Having a great vacuum cleaner is undoubtedly one of the best and easiest ways to keep your house clean. A good vacuum like the Dyson V7 or the Dyson V8 can put a huge dent in all of that dirt in your home. Pets, kids, and Mother Nature can all wreak havoc on your hard and soft floors, your carpets, and so much more. You obviously don’t want to use a boring old broom or dusting brush, which means investing a bit of money in a vacuum that will let you clean your whole home from top to bottom with total ease.
Well, the problem is that choosing a vacuum for your home is not always that easy. You have to consider certain things like its suction power, its weight and size, its features, accessories, and the price too. Today we are here to compare two of the current best vacuums on the market today, both from the trusted Dyson brand. Let’s get right to it and do a nice little Dyson V7 vs V8 comparison. Let’s find out which one is right for you!
Quick Comparison Chart
| Product Name | Dyson V7 Absolute | Dyson V8 Absolute |
|---|---|---|
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| Battery | Lithium-Ion Battery | Lithium-Ion Battery |
| Max Suction Power | 100 Air Watts | 100 Air Watts |
| Filter | No Post Motor Filter | Post Motor Filter |
| Operating Time | Up to 30 minutes operating time | Up to 40 minutes operating time |
| Charging Time | 4 hours charging time | 5 hours charging time |
| Weight | 5.3 lbs | 5.75 lbs |
| Dimensions | 9.8x49x8.8 | 9.8x49x8.8 |
| Available | Check Price on Amazon.com |
Individual Reviews
Dyson V7
The first model we want to take a look at is the Dyson V7 vacuum.
The Dyson V7 vacuum is one of the newer vacuums which Dyson has released. It’s newer than the Dyson V6, but also a little older than the Dyson V8. It’s like a good mix between the two. Let’s keep in mind that there are a couple of different Dyson V7 models including the Absolute, the Total Clean.
For the purposes of this article we are going to be talking exclusively about the Dyson V7 Absolute, which is because we are going to be comparing it to the Dyson V8 Absolute. The Dyson V7 vacuum may not be the newest model on the market today, but it is certainly a really good one none the less. Let’s take a really close look at the Dyson V7 vacuum to see what exactly it is all about.
Features
First off, the Dyson V7 vacuum comes with the Dyson V7 digital motor. This motor uses cyclonic technology to create a ton of suction power. It is more than strong enough to clean up various particles in your home. Things like dust, sand, dirt, and even Cheerios do not stand a chance against the Dyson V7 vacuum.
It is more than able to clean up most of the dirt in our home with ease. The 100 air watts of suction power which this model comes with is more than enough to handle some basic and even some heavy duty cleaning jobs in our home. And when we say heavy duty, keep in mind that we have a lot of pets in our home.
When it comes to the accessories, the Dyson V7 vacuum comes with quite a few of them. First off, just like with most other Dyson models, you get the direct drive cleaner head. This cleaner head has managed to do a fairly good job at cleaning both the soft and hard floors in our home. This cleaner head allows us to turn the motorized brush on and off at will. With the cleaner head, the Dyson V7 vacuum actually has around 75% more power than many previous models, which is definitely something that impresses us.
With the simple click of a button, we can turn the motorized brush on to easily take care of the various carpets in our home. The brush head itself does a fairly decent job with most carpets, which is a big deal in our home because we have so many pets and kids that create messes. When it comes time to clean the hardwood floors and the tiles in our home, we simply turn the brush head off. It still sucks up a lot of dirt and debris, but it also does not harm our hardwood floors.
Another thing that we appreciate about the Dyson V7 vacuum is that it is a cordless vacuum. This particular models utilizes a great lithium ion battery. This battery gives you a runtime of around 30 minutes, which is not all that long, but long enough for us to get through most of our home in one single go. The Dyson V7 vacuum does actually come with this neat max power mode. In other words, you can flick a switch in order for it to greatly increase the suction power for a limited amount of time.
However, we did notice that the Dyson V7 vacuum can only run for about 6 minutes when it is in this max power mode, which is also not too fantastic. It takes roughly 4 hours to fully charge the battery in the Dyson V7 vacuum, which is not too horrible, especially when considering that it can run for a full 30 minutes.
In terms of accessories, the Dyson V7 vacuum does come with quite a few of them. Besides the direct drive cleaner head, you also get a few other things to make cleaning your home quick and easy. The soft roller cleaner head which is included is fantastic for picking up all kinds of lighter dust. It is ideal for our hardwood floors because it still allows for a lot of suction while also not damaging our floors.
Moreover, there are also other tools included such as a crevice tool, a small soft dusting brush, and a combination tool too. Together, with all of these accessories, we can easily clean multiple surfaces. Getting into tight spaces, cleaning upholstery, and dusting off various hard surfaces is nice and easy for us. Now, the accessory that we really like is the small motorized tool. This tool is pretty good for getting the dirt which gets imbedded deep in upholstery, and it even does pretty good job at picking up the pet hair from our 3 dogs as well.
Another thing which we do like about the Dyson V7 vacuum is that it is quite lightweight as well as compact. We don’t like lugging around heavy and oversized vacuums, especially when it comes to stairs. So the Dyson V7 vacuum is ideal for things like stairs and for anybody to push around for quite some time. This also makes the Dyson V7 vacuum easy to store in a fairly tight space as well. We don’t have a massive house, so this is quite important to us.
It weighs 5.3 pounds, which is not bad at all. At the same time, the Dyson V7 vacuum comes with a 0.14 gallon dirt container, which is not huge, but if you are not sucking up everything in your driveway, it should do just fine.
What is really handy is the sanitary dirt ejector in the dirt container. This is a little silicone ring which is backed by a spring, which automatically pushes the dirt out when you open up the dust bin. In other words, we don’t even have to touch the dirt to empty the Dyson V7 vacuum. Speaking of the dirt container, the filter is washable, which is great because we don’t have to buy new ones very often.
Finally, something else that we really appreciate is the ability to convert into a handheld vacuum. We can simply take the front tube off to convert the Dyson V7 vacuum into a small handheld vacuum which is ideal for quickly cleaning up small messes.
PROS
What we like:
- Fairly inexpensive
- Quite good suction power
- Cordless
- Great for small and medium sized cleanup jobs
- Comes with many attachments
- Lightweight and portable
- Does OK with pet hair
- Converts into a handheld vacuum
- Motorized ON/Off brush roll for soft and hard floors
CONS
What we didn't like:
- Battery life could be a little better
- Fairly small dust collection bin
- Does not have a HEPA filter
Dyson V8
Like we mentioned before, for the purposes of this article we are going to be looking at the Dyson V8 Absolute. Now, there are a couple of other variants on the market today, but they are all just lesser versions of the V8. In all fairness, the Dyson V8 is newer than the V7, so it does have some improved features and functionality. Let’s take a look at what the Dyson V8 is all about right now.
Features
Just like the Dyson V7, the V8 does come with the ability to convert into a handheld vacuum cleaner. This helps make life a lot more convenient. When we don’t want to have to use a full sized vacuum, we can take the front tube off and use it as a small dust buster. This is awesome for cleaning up small messes like Cheerios and cereals which our kids spill, plus for hard dog food pebbles too.
One of the big improvements that has been made from the Dyson V7 to the Dyson V8 is the fact that it has quite a bit more suction power. Now, both of these models use a dual tier radial cyclone system, which does create a ton of suction. Moreover, this cyclonic suction helps dirt stay away from the internal filter, which means that it is great at retaining a lot of suction power.
However, one of the big differences is that the Dyson V8 has a 425 watt motor, whereas the Dyson V7’s motor was under 400 watts. This means that it has quite a bit more suction power than the V7 and is able to pick up much heavier debris and more of it too. In fact, the Dyson V8 has around 75% more suction power than the Dyson V7, with a full 115 air watts of sucking power, compared to the 100 air watts of suction which the Dyson V7 has.
Another improvement that has been made when we look at the Dyson V8 is that it has a much better battery. Yes, both models come with a rechargeable lithium ion battery, which means that there is no dealing with annoying power cords. However, the battery in the V8 has been greatly improved. Unlike the V7 with a 30 minute battery life, the Dyson V8 has a full 40 minutes, which is 10 minutes more. The Dyson V8 can also last for 7 minutes in the max power mode, as opposed to the 6 minutes which the V7 can last in full power mode. That being said, the Dyson V8 does take a full 5 hours to charge, which is 1 hour more than the V7.
When it comes to the size of the Dyson V8, it is about the same as the V7, but it is slightly heavier. It is only 0.45 pounds heavier than the V7, so it’s not a huge deal. It is still more than light enough for us to push around until it dies, and also more than good enough to maneuver stairs with it. When it comes to the accessories, the V8 comes with the same ones as the V7, including the direct drive cleaner head, the crevice cleaning tool, the soft rolling head for hardwood floors, the mini motorized tool for upholstery and pet hair, and the combo tool too.
Another big improvement that has been made to the Dyson V8 is in terms of the filter. Yes, both of these models have washable filters, but the big difference is in terms of the post motor filter. Or to be accurate, the Dyson V8 Absolute has a post motor HEPA filter, unlike the Dyson V7 which does not.
This is one of our favorite parts without a doubt. We have a couple of people in our home with allergies, so having a high efficiency HEPA filter that removes all kinds of dust and allergens from the air is a huge bonus for us. On a side note, the Dyson V8 does also have a no touch dirt emptying system, which is nice because we never ever have to touch the dirt.
PROS
What we like:
- Excellent suction power
- Great for small, medium, and large messes
- Does exceptionally well with pet hair
- Ideal for hard and soft surfaces – motorized brush roll
- Converts into a handheld vacuum
- Features many accessories
- Better battery life than the Dyson V7
- Comes with a HEPA filter
- Cordless
- Fairly lightweight and portable
- Filter is washable
CONS
What we didn't like:
- Fairly expensive
- Dust collection bin is small
- Heavier than the Dyson V8
Main Differences Between The Dyson V7 & Dyson V8
Don’t get us wrong because both of these vacuums are great models to go with. Both do a fantastic job at cleaning up various forms of debris. However, when it comes down to it, the Dyson V8 is slightly better. Yes, this does also mean that the Dyson V8 costs a little bit more, but the investment is well worth the price if you ask us. The additional features and capabilities of the Dyson V8 when compared to the Dyson V7 are definitely worth it.
BATTERY
Another big difference lies in the battery life of the Dyson V8. While the V7 does have a total runtime of 30 minutes, with a 6 minute runtime in max power mode, it does not compare to the increased life of the Dyson V8. The V8 can last for a full 10 minutes more than the V7, which is a big deal if you have a fairly large home. That being said, the increased battery time does come with a 5 hour charging time, whereas the Dyson V7 only takes 4 hours to charge.
POST MOTOR FILTRATION
Perhaps the biggest difference between these two models is the post motor filtration which the Dyson V8 comes with. The Dyson V8 features a great HEAP filter which serves to remove pollen, allergens, and fine dust particles from the air before the air gets released back into your home. This is really useful for people like us who suffer from allergies and other breathing issues.
SUCTION POWER
One of the biggest differences between the two models has to do with the suction power. The Dyson V7 has 100 air watts and the V8 has 115 air watts of suction power. When it comes to a percentage, the V8 has up to 75% more suction power than the Dyson V7, which is quite impressive no doubt. The Dyson V7 does a fine job at picking up smaller and medium sized debris, but it does not fare so well with larger things. For example, the increased suction of the V8 allows for the picking up of small gravel pieces and other such things. It’s a more heavy duty version when compared to the V7.
WEIGHT
Now, this is really only a minor difference, but a difference none the less. The Dyson V7 weighs 5.3 pounds and the V8 weighs 5.75 pounds. This is really not a big difference, but it may be important for people who can’t carry too much weight or maneuver stairs all that well. Now, both models can indeed convert into a handheld model, which does significantly reduce the weight of both vacuums.
PET HAIR
Both the Dyson V7 and V8 doe a fine job at picking up pet hair, especially when the mini motorized brush tool is used, but the V8 does a better job. A slightly improved design on the pet brush combined with increased suction power helps the V8 pick up much more pet hair than the V7, plus it does not get clogged or tangled as easily.
PRICE
The Dyson V8 is going to cost you significantly more than the Dyson V7.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, when it comes to the Dyson V7 vs V8 comparison, the Dyson V8 is the clear winner. However, that being said, the V8 will cost you a fair amount more than the V7, but is has better suction power, better battery life, and an awesome HEPA filter too.