Dyson
V11 Extra Cordless
About the product
Is the Dyson V11 worth it?
Dyson is known for their top-of-the-line vacuums, including cordless models powerful enough to handle both hard flooring and carpeting — but you’ll pay a pretty steep price for one. The Dyson V11 Extra doesn’t cost as much as some top-tier Dyson cordless vacuums, but it offers some of the same features and an impressive cleaning performance for a cordless model.
The V11 Extra has nearly double the maximum suction power as the average cordless vacuum, even though it is one of the less powerful models in Dyson’s line. It can clean both hard flooring and carpeting effectively, featuring a self-cleaning brushroll that automatically moves hair away from the brush bar to prevent tangles. It also has three cleaning modes that adjust its power and can clean for up to an hour.
To see how well the V11 Extra really cleans, the BestReviews Testing Lab put it to work on hard flooring as well as low-pile and medium-pile carpeting. We evaluated how well it picked up different types of debris, including ground coffee, kosher salt and pet kibble, how long it could clean and how long its battery took to recharge. We also considered how easy and comfortable the V11 Extra was to use and how versatile its many attachments were.
Why we like it
- Solid suction on all surfaces: The V11 Extra may only have a maximum suction of 185 AW — which is less than models like the Dyson V15 Detect at 240 AW, the Dyson Gen5outsize Absolute at 250 AW and the Dyson Gen5detect Absolute at 280 AW — but it picked up different types of debris on both hard floors and carpeting. It needed just one pass to remove most types of debris on laminate and tile floors. It took a little more time to clean on carpeting, but in just two to three passes, it could remove all the same debris from both low-pile and medium-pile carpeting. Its Motorbar cleaner head works on all surfaces, too, so you don’t have to change heads during cleaning.
- No-tangle brush roll: The V11 Extra’s Motorbar cleaner head features detangling vanes that keep hair from getting caught around the brush bar while cleaning. We tested the V11 in an area with two medium-to-large dogs and never found any hair tangled around the brush after vacuuming.
- Multiple accessories: Most Dyson cordless vacuums come with three attachments or tools: the hair screw tool for picking up long hair and pet hair in small areas, the crevice tool for cleaning tight spaces and the combination tool with a wide nozzle on one side and a brush on the other. The V11 Extra includes these tools but also three additional accessories: the stubborn-dirt brush, the mini soft dusting brush and the fabric and mattress tool. That means the V11 includes enough tools to clean surfaces in your home beyond just your flooring.
- Lighter weight: Among the Dyson models we tested, only the Dyson V12 Detect Slim Cordless Vacuum, which weighs a little more than 5 pounds, was lighter than the V11 Extra. Weighing just over 6.5 pounds, the V11 Extra was easy to move around our testing area, even in cluttered areas or tight corners. We even found it comfortable to carry up and down stairs.
What we don’t like
- Price for limited features: While the V11 Extra is less expensive than higher-end Dyson cordless vacuums, it still costs over $500. Considering that it doesn’t have as many advanced features as models like the V12 Detect, which only costs $50 more, it may not be the best value among the bunch.
- Power trigger rather than button: The V11 Extra has a power trigger rather than an on/off button like the V12 Detect, Gen5detect Absolute and Gen5outsize Absolute. While we vacuumed, we had to hold the trigger down to maintain power. If we cleaned for more than five minutes, our hand got fatigued. Additionally, the power trigger is designed to preserve battery life by only turning the vacuum on when pressed, but we accidentally turned the V11 Extra on several times when moving the vacuum.
- Limited display info: The V11 has an LED display that shows the selected cleaning mode and the remaining battery life. However, unlike other Dyson models, like the V12 Detect Slim, the V15 Detect, the V15 Detect Submarine, the Gen5detect Absolute and Gen5outsize Absolute, it doesn’t count down the remaining time to let you know exactly when the power will run out. Instead, the V11 simply shows a segmented battery icon broken into three sections. The segments empty as the battery drains, but it isn’t as precise as the displays of other Dyson models.
The 60-second scoop
Product specifications: Dustbin Capacity: 0.2 gal | Dimensions: 49.4” L x 9.8” W x 10.3” H | Battery Life: Up to 60 minutes | Cleaning Path Width: 9.84” | Weight: 6.53 lb
In terms of design and specs, the Dyson V11 Extra is similar to other Dyson cordless vacuums. In its Eco mode, it can clean for up to an hour, the same run time for models like the V12 Detect Slim and V15 Detect. During testing, it ran for 53 minutes in Eco mode, 44 minutes in Medium mode and 11 minutes in Boost mode. We found that 53 minutes was more than enough time to clean our 1000-square-foot testing area, so it would work well in most homes. In Boost mode, the V11 has a maximum suction power of 185 AW, less than the V15 Detect’s 240 AW and the Gen5detect Absolute’s 280 AW. However, while the V11 often needed additional passes over debris to fully remove it, our testing found that it always got the job done.
The V11 Extra weighs just over 6.5 pounds, making it one of the lighter cordless vacuums in Dyson’s line. It was easy to move around our testing area and even went up and down stairs without any trouble. However, because it is slightly larger than the V12 Detect Slim, its dustbin holds twice the debris, so we didn’t have to stop in the middle of vacuuming to empty it as we did with the V12. The V11 Extra also comes with more accessories and tools than the other Dyson models we tested, making it more versatile. We appreciated that it could clean more than just floors, thanks to its fabric and mattress tool, crevice tool, mini soft dusting brush and hair screw tool.
See how it compares to other products in its space — check out our reviews for the best Dyson stick vacuums.
Price and where to buy
The Dyson V11 Extra typically retails for $599.99 and is available at Amazon, Best Buy and Walmart.
Setup
The Dyson V11 Extra came in a sturdy box with the vacuum fully disassembled inside. The components were secured with cardboard and covered in plastic to prevent damage. However, unlike other Dyson vacuums, which came in boxes with a horizontal lid to provide easy access to the parts inside, the V11’s box opened at one end. We had to reach down into the length of the box to remove the components, so unboxing it took a little longer than with other models like V12 Detect Slim and V15 Detect.
However, the setup was very easy once we pulled the vacuum’s components from the box. We connected the wand to the end of the main vacuum body and then attached the Motorbar cleaner head to the end of the wand. The connection points on the components were easy to find, too, because they were marked with red tabs. After the V11 was fully assembled, we connected the charger to its battery and plugged it into the wall to charge completely for cleaning.
In total, assembly took less than five minutes.
Design and brushrolls
The V11 Extra looks similar to other Dyson cordless vacuums. It has a gray main body with a purple cap and red accents, while its wand is gray with red accents. The Motorbar cleaner head features a similar gray, purple and red color scheme. The main body easily detaches from the wand, so we could convert the V11 to a hand vac in seconds. Its dustbin features a point-and-shoot design that allowed us to empty it directly into a trashcan without getting our hands dirty.
The V11’s Motorbar cleaner head features 43 detangling vanes that keep hair from getting caught around the brush bar. Our testing area had plenty of hair from two medium-to-large dogs, and we found no hair tangled around the brushroll after vacuuming. The brush has stiff nylon bristles that worked well to pull dirt out of carpeting and carbon fiber filaments that help remove fine debris on hard surfaces.
Like other Dyson vacuums, the V11 has a high-quality build that feels sturdy. It weighs 6.53 pounds, which is light enough to make it easy to move but heavy enough to be durable enough to hold up to regular use.
The one design feature we weren’t fans of? The V11 Extra has a power trigger rather than an on/off button like the Dyson V12 Slim Detect, Gen5detect Absolute and Gen5outsize Absolute, so we had to hold it down the entire time we vacuumed. When we cleaned for more than five minutes, our hand became fatigued, so we sometimes had to take a break.
Battery life and recharge time
The Dyson V11 Extra has three cleaning modes with different suction power and runtimes. Eco mode offers the least power but the longest battery life, while Boost provides maximum power and the shortest battery. Medium is a middle ground between the two in both power and battery life.
Dyson advertised a cleaning time of up to 60 minutes in Eco mode, and it came close during our testing. It cleaned for 53 minutes in Eco mode, 44 minutes in Medium and 11 minutes in Boost. After the battery drained fully, recharging took four hours and 15 minutes.
Suction power
The V11 Extra has a maximum suction power of 185 AW in Boost mode, which was on the lower end among the Dyson models we tested. However, during testing, it effectively cleaned both hard surfaces and carpeting in its Medium mode — even though it sometimes needed multiple passes to fully remove the debris we set out.
Hard flooring performance
When we tested the V11 on hard surfaces, it excelled with nearly all types of debris.
It needed a single pass to remove 3 grams of ground coffee from tile, 3 grams of ground coffee from laminate, 5 grams of coarse kosher salt on tile and 5 grams of coarse kosher salt on laminate.
When we placed 6 grams of dry pet food on tile and 6 grams on laminate, it needed two passes on each surface, but only because a couple of pieces blew out of the vacuum’s path each time. However, when we switched to Boost mode with max suction, the vacuum picked up the dog-food piles in a single pass on the surfaces.
Carpet performance
On carpeting, the V11 Extra had to work a little harder.
Kosher salt wasn’t a problem, with the vacuum removing 5-gram piles on low-pile carpeting and medium-pile carpeting in just one pass on both surfaces. However, it needed two passes to pick up 3 grams of ground coffee on low-pile carpeting and three passes on medium-pile.
The V11 removed 6 grams of dry pet food in two passes from low-pile carpeting and three passes on medium-pile. When we switched to the vacuum’s Boost mode, it needed just one pass on low-pile and two on medium-pile.
Noise
Despite its solid suction power, we didn’t find the V11 Extra to be noisier than most of the other cordless vacuums we tested.
It registered 73.7 decibels in Eco mode, 75.4 decibels in Medium and 83.9 in Boost, all of which were lower than the full-size corded vacuum in our testing area, the Bissell Cleanview Swivel Pet Rewind, which hit 93.1 decibels. The V11 was also quieter overall than the Dyson V12 Extra, which registered 74.7 decibels in Eco, 80.4 in Auto/Medium and 87.1 in Boost.
Surface performance and docking
During testing, we didn’t encounter any problems maneuvering the Dyson V11 Extra between hard surfaces and carpeting. It is one of the lighter Dyson cordless vacuums we tested, so it was easy to transition between surfaces without getting stuck or caught on borders or dividers.
The V11 comes with a wall-mounted docking station to organize the vacuum and its tools. We found the dock very easy to use because we only had to drop the vacuum into the top to secure it in place. The vacuum’s charger can also plug into the docking station, so we could charge the V11 every time we docked it, which was very convenient.
Features and accessories
The Dyson V11 Extra has fewer special features than higher-end models like the V12 Detect, V15 Detect or Gen5outsize Absolute. However, it does offer convenient features that help with cleaning.
Eco, medium and boost mode
The V11 Extra’s three cleaning modes are designed to tackle all cleaning situations in your home. The Eco mode maximizes run time for when you want to clean your entire home, while the Boost mode maximizes suction power in short bursts for intensive cleaning. Medium mode balances suction power and run time for everyday cleaning.
We mainly used the Medium mode during testing and found that it worked well for most debris on hard flooring and carpeting. However, we opted for Boost mode for some larger debris or more ground-in dirt, which was especially effective for pulling dirt from medium-pile carpeting. Eco mode definitely offered the best run time, making it ideal for cleaning larger areas. However, we didn’t find its suction power strong enough to pull debris like pet hair from thicker carpeting.
LED screen
The V11 Extra has an LED display that provides information about its battery and system health. The display is located at the top of the vacuum’s body, so we could easily keep an eye on it while vacuuming. It shows the selected cleaning mode and the remaining battery life and also displays alerts if there are maintenance issues with the vacuum.
We weren’t fans of how the V11 displayed its remaining battery life, though. Unlike the Dyson V12 Detect, V15 Detect, Gen5outsize Absolute and other high-end models, it doesn’t count down the remaining battery life in minutes. Instead, it uses a battery icon, with segments of the battery emptying as power drains. We found that frustrating because we couldn’t see precisely how much cleaning time was left.
Other features and attachments
The V11 Extra comes with several attachments designed for cleaning more than just your floors. Like other Dyson models we tested, it includes the hair screw tool, crevice tool and combination tool. We were impressed with how well the hair screw tool removed hair from furniture and pet beds and loved the crevice tool for getting between couch cushions. The combination tool was also handy for cleaning the blinds on the windows in our testing area.
In addition to those attachments, the V11 includes a stubborn dirt brush, a mini soft dusting brush and a fabric and mattress tool. We used the stubborn dirt brush to clean a small amount of dirt embedded in low-pile carpeting but didn’t find it that effective because it left visible debris behind. The mini soft dusting brush worked well to clean the heating vents and blinds in our testing area, but the combination tool could handle the same tasks, so both didn’t seem necessary. We liked the fabric and mattress tool for removing debris and allergens from a mattress and found it was a good size to quickly move over upholstered surfaces.
How we tested the Dyson V11 Extra
To assess the V11 Extra’s performance, we conducted several standardized tests to see how well it picked up different debris types on both hard surfaces and carpeting. We also evaluated how long its battery lasted and how much noise it made.
Handling fine debris like coffee grounds
We evaluated how well the V11 Extra picked up fine debris by placing ground coffee on both hard flooring and carpeting. We put 3 grams on laminate, 3 grams on tile, 3 grams on low-pile carpeting and 3 grams on medium carpeting and then recorded how many passes the vacuum needed to remove it fully.
Handling medium debris like coarse kosher salt
We tested how well the V11 Extra picked up medium debris by placing coarse kosher salt on each surface. We put 5 grams of salt on laminate, 5 grams on tile, 5 grams on low-pile carpeting and 5 grams on medium-pile carpeting and noted how many times it had to pass over the debris to fully remove it.
Handling large debris like pet food
To see how well the V11 Extra could handle large debris, we placed dry pet food on each surface. We set 6 grams of the kibble on laminate, 6 grams on tile, 6 grams on low-pile carpeting and 6 grams on medium-pile carpeting and noted how many passes it needed to remove it fully.
Evaluating battery life
We assessed the V11 Extra’s run time by using it in Eco, Medium and Boost modes and recording how long it took until the battery drained completely. Once the battery was empty, we also noted how long it took to recharge fully.
Determining noise levels
To determine how loud the V11 Extra was while in use, we used a handheld decibel meter. We held the meter beside the cleaning head while vacuuming in Eco, Medium and Boost modes and recorded each reading.
How does it compare to other vacuums we’ve tested
- Suction and cleaning performance: At 185 AW, the V11 Extra is at the lower end of the spectrum among the Dyson vacuums we tested. It is more powerful than the V12 Detect Slim, which tops out at 150 AW, but the V15 Detect has a maximum suction of 240 AW and the Gen5detect Absolute can reach 280 AW. The V11 Extra still cleaned effectively during testing, though it often needed two or three passes to remove debris on carpeting fully, while the V15 Detect and Gen5detect Absolute usually required just one.
- Size and weight: The V11 weighs just over 6.5 pounds, making it one of the lightest Dyson vacuums we tested. The V12 Detect Slim is lighter, weighing only 5.22 pounds, and we definitely noticed that it was easier to maneuver around furniture and other obstacles during testing. However, the V11 weighs less than the V15 Detect, Gen5Detect Absolute, Gen5outsize Absolute and the V15 Detect Submarine, so it was easier to use than those models.
- Special features: Unlike other Dyson models we tested, the V11 Extra is fairly limited in its special features. It has an LED display that shows the battery life, but it isn’t as precise as the information provided by the LCD displays on the V12 Detect Slim, V15 Detect, V15 Detect Submarine, Gen5detect Absolute or Gen5outsize Absolute. It also doesn’t have the piezo sensor, which counts the particles it picks up. It doesn’t come with the Fluffy Optic head that emits a dirt-revealing laser like the other models, either.
The final verdict
The V11 Extra isn’t as pricey as other Dyson models we tested, but it still offers superior suction compared to the average cordless vacuum. It doesn’t offer many special features but would pair well with a traditional vacuum if you want a lighter model you can easily carry up stairs or to hard-to-reach spots. It also comes with a host of attachments, so it’s ideal for anyone who wants to clean surfaces beyond your floors. At just about $500, it’s still pretty pricey, but if you can find it on sale, you’ll definitely be pleased with how much power it offers for a cordless vacuum.