This Vacuum Cleaner Is An Absolute Plus To Your Home

Hey readers, MYPS is back!

It’s been a year since we uploaded DIY renovation journey. You can read part 1 here. We are also happy to announce our new member, Melody!

Having an additional member is definitely a happy occasion but at the same time, it carries additional headaches:

1. Additional house chores
2. Noise level must be well controlled
3. Area cleaning must be tip top

Being a parent for the first time, we’ve decided to reward each other for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. MY bought a bag for PS from Japan for her first Mother’s Day. For Father’s Day, MY came up with his checklist:

• As a Man, MY doesn’t appreciate getting a bag. So something “bagless” please.
• As a Father, MY wants something that will also benefit the family.
• As a Male-maid of the house, MY wants something hassle-free.

After stepping into the room where he keeps all the cleaning supplies for the house, MY immediately knows what he wants.

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Is it time to find this Elephant a successor?

While PS thinks this elephant shouldn’t retire, MY explains his reasons by showing her this:

While taking out the vacuum bag is not a difficult task…

1. Seeing the dirt leaking and stuck inside the vacuum is really disgusting.
2. Cleaning the vacuum and clearing the filter net are missions impossible.
3. Visually, the dust can be seen escaping out when taking out the bag.

Other than the above factors, something that we both agreed is when the elephant is turned on, its trumpeting level is really LOUD! Here’s the noise test result: 100 dB i.e. equivalent to the noise levels a helicopter makes at 100 ft.

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Hunting the successor

TIP: If you are looking for a successor for your vacuum cleaner, we recommend walking around your home and seeing which area you will tend to use a vacuum.

For us, other than the floor tiles, we want our vacuum to also cover these areas easily on a day-to-day basis:

Of course, the successor must also fulfil MY & Baby’s core requirements:

Getting a vacuum machine with the above criteria in the current market is not difficult.

Based on the requirements, we did a quick analysis in the market:

1. Get a vacuum robot
   Pros: Easing
   Cons: Cannot cover all the required areas + Low suction power
   Verdict: Out
2. Get a better elephant
   Pros: Bagless +Low noise
   Cons: Not so easing (need to plug in/out) + Cannot cover all the required areas
   Verdict: Out
3. Get a cordless
   Pros: Bagless + Ease + Noise lower as lower suction
   Cons: Battery life issue + Low suction power
   Verdict: Can Consider Further

We asked a friend who works with mega home appliance brands for a recommendation. We gave him our requirements plus an additional criterion: it would be best if the vacuum is also soundless!

He came back with this recommendation:

Thankfully, he was just joking! He then recommended us to get this guy’s product:

Okay, we were like “Who is he?”
We later found out his identity through the tiny little thing he is holding. Looks familiar?

He’s actually James Dyson, the founder of Dyson.

We headed to a Dyson Roadshow and tried out its latest cordless vacuum, the Dyson V8 machine.

The next picture speaks for itself. MY is obviously deeply in love with his Father’s Day Gift (Dyson V8 Absolute Plus). He even imagines that he has been awarded with a Knight Sword or as part of the gang in Ghostbusters!

Apart from its stylish sleek design, we were also impressed with the demo performance and its noise level.

MY peppered the Dyson staff with the following questions:

1. Warranty coverage – Which part?
   The important tools – battery and cleaner heads plus accessories are covered for manufacturing defects.
2. Replacement parts – Available in SG?
   Parts (e.g. battery & cleaner heads) under wear and tear from normal use, replacement parts may be purchased from Dyson service centre at 81 Ubi Avenue 4, #03-11 UB.One, (S)408830.
3. Usage
   • Charging battery: Charge it for 5.5 hours or when battery lights are turned off. Applicable for 1st time usage too.
   • Docking station: Optional feature for Dyson V8 wall mounting. Without it, Dyson V8 still can be charged directly with an adaptor.
   • Use V8 with plug: Not possible, Dyson V8 is engineered to operate cord-free for safety reason, once plugged in, Dyson machine cannot be operated on.
   • Mattress cleaning: Yes – mini motorised head and mattress tool (these are sold separately)
   • Cleaning the machine: Easy.
     • Wash the pre-filter and post-motor filter once a month.
     • Leave them to dry before installing it back into your machine.
     • To clean the clear bin, simply take a damp cloth and gently wipe the interior. Then wipe dry.

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Unpacking the box

The first thing you shall see is the martial art manual.

Our products arrangement not bad right?

We noted that the manual did not introduce each part of the Dyson V8 vacuum cleaner, so for the benefits of our readers, here’s the list of each part:

1. Dyson V8 Machine	2. Flexi Crevice Tool	3. Combination Tool	4. Crevice Tool
5. Up Top Adaptor	6. Upholstery Tool	7. Soft Dusting Brush	8. Extension Hose
9. Direct-Drive Cleaner Head	10. Soft Roller Cleaner Head	11. Mini Motorised Tool	12. Absolute Pole
13. Accessory tool bag	14. Manual	15. Charging adaptor	16. Docking Station

The estimated run time of the machine is dependent on the tool and what power mode it’s running on:

Tool #	Power Mode: Normal	Power Mode: Max
#2 to #7	40 minutes	7 minutes
#9 to #11	25 minutes	7 minutes

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Performance time!

Before we show you how the machine works, wonder how it looks like with and without the charging station?

Here’s the noise level when we switched it on without any other surrounding noise:

So much lower than our elephant!
We bet our baby can sleep well while we are vacuuming =)

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The battlefield: Putting the Dyson V8 to the test

Battle 1 – Hard Floor

Weapon used: Dyson V8 Machine + Absolute Pole + Soft Roller Cleaner Head

Covered Area:	All floor tiles – Estimated cleaning area covered: 130sqm (excluding covered areas by furniture & fitting). Total floor area of our place: 141sqm
Power Mode:	Normal
Time taken:	20 minutes
Performance rating:
	Great Job: 1. Soft Roller Cleaner Head produce lower noise and smooth 2. Dirt can be easily rolled and vacuum into the machine 3. Unplug + Play, very convenient 4. Roller head is still as clean after use. 5. Cleaning is faster than expected	To Improve: 1. Bulky roller head may cause difficulty in reaching suspended area between cupboard & floor. 2. Better if the 25 minutes with this motorised head can be extended.

Here’s what the machine looks like post-cleaning:

While you can see there is a lot of dirt in the clear bin, the roller still looks clean!

Please check out our short video on the hard floor + noise level test with our baby sleeping.

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Battle 2 – Carpet Area

Weapon used: Dyson V8 Machine + Absolute Pole + Direct-Drive Cleaner Head

 

Weapon used: Dyson V8 Machine + Direct-Drive Cleaner Head (For wall carpet area)

Covered Area:	All carpet family
Power Mode:	Normal
Time taken:	10 minutes
Performance rating:
	Great Job: 1. The Direct-Drove Cleaner Head is GODLIKE! 2. Dirt hiding inside carpet is easily eliminated! 3. Unplug + Play, very convenient 4. Roller head is still as clean after used. 5. Carpet area is not as huge, battery life is still good!	To Improve: 1. Can we ask for a bigger clear bin? Carpet tends to trap dusk easily. We need a bigger bin!

We did our carpet vacuuming with the elephant on a weekly basis, so it shouldn’t be dirty. But when we put the V8 to the task, we couldn’t believe how dirty our carpet is!

Yes! We know it’s disgusting. The amount of dirt is only from this carpet! So now, you know why we say Dyson V8 Machine is GODLIKE.

Other carpet family:

Let’s see after post cleaning effect on other areas:

Cleaner head still looks as new after all the carpet cleaning (including the super dirty carpet)!

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Battle 3 – Height Area

Weapon used: Dyson V8 Machine + Up Top Adaptor + Flexi Crevice Tool (Good for Aircon top cleaning)

 

Weapon used: Dyson V8 Machine + Flexi Crevice Tool (Good for ceiling fan cleaning)

Extended

We also tried on our standing fan.

 

Weapon used: Dyson V8 Machine + Combination Tool

Surprising it works! So next time doesn’t need to disassemble the cover & wash!

 

Weapon used: Dyson V8 Machine + Up Top Adaptor + Soft Dusting Brush (Good for Top shelving cleaning)

Covered Area:	All height area
Power Mode:	Normal & Max (for sticky dust)
Time taken:	30 minutes
Performance rating:
	Great Job: 1. Changing the tools is very handy. 2. Multiple tools for different area is good for hygiene purpose 3. The Soft-Dusting and Combination tool have big suction mouth to grab bigger dust. 4. Extendable Flexi Crevice comes handy for higher area cleaning or meant for petite user (e.g. PS). 5. Up Top Adaptor is definitely making top shelve and air conditioner cleaning hassle-free!	To Improve: 1. Dust at ceiling fan tends to be held long and sticky, if there is a tool tackling sticky dust will be good! 2. Lighter the machine, the better!

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Battle 4 – Fabric Area (Bed & Sofa)

Weapon used: Dyson V8 Machine + Mini Motorised Tool (Mattress cleaning)

 

Weapon used: Dyson V8 Machine + Upholstery Tool (Bedsheet & Sofa cleaning)

 

Weapon used: Dyson V8 Machine + Upholstery Tool + Extension Hose (Good for Fabric Corner Cleaning)

 

Let’s see its effectiveness:

 

After cleaning effect of the machine:

Hidden dust has been unveiled! You can’t hide anymore.

Still look as clean yah?

Covered Area:	Bed / Mattress / Sofa
Power Mode:	Normal
Time taken:	10 minutes
Performance rating:
	Great Job: 1. Easy to clean 2. Suction power is just nice for fabric cleaning, not too strong. 3. Using of different cleaner head has its hygiene purpose 4. Hidden dust can be exposed easily	To Improve: 1. Mini Motorised Head can be smoother when vacuuming the mattress.

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Battle 5 – Car Area

Weapon used: Dyson V8 Machine + Crevice Tool

Let’s see the before and after:

How much dust was collected?

Covered Area:	Car Interior
Power Mode:	Normal
Time taken:	7 minutes
Performance rating:
	Great Job: 1. Normal suction power is good enough to absorb stubborn articles like leaf and stone stuck in the carpet. 2. Cordless is always a plus point especially when we need to clean the car boot!	To Improve: 1. Can’t think of any!

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Post war = Weapon cleaning time

Well, you can see from the above pictures, the roller heads and other tools are still as clean even after used.

However, to maintain your asset well, cleaning the machine is important too.

We are impressed with the design of V8 Machine, a sophisticated machine yet cleaning is so easy! Here’s how to do it:

A) Cleaning the clear bin in three simple steps:

1. Pull the trigger upwards	2. Clear bin cap opens and enemy drops	3. Use tissue or damp cloth to clean the bin and let it dry.

 

B) Cleaning the lifetime washable filter in two simple steps:

1. Pull up & out the two filters	2. Wash the filters and let it dry before putting back

 

C) Cleaning of the heads in three simple steps

1. Unlock the cleaner with a coin?	2. Pull up the catch cover & pull out the 2 x rollers	3. Wash the rollers & let it dry before putting back

 

Overall verdict: 

Design	Great job Nice futuristic design Eye-catchy piece of artwork at your house Triggering machine via handheld let us forget about bending our back just to on/off the vacuum machine. Very comfortable handheld design, we are just like Ghostbuster! To improve Lighter the better. Slimmer/Flatter roller for tight area especially for suspended area between cabinet and flooring
User-friendliness	Great job Godlike – Hassle free: Just unplug and play, anyone can use! Excellent for day-to-day use, making cleaning so easy Cordless means easy to manoeuvre at speed Cleaning the machine is REALLY simple To improve None
Performance	Great job Low noise – our baby sleeps throughout the cleaning. Max power can easily absorb the bigger dirt or parts Have not experience difficulty so far Soft roller, Direct-head and mini-motorised cleaner head are awesome products! Have not experience choky air, quite sure the air expel is clean! To improve None
Price Tag	Great job Consider high price tag for a cordless machine. However, with the given specs and the sophisticated technology inside this little machine, it matches the price tag. TIP: Purchase at roadshows for a better price!

 

Did we have a good buy? Definitely yes! Because we can say goodbye to:

1. Dirty bags;
2. Painful vacuum cleaning experience;
3. Plugging and unplugging every area we go; and
4. Stubborn dirt hiding inside our carpet and height area.

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Our Conclusion:

If you are thinking of getting a day-to-day vacuum machine, the Dyson V8 is definitely an absolute plus to your home.

PS: Let’s Keep Calm and Carry On

FUN FACT: Dyson Ltd is founded in UK – This carpet is a perfect fit to this blog right?

 

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