Dyson Gen5detect Review: The Brand’s Most Powerful Vacuum Yet

The tech takes the guesswork out of cleaning, but is it worth the price tag?

Published July 3, 2023

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Updated May 31, 2024

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This shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise, but Dyson always seems to be a step ahead when it comes to product innovation. With most other vacuum brands, the only thing that tells you that you were sucking anything up is the somewhat satisfying sounds of dirt being moved up the tube to a dusty doom. But Dyson’s line of cordless vacuums has changed that, and the newest Gen5detect has taken those features to the next level with more power than ever.

Dyson Gen5detect: What We Think

I don’t think I have ever been so diligent when it comes to vacuuming. The combination of the illumination tech and the LCD screen that shows you what particles you’re sucking up is super satisfying. I don’t want to stop until the dust volume bars drop down and the green light shines cleanly across the floor. The only thing that keeps me rolling quickly is the real-time battery countdown. Outside of the battery life and motor power, the differences from the previous model (V15 Detect) seem relatively negligible for a repeat Dyson customer. Also, if I am dropping almost a grand on a vacuum, I wish it could stand up on its own. Still, it does a very solid job of cleaning my floors, and the tech behind it is pretty dang impressive and motivating.

Most Technologically Advanced Stick Vacuum

Dyson Gen5detect $949.99

$849.99 at Dyson

$949.99 (11% off)

Pros

The technology really shows you the dirt
Hair does not get stuck around the brush
Up to 70 minute battery life
Suction can automatically change depending on the floor type and debris

Cons

Can’t stand up on its own
Top heavy, making it hard to use when in hand-held mode
Expensive for a cleaning product

The advanced tech is quite impressive

Let’s jump into the main features here. Firstly, this is the most powerful vacuum that Dyson has ever released, with a motor that spins at 135,00rpm. This suction is pretty darn powerful, and it shows. I sucked up a leaf the other day with ease — a whole leaf! In all my years of vacuuming, this would have been a death sentence that involved taking the machine apart to remove a blockage.

All of you rug users out there might be concerned about too much suction, but the Dyson can automatically change the amount of power used as it traverses different floor types, as well as when it encounters different levels of debris. This extra suction happens instantly, and I found it works very accurately when traveling between high-traffic and low-traffic walkways throughout my house. The sounds from the extra power inadvertently signal you to stay in an area a bit longer, but you can also see when the dust volume changes on the screen (you can see and hear this in the video).

This little LCD screen is probably my favorite part about the vacuum as it indicates how many particles are being sucked up and their size, making the chore feel super rewarding. And after everything is sucked up, the HEPA filter removes microscopic allergens and viruses before the air comes back out of the vacuum. In addition to this detailed info you are getting via a piezo sensor, the hard floor attachment has some illumination tech that I will get into later.

While this is all super great, both the illumination tech and piezo sensor already existed in Dyson’s V15 Detect. While these features have been upgraded, I am not sure if it would be worth upgrading your cordless if you are already rocking these features. If you have never experienced them, you will probably be just as impressed as I am.

The light really shows all

Tons of vacuums out there have normal white lights on them, and they definitely help with seeing dust, but the Gen5detect has a green beam that shows it all. The light is only featured on the Fluffy Optic attachment, which has a soft spinning nyon head made for use on hard floors. Although it makes you feel like you’re in an episode of a ghost-hunting show, this light really shows off all the dust that’s harder to see normally. Its height and angle are optimized for dust visibility, which I had never thought of before, and it definitely works. It is honestly a bit of a reality check when it comes to vacuuming the hard surfaces in your house. That said, the beam is only good for showing off the dirt on hard floors, which is why it is on the Fluffy Optic head, but it would be nice if the Digital Motorbar attachment at least had a normal white light to help see under furniture and in dark corners.

If you have used a different Dyson with the beam, this one has been upgraded further, claiming to double the visibility. And while I couldn’t test the validity of that claim, I know that you feel slightly more motivated to clean once everything is easier to see, and I will be the first to say that the dust in my house is now scarily visible.

dyson gen5detect fluffy optic — The beam works well in both light rooms and dark areas.

The de-tangling vanes and brush actually work

Even if you don’t have a pet, chances are you’ll always be vacuuming up hair. Anyone who lives with a longhaired individual is most likely familiar with this cleaning issue. But, the Gen5detect comes equipped with two heads that tote some tech to tackle hair. The Digital Motorbar, which is the attachment that looks like a classic vacuum head, has 56 de-tangling vanes that help push the hair up into the dirt canister. The smaller hair-screw tool is made for cars, pet beds and other furniture, but it’s also quite strong. It has an anti-tangle brush that keeps hair moving fast. It was wildly impressive to look at the brush after vacuuming and not see any hair caught in the bristles.

The vacuum can’t stand up

This is the thing that drives me absolutely nuts. The (almost) thousand-dollar vacuum can’t stand up on its own. It does come with a wall mount that can also hold the charger, but if you didn’t plan on using your vacuum as wall decor, then you either have to lay it flat for storage or prop it up against the wall. I know it’s not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, and if you have a dedicated laundry room or storage room, this may not bother you in the slightest. Regardless, when you are in the middle of vacuuming and need to move a piece of furniture or pick up a cord, you have to turn the vacuum off, lay it down, and then pick it back up and continue the chore. This is definitely a modern-day inconvenience, but for the price tag, very frustrating.

dyson gen5detect wall mount — The wall mount also holds onto your attachments, but this image does not show where the charging cable would come out.

Battery life is definitely sufficient

The whole thing about cordless vacuums is that you have to work quickly in order to cover multiple rooms while using a higher-power setting. The battery can hold a charge for up to 70 minutes, but you have to go into Eco mode to get full use out of the time. If you plan on manually selecting the Boost mode, you can expect about half of the time. The more time the vacuum detects extra dust to pick up, the more suction will be used, which means the battery time will decrease.

The good thing is that the amount of charge left on the battery changes in real-time on the screen, so you can get an accurate reading as you go about your chores. I found that this Auto setting was the best when it came to balancing the battery capacity and necessary suction. If you anticipate needing more cleaning time, the Gen5outsize comes with an extra battery and a larger dirt canister, providing a longer run.

The battery is located in the handle, so the vacuum starts to feel heavy as time goes on. This also ties into my frustration with the lack of ability to stand the vacuum upright, as you end up holding onto the vacuum when you stop to move furniture out of the way. And while 7.72 lbs is definitely not heavy, the ergonomics of it make it tiring. This is especially true when you detach the stick to use it in wand mode.

dyson gen5detect charger — I opted not to put the mount on the wall, but it can still be used for charging the battery alone.

Dyson Gen5detect Vacuum: Alternatives

If you are in the market for a high-end vacuum, there are a couple of other options out there for you. Of course, you can go with Dyson’s V15 vacuum that I had mentioned earlier, which shares some of the cooler tech features, but you are going to sacrifice the improvements that come along with the new version, such as battery run time and suction power. That said, you would save a couple hundred dollars with the older model.

If you aren’t a fan of Dyson, there are other smart vacuums out there. We tested Samsung’s Bespoke Jet AI cordless stick vacuum, and it was a solid competitor. It’s able to switch suction modes automatically and tell when traversing different floor types. One of the big differences from Dyson is that Samsung has a self-cleaning docking station for the canister, which can definitely come in if you find yourself having to empty the dirt often. But, you are still going to have to shell out around the same amount of money.

Most Technologically Advanced Stick Vacuum