Dyson V15s Detect Submarine in the test: This is what the new vacuum cleaner is good for

Dyson vacuum cleaners are known for their great suction power and eye-catching design. Now the manufacturer is bringing a wet vacuum cleaner onto the market for the first time. The test reveals what it can do.

For many, it is the Porsche of vacuum cleaners: The Dyson handheld vacuum cleaners have a lot of power, smart additional functions and a look that, if in doubt, you don’t have to hide in the broom closet – or don’t want to. With the Dyson V15s Detect Submarine, the manufacturer is now offering a vacuum cleaner for the first time that can also wet mop. But you shouldn’t expect miracles from the wiper.

The solution is actually quite clever: Instead of developing a completely new device, Dyson relied on established technology for its Submarine: The vacuum cleaner itself is actually just a variant of the 15Vs Detect. The wet vacuum cleaner called Submarine is only plugged in as an attachment when necessary. And only wipe with a damp cloth when you need it.

Quick change

This is extremely practical in everyday life. If you just need to vacuum again, use the Detect attachment, which, like the other models, highlights dust molecules with light. And can just vacuum normally. The attachments for the couch, the crevice nozzle for narrow gaps or the attachment for animal hair are also included in the scope of delivery. And of course it can also be attached using a wall bracket, which also charges the vacuum cleaner if it is wired accordingly.

So far, so known. If you want to clean the bathroom or vacuum up a water stain, you can use the submarine brush roller. Then fill the small water tank with tap water and add a small splash of cleaning agent if necessary. Then you just click on the attachment – and the vacuum cleaner becomes a wet vacuum cleaner.

The wiping attachment of the Dyson V15s Detect Submarine in detail: The tank at the back moistens the roller, which pushes dirt and wastewater into a chamber in the middle

The wiping attachment of the Dyson V15s Detect Submarine in detail: The tank at the back moistens the roller, which pushes dirt and wastewater into a chamber in the middle

© Dyson / Manufacturer

Freshly wiped

He does his job excellently in everyday life. The brush carefully pulls the vacuum cleaner over floorboards or tiles, applies a film of water and then vacuums it away again. The vacuum cleaner even removed somewhat coarser contamination without any problems after passing over it a few times, and puddles of water on the floor were also vacuumed up without any problems. The soil is not completely dry afterwards, but the small film left behind evaporates in no time. Especially if you only wipe with water as Dyson recommends.

The roller is really successful. The microfiber roller applies the cleaning liquid very evenly through the attachment, which means it wipes impressively evenly. Whether you fill in a lot of water or a little less makes no noticeable difference apart from the fact that the surface can be wiped in one go.


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Cleansing with nuisances

Once you’re done, however, comes the part that owners of other wet vacuum cleaners are already familiar with – and for which they would definitely have liked Dyson to have a better solution: Once you’ve finished wiping, the attachment unfortunately doesn’t clean itself. Instead, it has to be disassembled and cleaned of dirt, hair and remaining water by hand. To do this, you not only have to empty the dirty water tank behind the roller, but you also have to remove the brush, which is no longer clean if in doubt. And then remove any remaining dirt from both of them and the housing around them. If you don’t do this, you quickly risk developing disgusting deposits and odors.

Cleaning the brush is easy, but it is still a bit annoying due to the lengthy drying process

Cleaning the brush is easy, but it is still a bit annoying due to the lengthy drying process

© Malte Mansholt / stern

And the work isn’t done yet. Unfortunately, the Submarine cannot dry its brush itself. Instead, you have to let them air dry. If you simply leave them in the bathtub or sink, it can take longer than a day, but in the sunlight from the balcony or window frame it still takes several hours.

This quickly dissipates any desire for spontaneous use. While the Dyson vacuum cleaner is so uncomplicated that you can just take it off the wall for a minute, using the submarine involves so much effort that you’d rather just use it very specifically – and then just use it on all surfaces that can be wiped done at once. As long as you stay under 75 square meters, there was no need to refill or pour out the container in the test.

Known well

Apart from the submarine attachment, the vacuum cleaner itself doesn’t differ much from the models of the same name. In most areas this isn’t even necessary: ​​with its laser dust detection, a good hour of battery life and strong suction power, it is still an excellent vacuum cleaner. Everyday use is also easy thanks to the easy charging via the holder and the intuitively understandable Cleaning continues to be excellent.

However, the new vacuum cleaner also inherits a small drawback: also when V15s Detect Submarine You have to keep holding the activation button while vacuuming, it can get tiring in the long run. However, third-party providers offer easy-to-install locks that do this work for you.

The Dyson V15 Detect and the V15s Detect differ in one important point: the connection on the pipe has been slightly modified, so unfortunately you cannot simply attach the submarine attachment to an existing vacuum cleaner. And don’t buy it separately either. Dyson also justifies this with the necessary software.

Conclusion: A strong addition – with a high price

With the V15s Detect Submarine, Dyson has given its excellent vacuum cleaner a well-functioning wiping extension – but unfortunately it also has several disadvantages. Although the submarine attachment wipes really well, the annoying cleaning makes it less fun in everyday life than you are used to with a vacuum cleaner. Unfortunately, Dyson hasn’t managed to transfer the wonderfully uncomplicated suction to the mop attachment.

It’s also a shame that the Submarine is only available as a complete package. Because: Customers who already own a V15 can hardly be recommended to buy everything again just for the wiper. The V15s is particularly interesting for customers who wanted to buy a complete Dyson set anyway.

The price plays an important role: The Dyson V15 Detect Absolute With a price of around 700 euros for the entire equipment, it’s not exactly a bargain. For the V15s Detect Submarine But with prices starting at 940 euros, you pay significantly more. For this extra price you get a whole vacuum cleaner from the competition. In the longer term, however, the price is likely to adjust.

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