Handheld vacuum cleaners: Dyson DC31
The Dyson DC31 has a new motor and the option to select from a high suction or longer running mode to suit your purpose. We’ve given it a quick trial to give you our first impressions. Check out the video to see it in action.
First look review of the DC31 handheld vac
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The DC31 has a robust, quality feel about it – it’s solid to grab and buttons are firm to press. You have to keep your finger on the trigger to vacuum. At 1.3kg it's slightly lighter than Dyson's first handheld vac - the DC16 - and it's comfortable to hold when angled slightly downwards. Although it’s not heavy, you may find it a little straining on your wrist if you vacuum constantly for several minutes.
It takes three and a half hours to fully recharge - the light on the charger goes out when it’s ready to use - a useful feature missing from a number of handheld vacs.
Using the lower suction setting you get more than ten minutes of vacuuming from a full charge, as opposed to roughly six minutes if you use the high suction setting. We found both settings adequate for sucking up bits of fluff you can see from carpets and hard surfaces. In general this vac isn’t overly loud for a handheld - the higher suction setting is slightly noisier.
There’s a light on top of the cleaner which flashes about a minute before the vac runs out of power. Most handheld vacs run out of juice slowly – you can hear the battery running down and feel the suction dropping off. The DC31 doesn’t do this – it cuts out before the suction drops, so you’re only using it while it’s still sucking at an effective level.
Recharging this Dyson takes around three and a half hours
Slide a switch and the bottom of the dust container drops open for emptying – you don’t have to remove any parts to empty the container, as you do with many other models. The DC31 has a washable filter which should be cleaned every month – this too is easy to access, remove, wash and replace. Completely removing the container is a slightly trickier job, but you shouldn’t need to do this very often unless it blocks up.
The DC31 comes with a crevice tool and small combination nozzle. Nozzles are easy to attach and unclip and the soft brush slides into place easily when you need it. The pricier DC31 Animal has an additional motorised brush attachment driven by the vac's battery. The standard DC31 doesn't have the connectors to power a motorised brush attachment.
Like most handheld vacs the body is fairly bulky and the crevice nozzle is around 30cm long, so it’s not particularly easy to use in tight corners or for vacuuming around and under car seats.
The DC31 and DC31 Animal come with two-year guarantees and are available from high-street retailers for around £130 and £150 respectively.
Pros: Indicator lights, easy to empty container and clean filter, two settings to select from
Cons: May feel cumbersome and heavy for some to use, trigger needs to be held down while vacuuming