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Dyson has had a long tradition of producing powerful, attractive, and (let's face it) pricey vacuum cleaners. The DC16 Root 6™ is Dyson's attempt to roll the technological advancements they've made in their larger vacuums into a handheld size. Dyson's claims for this unit include that it has twice the suction of similar handhelds, easy and quick emptying, and fast recharging. But does it have any downsides (other than the less-than-friendly name: "Honey, would you go buy a Dyson DC16 Root 6 for the shop?")? Here's our findings.
Performance & Durability
If you've ever used a "dust busting" vacuum and found it woefully inadequate to the task of picking up small messes, pet debris, etc., then you may find some joy in the DC16 Root 6. This thing certainly has upped the ante for handheld power. It sounds like a jet engine, and delivers surprisingly powerful suction for a handheld vacuum. It made short work of vacuuming various spills, and had the power to rival larger vacuums at heftier tasks such as cleaning out vehicles. It includes a couple different nozzles to handle various tasks, including a long slender attachment for those harder-to-reach areas, and a brush attachment for upholstery and the like. The DC16 Root 6 also seems to be well constructed. Made out of lightweight yet sturdy plastic, it endured many knocks and drops with barely a scratch and no cracks or chips.
Ease of Use
The DC16, for all its power, is reasonably lightweight and feels adequately balanced. Looking remarkably like some sort of sci-fi weapon, it's controlled by a pressure-sensitive trigger right at the handle. Anyone who's ever used a modern drill, weed wacker, or similar equipment will be right at home using the DC16's trigger to suck up messes. As a point of contrast, the trigger is significantly less 'fiddlely' than trying to control the suction of the thumb-controlled buttons on many handheld vacuums. The DC16 Root 6 also includes a handy mountable charging rack that can be mounted flat or perpendicular to a wall or other surface that makes storing, charging, and accessing the DC16 really simple. The included attachments easily snap on and off and don't fall off like many vacuum attachments, despite rigorous use.
The DC16 has a clear 'bucket' or cup at its base to catch all those nasty bits you've been slurping up. It's quite ample for a handheld unit, and being transparent it makes it easy to gauge when it's time to empty it out. We found removing the bucket and dumping it to be quite simple and mess-free. Reattaching the cup was a bit tricky but after a couple of tries we soon got the hang of it. The DC16 also features a filter on the rear section that's easily accessed for cleaning or replacement by flipping open the small hatch on the very top-rear of the unit. We felt that general maintenance of the DC16 was a breeze.
Long-term Update: After months and years of use, we found that the release button for the refuse cup became very difficult to press, and required just the right angle and pressure to get it to open. Some sore thumbs have caused us to reduce our initial Ease of Use score from 8.0 to 7.0 and the Durability score from 10.0 to 9.5.
However, like all cordless devices, battery life becomes the make-or-break feature for many otherwise stellar machines. In this regard is where the DC16 really falls down. All that suction power clearly comes at a high price, and you'll be lucky to use the DC16 in any serious fashion beyond a few minutes of cleaning. That's fine for quick pick-up jobs, but it spoils the promise of taking advantage of the DC16 for slightly more ambitious jobs, such as vacuuming out your car, etc. For instance, in our tests, the DC16 ablely handled the rocks, leaves and other debris in a vehicle, but we ran out of juice before we could finish (we barely made it to the back seat). For quick clean-ups, this may be no problem, but if your needs include more extended use, this might be a deal-breaker. The DC16 includes a nice little LED display of the battery charge on the unit...but given how quickly it runs out of power, you'll likely not have time to notice it winding down. The LED flashes red when the vacuum is out of power, confirming that, yes, it's officially time to recharge. The LED display is handy for checking the unit's charge status while it recharges, however.
The good news is that recharging the battery at the base of the unit is a relatively quick affair. While some cordless units require many hours or days to fully charge, we found that the DC16's Lithium-Ion battery was able to recharge in a few hours, much faster than other units on the market that use older battery types. This mitigates the DC16's short battery life somewhat, in that you'll be able to use it once again in a few hours.
Overall Value
The DC16 Root 6 is definitely a powerful tool in one's arsenal in the war on dirt. However, we had to deduct some points away from the Effectiveness and Ease of Use criteria due to it's significantly short battery life. While the battery life doesn't make it a bad machine (it does clean up very well), its otherwise great features are hindered by the limited amount of time one can clean with it. Likewise, it's easy to use, but only getting to use it for a few minutes between charges reduces its overall user-friendliness. Like many Dyson machines, it's also not cheap, retailing (as of this writing) for around $150. It's certainly got a bevy of really great features unparalleled in the handheld vacuum market, but until Dyson can find a way to increase its battery life, the high price tag might not be justifiable to those that want to use a handheld for extended periods of time.
With that said, it's a excellent vacuum, and our overall score reflects that. It will do an excellent job of cleaning up almost any mess you throw at it, as long as it doesn't take you longer than a few minutes to complete the clean up. Considering that most people probably use their handheld vacuums to clean up just a couple times a day, the quick recharging of the DC16 should compensate for the brief battery life. If you can manage the battery life in this way, and are looking for a really powerful and easy to use handheld vacuum, the DC16 Root 6 might be just the thing you're looking for.
Retail Price: $150.00
