Love the idea of a robot vac and wondering if the Dyson 360 Eye is the the best robot vacuum cleaner for you? I set it the task of vacuuming my home to see how it coped.
I tested a wide selection of vacuum cleaners on carpet, parquet, tiles, stairs and upholstery, and challenged them with mud, fluff, light debris and pet hair to give you the lowdown on how efficiently they’ll do the job, how easy they are to use, and how much space they’ll take up in your cupboard.
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Dyson 360 Eye at a glance:
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- Type: robot
- Bag or bagless: bagless
- Suction: great
- Noise: you can chat OK while it’s working
- Easy storage: yes – it’s really compact
Dyson 360 Eye specifications
- Power: 160W
- Dimensions: H12cm x L24cm x W23cm
- Weight: 2.44kg
- Noise: 70dB
- Energy rating: PR has not provided
- Container capacity: 0.33 ltr
Who will the Dyson 360 Eye suit?
Tech fans and short of time households. You will need deep enough pockets for a second cleaner, though.
What is the Dyson 360 Eye like to use?
It’s a piece of cake to charge up then set this robot off on its chores. If you haven’t had a robot vac before, it’s also fun.
Tackling hard flooring, carpet and stairs
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My house has tiled floors, parquet and carpet to clean, and the Dyson 360 Eye wasn’t fazed by any of them. Results seemed quicker on hard floor, though – carpet meant more repeat trips for the machine. It did, however, revive flattened carpet pile well. Stairs, of course, aren’t in this model’s job description, so it’s not a whole house cleaner unless you live in a stair-free bungalow or flat. The diminutive proportions of the machine ensured it didn’t have any problems about nipping under most of my furniture, and it went right to the edges of the rooms.
Dyson 360 Eye attachments
There aren’t any! The Dyson 360 Eye is, as they say, complete unto itself. The downside is that it can’t get into crevices (although as noted it does work right to the edges of a space), and can’t vac the upholstery.
Dyson 360 Eye power and debris removal
This robot dealt with both light debris and mud on hard flooring quickly and thoroughly. It wasn’t as immediately effective with either on carpet, and was at the job – and therefore getting through its charge – for longer on there. It got rid of pet hair effectively, including what was knitted into the carpet. Like other Dyson vacs, it did give me the ‘I didn’t know the floor was that dirty’ revelation as it filled the container.
Dyson 360 Eye container emptying
Robot it may be, but the Dyson 360 Eye lacks the human attributes that would allow it to empty the bin. I, on the other hand, found this a completely fuss-free procedure, pressing the button to release it, lifting up the cyclone and emptying the contents into the bin. I’d have to say it’s fortunate this isn’t a faff because the container is small and the vac efficient so filling up didn’t take long.
Dyson 360 Eye handy features
Charging is easy as the robot sits on its dock, which is plugged into a socket. Best of all, when it needed recharging, it took itself back to the dock to do so. At its simplest, the cleaning process begins at the push of a button, but you can get a lot more sophisticated with the available app, which allows you to control it via your phone or tablet, or tell it what to do with Alexa.
Get fancy by scheduling the cleaning, and get into the detail by reviewing its completed sessions – including maps. You can also select between the maximum suction or quiet power modes with the app. The latter means it’ll keep cleaning for longer and be – no surprises here – quieter.
Storing the Dyson 360 Eye
Coming to this robot from a standard cylinder or upright was a revelation because it takes up so little space.
Manoeuvrability of the Dyson 360 Eye
I wasn’t manoeuvring it, of course – this was down to the vac and it was impressive to watch it get around my rooms and up to the skirting boards. Overall, it was pretty good at navigating round obstacles, although I did find it struggled with very fine chair legs. It coped with the threshold between rooms, but these can’t be too sizeable. Bear in mind, too, that there shouldn’t be cables on the floor – not ideal if you have a floor lamp.
How does the Dyson 360 Eye rate online?
Reviews on the Dyson site award an average of 3.9 out of five. Satisfied owners praise the systematic cleaning, the vac’s ability to cope with uneven surfaces, and the excellent results even in households with cat and dog hair to clean up. The negatives include the fact that it needs daylight to work, which stymies its capacity to get on with the vacuuming on short winter days. The requirement to clear things off the floor – pet bowls, for example – and a (lack of) proficiency at navigating round some furniture were among the snags noted.
Amazon buyers’ overall rating is 3.6 out of five stars with almost half of them determining it deserved the full five. Here, shoppers once again rate its power to pick up pet hair, the highly effective cleaning and its success on both hard flooring and carpet. Downsides for reviewers? The small size of the dust container, the requirement to clear a room of items that could cause it problems, and the fact that it can get stuck on furniture and features such as hearths.
How does the Dyson 360 Eye rate against similar vacuum cleaners?
There aren’t many robot vacuums on the market yet, and therefore the Dyson 360 Eye isn’t up against a crowd. It does sit at the top end of the price range, too. However, it rates highly against the other robot models out there, even with cost taken into account.
About our review – and our reviewer
Sarah Warwick has specialised in homes and interiors for over 20 years. She was Executive Editor of Ideal Home magazine, and has written for nationals, magazines and websites including Real Homes, Homebuilding & Renovating, Grand Designs, Homes & Gardens, Houzz, The Guardian, House Beautiful and Country Homes & Interiors. She put the vacuums through their paces all round the house, on all sorts of dirt and debris, and a variety of flooring and surfaces.