UK launch for Dyson’s V11 Outsize – but does bigger mean better?

The Outsize is a new cordless cleaner but it’s not an entirely new model. It’s essentially a bigger version of the V11 with a wider cleaning head and a more capacious bin, although its other features and specifications seem to be the same.

Dyson’s aim is to change the minds of people with larger homes who may have been sceptical about buying a cordless cleaner until now. The company says that the redesign reflected research into what people with bigger places wanted in a cleaner.

So, what’s new?

New features for the Outsize

The Outsize has a larger dustbin than the V11, so you won’t have to pause to empty it as often. At 1.9 litres, it’s one of the most capacious on the market and is a huge step up from the V11, which has only 0.75 litres of space.

Dustbin size is a really important feature if you have a larger place. It’s less vital if you have a bijou flat where you’re never far from being able to empty your vac into the kitchen bin.

The Outsize also has a wider cleaning head than the V11. Although the new 32cm head will help you to vacuum more floor than a smaller cleaning head, there’s an obvious trade-off in that you won’t have the same ability to manoeuvre it into smaller spaces. This really strikes us as a mixed blessing.

Removable battery

If you have a large home, the main thing to look out for is a cordless with a swappable battery – which the V11 Outsize has. But it’s not a new feature as the later generations of the V11 also come with a battery you can pop out and swap. (Earlier versions had a screw-in battery that wasn’t designed to be removed by owners.)

The one shortcoming of a cordless cleaner is the potential for the battery to die when you’re midway around a room or halfway through cleaning up a spill. You then have to wait 3-4 hours for the battery to recharge to finish the job.

If you have a smaller place and are relatively organised, that won’t be a problem. But with a maximum cleaning time of one hour before you need to recharge, there might not be time to get around a larger, two or three storey home.

Many new cordless cleaners – especially the more expensive ones – will have a removable battery that can be charged either while attached to the vac or separately. Buy a second battery and you can always have one charged and ready to go.

The V11 Outsize has a swappable battery, although it looks as though you have to buy a second one separately. The Samsung Powerstick Jet and the Miele TriFlex are similarly priced vacuum cleaners that also have this option. So does the Shark IZ201 – for about half the price.

Just like the standard V11

The Outsize’s battery will last up to an hour, although that’ll likely be on the lowest setting. That’s about the best you can get with current technology, without making the battery much larger and heavier.

The power and suction seem to be the same as the standard V11. The Outsize shares the V11’s other winning features, including a HEPA-grade filter, LCD screen that displays battery life and faults, and the Torque head accessory that detects flooring type and automatically adjusts the suction. It’s also backed up by Dyson’s most powerful motor. 

The compromise will be weight

However, the added bin size and brush bar are inevitably going to add to the weight of the vac. The standard V11 is already 300g heavier than its predecessor and when we reviewed it, we felt that was an issue: “For a longer clean – especially if you’re lifting it up to clean ceiling corners – you’re likely to feel the burn.”

When combined with some of the Dyson’s other features – for example, the lack of a trigger lock, meaning that you have to hold the button down when you vacuum, and the fact that it’s a stick, so you have to prop it against something or lay it on the floor to take a break – it feels like vacuuming for a long time with the Outsize could be hard work.

I’d say that when you’re cleaning a large space, comfort is very important and we won’t know until we’ve tried it whether Dyson has engineered that into its latest vac.   

Make no mistake, cordless cleaners are now the norm; they’re certainly where companies are focusing their innovation. There are plenty of cordless cleaners on the market that will suit people with large homes.

Price and availability

But will the bigger bin and cleaning head be enough to sway people who resisted the charms of the standard V11? The older model is looking more than reasonably priced by comparison, and is currently available from £499 from the Dyson site. The Outsize, however, will set you back £649.99. At this price, it’s also unlikely to convert anyone who isn’t already a Dyson fan.

The Dyson V11 Outsize is exclusively available to buy from Currys PC World. It costs £649.99 and comes a nickel and red colourway. To get free next day delivery when you buy, enter the code DYSONFNDD at the checkout.

To find out more about its features, you can read our review of the (standard) Dyson V11 or check out our round-up of the best vacuum cleaners we’ve tested for our full list of recommendations.