Since their invention in 2002, robotic hoovers haven’t exactly become commonplace, but there are a variety of more affordable options on the market that have seen households dabbling in putting their feet up and letting technology reign free.
From iRobot’s self-emptying Roombas to Eufy’s hybrid mop-vacs, Dyson’s original 2014 robo disaster was yet to be vindicated, leaving the beloved household appliance manufacturer left in the dust. The cumbersome, spherical 360 Eye had all the promise and none of the follow through – with carbon fibre brushes becoming damaged after singular cleans, and a distinct lack of suction ability.
The 360 Eye was 16 years in the making, which makes the 360 Vis Nav a 26-year-long project. So, it’s safe to say our hopes are sky-high. With 26 different sensors, a 360-mapping all-seeing eye, powerful yet sumptuously soft full-size roller brush, what could go wrong? We put the pricey technological feat to the test. Keep scrolling for an in-depth review.
Buy now: Dyson 360 Vis Nav robot vacuum - £1,199.99, Dyson
Key Specifications
- Cleaner head: triple-action brush bar
- Charge time: 2.75 hours
- Run time: up to 65 minutes
- Filtration: whole-machine HEPA filtration
- Weight: 5kg
- Dimensions: 9.9 x 33 x 32cm
- Cyclone technology: radial root cycloneáµá´¹ technology
Included in the box:
- Wall dock
- Triple-action brush bar
- Lifetime HEPA filter
- Power Supply
User Friendliness
I hate companion apps. No matter how sleek and sophisticated they get, I dream of a world in which hi-tech, eye-wateringly expensive devices don’t require me to control them from glitchy secondary applications on my smartphone.
Nevertheless, if I’m doomed to control my robot servant from an app, I’m glad Dyson made the effort to ensure it looks good and is easy to navigate. Setting up the Dyson 360 Vis Nav was easy as pie – no instruction manual needed. The helpful diagrams were enough for me to understand which parts slotted together to create the dock, and the vacuum itself comes fully assembled. Hurrah!
Connecting the Vis Nav to my phone was surprisingly simple and took all of 10 seconds to complete. Once paired with the companion application, you’re given the opportunity to start creating maps of your home for your robotic companion to navigate or begin an immediate clean. Having just moved homes, I opted for the latter – hi-tech mapping skills and decades of research be damned.
Chances are, if you’re purchasing a £1K robotic vacuum from Dyson, you’re already a fan of the manufacturer’s products. In this case, you already know how to remove and clean the full-sized roller brush, empty the dust container by hitting that big red button and bringing it over to the bin, as well as remove and wash the filter. I had to watch an instructional video. Despite the promise of muck-free hygienic emptying, most of the dust was stuck on the inner filter, so I had to remove it myself.
Functionality
Forgive me for thinking a £1.1k robotic vacuum (£1,249.99 if you’d like an extra docking system) should pick up all the dust and debris across my dinky one-bedroom flat on the first go. On Dyson’s website, we’re told that the machine has a run time of up to 65 minutes. I’m yet to have my little friend clean for more than 20 minutes in one go, even though the battery is at almost 100 per cent.
Perhaps this is down to the size of my household, or so I thought. Before sitting down to write this review, I sent Koda (yes, that’s what I’ve named it) on one last clean on the not-so quiet mode.
While I can most definitely pad around my home barefoot without worrying that I’ll get mucky, there are still dust bunnies hidden in corners and skirting boards – something that the innovative D-shaped design and unique Dyson Simultaneous Localisation and Mapping (SLAM) technology should’ve combatted.
“But you haven’t let Koda complete a mapping run!?” I hear you shout. Yes, I have. Once again, I was warned that this may take up to two hours – Koda took 20 minutes to map my living room and kitchen. Thank you, Dyson, I know that I have a tiny home. Nevertheless, if the Vis Nav is able to map my flat so quickly, why isn’t the entirety of the small square footage completely mess free?
I’m holding Dyson to an incredibly high standard here, and it must be noted that the Vis Nav has certainly blown my expectations out of the park. The suction is indeed incredibly powerful, so much so that you can feel the air if you walk behind the hoover while it’s working.
What’s more, the decently-sized device can pivot and accelerate with remarkable smoothness and accuracy – so much so that I’m struggling to believe there isn’t a little F1 driver in there controlling the reigns.
Design
If there’s one thing that Dyson can’t be criticised for, it’s creating good-looking and intuitive products. Whether they actually work? That’s been up for debate over the years.
The full-sized roller brush is all silky-smooth fibres which seem to work brilliantly on my old wooden floor. The suction is top-notch, though while I was promised side-sweepers to pick up dirt from the smallest of crevices, it’s impossible to see them at work below the vacuum’s casing. Maybe mine aren’t working, which is why my skirting boards remain dust-ridden.
The suction is loud even on quiet mode, and this is down to the hidden Dyson Hyperdymium motor, which spins at up to 110,000rpm with the help of ten cyclones which capture dust from the airflow. I’ll take a bit of noise for a powerful vacuum that I don’t have to manually operate any day.
When the Vis Nav changes pitch, that’s just the Piezo sensor working - an innovative device which detects dust particles invisible to the human eye and changes the suction power accordingly.
Unlike those strangely brittle carbon fibre brushes of ole, Dyson’s newest brush bar is equipped with a fluffy nylon brush which is imbued with anti-static carbon fibre filaments. Stiff and durable nylon bristles will then dig into carpets and rugs to scoop up debris. This brilliant design has resulted in zero hair-wrap pain and fuss-are emptying.
Buy now £1199.99, Dyson
Verdict
The concept of a robotic hoover is inherently flawed. They’re supposed to take the fuss out of everyone’s least favourite household chore, yet will always require a human hand to ensure each and every dust particle has truly been suctioned away. Once you can get past this simple fact, if you still want to spend £1.1k on a robotic companion, that’s your prerogative – no judgment here. It’ll definitely take on the vast majority of the work.
The Dyson 360 Vis Nav is certainly powerful – it’s a robotic hoover that can pack a punch and has most definitely repaired the damaged robotic reputation caused by the 360 Eye in 2014. Perhaps I’m wrong for thinking that there must be a robovac on the horizon which won’t require my measly human intervention. I’m sure Dyson will come up with something.
