I sometimes wonder what it’s like at a Dyson product idea meeting. I think they sit around dreaming up household pet peeves and then making ridiculously well-made (and expensive) devices to fix them.
What is Dyson Omni-glide?
Case in point: the Dyson Omni-glide. The Dyson Omni-glide is a super small and slim floor sweeper with vacuum power. If anyone out there remembers those old floor roller-sweeper things your grandparents and restaurants had that silently rolled up the crumbs…this is like that, only this works—and has power.
What is Dyson Omni-glide for?
The Omni-glide is made exclusively for hard floors, so it can handle tiles, hardwood, and laminate.
If you’ve got a big vacuum or an upright and you hate hauling it out, the Omni-glide is smaller, lighter, and much easier to maneuver, making it a gadget you can stash almost anywhere in your kitchen, and pull out on the spot for a quick vacuum powered sweep.
Weighing in at just 4 pounds, it’s a lightweight easy to maneuver mini vacuum.
How does Dyson Omni-glide work?
Push the power button on the Omni-glide and then let go. Unlike some Dyson vacs that use a trigger which you must keep pressure on to run it, this one will go until you shut it off. With the vacuum-powered suction to inhale dirt, dust and crumbs, you just need to roll the Omni-glide around.
Soft velvety rollers underneath spin inward to catch everything and they also have a special anti-static properties designed to trap dirt and fine dust, not scatter it like some brush rollers can.
The vacuum has two speeds; regular and Max Mode which is essentially higher power.
The Omni-glide has a very small dustbin, particularly as compared to some other Dyson cordless vacuums, but this is really meant for small jobs and spot cleanups. Even so, I was able to get multiple uses out of it before it needed emptying. Dumping the bin is done in the same way as Dyson’s bigger vacuums, remove the attachment pipe, then push the trigger over a garbage can and the bottom flips open like a trap door.
What’s in the Box?
The package is a lot like the Omni-glide itself. It comes with the Omni-glide vacuum unit, the omnidirectional soft roller cleaner head, a wall charger and docking station, and a combi-crevice tool. The Omni-glide itself is super slim; it’s just over a metre tall, and 208 mm wide.
Dyson technology
Dyson has made a name for itself through innovative technology, and the Omni-glide is no exception. The Omni-glide uses Dyson’s well known “cyclone technology,” creating small whirlwinds that Dyson claims will pull dirt in and spin it around, allowing the dirt to catch in the filters while the air flows past. They claim their five-stage filtration captures 99.99% of particles down to 0.3 microns. The motor is a Dyson Hyperdymium that spins at over a hundred-thousand revolutions per minute.
The Omni-glide Roller
The Omni-glide head is designed to move easily in all directions so it can sweep around and under just about everything. I can attest that it does move easily and can almost spin in a 360 degree circle.
The articulated neck of the Omni-glide also lets you to lay the vacuum basically flat to reach deep under furniture. That, along with the ease of movement on the vacuum, and its light weight does make for an easy cleaning experience.
Omni-glide doubles as a handheld vacuum
Even the smoothest of vacuums can’t reach into certain crevices, so the Omni-glide transforms into a very small handheld vacuum. Just unclip the main roller attachment and clip in the crevice tool which can be used with or without the wand extension for a longer or shorter reach.
One annoyance I found here is that the Omni-glide doesn’t have anywhere to store the extra attachment. A small clip on the vac or the wall mount would be nice.
Can Dyson Omni-glide clean carpet?
You may be wondering about carpet. Dyson is explicit in that this is a device made for hard floors, but I thought I’d experiment anyway. Turns out the Dyson Omni-glide can also handle carpet and rugs too. While it’s not as powerful as a vacuum and it’s not designed to life dirt from longer fibres, it was actually quite good at picking up debris from flat rugs, and it didn’t get jammed up.
Dustbin size/capacity
The Omni-glide’s dustbin holds 200ml of dirt, which should be more than enough to get the job done a few times over before emptying. The collection bin, soft roller cleaner head, and any tools that don’t have electronic components can also be hand washed.
How well does Dyson Omni-glide clean?
I put all my vacuums through the same tests. I run them over light dust like flour, smaller particles like rice and oats, and larger particles like crackers.
The Dyson Omni-glide was remarkably great at picking up everything from the lightest powders, to larger spills without scattering everything, and without needing more than one pass in the majority of cases. It has surprisingly big cleaning power for such a small vacuum.
The Omni-glide head is designed to move easily in all directions so it can sweep around and under just about everything. I can attest that it does move easily and can almost spin in a 360 degree circle.
The articulated neck of the Omni-glide also lets you to lay the vacuum basically flat to reach deep under furniture. That, along with the ease of movement on the vacuum, and its light weight does make for an easy cleaning experience.
I found the Omni-glide was a capable, versatile and handy sweeper and vacuum… and it might just be my new favourite stick vac.
Charging and Battery Life
The Omni-glide comes with a wall mounted charging dock, allowing you to hang the vacuum up and let it charge. The battery pops out from the handle and Dyson claims it will give you 20 minutes of handheld run time on a single charge. A full charge from empty takes about 3.5 hours.
While I’m still testing it out, I’d say that seems about right from my two weeks of use. The 20 minute run time is more than enough for many days of spot cleaning, and if you leave it on the dock, it’ll always be ready to go. Otherwise the charge time maybe seems a bit on the long side, but I’m probably nitpicking.
Why get Dyson Omni-glide? Light and handy
One of the key reasons you’d want something like the Dyson Omni-glide is, frankly, because like me, you’re too lazy to drag out the big upright vacuum. For that reason alone, the Omni-glide is a handy gadget. It stores in the smallest of spaces, and I have it in beside my fridge where it’s both hidden but accessible.
Overall review: Dyson Omni-glide vacuum sweeper
Overall, the Dyson Omni-glide is a surprisingly handy and powerful gadget. You can keep it close by to sweep up crumbs, pet hair and more. It will actually work on some rugs, and it holds a surprising amount of dirt in the bin and it’s ultra light. The 20 minute run time seems like it should be enough for days of spot cleans too. Cons? The 20 minute run time may seem short to some, but when I was testing it out, I was using this for an average of 2 minutes at a go, meaning I’m getting about 10 uses before it will need a charge. The other con may be the price. At $499CAD, you’re more than partway to a bigger V11, so if you need something that can and will do both carpet and floors, with a bigger battery and bigger dustbin. But if you’ve got the funds and are looking for something faster and easier than a bigger stick vacuum, this is a handy little device.
Omni-glide sells fort about $499CAD/$399USD and you can get it from Dyson.
Erin Lawrence
I'm a journalist, tech blogger, writer, TV producer, silversmith& jewelry designer, foodie and world traveler. I blog, write for publications, and supply freelance writing services to Calgary, and the world.
I sometimes wonder what it’s like at a Dyson product idea meeting. I think they sit around dreaming up household pet peeves and then making ridiculously well-made (and expensive) devices to fix them.
Push the power button on the Omni-glide and then let go. Unlike some Dyson vacs that use a trigger which you must keep pressure on to run it, this one will go until you shut it off. With the vacuum-powered suction to inhale dirt, dust and crumbs, you just need to roll the Omni-glide around.
Soft velvety rollers underneath spin inward to catch everything and they also have a special anti-static properties designed to trap dirt and fine dust, not scatter it like some brush rollers can.
The vacuum has two speeds; regular and Max Mode which is essentially higher power.
The Omni-glide has a very small dustbin, particularly as compared to some other Dyson cordless vacuums, but this is really meant for small jobs and spot cleanups. Even so, I was able to get multiple uses out of it before it needed emptying. Dumping the bin is done in the same way as Dyson’s bigger vacuums, remove the attachment pipe, then push the trigger over a garbage can and the bottom flips open like a trap door.
The package is a lot like the Omni-glide itself. It comes with the Omni-glide vacuum unit, the omnidirectional soft roller cleaner head, a wall charger and docking station, and a combi-crevice tool. The Omni-glide itself is super slim; it’s just over a metre tall, and 208 mm wide.
Even the smoothest of vacuums can’t reach into certain crevices, so the Omni-glide transforms into a very small handheld vacuum. Just unclip the main roller attachment and clip in the crevice tool which can be used with or without the wand extension for a longer or shorter reach.
One annoyance I found here is that the Omni-glide doesn’t have anywhere to store the extra attachment. A small clip on the vac or the wall mount would be nice.
One of the key reasons you’d want something like the Dyson Omni-glide is, frankly, because like me, you’re too lazy to drag out the big upright vacuum. For that reason alone, the Omni-glide is a handy gadget. It stores in the smallest of spaces, and I have it in beside my fridge where it’s both hidden but accessible.
