Gen5detect Cordless Vacuum, 280AW, 3 Power Modes, Up to 70 Minutes,² Illumination Reveals dust, HEPA Filtration, All Floor Types

Now that I've had this and used it for nearly 6 months, I feel safe enough to provide a review. I read way too many forums and watched way to many videos before deciding on this brand and model. We already have a regular Miele regular plug-in vacuum, which is great quality and works well, but more cumbersome than something like this. Like many others, my hope was that the convenience of a cordless stick appliance that did hard floors and carpet, would mean using it more often, which would outweigh the fact that the plug-in vacuum was more powerful. So, if I was going to spend the money, I wanted to go all the way and give it the best shot at something I'd actually enjoy using. I can tell you now that I couldn't be happier! This thing is everything the reviews said it was and everything I hoped it would be. Aside from it being purple (my wife's favorite color), my wife is just as happy with it, even though she doesn't use it, if you catch my drift. I use it at least twice a week. It's kinda funny as I usually pull it out to do a quick clean of the kitchen floor, then do the hallway, then switch to the carpet attachment, and next thing I know I'd done most of the house. The built-in wand is great too! That was a key selling point for me and it was great to realize it wasn't just a gimmick. The only thing that might have been nice is a longer wand attachment, but to be honest, I've been fine with out it. I will say I am somewhat careful with it as it is just about all plastic. I fear that one good drop on a hard floor and I'll be looking for parts. Nothing has happened, though, and with normal use (not throwing it around), it seems well built and will withstand several years or use. One recommendation is to get an after market stand. I got the one from Haturi Vacuum Stand designed for this generation of Dysons. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0D8HLHN8B?ie=UTF8&th=1. That meant no holes in the wall and was easier to find a good place the put it - and change my mind if I wanted to. It's been perfect. It's in a corner, but very easy to just grab and go anytime I want. The "detect" part of this, which is the light on the fluffy hard floor attachment works great, but is a double-edged sword. You probably didn't want to know how much stuff is down there, but it does work well. Emptying is a breeze. If you have pets, meaning hair, you may have to slide the thing back and forth a couple of times to clear the canister, but not a big deal. I've also taken the canister off as well as the inner metal filter to clean it all. This is very easy to do. The hepa filter being washable is great and easy to do as well. There is a larger version out there, but honestly this thing is top heavy enough as it is, so I wouldn't recommend the larger one unless you have a specific use case, like a very large home or something. On the topic of weight, it is heavier that all the other models, so be prepared, but it isn't all that bad. I'm an average guy and really have no problem using this for the 20-30 minutes it takes to do the whole house, including stairs and couch. On Auto, the battery lasts plenty long enough too, so there wasn't a need to get a second battery.

I did weeks of research before finally investing in this Dyson cordless vacuum cleaner. (It is replacing our previous Dyson, which served us well for 15 years.) That first use is always mind-boggling, when you realize that you only *thought* your previous vacuum was doing its job. It was astounding. As we've come to expect from Dyson, it comes with high-quality attachments that cover every possible need. Some are much easier to switch between than our old vacuum, which means I am using them more frequently. Especially appreciated is the smooth ability to use it in cars and on upholstery. Dyson excels at anticipating consumer needs and filling them. The slide mechanism for clearing the canister is new to us and much appreciated, as I'm not a fan of having to manually remove the debris that did not just fall out, which was frequently the case with our previous Dyson. As others have mentioned, we quickly quit paying any attention to the particle meter. Being able to switch between suction power modes is nice. I have tested and can typically vacuum the entire downstairs on Boost and then recharge to do upstairs. It should be noted that Boost mode WILL suck up lighter-weight rugs, or just become impossible to move across the surface. I switch to Auto for those or if I am finding it harder to push and pull the vacuum due to the stronger suction. Note that minimizing your use of Boost mode would also, presumably, extend the life of the battery. We've found that this model excels at picking up fine dust particles and even better, not spitting them back out. The green light has to be mentioned. I alternate between loving and hating it. It is supremely satisfying to use...on all but my 23-year old hardwood floors. Watching dust and debris vanish, and finding spots you have missed, is fun and cool. Realizing that your hardwood floors have embedded particles after years of washing and waxing is not. (It reminds of how I felt when using a blacklight on my carpet. Ewwww!) I understand now that I really need to put effort into the hardwood floors and remove the layers trapping the particles. Another improvement with this model is that Dyson has taken steps to ensure that the bars of the vacuum no longer become entangled with hair, string, etc. This is a huge and much-needed improvement. It works! The only negative I can find to report is that this model is heavy and given the design, the weight is concentrated near the handle. I was surprised to find myself with mildly sore shoulder, arm and hand muscles after my first-week vacuum spree. Now, I try to switch hands while vacuuming, but of course I prefer my dominant hand. This could be a consideration for some users. Finally, it was disappointing to learn that Dyson only warrants this model for 2 years. I'm told this is due to the expected lifespan of the rechargeable battery, but an innovative company should be able to deliver longer lasting batteries. Especially at this price point.

Ownership 1 day, First impressions: - Love the electronic controls and information display on top It certainly has suction and improved filter size. but that’s about where the love affair stops! It’s a beast! Heavy beyond reasonable for a stick vacuum. I mean lightness and ease of use that was the beauty of the past two Dysons I’ve purchased. It’s not just the weight but it’s also the balance of that weight plus it’s its increased suction ability makes it feel like it’s glued to my carpet! My first thought was something is wrong here and I inspected it, reducing the suction setting at the bottom and putting it in Eco mode further reducing its grip to the carpet to make it usable. It has a built in stick attachment with bristles on it inside the stick instead of an external attachment and it shut down the vacuum for clogged air flow on its first use, Dog hair had gotten stuck inside the middle of the stick tube and I had to search for a piece of wood trim long enough to push it out. Not what I expected or needed to deal with. As I said this is my third Dyson. I’ll update this review after I give it another chance today but I think it’s just a poorly thought out or engineered product that has lost its way over the top in search of improving previous models minor shortcomings.

This is my second Dyson, and all I can say is, it’s amazing. The Gen5 Detect is an absolute beast. The suction is phenomenal, the cleaning performance is unmatched, and overall it feels like a major leap forward from my already excellent Dyson V10. I owned the V10 for about seven years with zero issues, so when it finally came time to replace it, I started shopping around. I reached out to a local vacuum store to see what they recommended, but the feedback surprised me. The salesperson had nothing good to say about Dyson and claimed their store constantly repairs them. That didn’t line up with my experience at all. Out of curiosity, I contacted about half a dozen other vacuum shops in multiple states, same story. No one recommended Dyson; they pushed Miele or the new Riccar R65, basically whatever brand they sold. Against my better judgment, I let their sales pitches and the “setup/stand” convince me to try the Riccar R65. I also didn’t want to spend over a thousand dollars since Dyson didn’t have any promotions at the time. Unfortunately, that decision ended up costing me about $500. I had repeated issues with the charging base and the multi-floor brush. I eventually got a replacement stand that resolved the charging problem, but the vacuum itself was very underwhelming. The power just wasn’t there. Having to go over the same spot multiple times to pick up debris is incredibly frustrating. Even worse, often times when I placed it back on the stand, debris would drop out of the bottom of the brush and no, the vacuum wasn’t clogged. The real eye-opener was when I tested it on the one fully carpeted room in my home. I vacuumed the carpet with the Riccar first, then ran the Gen5 Detect on Auto mode afterward. The Dyson filled one-third of the bin with debris that the Riccar didn’t/couldn’t pick up. There is simply no comparison. If you want a cordless vacuum that cleans as well, if not better, than many plug-in vacuums, buy a Dyson. It is worth the investment.

I am comparing this to the best canister vacuum ever made, a top Miele $1k+ canister vacuum. I am not yet considering getting rid of the Miele, but as I compare the two, here are my impressions: 1. Cleaning power: Both excel. For sustained long power over a larger surface, the Miele is in its element. But it's also heavy and cumbersome to move around, which will make you take shortcuts and avoid going into tighter places. The Gen5 on autodetect (where it automatically adjusts suction power to the surface) also gets there. I should note that the first time I used the Gen5, I had previously used the Miele. On the open surfaces the Miele had cleaned, the Gen5 barely found anything, but then when you got to the corners of stuff, whoa, the Gen5 showed its superiority in reaching anywhere, easily. 2. Weight: I used to vacuum holding the Miele vacuum in one hand, and vacuuming with the other. I am large and strong, so it wasn't hard for me, but it wasn't enjoyable either. The Gen5 "gamifies" cleaning, it's light and super maneuverable, so invites you to get to tight spaces. Love the Gen5. 3. Sturdiness, Build Quality: The Miele is cast in metal. But heavy. The Gen5 feels a bit plasticky, honestly, and at times I felt I may break something, because some of the pieces are initially hard to clip in and out. But you gain trust in the Gen5 quickly. It is well made. 4. Attachments and Versatility: They both have good attachments to work around the house. But the Miele will stay on the house. The Gen5 can be used in your car (and it is awesome at it) because it is very portable, and brings all the power to any environment. 5. Bare floors and the "fluffy optic" cleaner head: Oh wow. Game changing stuff. The Gen5 murders the Miele there. The ability to see the huge difference you are making as you vacuum and clean is absolutely amazing. 5. Additional thoughts: The only drawback of the Gen5 is the direct consequence of its portability and lightness - the fact it is battery powered and hence has limited time. But in my experience -based on having to vacuum 1000 sqft these days- you may kill the battery within 15mins (that's how long it lasts at full suction power) on your first vacuum, because the Gen5 will pick up stuff none of your prior vacuums did... but after those early cleaning jobs (which will fill the container quickly), things normalize and a battery charge will easily last for larger than 1k sqft environments, no doubt. In a nutshell, while the top end Miele and the Dyson are probably pretty close in suction power (and the Miele is possibly a bit better), the practicality and versatility of the Dyson Gen5 makes it a winner, at least to me. I like them both, but if I had to keep only one, it would be the Dyson Gen5.

Background: We're nearly finished building our home and close to moving in! I've swept and swept, OMG it's crazy just trying to keep up! I knew I swept every area and corners well. I thought there had to be an easier way, aside from a robot. I scored this on Cyber Monday and took the leap! It was still pricey, but Merry Christmas to me! This is a total Game Changer! I thought, "I've already swept, so I'm not going to see much". OMG was I ever wrong! The detect has immediately turned me into a "clean freak", but not in a bad way. With just one pass (on auto/medium strength) the micro/dust particles were picked up. I seen things on the floor with the little green/detect light, that I couldn't see with the naked eye. With our flooring things tend to blend together. On the auto/medium function, I only got half our home done. Within a few days I purchased a second battery. It takes 4.5 hours to fully recharge from an empty charge. A second battery is totally worth it! I'm debating on a third battery, but after we move in, I may not need it and plan to rotate throughout our home each day. Using a regular broom or even a regular vacuum there's no way I could possibly get all those minute particles up off the floor! I'm so excited to know that we'll walk on a clean floor free of any dirt/particles underfoot. Told you, "new clean freak" thank you! The swivel of the vacuum is amazing and soooo easy to use! I've never used a Dyson product before now, so the I'm just fascinated by the ease of this! I was so impressed with this vacuum, I asked for the new Dyson mop Wash G1 and my wonderful husband surprised me with it! However, Amazon won't allow me to post a review since I personally didn't buy it, but I absolutely LOVE that mop! Just need to use water and wow. I don't like to use a lot of chemicals and try to stay away from them, like using Norwex, to get things clean. I didn't know just how dirty my floors were! Think about it, using a regular mop you rinse it out in a pale/bucket/sink of already dirty water and you're just smearing that dirty water around on the floor and not truly rinsing or cleaning it. Also, the mop doesn't use much water, soooo much less than I typically fill the sink/bucket with. I couldn't believe just how little water is needed and the amount of gross dirt that it picks up! And the suction is strong enough that my floors dry in a 1/4 of the time! I'm still in awe. Again, I'm now a new "clean freak" and I absolutely LOVE it!

I have a whole house vacuum. I thought it was doing a good job, fast forward to getting this and the amount of dirt that came out of a carpet that I just cleaned 3 days before is absolutely crazy! Wait, what?!! How have I been vacuuming and getting dirt yet not getting "this" much dirt removed from my carpets! One of my favorite things is no longer having to sit down for an extra 10 minutes cutting hair from the roller, there was ZERO hair wrapped around the roller! Amazing! So, that's a savings of additional time because I had to clean the roller every time I used the vacuum. I like that it's cord and hose free. With a whole house vacuum it doesn't have a cord, but you do have to drag the hose around, minor but still a nice bonus. I also like that it adjusts for when there is more dirt in one area compared to another, you can hear and see the results of the machine determining to put more power in a dirtier area. That does drain the battery a bit faster, but that's minor as it doesn't happen a lot. Overall, I wish I had made this purchase sooner, but the cost was holding me back. Also, I would like to add, this one is the nicer and worth the additional cost to NOT have to hold a button just to use it. This is one press on and one press off, so MUCH MORE functional that having to hold a button. I don't even know why they make the ones that you have to hold a trigger button, with the way batteries last these days, those should be phased out and no longer made.

Great vacuum cleaner but a few details you should know. The battery life advertised at 70mins is in the lowest power mode. If you run it on auto you will have about 25-30 minutes of battery. On boost which really I haven't found a use for you'll have less than 10 minutes from full charge. Depending on your carpet type, you may need to adjust the airflow on the front of the head by switching it to the "-" side. Leaving it on the middle or "+" side will create too much suction and the brush will stop spinning. I thought the head was defective not 30 minutes after opening the vacuum, but turns out I just had to adjust to allow more airflow to come in. I feel like the battery should last much longer considering the price of this thing. It is very easy to operate and has crazy power, but for 1k I really would like a 2-3 hour battery.