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Dyson V6 vs V7 Vacuum: Differences Explained

by  Lawrence -  Last updated on March 8, 2022

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So, you’ve decided to get a cordless vacuum? Maybe you’ve already got one, but you’re looking to upgrade it?

Or maybe you are still trailing around an older model with the dustbin and motor being separate from the brush, getting frustrated every time the cord gives a tug to let you know that you can’t move further from the socket.

Either way, you will no doubt have noticed that Dyson is a super popular brand when it comes to cordless vacuums, and rightly so.

Dyson has been working on creating the best cordless vacuum for years now. But with so many to choose from, deciding which one is the best choice for you can feel overwhelming. However, we’ve done the research so that you don’t have to.

In this article we’ll take you through the main features of each of the V6 and the V7, and we’ll help you work out which is the better option for you.

So take a look at the article below, and by the end you’ll know which features you need, which ones you can live without, and which is the best cordless vacuum for you.

Dyson V6 vs. V7 at a Glance

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If you don’t have the time to read the full article, then don’t worry. We’ve got you covered with this quick roundup of the main advantages and disadvantages.

If you want to find out what makes the two different though and work out which features are worth having, take a look at our main article beneath.

Dyson V6 Advantages:

  • Lighter
  • Better on hard floors
  • Powerful cordless vacuum

Dyson V6 Disadvantages:

  • Shorter battery life
  • More awkward release of the dustbin

Dyson V7 Advantages:

  • Longer battery life
  • Cleaner dustbin set-up
  • Run time- 30 minutes
  • Better at carpets

Dyson V7 Disadvantages:

  • Heavier
  • Needs the fluffy roller head in order to effectively clean hard floors

Winner: Don’t want to read the full article? The editor’s choice is the Dyson V7.

What’s the Difference Between Them?(Dyson v6 vs v7)

Features

Okay, so let’s start with the basics. The V6 and V7 vacuum ranges both falls into the cordless vacuum series by Dyson. We’ll be concentrating on the cordless stick vacuums, which also convert into handheld vacuums really simply.

The great thing about cordless vacuums are, of course, the lack of wires involved. It means that you can get awkward spots on the stairs, or far from a power supply, without having to tug at the socket.

On the flip side, it does mean that battery life is a fairly important feature, which is something that we’ll explore in more detail below. Both vacuum series comes in a range of models which can seem quite confusing.

Don’t worry, we go through all the main differences in another section at the end, once you know what you’re looking for. But the key trick to know is that the main difference in the models is the different brush heads that are included and the different accessories.

They’ve still got the same power and design throughout the range. This includes the fact that they come with a docking station to keep the vacuum in. This is super handy so that you can always put it back to charge easily, but it also makes it really simple to grab in case of a sudden spillage.

If you don’t have space though then you don’t have to keep it in a docking station; you can just charge it in a standard power outlet. The docking station is just to provide that easy-grab set-up.

Verdict:
When it comes to the basic features that the vacuums have, the two ranges are actually the same, so we are going to have to call it a draw.

Design

The design of the cordless V-series vacuums by Dyson are all really similar. They come in three parts, made up of the cleaning head, the vacuum body, and the extension wand. The cleaning head is the brush part that sits on the floor.

It tends to come either in the form of a drive head, which is the main choice for carpet cleaning, or the fluffy roller, which is better suited for hard floors. The extension wand is the stick part, which links the cleaning head to the vacuum body, and this is the part that can be removed to turn the vacuum into a handheld vacuum.

Then the vacuum body is the part that holds the motor, battery, on/off the trigger and the cyclone system. This cyclone system is a great feature that the two vacuums share. It means that the 14 cyclones spin the dirt and dust around the filters so that the primary filter doesn’t get filled. As a result, even when the dustbin is getting full, the power remains the same and the vacuuming is just as effective.

The on/off the trigger is a polemic design feature of Dyson’s cordless vacuum series. On the one hand, it is really great for saving battery life. It means that the vacuum only works while your finger is pushing down on the trigger, so as you move between areas, it switches off.

When you’ve got a cordless vacuum, this is of course a great feature. However, if you are doing a big vacuuming session, having to constantly push down on the trigger can get quite tiring. This is especially the case if you are using it in the handheld format because you are usually lifting the weight as well as pushing down on the trigger.

Given that these two vacuum ranges are cordless, and can be handheld, the size of the dustbin is more important than for the older, heavier models of vacuums, where you would lug a big dustbin around on wheels behind you while you vacuum.

Both the V6 and the V7 range of vacuums have the same dustbin size of 0.4L, although they empty in different ways, which we will look at in more detail below. The two vacuum ranges come in different colors, to help to identify them.

So the V6 has a white and gray color scheme, while the V7 is pink and gray. In terms of size, the V7 is a bit bigger and heavier. The V6 is 47.5” long, 9.8” wide, and has a depth of 8.2”. The V7 has the same dimensions but it is 49” long.

This extra length translates into being quite a bit heavier, mostly due to the different battery lives, making the V6 weight 4.5lbs, while the V7 weighs 5.45lbs. The battery life of the V6 offers 2,200 mAh compared to the V7’s 2,100 mAh

Verdict:
The two vacuums are really similar, and we prefer the funky pink color of the high-end V7 range, but if we are looking purely at the design of the vacuums, rather than what these designs allow them to achieve, we are going to have to give the prize to the V6. It’s almost identical in size but so much lighter.

Power

When it comes to power, it would seem that the V7 actually hasn’t experienced as much of an upgrade as you might expect. In fact, both vacuums provide a maximum power of 100 W of suction.

However, this isn’t the setting that you would keep it on for the majority of your cleaning. Interestingly, when the two vacuums are each on the standard setting, the V6 provides 28 W of power, compared to 21 W from the V7 vacuum.

This means that the V6 actually provides more power than the V7, but interestingly, it doesn’t mean that the V6 is a more effective vacuum. This is where Dyson has used their best engineers to come up with a nifty solution.

Although the V6 vacuum provides more suction power (at least on regular mode), the V7’s brush head is actually far superior to that of the V6, to the extent that it provides 75% more brush bar power than the V7. That’s some clever technology there.

Verdict:
There’s no doubt that the V7 is the winner for this round. Although the V6 has a higher level of suction power that it’s putting out on regular mode, the V7 still manages to be more powerful.

Runtime

You’ve no doubt realized by now that a cordless vacuum means that its runtime is pretty essential. You’re no longer plugging it into a socket, trying to work out which one will allow you to reach the maximum number of places so that you have to move the wires the least amount of times.

Instead, you can just leave it charging in its docking station after you’ve used it, ready to pick up again the next time you’re ready. They each need just three and a half hours to reach full charge. But how long have you got once it’s charged?

For this feature, there is quite a big difference between the two vacuums. The V6 lasts for twenty minutes, while the V7 has a battery that lasts for an extra 50% more time, lasting for up to thirty minutes in total.

While neither vacuum will be suitable for an enormous house, they should both work well for smaller houses and apartments. And let’s not forget that they are only on while the finger is on the trigger, so their batteries will actually last for a lot longer than you might first think.

However, if the vacuum is used on full power mode, both the V6 and the V7 have the same run time of six minutes. So it’s definitely best to just use it on max for the tougher stains, rather than the whole home.

You might be wondering why they have the same battery life on full power when the V7 lasts for so much longer on regular mode. Well, one of the main reasons for these two different runtimes is because they put out different powers on the standard setting, as we saw earlier.

The V6 has to put out more power to ultimately achieve less suction time, so the more power-efficient cleaning brush head helps to save the battery life of the V7.

Verdict:
No doubt about it, with an extra ten minutes of run time, the V7 is our definite winner when it comes to which vacuum has the best run time.

Dustbin

One of the key differences between the V6 and the V7 is the dustbin. The V6 is the earlier model, and although it is now one of the older models of the Dyson cordless vacuums on the market, many would say that it was the V6 that put Dyson on the map for cordless vacuums.

However, there was a bit of a design flaw in the V6 which has been upgraded for the V7. The way to release the dustbin of the V6 is a red lever at the bottom, so dirt and dust often get on the fingers while it is being emptied. Plus, it can be a bit messier trying to get it all in the bin.

In contrast, the V7 has an upgraded design which puts the release lever at the top of the dustbin, behind the cyclones. Not only does this keep your fingers clean, but it also means that the dustbin can empty out straight down, which helps to avoid spilling any mess.

Verdict:
This is another clear win for the V7. It keeps your fingers clean, is easier to use, and makes the emptying process cleaner too.

Performance

One of the key features of the vacuum, if not the most important, is the performance of the vacuum when it comes to actually clean.

You don’t want to purchase a brand new vacuum and then find out that it can’t pick up the breakfast crumbs, or the mud from the dirty shoes.

And you certainly don’t want to choose one and then find out that it is really effective, but not on your types of floors. Well don’t worry, we’ve got the rundown for you.

The V6 is a good option for anyone with low pile carpets, and still pretty effective at high pile carpets too, but it does struggle a little on hardwood floors.

So, it would be a good choice for a home with a combination of different floors but is better at carpets. In contrast, the V7 is really excellent at the low pile and high pile carpets alike, however, it struggles more than the V6 when it comes to hardwood floors.

Although this might seem like a huge drawback, remember that you can purchase a model that comes with a soft fluffy roller head, which is designed especially for the hard floors, so it should still work well. But it is worth remembering.

Verdict:
The V6 vacuum is the winner for this round, somewhat surprisingly. While the V7 is better at carpeted floors, the V6 is better at hard floors, although this flaw in the V7 can be rectified by using a fluffy roller head.

Models

Now that we have been through the features, similarities, and differences, we think it would be best to clear up what the differences are within each range of vacuums.

Firstly, the “V” range of vacuums simply means that they are all cordless. So whether you are looking at V6, V7, or V11, the “V” is still indicating that it is a cordless vacuum. Now for the differences within each range.

The V6 range has two categories of vacuums. It has the cordless stick vacuums, and then it also has the handheld vacuums. In the category of cordless stick vacuums, the main options are the V6 Animal, Dyson V6 Absolute, and V6 Fluffy vacuum.

All three of these options can be used as handheld as well as a stick, by detaching the extension tube, and for all of them, it’s possible to introduce various accessories and tools to customize your vacuuming.

In contrast, the handheld vacuums cannot convert into stick vacuums, and they tend to have fewer accessories and tools that are compatible with them. For handheld-only models, there are the Trigger V6, Top Dog V6, and Car & Boat V6.

Needless to say, whether it is a handheld or a stick vacuum, the different options available have different focuses. The V6 Motorhead is the standard vacuum with the fewest additional accessories.

The V6 Animal has a wider motorized brush, which is better at collecting animal hairs. The V6 Fluffy comes with a mini motorized tool and a soft-roller head, making it better suited to hard floors.

Then the V6 Absolute comes with a direct drive cleaning head and a hard-wood head, plus an extra filter, which makes it better at a combination of different floor types. In contrast, the handheld vacuums have different specialties built into them.

So the V6 Trigger is the standard handheld vacuum in this range. The V6 Top Dog comes with a mini-tool too, and it is best at getting stubborn dirt.

Then the V6 Car & Boat handheld vacuum comes not only with a mini-tool, but also mini soft dusting and an extension hose, so that you can really get your vehicles clean.

The V7 range is also split into two categories of a cordless stick vacuum and a handheld vacuum. Again, the cordless stick vacuums can be converted into handheld vacuums, but not the other way around.

Dyson V7 Motorhead is again the standard option, which includes the Direct Drive cleaner head, charger, and wall-mounted docking station, as well as a larger crevice tool. The V7 HEPA filtration is very similar but is more focused on getting the most filtered clean possible.

Dyson V7 Absolute is similar, but also includes the soft roller cleaning head and a larger soft dusting brush with soft bristles, for an all-round clean. The V7 Fluffy is again better at doing the hard floors with its soft roller cleaning head, while the V7 Animal specializes in cleaning up animal hairs.

In contrast, the V7 handheld vacuum range only includes two vacuums, the V7 Trigger, and the V7 Car & Boat. As with the V6 range, the V7 Trigger includes a crevice tool and a combination tool, while the V7 Car & Boat includes a car charger and extension hose too.

Hopefully, that’s cleared up which option would be the best one for you from each range.

Verdict:

The Dyson v6 and v7 have very similar vacuum accessories and brush heads available when it comes to the variety of models, but with more options for the handheld vacuums, we will have to declare the V6 range the winner for this round.

Price

For our final round, we are going to move on to the price. For a lot of people, this is what the make or break decision really comes down to. However, it might not be as clear cut as you’re expecting.

Okay, so yes, the V6 is cheaper than the V7. It’s an older series that is missing a few of the newer features and has shorter battery life. But it is still a super popular choice so the price hasn’t dropped as much as you might expect.

Meanwhile, although the V7 is an upgrade from the V6 (and in fact, it was made after the V8 as a mid-way option between the two), there are actually quite a lot of other newer models around now too, so the V7 isn’t as expensive as you might think.

What this all means is that the V7 is only around $30 more expensive than the V6. So if you need 50% more battery, or want the simpler way to empty the dustbin, it’s not going to set you back much more than the V6.

Verdict:
Although the V7 is only a little more expensive, the V6 is still cheaper, so we’re going to have to give the winner of this round to the V6 vacuum.

Conclusion

Overall, we are going to declare the V7 the winner when it is compared with the earlier, V6 range. It is only a little bit more expensive, but for that price, you get a far more power-efficient vacuum.

Given that these vacuums are cordless, the battery life really is an essential feature. Having said that, the V6 is better on hard floors and is a little lighter. So if you have a smaller home, so the battery life is less important, the V6 would still be an excellent choice for you.

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