The V8 has been updated by Dyson several times since the original arrived in 2016. Some versions were more of a refresh than a new vacuum, but the V8 Cyclone feels different. We bought one and put it through studio evaluations over a few weeks. You’ll see the pros, cons, and features in our Dyson V8 Cyclone review, including why this may be the best V8 the manufacturer has made so far.
Dyson V8 Cyclone
Vacuum Wars Stars 3.59
The Dyson V8 Cyclone combines strong carpet cleaning with useful upgrades to the familiar V8 design. We like its trigger-free operation, three power modes, and detachable battery, while its sealed filtration passed our studio fog test. It also performed particularly well in carpet deep cleaning and crevice pickup. Its strengths make it a compelling option for carpet-focused homes, though the Motorbar head can push some larger debris ahead on hard floors.
Dyson V8 Cyclone Overview
The V8 Cyclone replaces the more recent Dyson V8 in the company’s cordless lineup. Dyson says it has 30% more power and an enhanced battery. It also swaps the old trigger for a push-button power control and adds a third cleaning mode, up from the two modes on earlier V8 models. You can now switch between Eco, Medium, and Max modes.
Dyson kept the Motorbar cleaner head rather than moving this model to the conical head design used on the V10 Konical and V16 Piston Animal. We like the Motorbar head, although it doesn’t have LEDs or a floor-illumination laser. The V8 Cyclone will also work with an auto-empty dock, according to Dyson. The dock was not released at the time of our Dyson V8 Cyclone review.
Airflow and Suction
Dyson claims this is the most powerful V8 yet, and our measurement results reflect that. We measured 58 CFM of airflow at the wand compared with 50 CFM for the previous V8 and 49 CFM for the V8 Animal. The average across the cordless vacuums in our comparison was 42.2 CFM.
At the cleaner head, the Cyclone reached 47 CFM, up from 43 CFM for the V8 and 44 CFM for the V8 Animal.
Its sealed suction measured 101 inches of water lift versus 77 inches for the previous V8 and 75 inches for the V8 Animal. Its usable suction (our metric for suction measured through an open airflow path) was also notably strong at 0.96 kPa. The previous V8 measured 0.87 kPa and our category average was 0.58 kPa.
These increased bench measurement results showed up in our real-world cleaning evaluations too, which we’ll discuss shortly.
Pickup and Carpet Deep Clean
The V8 Cyclone earned a perfect result in our crevice pickup evaluation, scoring 4 against a category average of 2.5. It also removed 100% of the embedded sand in our carpet deep clean assessment. While earlier V8 models have performed well in carpet deep clean, the Cyclone is the first one to reach 100%. The previous Dyson V8 scored 94%, and the V8 Animal scored 96%.
V8 Cyclone also performed well in carpet pickup. It collected everything we put in its path, from fine dust to extra-large debris.
Hard floor pickup was more mixed. It had no trouble with smaller debris, but the Motorbar head sometimes pushed larger pieces forward instead of picking them up immediately. We’ve seen this behavior on other Dyson vacuums using this cleaner head style before, so it’s not unique to this model and generally isn’t a major problem in everyday use.
How We Test Cordless Vacuums
Vacuum Wars purchases the products we review independently and does not accept paid sponsorships. We evaluate cordless vacuums using standardized studio tests conducted under consistent category conditions. These evaluations include debris pickup, carpet cleaning, suction, filtration, hair resistance, battery performance, usability, noise, and other ownership-related factors. See also: How Vacuum Wars Tests Cordless Vacuums
Battery Life
Dyson advertises up to 60 minutes in Eco mode compared with 40 minutes listed for the earlier V8 models. In Max mode, the V8 Cyclone ran for 8.4 minutes during evaluation. That’s below the cordless vacuum average of 13.5 minutes and slightly shorter than the previous V8’s 9 minutes.
However, the Cyclone produced substantially more airflow while staying close to the previous model’s Max runtime. Our combined battery and airflow efficiency measure was 22.13 compared with 19.67 for the V8, 16.33 for the V8 Animal, and a category average of 15.85.
We didn’t directly evaluate runtime in Medium mode. But it’s reasonable to assume that if you can get 60 minutes in Eco mode and around 8 or 9 minutes in Max mode, 20 to 25 minutes in Medium mode is possible.
Filtration, Hair Tangles, and Handling
Dyson says the V8 Cyclone’s whole-machine filtration captures 99.99% of particles as small as 0.3 microns. And in our fog evaluation, we saw no visible fog escaping the machine. That’s reassuring for a cordless stick vacuum you’d use daily.
Hair resistance was less consistent. In our 14-inch hair-tangle assessment, it did well in two of three runs but tangled substantially in the other. That brought its overall score to 7. The two previous V8 models each scored 8, while the category average was 7.4.
The handle weighed 1,628 grams versus 1,562 grams for the previous V8 and our category average of 1,512 grams. That difference is noticeable on paper but modest in use. It also has a 530 ml dustbin, much smaller than the average 746 ml and almost the same size as the earlier V8 bins. So frequent cleanups may mean more trips to the trash.
Attachment Set
Dyson’s V8 design is handy for cleaning furniture, stairs, and other areas above the floor, which makes the following omission frustrating. The earlier V8 models included a dusting brush, motorized brush, and crevice tool. The V8 Cyclone only comes with a crevice tool, but you can buy compatible third-party attachments.
Dyson V8 Cyclone Review: Our Verdict
The Dyson V8 Cyclone is a very strong step forward for one of Dyson’s most enduring series. The boost in airflow and suction translates directly to top-tier carpet cleaning and crevice performance, while the push-button controls and third power mode bring modern usability. In short, it’s a great release and the best V8 that Dyson has ever made.
But it isn’t without some compromises. The modest dustbin size and variable hair-tangle results are worth considering. The sparse accessory kit is also disappointing, though you can easily address that with a third-party accessory set. If you’re looking for a cordless vacuum with strong everyday cleaning and deep carpet cleaning performance, the Dyson V8 Cyclone is a great pick.
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Explore Vacuum Wars’ always up-to-date rankings of the best cordless vacuums, based on independent, hands-on testing. We purchase every unit ourselves and have evaluated more than 110 models, giving us a strong benchmark for suction, carpet and hard floor performance, battery life, maneuverability, and features like anti-tangle brush rolls, smart sensors, and advanced filtration.
Dyson V8 Cyclone
