Dyson Gen5Detect cordless vacuum review: A thoughtfully designed vacuum with powerful cleaning but a premium price tag

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Every year or so, Dyson comes out with its latest and greatest vacuum cleaner, the most recent version being the Dyson Gen5Detect. This new and improved machine to the line up comes with all the bells and whistles and boasts Dyson's longest battery life, Dyson's strongest suction power, and HEPA filtration. But is that enough to justify its eye-watering $950 price tag — and over $1,050 if you choose their large-home Outsize model? 

I've tested much of the Dyson lineup over the years, and a vacuum cleaner at this price point will definitely be scrutinized. It has to be flawless; for the most part, this latest version is. A Business Insider reporter identified it as one of the Quiet Status Symbols of 2024 and another as a luxury home product worth splurging on, so premium price tag or not, it's destined to be yet another coveted Dyson innovation. On TikTok alone, the hashtags for the Detect and Outsize models have racked up nearly 125 million views. Social media videos and status symbols aside, the Dyson Gen5Detect will literally make you want to clean — either for the satisfying gratification of noticeably cleaner floors or the pure realization of how dirty your floors really were. 

When put into perspective with my favorite Dyson vacuum, the Dyson V15 Detect, the Dyson Gen5Detect operates about 10 minutes longer and only has a marginally stronger suction — 262 air watts (AW) versus 240 AW. The average person probably won't notice these improvements. The biggest upgrades and reasons to splurge are the heightened HEPA filtration, power-button operation (as opposed to a trigger), and the built-in crevice tool.

Let's get into the details about what it's like to use the Dyson Gen5Detect cordless vacuum at home.  

Setup and design

All the vacuum parts come expertly wrapped in cardboard and paper. The handheld unit holds the main technological components of the vacuum, including the brushless Hyperdymium motor that spins at 135,000 revolutions per a minute (rpm), fully-sealed HEPA filtration, a Piezo sensor, and Dyson Dynamic Load Sensing (DLS), which automatically adjusts power to different floor types and the amount of dust being collected. The LCD displays an accurate measurement of the runtime and a real-time indicator of the amount and size of particles being collected. 

The Gen5Detect includes two cleaner heads. The signature Digital Motorbar cleaner head for carpet and hard floor cleaning uses stiff nylon brushes to dig into carpets and has hair removal vanes that automatically clear hair from the brush bar. The Fluffy Optic cleaner head is a soft brush featuring Dyson's proprietary green laser for hard floors that reveals dust and dirt undetectable to the eye. This next-gen of the Fluffy Optic cleaner head is said to have a laser that produces twice the brightness for better visibility from the original design found on the V15 Detect and V12 Detect Slim.

Inside the wand is a built-in crevice tool, which is convenient — one less tool to have to store — but I did find myself occasionally reaching to unsnap that part when I meant to detach the longer wand to prepare to eject the dustbin. For accessories, you'll find a combination brush and hair screw tool, which is a great mini-motorized device for cleaning upholstery and small areas, as well as a wall docking station and a charger. 

Our review of the Dyson Gen5 Detect Vacuum 

Overall ease of use

The Gen5Detect is a joy to use. It's lightweight and highly maneuverable, and the transition to a power button, as opposed to a trigger, makes it comfortable to hold. The button is placed in a way on the head, however, that requires two-handed operation: your dominant hand for supporting the vacuum and your other for powering it on and off. 

With its laser design, the Fluffy Optic cleaner head makes it easy to see what your eye is blind to in natural light… it's both alarming and reassuring to be able to see the difference in the before and after of how well the vacuum picks up dirt and dust. I've noticed it's easier to see the hidden dirt on wood flooring than on light-colored tile, and the laser reveals dirt best in lower light conditions than in direct sunlight. 

Cleaning performance 

The way the Fluffy Optic cleaner head reveals what the eye can't see is only part of why the cleaner head works well; it also cleans delicate hard floor types with its soft roller design. That doesn't mean it's not tough on dirt because once you pull back, the floor is spotless. 

Swapping to the Digital Motorbar cleaner head for my carpeted landing (about a 25 sq. ft. area), the dustbin filled with dirt and debris in moments. This was before I even made it further down the hallway. I noticed that hair did wrap along the cleaner head, but as I cleaned further, the hair unwound itself; it just required extra revolutions of the brush roll. 

The carpet in this hallway is also easily 30-plus years old and not as taut in some places. At some angles of holding the vacuum, I noticed it lost suction and needed to be turned on and off again. At first, this was a little annoying, but the solution is easy. The Motorbar has an adjustable gate that affects suction but lets larger pieces of debris pass, and in the case of the carpet, it helps it glide easier when put on the minus (-) setting. 

When transitioned to handheld cleaning, the conveniently built-in crevice tool means one less attachment I have to keep on hand or nearby, while the mini hair screw tool visibly brightens up upholstery such as a dog bed or the sofa. 

In the standardized tests that we put all vacuums we test through, both cleaner heads expertly chomped through big debris like Cheerios (previously, I've had issues with earlier versions of the Motorbar simply pushing large debris forward). With flour, the Fluffy Optic cleaner head picked up 100% of the flour and the Motorbar picked up 96% on carpets and hard floors. Of note, the flour coated the interior sides of the cleaner head, which means more might have been suctioned from the carpet, just residue was left.

Another observation from my testing: the Fluffy Optic cleaner head adjusted itself into boost mode to suction up all the coffee grounds, while the green laser showed how little flecks of sugar and rice were scattered forward from the sheer power of the vacuum but still easily picked up. 

Dustbin

The Gen5Detect employs the same emptying technique as is predecessors and requires you to detach the handheld from the stick wand. The dustbin ejects into your trash receptacle with a lever. Most of the collected debris hygienically falls out, but if you overfill the bin past the max fill line, you may find yourself needing to stick your hand up in the bin to loosen out dust that gets caught. Sometimes, hair also wraps around the shaft, which requires manual removal, but it's still far easier to remove than getting stuck on a brush roll. Honestly, I've yet to find a bagless vacuum that hasn't required some manual removal at some point in time to remove clingy pieces of dust and hair. 

Maintenance

This vacuum requires little maintenance. In case of a blockage or the filter needs to be cleaned, the Dyson Gen5Detect will update you on its LCD screen. The HEPA filter, as are the brush rolls, is washable, though you will want to wait 24 hours for them to dry before putting them back into the machine. 

Battery life

The Gen5Detect advertises up to 70 minutes of battery life, and I never ran into any issues running short on time when I took the vacuum through my house. I probably averaged at least 45 minutes of cleaning time per session. Cleaning on hard floors versus carpets offered longer battery life, as it required less suction power. Rarely did I feel the need to activate boost mode, if ever. 

Filtration

Dyson's whole-machine HEPA filtration is a fully-sealed filtration system that traps and seals in microscopic dust, expelling cleaner air. It uses cyclone technology to spin air to separate particles from airflow, without a loss in suction. According to a Dyson press release, the vacuums use 1.9m of filter media folded 145 times to trap 99.99% of particles down to 0.1 microns, and the filter was also specially tested on live viruses to ensure 99.9% removal. 

Cons to consider 

The Dyson Gen5Detect is wildly expensive, creeping to over $1,000 when you add tax, making this one very expensive vacuum.

The only performance issue that I ran into was that on the carpet, it was a little more stop-and-go as I had to figure out how to hold it at the right angle to get maximum airflow. Once I sorted out the suction levels, I was on my way. 

What are your alternatives?

As Dyson's top-of-the-line model, the Gen5Detect is also available in an Outsize edition for $100 more, which features a half-gallon dustbin for extended cleaning without pausing to empty the bin. 

For $200 less, I think the Dyson V15 Detect is a worthy contender with similar features and comparable battery and performance. The key difference is that the Detect uses a trigger operation instead of the power button, its filters are not rated as HEPA, and it does not have a built-in crevice tool. Of note, Dyson offers an exclusive Dyson.com version dubbed the V15 Detect Absolute that features HEPA filters and the built-in crevice tool at the same price as buying the regular Dyson V15 Detect at other retailers. Within that same series, I recently reviewed the Dyson V15s Detect Submarine model, which incorporates a power mop attachment, dubbed the Submarine, in addition to the features of the V15 Detect. It shares a price tag with the Gen5Detect. 

For the laser technology at its most entry-level price, there is also the lightweight Dyson V12 Detect Slim, but its tiny .09 gal bin will have you pausing to empty the dustbin frequently.

Of course, we rate the Shark Stratos as the best cordless vacuum overall in our guide to the best vacuum with a mid-range price point, excellent cleaning performance and maneuverability, and decent battery life. Read our review of the Shark Stratos for more. 

The company Tineco also has a unique offering that gamifies vacuuming in a way that adding the green laser and dust counting system brings a new experience to cleaning for Dyson. Tineco's "smart" vacuums use Tineco's iLoop Smart Sensor technology that displays a colorful ring to indicate when floors are clean and automatically adjusts suction power according to the dirt detected. I've tried the Tineco Pure One S15 Pet; it's great for general cleaning and highly maneuverable with up to 40 minutes of battery, but it struggled with large debris. 

The bottom line

I've tested a lot of the Dyson lineup over the years, and at this $1,000 price point, I need the Dyson Gen5Detect to be flawless. The stakes are too high. Cleaning and performance-wise, I think it nailed it. I also love that I no longer have to depress the power trigger button anymore and can simply power it on and go. However, I find the changes marginal when pitted against the  Dyson V15 Detect, which still remains in my heart and, after standardized evaluations, the best Dyson vacuum. Of course, if you want the latest and greatest technology from Dyson, by all means, you will find your investment in your floor care well worth it.