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Dyson V15s Detect Submarine Review

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Welcome to the Vacuum Wars review of the Dyson V15s Detect Submarine cordless vacuum. It’s Dyson’s first vacuum that can be used as a mop as well. The standard V15 is one of the best Dyson cordless vacuums, so we had high hopes for the V15s.

We bought one and put it through all kinds of tests this week, and in this review, we’ll go over everything you need to know about it – both the good stuff and the bad.

Dyson V15s Detect Submarine
$919.00

The Dyson V15s Detect Submarine impresses with its robust suction capabilities and innovative mopping function, making it highly effective at cleaning both carpets and hard floors. It excels in tackling dried-on stains with ease, thanks to its Submarine Wet Roller Head. Additionally, its user-friendly features, such as automatic suction adjustment and a precise dirt detection system, enhance its efficiency and ease of use. This makes the V15s Detect Submarine a standout choice for those seeking a versatile and powerful cleaning tool.

Pros:
  • Strong suction power
  • Innovative mopping function
  • User-friendly design
Cons:
  • Struggles with large spills
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06/21/2024 09:25 pm GMT

About the Dyson V15s Detect Submarine

Dyson’s mopping variant of the V15 is available in two different packages: the V15s Detect Submarine and the V15s Absolute Submarine. The main differences being that the Absolute version has a slightly better filter which is blue instead of purple, and it has the built-in dusting and crevice tool option.

The non-absolute version is basically the same as the original Dyson V15 Detect. We’ll start off by talking about the Dyson V15s Submarine as a normal cordless vacuum.

Cordless Vacuum

The V15s is really similar to Dyson’s previous V15 (see our review), which is a good thing because the V15 is still one of our favorite cordless vacuums ever.

Debris Pickup Testing - Hard Floors and Carpet - Dyson V15s Detect Submarine Review
The V15s Submarine excelled in our hard floor and carpet debris pickup tests. © Vacuum Wars

Suction and Airflow

For example, the V15s Submarine has very similar suction and airflow numbers as the original V15.

As a cordless vacuum, it’s right up there with the best of the best. Its suction, features, and dry attachments are literally state of the art. As a mop, it’s uniquely good with the most important stuff…

In fact, pretty much all of its performance metrics are comparable to the previous V15. Its debris pickup, arguably its main job, was incredibly good on both hard floors and carpeting.

V15s Submarine Suction And Airflow

V15s Detect SubmarineV15 DetectAverage *
Sealed Suction124″112″71″
Unsealed Suction2.362.520.69
Airflow (max)56 CFM58 CFM37 CFM
* Our independent test results. Average is of 70+ cordless vacuums tested.

Cleaning Heads

It comes with two dry vacuum heads: the new Digital Motorbar cleaner head, which is a combination head meaning that it can be used for both hard floors and carpets, and it did excellent with both surface types in our tests.

Taking Suction and Airflow Measurements - Dyson V15s Detect Submarine Review
Taking auction and airflow measurements. © Vacuum Wars

The Motorbar head has adjustable gates on the front and Dyson’s new anti-hair tangle system which removes hair from the roller as you vacuum, which we found to be very effective in multiple tests.

Fluffy Optic Cleaner Head (with Laser)

The so-called Fluffy Optic cleaner head is a soft roller head designed exclusively for hard floors, but it’s really good for hard floors. It picks up fine debris, pet hair, and even large debris with incredible ease.

It also has a green laser mounted on the side, which is pointed at a precise angle to reveal dust on the floor that you can’t normally see.

Fluffy Optic Cleaner Head - Dyson V15s Detect Submarine Review
The Fluffy Optic head’s green laser light illuminates what needs to be cleaned. © Vacuum Wars

We’ve used versions of this cleaning head when doing our review of the V12 Detect Slim as well as the V15 and Gen5 models. We’ve really enjoyed using it, though it does make us realize exactly how much hair cats shed.

Automatic Suction Adjustment

The word “detect” in its name also refers to the fact that it has a built-in particle counter. This enables two important features. The first is that the V15s will automatically adjust its suction power up or down depending on how dirty the floor is.

Medium Sized Debris Pickup Test - Dyson V15s Detect Submarine Review
The Fluffy Optic cleaner head is excellent with debris of all sizes. © Vacuum Wars

This vastly improves battery efficiency and performance over vacuums that don’t have it. Second, it also enables the ability to see the sizes of particles that the vacuum picks up, displayed on its LCD screen.

Battery Life

The LCD screen also displays real-time remaining battery life numbers which change depending on which attachment and which power level you’re using.

Real-world Testing the Dyson V15s Detect Submarine
Real-world testing the Dyson V15s Detect Submarine. © Vacuum Wars

Speaking of battery life, the V15s Submarine seems to have the exact same battery specifications as the previous V15, which we found to be incredibly efficient – way higher than average in most respects.

Dyson V15S Submarine Battery Runtime

Cleaning HeadLowMedHigh
Digital Motorbar65 min44 min9 min
Fluffy Optic69 min38 min14 min
Combination Tool72 min38 min8 min
Battery life based on LCD readout (may not reflect actual runtime).

Dyson says it can get 60 minutes on low power. It has an easy-to-remove battery as well, in case you wanted to buy extras.

Accessories

The V15s comes with a wall mount, a combo dusting brush, a crevice tool, as well as a motorized upholstery brush which also has an anti-hair tangle system. If you have the Absolute version, it will also have the built-in crevice tool dusting brush, which can be really handy for quick above-floor cleaning tasks.

Here’s everything that came with the V15s Detect Submarine we purchased for this review:

In the Box

  • Dyson V15s Detect Submarine
  • Digital Motorbar cleaner head
  • Fluffy Optic cleaner head
  • Submarine Wet Roller Head
  • Crevice tool
  • Hair screw tool
  • Combination dusting tool
  • Drip Tray
  • Wand Clip
  • Wall mount and power cord
  • Manual and warranty

HEPA Filtration

The V15s Submarine’s filtration is extremely good. It has Dyson’s whole machine HEPA filtration, which is only available on high-end cordless vacuums like this. As we mentioned before, the Absolute version does have a slightly upgraded HEPA filter.

Testing Mop - Dyson V15s Detect Submarine Review
Testing the V15s Submarine mopping attachment. © Vacuum Wars

Mop

Let’s move on to the star of this particular show, the new Submarine Wet Roller Head.

Submarine Wet Roller

The Submarine Wet Roller Head is a standalone electric mopping attachment in which you fill a small reservoir with water, and it will dispense the water onto the spinning soft roller so that you can mop the floors.

Submarine Wet Roller Head - Mop Testing - Dyson V15s Detect Submarine Review
Testing the V15s Detect Submarine Wet Roller mop attachment. © Vacuum Wars

As it mops, it sort of squeegees dirty water into its internal reservoir to be emptied later. Dyson says the Submarine can mop 1,000 square feet per tank of water.

Important for standard V15 Owners: The Submarine head cannot be used with previous Dyson models, not even the previous V15. It’s a programming issue, which is why Dyson does not sell this attachment separately since it only works with the V15s Submarine.

The Submarine head does not vacuum per se – there is no airflow or suction and no opening at the end of the head, so it doesn’t suck water all the way up to the handle. All of the mopping is done mechanically, if you will.

Testing

We tested this in a variety of ways and found that it was really excellent for tough dried-on stains, which in our opinion is the real job of an electric mop.

Mopping Test - Dried Grape Juice - Dyson V15s Detect Submarine Review
Testing the Submarine mopping attachment against a dried grape juice stain. © Vacuum Wars

Here, the Submarine head did not disappoint, mopping up most of these really tough dried-on stains in one or two back-and-forth passes, which is really good.

We also found that it did well in the real-world tests. We really liked its maneuverability – its swivel and small size make it really easy and even kind of fun to use.

Dry Debris Pickup and Large Wet Spills

However, we would say that the Dyson Submarine Wet Roller Head should be used after vacuuming your floors. In other words, we think it should be a two-staged process: vacuum first, then attach the mop head and mop.

This is because, at least in our tests, it was not very good with picking up dry debris or large wet spills.

The Detect Submarine Head has no Suction for Debris Pickup
The Submarine Wet Roller head has no suction for debris pickup. © Vacuum Wars

It really doesn’t seem to have a good way to process a lot of debris, or even small amounts of debris. There just isn’t enough space between the roller and the housing by design, so only the smallest debris even makes it into the dirty water reservoir. So, vacuuming first is a must in our opinion.

We also didn’t think it was great for large wet spills. It can process a small amount of liquid fairly well, but the bigger the spill is, the more likely it is to get overloaded and leave streaks behind the head that are hard to pick up.

Mop Maintenance

The Submarine head is fairly easy to clean. One of the big downsides of full vacuum and mop combos, in our opinion, is that they get really dirty all throughout the machine – like the hoses and every nook and cranny – and have to be thoroughly cleaned after each use.

We also saw this with the Bissell CrossWave Pet Pro and Shark HydroVac Cordless, for instance. But the Dyson Submarine head is really small and self-contained, so it can only get so dirty.

Dyson V15 Detect vs Dyson V15s Submarine

The Dyson V15 Detect and V15s Detect Submarine are, from what we can tell, the save base vacuum.

Differences

There are three important differences between the V15s Detect Submarine and standard V15 Detect:

First, and most obvious, is that that only the V15s comes with the Submarine Wet Roller Head and has a mopping function. Second, and less obvious, is that only the V15s works with the Submarine Wet Roller Head, meaning you cannot purchase it separately and use it with the standard V15 Detect model. Third and finally, the V15s is about a pound and a half heavier.

The Dyson V15s Detect Submarine Purchased for Review
The Dyson V15s Detect Submarine we purchased for this review. © Vacuum Wars

What happens if you put the Submarine head on the standard V15 Detect? The Submarine Wet Roller Head is not backwards compatible. When the Submarine Wet Roller Head is attached to the standard Dyson V15 the vacuum does not recognize it and it does not function.

Similarities

The similarities between the original V15 Detect and the V15s Submarine model are just about everything else. Of note are that both have the same 240AW of suction, a .2 gallon dirt bin size, whole-machine filtration, and a maximum run time of 60 minutes.

Unboxing - Dyson V15s Detect Submarine Review
Unboxing the Dyson V15s Detect Submarine. © Vacuum Wars

Our Conclusion

Our takeaway with the Dyson V15s Detect Submarine is that, as far as value, it’s expensive, but it’s currently the same price as the Dyson Gen5detect, which is very similar to the V15s Submarine except that the Gen5 doesn’t come with a Submarine wet roller. So in our minds, it seems like a really good value.

As a cordless vacuum, it’s right up there with the best of the best. Its suction, features, and dry attachments are literally state of the art.

As a mop, it’s uniquely good with the most important stuff, such as scrubbing dried-on stains and generally mopping floors, and it’s incredibly easy to use. But it does not process large wet spills very well, and it wasn’t good at all at picking up debris. So once again, we recommend vacuuming before mopping, and you’ll be just fine.

Dyson V15s Detect Submarine Specs

Vacuum TypeCordless Vacuum & Mop
Suction240 AW
Vacuum bin capacity0.76L / 0.8 qts.
Maximum battery life60 mins.
Battery typeLithium Ion
Removable batteryYes
Converts to handheldYes
Clean Water Tank.3L / .32 qt.
Dirty Water Tank.36L / .38 qt.
HeadlightLaser (Fluffy Head Only)
Empty Weight8.3 lbs.
Warranty2 yrs.
Dyson V15 Detect Slim specifications from the Dyson website.
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Christopher White

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Christopher White CEO
Christopher White is the CEO of Vacuum Wars, the premier YouTube channel dedicated to vacuum cleaner reviews. Over the past eight years, Vacuum Wars has become a trusted resource, meticulously reviewing hundreds of robot vacuums, cordless vacuums, carpet cleaners, and various floor care products. Known for their comprehensive in-house testing, Vacuum Wars has built one of the most extensive databases of vacuum cleaner metrics available. Under Christopher’s leadership, the channel has maintained a strict no-sponsorship policy, ensuring that all reviews remain unbiased and trustworthy. This dedication to integrity has garnered a loyal following of over 300,000 subscribers who rely on their expert advice. Christopher is also a recognized authority on robot vacuums, boasting one of the largest private collections of these devices worldwide. Learn more.

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