Dyson V15s Submarine Review

The Dyson V15s Submarine has an aquatic themed name for its innovative mop head attachment. It's pretty neat since everything is packed into the base, giving you the quick option to plug in and mop right away. The mop is even motorized, so it helps to pick up dried mud more easily with the help of the turning roller, creating some disturbance. We were excited to break out this additional feature, but weren't particularly impressed with the results. Read more in our Hardwood Performance section to learn why.

Performance Comparison

Carpet Performance

To test carpet performance, we spread 1/2 cup each of sand, rice, and Cheerios on a 9' x 3' section of low and high pile carpets, then record how much of the debris each vacuum can suck up in just 24 seconds. This very difficult stress test is much more difficult than our previous single-pass, single-material tests.

Before Testing After Testing

While most decent vacuums can suck up a lot of debris over many passes and extra time, our test reveals which vacuums are reliably more powerful and efficient compared to others. Most importantly, our multi-debris test helps us identify which vacuums best handle certain debris types or surfaces better than others. We also utilized a typical back-and-forth method, as most users would with their vacuum, recording the amount collected over 2-to-3 tests to establish an accurate average.

Low Pile

What a great machine! Like other Dyson cordless vacuums that use the same Digital Motorbar head, this version crushed our test trials on low pile carpet. It sucked up 95% of the material, just 1% less than the winner, Dyson Gen5detect.

While this vacuum requires some muscle to push because the suction can be quite intense, the cleanliness of your carpet will probably be worth it if you can muster the muscle.

Interestingly, during the low pile test, we noticed that when we slowed the head of the vacuum to a stop or a near standstill, it tended to reduce the brush roller speed or stop spinning entirely. We're guessing this might be a way for Dyson to preserve battery power, but slowing down seemed to reduce its collection abilities for the test, which explains why it gathered just 91% of the material in its Trial 2 test run.

Still, if low pile carpet is a priority in your home, the V15s is an outstanding option. I would be very pleased to have this as my daily driver.

High Pile

For high pile carpets, we employ the same quantity of sand, rice, and Cheerios spread across the same square footage as we do in our low-pile test. Since thick, shaggy carpets are significantly more challenging to clean than lower, denser carpets, the collection rates tend to be considerably lower.

The high pile carpet score wasn't as high as low pile, partially because some of the lighter material — we're looking at you, Cheerios — could get pushed around rather than covered and sucked up. This result is typical of most Dyson vacuums we've tested, which have strong suction capabilities and use the Digital Motorbar cleaner head. This head has a relatively low gate, sealing close to the carpet. This lets lightweight material plow on the front of the head rather than slide under it.

However, slower passes seemed to boost it, allowing it to increase suction on the sand deep beneath the surface at the expense of missing a few Cheerios in our 24-second time limit. What does this mean for those who have a shaggy rug in their home? By going a little slower, we're confident most people can keep their high pile rugs clean if they're vacuuming typical household debris. More importantly, for those with a lot of pesky sand or fine dirt getting tracked into their home, this machine excels at reaching deep into carpet fibers and pulling them out.

Overall Carpet Cleaning Performance

This model encountered very few issues on carpet. Its 9.75-inch roller head picked up most of the debris we threw at it. Plus, due to its slightly lower suction power, maneuvering on carpet was a bit easier than other high-end Dyson vacuums like the Gen5detect that use the same carpet cleaning head.

If you want a premium carpet cleaning experience with the power to suck up deeply embedded sand or dirt, the V15s is nearly indistinguishable from its slightly high-powered cordless siblings. However, if you're on a budget, the Shark Vertex Pro Lightweight collected only 5% less in our low pile tests but costs less than half as much.

Hardwood Performance

Our hardwood test is similar to our carpet tests in that we use the same debris material, square footage, and time limit. The key difference is that we do this test on a hardwood floor. Because this model has floor-specific cleaner heads, we replaced the Digital Motorbar head with the Fluffy Optic head.

| We loved how the Dyson Fluffy Optic cleaner head sucked up all sizes of debris on hard floors. This view through plexiglass from below shows it in action and reveals how clean the fluffy roller left our floors!

When you watch the video of this machine in action, don't be fooled into thinking these are easy tests for other vacuums. Very few vacuums are as capable. My favorite brush roller is the Fluffy Optic because it works so fast and efficiently around the house.

Cleaning Performance

Why is Dyson's Fluffy Optic cleaner head so great? It has a motorized, super soft, large-diameter brush roll with a tall head gate opening. When kids drop cereal off the table or potted plant dirt gets knocked onto the floor by a crazy cat, the soft brush will flow over it and make it disappear in a single pass.

While the Fluffy Optic cleaner head does the real work, we're fans of the unique, low-angle green laser-style light that illuminates tiny bits of sand, hair, or dust on the floor. It works far better than typical LED headlights on other competitive vacuums. Here's why: At a glance, with the naked eye, our test floors often looked clean. The green laser light, however, illuminated tiny, annoying specs of dust. In situations like this, it's like a hunt. I scour the floors of my house, almost like a game, uncovering pesky dirt enemies to suck up. There's nothing more rewarding than viewing the freshly polished floors after a pass of this vacuum.

Crevice

In our difficult crevice test, we drop sand between the slats of a bamboo mat to simulate deep crevices that might lurk between floor transitions in some homes. This vacuum sucked up nearly all the sand — 99%, which is simply outstanding. For those who have tile floors with deeper grout lines in their house, this model will keep them clean.

Surprisingly, despite having 15% less suction power than the Dyson V15 Detect, the Submarine sucked up just as much sand. This test tells us that the suction power difference between the two models will likely be negligible or very small for most real-world situations on hard surfaces.

Edges

We spread coffee grounds next to a wall and then tested pick-up with head-on and parallel techniques.

Before Testing After Testing

Those who have a lot of edges to clean in their home, such as long hallways with hardwood floors, will likely get excellent results with this vacuum.

Of course, this model's real claim to fame is its unique wet mop head attachment.

To experiment with the mop head, we conducted simple tests applicable to everyday dry and wet spills. We found it easily cleaned up freshly spilled coffee, but once it dried up, we found multiple extra passes required to clean it.

We don't think this head is by any means a mop superstar, but it can help with general maintenance cleans where the spills aren't too stubborn.

If you're more curious about the performing capabilities of mops, check out our selection of products in the steam mop review, which covers a wide range of messes, from mud to ketchup and more.

Overall Hardwood Cleaning Performance

The V15s was a rockstar on hardwood, topping our charts in all metrics.

This vacuum is a competitive choice for homes that contain mostly hard floors. We didn't encounter any issues when cleaning, even with tougher debris around the office and in our at-home test sessions. While the included mop attachment is handy, we're not sure it's worth the extra cost compared to the standard V15. Still, when price isn't an issue, we'd rather have it available than not.

Pet Hair

For the many millions of households that have dogs and cats, our rigorous pet hair test can help separate the merely good from the best. We start by taking a huge fistful of mixed pet hair, weighing exactly 4 grams, and smear it into 4.5' x 3' test sections of both low pile and high pile carpet. We additionally toss on 1 gram of long hair extensions to test long hair cleaning performance. Then we take a heavy roller and mash the hair into the carpet, resulting in a sight those who have heavy-shedding pets will likely recognize.

In our pet hair test, the Submarine cleaned up 84% of the hair on low pile carpet and 60% of the hair on high pile carpet. Because this version uses the same Digital Motorbar cleaner head as the V15 and Gen5detect, it delivered results just a few percentage points below the other two vacuums. We suspect the slight difference is due to the slightly lower suction power in the Submarine model.

While it ranks third in pet hair performance in our tests, it's important to note that it ranked only slightly behind other, more powerful Dyson vacuums. Its performance with pet hair still easily beats every other vacuum that doesn't have Dyson in its name, making it an excellent choice for homes with pets that shed hair.

Filtration & Suction

For those who are sensitive to allergens or pet dander, a filter with excellent filtration can help keep fine particles out of the air. Increased suction capabilities usually give deeper cleans. Sometimes, vacuums that have better filtration have lower suction, so our tests here help tease out the best of the best.

Filtration

We have one of the most rigorous filtration tests created for vacuums. Instead of just visually looking at smoke to see what happens when we suck it up, we create a more measurable test. We start with a clean room with two Dylos air quality monitors that continuously log air quality. We then spread 1/3 cup of flour on the floor and vacuum it up. Our air quality monitors can then count any particles that are stirred up by the vacuum or lost through its system back into the air you breathe.

This model kept nearly all flour particles inside its system. Dylos considers count increases from 0 to 75 excellent. This Dyson's air quality performance makes it a solid choice for anyone concerned about allergens or pet dander.

Suction

The suction power proved more than sufficient for tasks around the house, measuring 1,916 pascals, which ranks substantially higher than average at 834 pascals.

This machine's suction rankings are truly outstanding compared to other cordless stick vacuums we tested.

Ease of Use

Like other high-end versions we've tested, this model suffers from such intense suction that it can make pushing on any carpet difficult, reducing its maneuverability score.

This Dyson model feels slightly less powerful than the V15 and gen5detect, which made it a little easier for me to maneuver around the cones in our obstacle course test.

Maneuverability

Regarding maneuverability, this vacuum posed some challenges when navigating carpets and varying surfaces, requiring slight lifting to transition between terrains. However, its head swivel functioned decently and allowed relatively smooth navigation through the course.

To make the Digital Motorbar cleaner head easier to push on the carpet, it has a red slider control that opens or closes two head gates. With the head gates open, the suction seal is broken, slightly reducing the effort it takes to push and pull the vacuum around the house. However, it's still relatively hard to push compared to many other multi-purpose cleaner heads with less suction.

The vacuum did demonstrate good reach underneath the couch included in our obstacle course, although we had to bend over slightly to access all areas underneath. When equipped with the Fluffy Optic head, specifically designed for hardwood, it performed notably better, effortlessly gliding across the hardwood surface and maneuvering around table legs.

Also, the handheld isn't exactly light at four pounds eight ounces. Every extra ounce added to the handheld makes a drastic difference, so although the weight isn't far off from our average, we could definitely feel it at the end of a cleaning session.

Maintenance

This model proved to be relatively easy to clean overall. Removing the filter on the top of the vacuum is straightforward: twist it off, tap it to shake off any dust and debris, and rinse with water. Allow the filter to dry before reattaching it. Additionally, the dustbin is easily accessible; push the red tab to release it, enabling us to clean it out with a damp cloth. The brush roller is also simple to remove and can be washed once taken out. For those who need to see these steps to learn them, Dyson provides a wealth of media on their website regarding maintenance, which I found super helpful. If you don't want to deal with the confusion or effort of maintaining your cleaning devices, this model was definitely one of the easiest to work with.

Uphostery & Attachments

Since I could use the vacuum base with the attachments included, cleaning all types of surfaces was a breeze. This vacuum comes with three additional tools: a crevice tool, a hair screw tool, and a combination tool, along with a wand clip for convenient attachment storage.

Before Testing After Testing

To test included hand tools, we sprinkled coffee grounds across a pillow and along an ironing board to determine its cleaning prowess on upholstery. We chose the Hair Screw tool for this test, but the combination tool would also likely work well. The handheld showcased great performance, completely removing 100% of the coffee grounds from the pillow and 97% from the ironing board.

For those who want to suck up pet hair out of a pet bed — or a sofa if pets are couch buddies — I'm a big fan of the awesome Hair Screw tool. It's motorized and really lets us suck up embedded pet hair for smaller, focused jobs.

Battery

In terms of battery life, it lasts approximately 68 minutes on the Eco setting and only 9 minutes on Boost.

Because it's so powerful even on its low Eco setting, we believe most people could get through multi-room vacuum sessions if they don't need to use high power very often.

Should You Buy the Dyson V15s Submarine?

If you've read this far, you're likely not afraid of the total cost associated with Dyson products, and we feel that's the main obstacle when considering the Dyson V15s Submarine. In all other respects, this model cleans very well and showcases what high-tech devices can do — and it performs very similarly to other high-end Dysons. Of course, if you want the mop feature, you'll need to buy this particular Dyson because the mop head isn't available to buy separately and is not even compatible with other seemingly similar Dyson vacs like the V15 Detect.

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