Dyson Omni-Glide Vacuum Cleaner Review: More Manoeuvrability

Dyson’s vacuum cleaners are considered to be among the best in the world, and are very easy to use because of their cord-free design, simple dirt disposal systems, and quick swappable fittings. I recently reviewed the top-of-the-line Dyson V11 Absolute Pro which is priced at Rs. 52,900, and was quite impressed with just how powerful and versatile it is. However, it’s also big, a bit heavy, and somewhat difficult to store when not in use. Dyson’s latest vacuum cleaner in India, the Omni-glide, offers a solution to those challenges, and it’s also much less expensive.

Priced at Rs. 34,900 in India, the Dyson Omni-glide is considerably more affordable than the V11 Absolute Pro, but it’s also less powerful thanks to a smaller suction motor. However, it promises to make up for this with better manoeuvrability and ease of use – it’s smaller and lighter, and has a unique omni-directional soft roller head. Just how good is this new vacuum cleaner from Dyson? Find out in this review.

There are just a handful of vacuum heads and fittings bundled with the Dyson Omni-glide, but these give it enough flexibility

Dyson Omni-glide design

Unlike the much larger and more powerful V11 Absolute Pro, the Dyson Omni-glide isn’t as big and heavy. It has a much smaller suction motor and dust bin to collect garbage, and a simple plastic handle at the back for grip. The vacuum cleaner has a Dyson Hyperdymium motor that has eight ‘Cyclones’, and spins at up to 1,05,000rpm to generate suction. It isn’t as powerful as the V11 Absolute Pro, but it’s relatively well equipped for the size and price. The Omni-glide weighs around 1.9kg.

The layout of the vacuum cleaner’s components is largely the same as on other Dyson devices; the filter and exhaust vents sit behind the motor, while the dust bin is just in front of it. At the top of the handle is a switch that disengages the battery and lets it slide out; you can charge the battery separately from the device, swap it out entirely, or leave it in the Omni-glide to let it charge while attached.

While Dyson’s V-series vacuum cleaners have a trigger to control power, the Omni-glide has a more convenient physical power button, located on the handle just behind the filter. A single press turns the Omni-glide on or off, and a second ‘Max’ button located next to the power button turns the suction power up or down. This is simpler to use since you don’t need to keep a finger on the trigger to run the device, and also lets you slide the vacuum cleaner into narrow openings and access hard-to-reach spaces.

The front of the Dyson Omni-glide is the opening for the vacuum suction, and also where the fittings attach onto the main device. The dust bin is made of transparent plastic to let you see how much dirt has accumulated inside. It can be opened and emptied out easily by pressing the red release button at the bottom and pushing the bin forward. Make sure you do this above your home dustbin, as this will quickly and forcefully release all dirt inside the vacuum cleaner.

Unlike Dyson’s V-series vacuum cleaners which have triggers, the Omni-glide has simple physical buttons for power

Once done, you have to push the lid closed and slide the bin back into place till it clicks shut. Usefully, the bin can be completely removed and washed to clean out finer dust particles that accumulate on the inside, and the same can be done with other components of the device, such as the filter and soft rollers as well. Do make sure these parts have been properly dried before attaching them back onto the main device.

Like on the V11 Absolute Pro, the filter on the Dyson Omni-glide is removable and washable under a tap. This will need to be done very occasionally, as most large impurities don’t reach the filter at all and stay in the bin to be disposed of. Dyson does recommend replacing the filter every six months, if you use this vacuum cleaner heavily.

Dyson Omni-glide fittings

While high-end and larger Dyson products such as the V11 Absolute Pro come with a lot of fittings that add to their versatility, the Omni-glide comes in a smaller package with just a handful of accessories. These include the charging adapter and dock, ‘Wand’ pipe for length and reach extension, Worktop tool, Combination tool which has a thin nozzle and brush, Mini Motorised Tool for floor cleaning, and Omni-directional Soft Roller cleaner head, the last of which is unique and not available on any other Dyson vacuum cleaner in India.

The Worktop and Combination tools are meant to be used while guiding the Omni-glide with your hands, but they can be fixed onto the Wand if needed. The Omni-directional head and Mini Motorised tool are meant for floor cleaning, and therefore ideally need to be used with the Wand. Like other Dyson products, the fittings – including the Wand – are designed to work only with the Omni-glide and aren’t interchangeable with other models.

The Wand is around 47cm long, but since the Omni-glide is lighter and can be held a bit lower, this isn’t really a problem. It allows easy reach to the floor; high-up spaces might be a bit trickier to reach because of the length, though. All of the fittings clip on or off the main vacuum cleaner easily enough. Charging the device is also easy; you only have to place it on the dock the right way up. You can also wall-mount the dock and have the Omni-glide charge while hanging in place.

The omni-directional soft roller cleaner head is the most important fitting included with the Omni-glide, with four small wheels that let it glide across the floor for ease of use

As its name suggests, the Omni-directional Soft Roller Cleaner head is the most important fitting that comes with the Dyson Omni-glide, and works best with the form and design of this vacuum cleaner. The fitting has two soft roller heads with carbon fibre filaments, which spin quickly when in use to dislodge dust and dirt particles from your floor. The vacuum then pulls that dirt in. The rollers can be removed for cleaning, and the pipe has enough flexibility to move in any of four directions – forward, backward, left, and right.

A unique but rather simple feature of this vacuum head is its four small wheels at the bottom that allow it to slide and roll with ease. Because of these wheels, the Omni-glide with this specific fitting is able to adjust its angle easily, reach tricky corners, and clean in just about any direction with little trouble.

Dyson Omni-glide performance and battery life

Although the Dyson Omni-glide is far from the most powerful vacuum cleaner in Dyson’s range in India, it’s definitely a contender for the title of being the easiest to use. The device is cord-free and easy to handle when cleaning furniture, floors, or other surfaces, both with or without the Wand attached.

The relatively low power also doesn’t mean the Omni-glide isn’t quick and efficient at picking up dirt and other small bits of garbage from the floor. The Mini Motorised Tool is a bit smaller and better targeted to pick up dirt when moving in calculated, straight lines, but the Omni-directional Soft Roller Cleaner head is definitely the easier one to use for floor cleaning.

The four small wheels at the bottom let me clean large areas significantly quicker than with the V11 Absolute Pro; although the Omni-glide isn’t as powerful as the flagship Dyson vacuum cleaner in India, it makes up for this by simply gliding along the floor and letting you do multiple sweeps in the same amount of time you’d take with the heavier V11 Absolute Pro. It’s also not as loud when using the standard power setting because of the obvious differences in power. On the other hand, the Max mode does make the Omni-glide almost as loud as the V11 Absolute Pro.

The Dyson Omni-glide is light, easy to hold and use, and can get into tight spaces

On the whole, I was able to thoroughly clean the floor of my 250-square-foot living room and dining area in just under 10 minutes, which was around the same amount of time it took with the Dyson V11 Absolute Pro. However, the Omni-glide was easier to handle and lighter on my arm and hands. I generally preferred to use it for quick tasks such as cleaning small dry spills, or to target small zones that needed immediate cleaning.

While the omni-directional vacuum head is best suited to clean hard floors, it does a decent job even on carpets. The wheels didn’t move as freely on the rougher surface of my rug, but the soft rollers and carbon fibre bristles managed to dislodge dirt effectively enough for the vacuum cleaner to suck up.

Apart from the fittings meant for floor cleaning, the Dyson Omni-glide also comes with two fittings meant for use on higher surfaces, including furniture or walls. The Combination tool is able to clean in narrow spaces and came in particularly handy for the gaps between sofa cushions and the seats of my car. It even includes an adjustable and removable brush which helps with cleaning dusty surfaces. The Worktop tool has a wider mouth and helped when cleaning table-tops and other surfaces on hard furniture.

Battery life isn’t particularly impressive on the Dyson Omni-glide, with the vacuum cleaner running for only around 20 minutes per charge at the normal power setting, and just about 10 minutes at the Max setting. This was just about enough to completely clean my 600-square-foot home once over, and larger homes will need the vacuum cleaner to be charged in between rooms.

The battery took almost four hours to charge completely from empty, so you might want to keep the Omni-glide docked and charging at all times when not in use, so it’s ready to go when you need it. The battery life also means that the Omni-glide is best used for specific cleaning tasks such as spills, or to tackle one room at a time, since the 20-minute run time may not be enough for everyday cleaning of the entire living space.

Verdict

Dyson’s newest cord-free vacuum cleaner in India isn’t its most powerful or impressively equipped by far, but the Omni-glide is the most unique one in the company’s range for a number of reasons. It’s light and easy on the arms because of the handle and power button, and when fitted with the Omni-directional Soft Roller Cleaner head, it glides effortlessly over hard floors. I quite enjoyed cleaning my home with the Omni-glide, often favouring it over the more powerful V11 Absolute Pro for floor cleaning.

Although battery life is average, and this vacuum cleaner is largely geared around cleaning hard floors, the Dyson Omni-glide is a convenient and immensely useful device on the whole. However, at Rs. 34,900, it’s still a very expensive option that only the most discerning users would even consider investing in.

Rating: 7/10

Pros:

• Compact and very light
• Very easy to maintain and clean
• Omni-directional head glides along hard floors effortlessly
• Additional fittings add some versatility

Cons:

• Average battery life
• Expensive