The Dyson V16 Piston Animal vacuum left no crumbs in our competition
If you live in a New York City apartment, buying a new vacuum is not just about finding the model with the most suction.It has to be powerful enough to clean hardwood floors and rugs, but also compact enough to live in a closet and versatile enough that you don’t need three different versions for different cleaning needs.This is what we kept in mind when we were testing the best vacuums for the inaugural Made It Here Awards and what eventually earned the Dyson V16 Piston Animal Best Overall vacuum designation — especially for NYC apartments.Having spent over five years reviewing home content, I was a natural fit to help oversee our vacuum category, and the team and I put the brand’s latest cordless vacuum through tough debris, hair and dirt surface tests to see whether its nearly $1,000 price tag actually delivers best-in-category results.
We tested the Dyson against eight other vacuums, including two specifically in the stick vacuum category, including hands-on testing of one of Dyson’s closest competitors.See our full testing criteriaThe Dyson V16 Piston Animal stood out for its versatility, moving easily between hard floors, rugs and upholstery while automatically adjusting suction and brush-bar speed based on the surface.Its Fluffy Optic head illuminates fine dust on hard floors, while attachments like the Hair Screw Tool 2.0 and crevice tool help tackle furniture and tight spaces.
Add in strong one-pass pickup and a compact wall dock, and it makes a lot of sense for apartment living.Maximum runtime: Up to 70 minutes | Charge time: 3.5 hours | Suction: 315 Air Watts | Weight: 7.5 pounds | Bin volume: 0.35 gallon | Filtration: 99.99% down to 0.1 microns | Dimensions: 51.1 by 9.84 by 10.2 inchesA lot is happening inside the Dyson V16 Piston Animal, but the thing that mattered most to us was simple: How well did it clean? Tester Barret Wertz, senior editorial director of commerce, used the vacuum across ceramic tile, hardwood, a jute/sisal rug and uphol...