. But for V11, the whole lid with the opening will get all dusty afterwards. I always wipe it off with a tissue. Overall Im happy with this vacuum cleaner!

I bought the Dyson Animal in 2007 and had it for 10+ years. It was still fully functional but was just getting too heavy and cumbersome for me to use in my small apartment. I was able to sell my old, fully working dyson (which still had amazing pick up btw) for $75. I sold a few other household items and then, I was able to buy my dyson at a great price here on amazon. :-) I also have a small ergorapido vacuum but i was getting extremely frustrated at how poor the suction was. It is essentially useless and was a waste of $100. I am trying to sell that too but alas, no one is biting!! Not surprised there!!! First off, it was better than Christmas when this new dyson arrived. The boxing was impeccable and each piece is high quality. I was very excited to use my vacuum because my apartment had not been thoroughly deep cleaned in a while!! The old dyson being way too difficult for me to maneuver with my back problem and the ergorapido being completely USELESS. My allergies were also really flaring up with all the dust!! So, the first time I used the V11 I was extremely impressed with the pick up capacity. I was able to clean the vacuum my entire apartment, with base boards and detailing of dusty furniture and blinds, in under 45 minutes one morning before I went to work. I couldnt believe how much dust there was but already my eyes and sinuses are LESS itchy. I emptied the canister twice because I picked up so MUCH DUST. Although it was slightly heavier than I was anticipating, it is MUCH lighter and easier to maneuver than my old dyson animal. I didnt break a sweat like I did with the old dyson. It rolls very smoothly and the AUTO adjustable function between the rug and carpet saves A LOT OF TIME. I was able to clean so much more in less time because I wasnt messing with a cord and switching between the different functions constantly. I was able to complete EVERYTHING on one charge of course with plenty of time to spare. I love all the attachment heads that come with it. I am also VERY much looking to keeping my car more clean on a regular basis now that I have a portable vacuum with great attachments as well! I also really like the feature where you can remove the roller from the side of the vacuum head. I have long hair and wanted something that I would be able to easily remove the hair! I was unable to unscrew the side of it easily but that was ok because I was still able to pull the hair out pretty easily, much more easily than other vacuums I have used in the past. CAVEATS: Make sure to empty the vacuum BEFORE there is too much stuff in it! Debris WILL get caught if it goes above the line! I had to spend a little time really getting the canister cleaned out before I started round 2 because my hair got caught above the line! Next time, I will empty it sooner! Vacuuming just got so much easier I barely even noticed how much I was really picking up so fast! Now that my apartment is so clean, the V11 will make it much more enjoyable and easier for me to maintain a cleaner home. I will be vacuuming more frequently now to maintain areas because of the ease of using the vacuum. It is a highly effective vacuum and there isnt much of a need to have to run the vacuum over multiple times in one location. It picks up what it rolls over very well. For installation of the hanging charging station on the wall, make sure you have a drill on hand to make the holes for the screw to go into! It didnt say that in the directions but you will need a drill to make the pilot holes! :-) I love that you can hang the vacuum out of sight just about anywhere near an outlet! I am VERY pleased with my purchase and my dyson upgrade! I can see this one lasting me at least another ten years which to me is worth it, considering my last one was still going for over 10+! I also love the interface. It is a really really COOL vacuum and it was worth the effort to let go of my old dyson for a new one!

I am the vacuum King. I think I have owned every vacuum on the market and none of them were really that great . I have a regular large corded Bissell that I normally use but the damn thing is so heavy, its like trying to push a bus so I started using a cordless vacuum for my kitchen. I end up doing the whole house but it just wasnt strong enough and it only lasted about 20 minutes. Ive always wanted a Dyson but never wanted to spend the money thinking all vacuums are the well I am beyond shocked on how well this vacuum performed. I actually cannot believe it,used this vacuum for tile floors in my whole house and all the shag area rugs. I still had 60% power left and I had to empty it three times thats how much stuff it picked up when I just vacuumed 3 days ago, I have a dog that sheds unbelievably, its also light colored hair Im white top floor so you cannot see it but its there, its crazy. If I would have known it was this good I would have spent the extra money and got the top of the line biggest one they had , but I wasnt sure so $599 was enough . if I ever need another one I will be getting another Dyson. this is by far the best vacuum I ever owned. If anyone else says anything different they are nuts.

Super easy to assemble and begin using. We have a dog and cat, and this machine is a game changer in our home. Love the fact that I dont have to drag a power cord around, as well. Mounted it within easy use -- so our place gets vacuumed more often. Using the short config for my autos. We are just beginning to get full utilization from the many clever attachments. Thank you., Mr. Dyson!

I read reviews here and talked to friends with Dyson stick vacs and laughed when I read I use it every day! because there was no way I was going to vacuum EVERY day! But guess what?? I really do use it every day because it is so quick and easy to grab it and run it over the rug or that pet hair tumbleweed making its way down the hardwood hallway. I have FOUR pets. In the past, Id vacuum about once a week, or when the rug got so gross that I just couldnt stand it anymore and Id get out the Dyson Ball Animal (about 10+ years old and still awesome!) and clean it. That vac is amazing, dont get me wrong. But my new V11 Animal stick vac is just SOOO easy! Its a little top heavy, but that is to be expected. It has great suction and gets at that dog and cat hair with no problems. Super easy to empty. I keep it on auto and I really can tell when it switches for the rug and the floor - its very convenient! I dont have to change the heads for the wood vs carpet. It wont replace my big Dyson for major messes, but it will be used way more often. Ps. I bought a stand for it here off Amazon and it sits in my coat closet with its big brother. EDIT: This thing emits a sound that dogs cannot stand! I thought my dog was just crazy until we adopted a second dog recently and it drives him crazy, too. As soon as its on he starts barking. Even from the other room when he could not see it, he still barks like crazy. Stop it and he stops barking. That wont make me love it any less, but something to be aware of.