The latest Dyson stick vacuum cleaner to be released in Aotearoa is the company's most expensive yet.
The Gen5 Outsize is an update on last year's Gen5 Detect, which I rated as Dyson's best ever stick vacuum.
As the 'Outsize' name suggests, this one is bigger. Quite a lot bigger, in fact. However, the price also outsizes previous models.
The Gen5 Outsize Complete package currently costs slightly under $1800 on the Dyson NZ website and there is no getting around that being a sky-high, brutal price amid the cost of living crisis.
To put it in perspective, the Gen5 Detect equivelent is asking for $1440. Older Dysons as well as really good stick vacuums from the likes of LG and Miele can be bought for between $1000 and $1300.
However, Samsung's top-end Bespoke Jet Elite Extra unit is also currently asking for $1800, and some robot vacuums ask for $2000 or more.
The latest and greatest Dyson vacuum costing a lot of money is nothing new, of course. Every time the British tech company releases a device, the price tag shocks people - but then, sales records show a lot of folks are happy to pay it.
Should people be comfotable paying $1800 for the Gen5 Outsize? I've been trialling it for the past few weeks and here are my thoughts.
For me, when it comes to vacuum size, bigger is better. The main cleaner head for vacuuming carpet on this unit is 25 percent wider than the Gen5 Detect and many other Dyson models, which means I have been finishing household vacuuming jobs quicker - which, in turn, means more time doing anything else.
The bigger head is trickier to manoeuvre into some spaces, but of course you get the smaller attachments for those.
The dustbin is 150 percent bigger than on the Gen5 Detect, which theoretically means less time spent having to empty it - although I generally find the battery runs out before I need to empty the bin.
That extra size also means extra weight, with the Outsize being just under 4kg versus the Detect's 3.5kg. This isn't ideal for those with tender wrists, elderly folks, or anyone else who may find it difficult or potentially painful to hold 4kg in one hand for a period of time.
The laser-like light on the fluffy hard-floor cleaning head of the Outsize is brighter, too - by far the brightest Dyson vac laser yet at twice the illumination of the Detect. If you've never used one of these before and cleaning hard floors is part of your routine, let me tell you, this particular tool is very satisfying to use.
Interestingly, the Gen5 Outsize is a little less powerful than the Detect, with up to 250AW (air watts) instead of the smaller device's 280AW. That's still really, really powerful, with much more suction power than the Dyson stick vacs from a few years ago, let alone cheaper brands; but it's worth pointing out.
I certainly had no issue with how much dust and debris it was pulling out of my carpets and getting off my floors. Far from it: while I'm comparing this to other extremely powerful Dyson vacuums, the bottom line is that compared to most vacuum cleaners out there, this is a truly supreme cleaning machine.
Compared to Dyson's older models, the Gen5 Outsize comes with the new attachments, a button instead of trigger, super powerful motor and simplified UI that made the Gen5 Detect so superior.
The unit I'm reviewing is the 'Complete' package, which comes with the 'Floor Dok' stand. That makes it $50 more than the 'Absolute' package which comes instead with a wall mount.
I can absolutely recommend the Complete as being totally worth the extra $50. The stand is super helpful: it takes up about the same amount of space the unit would mounted, but the great thing is it can fit all the attachments onto it as well, so they don't take up extra space elsewhere or get lost. I really like the Floor Dok.
The verdict
The Gen5 Outsize is clearly one of the best vacuums on sale in New Zealand right now and, for me, is the best Dyson stick vac yet.
But it's sky-high asking price won't be worth paying for everyone.
I'd recommend it for people who want arguably the best possible vacuum out now; live in large homes that have lots of carpet to vacuum as well as hard-floor areas where the laser guidance would be helpful.
For everyone else, I'd recommend at least considering a cheaper option first - especially the Gen5 Detect, which has all of the benefits of this latest one except its size and will save you $360, based on current pricing.
But for people who can afford the Dyson Gen5 Outsize and value floorcare, I can't imagine them being disappointed with it.
Newshub was supplied with a Dyson Gen5 Outsize Complete for this review.
