In this combination of images, Dyson V15 Detect vacuum cleaner can be seen Photograph:( Others )

Who pays more than Rs 60,000 for a vacuum cleaner? Let us try and answer this expensive question!  

Who spends more than 60,000 rupees on a vacuum cleaner? It’s a question which is often thrown in the air when the name Dyson enters the chatroom. Speak to anyone who has used a Dyson vacuum cleaner and they’ll convince you why it’s not a luxury but a necessity. The pandemic has turned me into one of those people.

Traditional cleaning methods do not appeal to me anymore simply because they are time consuming and produce poor results. Dust is everywhere in our homes; on our floors, gathering in carpets, thriving in our mattresses, hiding in our rugs and blankets, enjoying the shade in our curtains. Allergy season is a nightmare for all us, especially kids heading back to classrooms.

Which is why vacuum cleaners have become a common sight in most homes, hotels and schools. Dyson has plenty of them in its portfolio and each one claims to be better than the next.

I have been grateful to my Dyson V11 Absolute Pro for its cleaning prowess for more than two years now. It has seen me through multiple lockdowns, job changes, routine upheavals and dust patterns.

The V11 cost me more than 50,000 rupees. Why would I give it up for a shinier, more expensive model? Who would want to pay monthly instalments for a vacuum cleaner?

Enter the V15 Detect. And it’s an arm candy which may just be a much-needed upgrade. Before you gasp, this one is going to cost you Rs 62,900.

But is it worth it?

VACUUM CLEANER OR THOR’S HAMMER?

Let us talk about the design. It carries Dyson’s classic colour scheme of purple with gold accents which looks great stacked up in the corner of a room. Don’t leave this beast lying around especially with kids running around. It comes with a charging dock and mount which can be mounted in any corner for easy charging and can be packed up when you’re done. It’s lighter than the V11 and that is a big advantage especially if your child or a grandparent wants to use it.

WITH GREAT POWER COMES GREATER SUCTION

What’s a good vacuum cleaner without great suction power? A bad vacuum cleaner. This one comes with a more powerful 240AW motor which is big improvement from the more recent Dyson V15 Detect Slim. The machine is smart enough to do all the thinking for you. Depending on the level of dust and type of flooring, it switches between Eco, Auto and Boost mode.

As someone who relies on Eco mode to conserve battery, I found this feature very handy. For example, pieces of paper were quickly picked up on Eco Mode; sand from my son’s recent art project required a bit of Auto magic. And of course, those stubborn corners can be wiped clean with the powerful Boost Mode.

CHECK ALL STATS ON THE LCD

The LCD is to give us all a reality check about how clean our floors really are. It provides you real-time data about the size of dust particles, the amount of dust captured by the V15 Detect along with the battery status of your vacuum cleaner.

While you may not find this useful after multiple cleaning sessions, since cleaning is a very monotonous process, I suggest you give it a glance every now and then.

We all think our floors are clean. Some of us pride ourselves on maintaining a neat and tidy home. Unfortunately, there’s enough research to show that traditional cleaning methods — especially in South Asia — are unable to keep up with rising dust and pollution.

My only grievance with Dyson products has been their weight and size. And of course, the price point! While Dyson has given a price bump to its recent offering, it has tried to make up for it in some solid engineering. At around 3 kilos, the V15 Detect is much lighter than the V11 Absolute Pro, the latter, according to me, being the gold standard for vacuum cleaners.

You also get a bigger bin so you don’t have to clean out the dust after a few sessions though I would recommend you eject the dust after every session to avoid that moldy smell that we all run away from!

The trigger button has always been my preferred option than the one-click button for switching on the vacuum cleaner. It’s like playing a video game, an instinctive one, where the cleaner follows the dust and you simply point and shoot!

DON’T BE AFRAID OF THE ATTACHMENTS

You buy your first Dyson. You exhale in nervousness as you see the hefty price. You receive the big brown box. You open it and see the multiple attachments promising you the world. You get overwhelmed and shut the box and shove it in a closet.

Stop doing that. Yes, it can be overwhelming at first. But let me be frank, my four-year-old son has learnt how to attach and detach the different heads.

Dyson’s vacuum cleaners come with different heads for different surfaces. The V15 Detect comes with my favourite tool yet — the anti-tangle cleaner head. Its hair removal vanes direct all those strands of hair directly to the bin without you having to dirty your fingers. I used this multiple times and was impressed with the results each time!

The other heads and tools are similar to previous iterations. I find that people avoid using the other tools and mostly use the floor cleaner. I would suggest you give the other attachments a shot. You’ve paid more than Rs 60,000 for a vacuum cleaner after all!

IT ALL BOILS DOWN TO THE BATTERY

I am sad to report that the battery doesn’t get a major upgrade. Depending on your usage as well as the mode you clean in, your battery will take a hit. A single charge may give you an hour’s worth of cleaning which could definitely use some improvement especially if you don’t want to charge your gadget multiple times and are moving through different floors and surfaces.

A Dyson product isn’t for everyone. Let us start with the pricing. Many would balk at spending more than Rs 60,000 on a cleaning device no matter how fancy it looks.

Secondly, the superior technology may overwhelm several people who are comfortable sticking to traditional cleaning methods like using a mop or a dust cloth.

But increasingly, Dyson and other companies have tapped into the market of urban professionals who are perpetually short of time and want to maintain their homes nonetheless.

If you are the latter, Dyson’s V15 Detect checks all the boxes. If you’re willing to dole out the large sum, you will not be disappointed. This is possibly the most portable and effective vacuum cleaner in the market as of now. So if shiny floors at a high cost is your goal, go for it.

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