First up, the Dyson 360 Eye looks fantastic and comes in a choice of blue or fuchsia colors. The Radial Root Cyclone suction that has made Dyson literally a household fixture around the world is present and correct, while innovative 360-degree visual mapping means this little robot doesn’t miss a corner. You’ll also notice no brushes sticking out from the edges of the Dyson – cleaning is handled by a motorised brush bar with the same carbon filaments and irobot vacuum cleaner nylon bristles you’ll find on an upright cleaner from the company. Stick vacuums have been popular because of their lightweight and cordless mobility, which makes cleaning less of a hassle than schlepping an upright corded vacuum around. Generally, though, the sticks have served as a secondary cleaner to a full-size vacuum because of their short battery life and relatively weak suction. On full power, you get around 30 to 40 minutes out of the 360 Eye.
Dyson generated nearly $10 billion in revenue in 2013 vs. iRobot’s $487 million. Consequently, if the new 360 Eye is as good as other Dyson vacuum cleaners, there is much reason for iRobot to worry. The new 360 Eye system is sleek, shiny, and, according to Dyson, has the most suction of all of its competitors.
As with many products, the better the build quality, the longer it should last. Instead, it comes with magnetic tape to fence off where it shouldn’t enter, which doesn’t look great on floors. You’ll have to use this when it’s mopping as it doesn’t differentiate between hard irobot vacuum cleaner floors and carpet, although it does when vacuuming as it ramps up the suction. What we did like though is the ease of scheduling cleaning, a compact dock that even has a nook for the remote and the option of voice control, which on a keenly priced product is a bonus.
It also shows you a map of where the robot has been so you can interrogate how throughly it has covered the available floor space, which is reassuring. Rather than relying on side brushes, the brush bar covers shark cordless the width of the product, so the path it takes is the path it cleans without throwing up dust particles into the air. Lastly, the Dyson’s suction was not as strong as my extremely powerful Miele bagged vacuum.
In addition to its digital V2 motor that Dyson says “spins at up to 78,000 revolutions per minute,” the way a robot vacuum sees rooms has a huge impact on its ability to clean. There’s no reason why this concept wouldn’t work so long as it was designed correctly. It would expand the robot vacuum market as well, providing a solution to those with more than one level in their home. Navigation is generally very good, too – this robot rarely became stuck in tests, particularly when set up correctly with the app. Its tank tracks prove more than up to the challenge of dealing with rugs and even flooring at different heights. Dyson has also revamped the controls and information dial on top.
Carpets and rugs didn’t fare quite as well, particularly when trying to extract pet hair. The 360 Heurist (£899) takes the same basic form as the original – albeit with a swanky blue paint job – but most other aspects have been improved. This doesn’t make it the best robotic vacuum available, but it is significantly better than its predecessor. The best robot vacuum for deep cleaning is Dyson’s 360 Heurist (£899). It’s a big improvement on the original Dyson robo vac with increased suction power, the ability to see in the dark and it’s a great performer, especially on carpets that need a deep clean. The Roomba also has three-stage cleaning and carpet boost technology.