Dyson releases its first wet-to-dry vacuum cleaner but there's a catch…

This week, Dyson has announced many new cleaning products to its line-up of technology, including the new Dyson Vis Nav robot vacuum cleaner and the Dyson Purifier Big+Quiet Formaldehyde. During the event, Dyson also previewed the new Dyson Submarine, a wet roller head that when attached to Dyson vacuum cleaners, will convert them into a wet-and-dry vacuum… but before you get excited, there’s a catch.

The Dyson Submarine (which will be launched later this year in the UK) is a wet roller head that’s been designed by Dyson engineers to effectively clean and remove spills, stains, crumbs and debris. It does this while delivering the right amount of water for the job and providing a multifunctional and versatile cleaning solution in one handy device.

By introducing the Dyson Submarine to its line-up of products, Dyson cancels out the need for two separate cleaning tools - a vacuum cleaner and a mop - and combines the two together for easy and convenient cleaning. As stated by Dyson, the Dyson Submarine uses a combination of hydration, absorption and extraction technologies to deep clean hard floors without excessive water usage.

The Dyson Submarine’s wet roller head has an eight-point hydration system and water jets which are evenly spaced along the roller for wider distribution. The jets release 18ml of water every minute for an optimal cleaning performance, without making the floor too wet or slippery.

An impressive feature of the Dyson Submarine is its two water tanks. The first 300ml tank is for clean water and covers up to 110m, while the second larger 360ml tank collects the dirty water. The separate tanks means the clean and dirty water don’t contaminate one another and the roller head remains clean while preventing dirt or dust from being transferred back to the floor.

The way the Dyson Submarine is powered is by the Dyson Hyperdymium motor. Once the Dyson Submarine is attached to your Dyson vacuum, the motor (which spins up to 125,000 rpm and delivers 240 air watts of suction) diverts its power to the wet roller head to remove spills and stains. By removing the vacuum suction once the Dyson Submarine is attached, this powers the entire cleaning process and prevents water from entering the motor.

So, what’s the catch? Well, the Dyson Submarine is only available with the Dyson V15 Detect vacuum cleaner and the new version of the Dyson V12. If you already own the new V12 or the 5-star V15 Detect (which we called the best cordless vacuum cleaner in our Dyson V15 Detect review), you can attach the Dyson Submarine to your vacuum. But for those who don’t own these models or for those who have an older Dyson vacuum, they won’t be able to use the new Dyson Submarine when it launches.

Dyson has confirmed that the Submarine will be its own brand-new cordless vacuum, at least in Australia, where it will be called the V15 Detect Submarine. It will not be available as an add-on optional attachment for existing V15 Detect users... at least for now. It will first be released in Australia, then make its way to other markets, but no price or availability has been confirmed yet.