Pre-Covid was an era of cheap smartphones and some companies made a lot of money using the strategy at the cost of experience. Many customers now have to live with the compromises that were made. Of course, it doesn’t mean you always have to go for the most expensive phones; the idea is to move into a more conscious mode of consumption where you ask a simple question: Is this the best I can afford? Don’t go out of the way to buy a device… any device. But don’t settle for something mediocre and end up with a purchase that wears out too quickly.

It is an important point to remember when you consider something like Dyson V15 Detect cord-free vacuum because it’s not cheap but at the same time, chances of it working for years — with some basic maintenance techniques — is very high. It’s that good even though there are a couple of quibbles.

Personally, I have a V11 which has been running smoothly for quite some time and that’s where brand image comes in. Our V15 review unit does what it promises, but so do similar devices from other brands in the short run. We can review a product for around a fortnight while to get to a machine’s actual worth takes six months. So, I have used products from rival brands in the last many years, many of them have turned out to be bad purchases for a few reasons. First, poor post-warranty service. Second, attachments get damaged easily (and these don’t come cheap, if at all available). The Dyson V11 is running as smoothly as ever, giving me a good feeling about longevity of the review device in question.

Anti-tangle magic

V15 Detect has several improvements over the V11 and more so over older Dyson offerings, especially when you consider the redesigned cleaner heads. The cordless vacuum stick is impressively convenient as it fits most scenarios. When it comes to cleaning, we are impressed by its performance on both rugs as well as hard floors.

To use, there is a trigger, which is at once easy to use as well as a battery-saving feature. While cleaning, there are three options to choose from — Eco, Medium and Boost, the last of which is required only in special cases. Depending on the cleaning head that’s used, Eco mode can give anything from 60-75 minutes.

Most impressive about the machine is the anti-tangle strategy that has been employed on three important cleaning heads. It is one of the features that ensures it’s miles ahead of competition.

One of the attachments you will constantly use is the digital motorbar cleaner with anti-tangle comb. Around the back of the nozzle, there is a comb that the bristles feed through. It is a massive improvement. The cleaner head sort of self-cleans during use. The cleaning performance on carpets is extremely good, thanks to the increased dynamic suction.

On front of the attachment, there are gates you can open or close to vent out the suction to make it easier to push down on thicker carpets. I tend to leave the gates in the centre position. Opening the gates also help in picking up larger particles. Keeping the gates closed sort of clamps down on the carpet.

Second is the innovatively designed hair-screw tool meant to clean small spaces. The brush is cone shaped so it tapers. It is attached at one end, so the hair is spun off into the suction pad. I find it particularly helpful while cleaning cat hair from the toughest of corners. Plus, it’s a good fit when it comes to cleaning chairs, also car upholstery, and the staircase.

Dyson Hyperdymium Motor is among the most powerful wireless options in the market

Most dust particles — large or small — get collected with a single pass.

The Laser Slim Fluffy cleaner and the digital motorbar cleaner come with anti-tangle technology that sets the Dyson machine apart from rivals

Laser Slim Fluffy cleaner shoots a sheet of laser beam that makes every dust particle visible

Let laser show you the dust

And here’s the most versatile, magical attachment because it does a few things that rivals don’t offer. The Laser Slim Fluffy cleaner head, which is meant for hard floors. With its soft roller, it picks up fine particles as well as larger ones. It has a lower profile, so it can get under cabinets.

Further, it has a laser on one side, angled to produce a sheet of green light across the floor, revealing all the dust on the floor. At first, I thought it was gimmicky but then I started using it. We think we have cleaned floors well but once the laser sweeps across the floor, every particle of dust is clearly visible to the naked eye. It encourages you to be thorough with the cleaning process.

As magical as the laser show is the piezo sensor that comes with the main machine. At times, we go from low-dust areas to messy-messy. Is the machine cleaning well enough or is it just making a lot of noise? The sensor can measure the size of dust particles and even count it. The LCD screen on the back of the motor shows you the amount of charge left (depending on the mode) as well as dust particle count. When it’s in auto mode, the machine should be able to rev up the motor depending on the amount of dust that’s being sucked in.

Should you buy it?

There are a few things to consider. First, it’s an easy-to-use machine and comes with a battery replacement feature. In other words, you can buy an extra battery if you have a largish apartment, so you don’t have to wait to charge the battery up for the second round. Second, maintenance is easy and most of the attachments can be washed under water (needs to be dried thoroughly before usage). Third, besides the three main attachments, there are a plenty of tools to clean every corner of your house.

We tried cleaning different surfaces by throwing around artificial hair, powder, sugar, cereals and even chilli flake. On hard surfaces, we didn’t have any problem. Even deep carpets got cleaned very well. It is only when chilli flakes were thrown around a carpet we had to go for two-three runs to collect every piece.

For a powerful cordless vacuum cleaner, it’s not very loud, is highly manoeuvrable and pivots easily. What makes Dyson V15 Detect stand out are power and intelligence.

At a glance

A piezo sensor counts and measures the size of dust particles

Device: Dyson V15 Detect

Price: Rs 62,900

High notes

• Laser Slim Fluffy tool shows dirt particles that are usually unnoticeable

• Good battery life

• Cleans hard floors as well as deep carpets very well

• Low maintenance and is built to last for years

• Anti-tangle technology

Muffled notes

• Battery takes a bit long to charge

• Pricing can be a deterrent