Dyson V7 Absolute cordless vacuum cleaner review

Looking for a lightweight cordless vacuum? The Dyson V7 Absolute – which comes with a reach under tool to get underneath the sofa and beds – could fit the bill very nicely. How to be sure? We’ve put it through its paces with our real-life at-home tests so you can be confident about whether it’s the machine you should click to buy. 

I tested a wide selection of the best vacuum cleaners on carpet, parquet, tiles, stairs and upholstery, and challenged them with mud, fluff, light debris and pet hair to give you the lowdown on how efficiently they’ll do the job, how easy they are to use, and how much space they’ll take up in your cupboard. 

Keep scrolling for the full review to see if this is the cordless vacuum , or indeed handheld vacuum, for you.

Dyson V7 Absolute cordless vacuum cleaner specifications

• Maximum power: 100 air Watts
• Cable length: not applicable
• Bag or bagless: bagless
• Dimensions: H124.3 x W25 x D21cm
• Weight: 2.321kg
• Noise: not available
• Energy rating: no ratings for cordless vacuums
• Dustbag capacity: 0.54 litres

Who will the Dyson V7 Absolute cordless vacuum cleaner suits?

Singles, couples and families in small homes, and those for whom a heavy vacuum is a definite no-no.

What is the Dyson V7 Absolute cordless vacuum cleaner like to use?

Assembling this vacuum cleaner out of the box, operating and swapping between attachments is a piece of cake.  

On hard flooring, carpet and stairs...

It packs plenty of suction power on all sorts of flooring, and is nifty on the staircase to boot.

It cleaned both short and longer pile carpet a treat in my home, leaving the pile restored. It wasn’t hard to push over the floors either, even on maximum suction, which can be a problem with powerful vacuums. But neither did it fail to remove plenty from between the carpet fibres even on the standard setting.

I found it a breeze to use on both tiles and parquet as well, meaning good results didn’t take long to achieve – much as I’m committed to vacuuming, who wants to spend longer than necessary on the chores?

The Dyson V7 Absolute was really easy to use on the staircase, too. The handheld plus mini-motorized tool (see below) made getting into every part of the treads and risers straightforward.

And how does it manoeuvre? 

I found the Dyson V7 Absolute highly manoeuvrable with little effort on my part, aside from my niggle with the reach under tool mentioned above. Getting up to the edges of rooms was easy, too. As for its weight both as a stick and a handheld, if the heaviness of vacuums has proved a problem for you in the past, this machine could well be a pleasingly light replacement. I didn’t even find it uncomfortable to lift to capture a cobweb on the coving. 

Dyson V7 Absolute cordless vacuum cleaner attachments

The Dyson V7 Absolute came with a great set of tools, including the newest attachment: the reach under tool. This fits between the handheld part of the cleaner (i.e. the handle and dust bin combination), and the tube, creating an angle that allows the floorhead to reach far back underneath the furniture with less bending down on your part than is normally involved when you want to zap the dustballs that have found themselves a home under the sofa or bed. 

You’ll definitely find this a welcome extra if (like me) you find your back starts talking to you after a vacuuming session. I did discover, though, that adding it to the vacuum set-up made pushing the machine forward and to one side and the other a little harder work, so it’s one to weigh up depending on your strength/back issues.

Also included with this machine are the mini-motorized tool that got cracking results on my staircase – and would work on a car seat, for example – in combination with the handheld. There’s also a soft dusting brush that can be used on hard surfaces like sills and even keyboards (I just can’t, ahem, fathom how all that fur gets in there). Anyway, mine was pristine after vacuuming.

You’ll also get a crevice tool to tackle all the stuff that gets lodged right by the skirting board, and in other hard-to-access places, and a combination tool that can be used with or without the brush so you don’t have to swap tools to have both tube and brush available. Both did their allocated jobs nicely.

All in all, it’s a useful set of attachments that didn’t leave me feeling as if I lacked anything to tackle all the different cleaning tasks around the house, but as they don’t sit on the vac, you will need to go back to the cupboard to get them.

Power and debris removal when using the Dyson V7 Absolute cordless vacuum cleaner

The Dyson V7 Absolute was faced with the usual challenges of a busy home: that’s dust, hair and pet fur, plus my special mud and light debris tests that sort out the efficient from the also-rans in the vacuum cleaner stakes.

On a tiled kitchen floor, the machine did a great job speedily, and mud was picked up with ease without needing the maximum power setting. The light debris challenge (aka the Rice Krispies test) did result in some scattering of the cereal as opposed to thorough pick-up first time – once in max mode, however, this problem was alleviated. Do bear in mind, though, that running time is dramatically reduced by using this power setting.

On carpet, the machine got full marks from me. It picked up both light debris and mud in double quick time with no scattering at all, and without needing the max mode. Hurrah for speedy cleaning.

Pet owners, you’ll want to hear about its capabilities on what your house companions shed. The good news? I found this vacuum cleaner cleared the fur from hard floors with ease, lifted it up from carpet wherever it lurked, and removed it from the upholstery efficiently despite the fact that my four-legged housemates were moulting abundantly at the time of writing, and have some highly favoured seats that end up with plenty of hair knitted into the upholstery fabric.

Adjusting between the machine’s standard suction level (which is, as previously described, powerful) and the max mode is easy as you simply slide the switch on the handle.

• Pet owner? Take a look at our best vacuum for pet hair guide for more great vacuum cleaner makes and models

Removing the dustbag on the Dyson V7 Absolute cordless vacuum cleaner

Vac that takes bags or bagless version? It’s a Marmite choice and you’re either keen on getting away from buying vacuum bags, or you hate the idea of emptying the dirt that was formerly on floors and other surfaces directly into your dustbin. 

If you are in the former non-vacuum-bag-buying camp, then how easily the dirt ejects from the canister becomes an issue, and I can say that emptying this machine should cause you no complaints. The big red switch makes itself obvious, so thoroughly ejecting the dust container’s contents over the bin was no hassle for me, while the base just clicked back into place afterwards.

Be aware that there is another chore you’ll need to undertake to care for this vac. The filters need to be washed using cold water at least once a month, Dyson says. Leave time for them to dry completely before you put them back, too.

Dyson V7 Absolute cordless vacuum cleaner handy features

There are two floorheads with the Dyson V7 Absolute. The direct drive cleaner head will whizz round all types of flooring so you don’t need to worry about remembering to make any adjustments yourself as you move around the house. The second is a soft roller cleaner head, which is designed to pick up large debris and fine dust from hard flooring. I used this on parquet flooring to keep it looking lovely and it cleaned well and, as promised, softly.

As I’ve commented before when reviewing Dyson vacuum cleaners, there’s a feature that some may think handy and others may dislike in that you have to hold down the power button when you’re using this machine. As ever, the upside should be a longer running time as you’re not wasting battery life while moving something out of the way, for example. If, like me, you’re inclined to press the trigger by accident, this effect might be somewhat compromised. The downside is, of course, that you might find this continuous pressing uncomfortable.

Asthma or allergy sufferer in the house? This vac is certified asthma and allergy friendly by Allergy Standards Limited, which you might find reassuring.

Storing the Dyson V7 Absolute cordless vacuum cleaner

You can prop – but watch out for the usual issue with the top-heavy arrangement of cordless sticks that they’re inclined to topple if you don’t get the equilibrium right. Alternatively, you can hang the docking station on the wall (and run the charging cord through it to give your machine a new lease of vacuuming life while it’s stored). Note that you’ll have to provide your own wall fixings for the dock as they don’t come in the box.

As with all cordless sticks, it isn’t a bulky machine to store whether you use the dock or not, which those lacking storage space will be glad of. Don’t forget, though, that there is an extra floorhead and a good selection of attachments to make space for in your cupboard. They’re worth having, of course, but you will need the room to keep them neat but ready to hand.

How does the Dyson V7 Absolute cordless vacuum cleaner rate online?

On the Dyson site the vacuum’s users are overwhelmingly pleased with their purchase with an overall 4.6 out of five score. The highlights from these happy home cleaners? They praise the lightweight and the selection of attachments this machine comes with, as well as the power and the effectiveness of its pick-up. The negatives for these reviewers include insufficient running time before it needs recharging, the time taken to recharge (which is 3.5 hours), and some found emptying the bin awkward. 

• Looking for a vacuum cleaner deal? We hear you: check out our cheap vacuum cleaner page for a selection of cordless vacuums, upright  vacuum cleaners (and more!) for bargain prices

Is the Dyson V7 Absolute cordless vacuum cleaner worth buying?

The Dyson V7 Absolute isn’t the cheapest cordless stick out there – although it is one of the least expensive cordless stick vacuums in the Dyson range. It may lack the extra features and running times of the top models, but it’s still a powerful vac and, in our opinion, you won’t be disappointed by the cleaning results. 

About our review – and our reviewer

Sarah Warwick has specialised in homes and interiors for over 20 years. She was Executive Editor of Ideal Home magazine, and has written for nationals, magazines and websites including Real Homes, Homebuilding & Renovating, Grand Designs, Homes & Gardens, Houzz, The Guardian, House Beautiful and Country Homes & Interiors. 

She put the vacuums through their paces all round the house, on all sorts of dirt and debris, and a variety of flooring and surfaces.

@SMWarwick

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