Dyson Gen5outsize Complete review

Dyson’s Gen5outsize Complete Vacuum Cleaner is essentially the Gen5detect but bigger.

Boasting a 150% larger dustbin and a 25% larger main attachment, you can clean up quicker without having to empty it as much. But it feels iterative as opposed to innovative. 

It has the same intuitive features and powerful engine as its predecessor. It’s easy to use and is brilliant at cleaning. However, it will only appeal to someone with specific requirements, mainly a big enough house where a larger vacuum cleaner is necessary. 

If you don’t have those requirements, the $1,800 price tag is probably too much. You’ll easily be able to get away with the cheaper Gen5detect.

Price

The Gen5outsize Complete costs $1,799 on the Dyson website. This is right up there with the most expensive stick vacuums on the market.

Samsung’s Bespoke Jet Elite Extra Stick Vacuum costs $1,799, and the previous Dyson vacuum, the Gen5Detect, costs $1,400. 

There are also cheaper options, like the $1,400 Miele Triflex HX2 Pro Handstick and the $1,200 LG A9 Ultra Kompressor.

Design

If you’ve used a Dyson cordless stick vacuum before, you’ll be familiar with the Gen5outsize. It’s almost identical to its predecessor, except it’s bigger.

The primary attachment – you’ll probably use this most of the time – is 25% wider than the one found on the Gen5detect, and the dustbin is 150% larger. The larger main attachment means you can cover more area in a shorter time, and the larger dustbin means you won’t have to empty the vacuum as much. This means you’ll spend less time cleaning, which is always a positive. 

This increase in size brings with it an increase in weight. Weighing 4kg, it’s a little heavier than the 3.5kg Gen5detect. If you have weak wrists or struggle to hold something of that weight for long periods, it only gets more challenging with the Gen5outsize.

While I found getting the larger head into tight corners a little tricky, I could easily switch to smaller attachments with Dyson’s intuitive clip-on clip-off design.

The Gen5outsize boasts the familiar push and release mechanism on the dustbin, the Dusting and Crevice tool built-in and triggerless operation. It all works brilliantly. The push and release mechanism makes emptying the vacuum a doddle, the built-in Dusting and Crevice tool makes it easy to turn the vacuum into a handheld for hard-to-reach places, and the triggerless operation reduces hand and finger strain where you’d usually have to hold a trigger for extended periods.

The location of the button is still frustrating, though. In my review of the Gen5detect, I said, “The location of the on/off button is frustrating. To start or stop the vacuum, you need two hands. The button is high up on the back of the device and is unreachable with one hand. If you’re holding something in one hand, with the vacuum in the other, you will have to put that item down.” 

The Gen5outsize boasts better HEPA filtration, capturing up to 99.99% of particles up to as small as 0.1 microns – according to Dyson. This means the vacuum can contain dust and particles so they don’t leak back into the environment. Ideal for someone with allergies who has to clean often.

There are two versions of the Gen5outsize: the Gen5outsize Complete and the Gen5outsize Absolute. The Complete version is $50 more expensive, and the only difference is it comes with what Dyson calls a “Floor Dok.” This free-standing dock allows you to hang the vacuum cleaner for charging and storage. The Absolute version requires wall mounting with a drill. It’s a minor difference, but the floor dok is worth the extra investment. It’s easier to set up, requires no drilling, and you can hang attachments on it, so you don’t have to find a place to put them. 

This is not the Gen5outsize. But it’s a good view of the Floor Dok

Attachments

The Gen5outsize comes with the same attachments as the Gen5detect.

In the box, you get four. The first is the Fluffy Optic cleaner, which has a green laser to help with hardwood cleaning. This laser is twice as bright this time around, so you can see dust and dirt on the floor in brighter conditions. It’s excellent.

There’s also the Hair Screw Tool used for removing long hairs like pet hair, the Combination Tool, which is essentially two tools in one, allowing for quickly switching between cleaning and dusting tasks. And the Digital Motorbar XL which houses de-tangling vanes to clear wrapped hair from the brush automatically.

It’s a good number of attachments that cover most uses, and there are additional attachments you can buy separately if need be.

It’s important to know that if you’re upgrading from the Gen5detect, you’re attachments will work with the Gen5outsize. If you’re upgrading from an older model, some old attachments will work, and some won’t. Non-motorised heads like the Extension Hose, Pet Groom Tool and Combination Tool are compatible. However, motorised ones like the Motorbar, Light Pipe Crevice Tool and Hair Screw Tool are not, which is disappointing.

Software/Performance

The Gen5outsize is less powerful than the Gen5detect. Boasting 250 air watts (AW) of power, its slightly less powerful than the 280AW Gen5detect. You won’t notice the difference, though. The Gen5outsize is a mighty vacuum cleaner spinning at 135,000RPM (rotations per minute). It will pick up pretty much everything.

The software in use here is the same as well. The vacuum has a piezo sensor installed that can measure the particles that are getting picked up, being able to detect particles as small as 0.1 microns, its incredibly accurate. 

On top, there’s a screen that will inform you of the size of what you’re picking up. It’s split into four categories and is colour-coded to show how clean an area is. It’s nice to see how much you’re picking up, it’s a more rewarding way to clean.

If you put the vacuum in auto mode, it will automatically adjust the suction power to accommodate the size and quantity of particles you’re cleaning up.

Battery

There are three suction modes: Eco, Normal and Boost. Each determines how much suction power will be used, with higher modes using more battery.

Dyson claims the Gen5outsize has a runtime of 70 minutes. This will change depending on your usage. We could only achieve close to 70 minutes if we only used the vacuum in Eco mode. On normal mode, we achieved half an hour of usage, and Boost dropped it down to 14 minutes.

A full charge takes 4.5 hours, which is an hour longer than Samsung’s Bespoke Jet Elite.

Verdict

The Dyson Gen5outsize Complete is a top-tier cordless stick vacuum with a hefty price tag. Boasting the same intuitive features as previous Dyson vacuums, it’s easy to use, functional and most importantly it’s powerful.

It will pick up dust and particles as small as 0.1 microns, so you know the surface is getting a good clean. It comes with a range of attachments to accommodate most situations, and it has a decent battery. But it doesn’t bring much to the table.

Yes, the 25% larger main attachment and the 150% larger dustbin can reduce cleaning times, and the “Floor Dok” is a nice addition. But I wouldn’t consider these requirements. Using the Gen5outsize is essentially the same experience you get with the Gen5detect, which already has such an intuitive design that a larger main attachment, dustbin, and free-standing dock didn’t drastically improve the experience.

But, reducing cleaning times is what you want in a new vacuum cleaner, and the Gen5outsize definitely does that. This is a brilliant stick vacuum cleaner, and if you’re looking for the best in the business then this is what I would recommend. If you can’t afford the huge $1,800 price tag though, there’s always the $1,400 Gen5detect. You’ll get the same power, ease of use and results.