Gliding between the dirt: Review of Dyson Omni-Glide vaccum cleaner

I want to start this review with a joke: an "affordable" Dyson product is now a reality.

What's the punchline? It still costs INR 34,900! However, if you look at Dyson's many uber-luxe offerings in the market at present, this one may be one of the cheapest.

Say hello to the Dyson Omni-glide, the latest deep cleaning tool from the company which is designed to make your life simpler and tidier.

There are gadgets that were useful at a time before the pandemic and those were a luxury. Now, there are gadgets that are useful in the post-pandemic time and are a necessity.

Dyson's new vacuum cleaner fits into the latter. While it is cheaper than its more expensive, elder sibling — the mighty V11 Absolute Pro vacuum cleaner — the Omni-glide is still a costly investment.

What makes this new cleaning tool different? You can multitask while cleaning hard floors and it won't sprain your forearm.

Lockdowns made us all self-reliant when it came to household chores and perhaps that independent streak will always stay with us. The market for dishwashers, cooking equipment and vacuum cleaners saw a big boom during lockdowns. In the same streak, Dyson's V11 Absolute Pro became the undisputed king in the category because of its novel design, multiple attachments, and effective cleaning across diverse spaces. However, it is priced above INR 50,000 and becomes a hefty though useful investment for the house.

I have used the V11 for two years now, knocked it into hard surfaces, cleaned carpets and hard floors, scooped up my son's online class experiments — all in a jiffy. My only gripe with it was its weight. The heaviness of the machine made it difficult for younger and older family members to use it.

However, Dyson may have solved that problem with the Omni-Glide.

Smaller is better

The new Omni-glide weighs under two kilos, carries Dyson's trademark design and colour ethos and looks more like a cool Avengers' weapon than a vacuum cleaner. My hunch is this would be ideal for smaller houses with young professionals and kids, instead of sprawling villas and commercial spaces — that market may belong to the V11 for now. So, if you're setting up your own house for the first time, this would be the vacuum cleaner for you.

Omni-glide weighs only 1.9 kilos, which is a blessing. If you are familiar with Dyson's clickety-clackety sounds, then you would know how to set it up in seconds. Unlike the overwhelming number of attachments that come with the V11, here, you only get three attachments to clean other surfaces.

Remember, you cannot clean your carpets with the Omni-glide since it is meant for hard floors only. This may be a deal-breaker for some, especially at this cost.

The best thing about the smaller size was the ease of use. Both, my son and my mother could lift it up, wheel it and glide it around easily, much to their glee and excitement.

360 degrees of cleaning

The main selling point of the Omni-glide is how easy it is to maneuver and that is predominantly because of its Omni-directional fluffy cleaner head. It rotates in all corners catching every stubborn speck of dirt, dust, hair, grime, and food. The power button on the long stick lets you seamlessly switch hands while cleaning in case you need to grab a snack, tend to an unruly kid, or even take some work calls.

However, do not use the Omni-glide on wet surfaces. Apart from that, the motor will pick up anything in its way. For young couples with kids or pets or both, I can't recommend this cleaning tool enough.

Effortless deep cleaning remains Omni-glide's biggest advantage and in the new age of self-reliance, it could be an asset.

Battery life

At this price point, I am not too happy with the battery life. The smaller size has also led to smaller battery life and you'll get around 20 minutes on the Eco Mode and if you use the Max power mode through a separate button, this beast will die down in 10-15 minutes.

So Dyson, if you want customers to splurge more than INR 33,000 on a small vacuum cleaner, you've got to give them a longer battery life. It may be wise to invest in one of Dyson's swappable batteries.

To charge the Omni-glide, you get a wall charging unit which can fit seamlessly into any room corner — out of reach of sticky, nimble hands.

How to clean the equipment?

Make sure you empty the bin regularly. The small bin of the cleaner opens easily with a button and a drag-down movement. 

Final verdict

If Santa was real and I could ask for an early Christmas present, it would be affordable and effective deep cleaning equipment for smarter, compact homes. Lockdowns have made us value our homes even more. They have become our safe spaces, where we spend most days with our loved ones. This is why products such as vacuum cleaners, dishwashers and smart microwaves have become so popular in the post-lockdown world. They help to make mundane tasks easier and give better results.

The Dyson Omni-glide packs in superior-tech and delivers on its biggest promise — a clean floor in seconds. If it was priced under INR 30,000, it would be accessible to a whole new market of customers. But to want is not to get and for now if you want fuss-free deep cleaning with a beast of a machine, the Dyson Omni-glide ticks all the boxes.