Dyson V15s Detect Submarine review: a dazzling wet and dry vacuum

Dyson V15s Detect Submarine review in a sentence: A versatile but expensive cordless vacuum that can also wash hard floors.

I’ve never been a Dyson obsessive, unlike some people who seem to love everything and anything the company produces. So, when I heard that the Dyson V15s Detect Submarine was coming to the UK after arriving in the US market first, I was keen to try it but had one or two reservations. The Dyson V15s Detect Submarine is basically a cordless vacuum that arrives in a large box that contains a selection of cleaning heads, with one being the Submarine – a self-contained wet roller head unit, complete with its own water tank.

Sounds good right? Well, it is but bear in mind that you can’t just get the Submarine head and mount it to an older Dyson model as it isn’t going to be compatible due to different software. That’s disappointing, but the other thing with the Dyson V15s Detect Submarine package that I’ve been trying out is the price. It costs £799.99 ($949). That’s a lot for a cleaning appliance alongside the best cordless vacuum cleaner models in our buying guide. However, it does have the obvious advantage of being able to mop and vacuum.

If you’re not too fussed about the Submarine part of the equation then take a look at the best Dyson cordless vacuum cleaners, which showcases other options from their portfolio. There’s also a sizeable best robot vacuum cleaner range to consider if you’ve had enough of doing the cleaning yourself. Meanwhile, here’s how I’ve been getting on with the Dyson V15s Detect Submarine.

Dyson V15s Detect Submarine review: Price and availability

The Dyson V15s Detect Submarine is available imminently and can be purchased directly from Dyson with an RRP of £799.99 (around $949 in the US, where it’s already out) as well as from Dyson Demo stores. This model comes in a long rectangular box, which contains the digital motor bar, a fluffy optic and wet roller head, combination tool, crevice tool, hair screw tool, a wall dock and charger.

Dyson V15s Detect Submarine review: What is it?

The Dyson V15s Detect Submarine is one of several cordless vacuums in the Dyson product portfolio. With its cable-free design and portability, the vacuum is perfect for taking on any kind of domestic cleaning chore, with a selection of cleaning heads that can be attached to the core motor unit to take on dust and dirt as well as human and pet hair. Thanks to the brand new Submarine head, the Dyson V15s Detect Submarine is also able to wash and wipe hard floors.

This dedicated cleaning head comes with its own small water tank, so everything is contained at the floor-end of the vacuum. That means no water or moisture comes up to the motor unit or passes through it either. Dyson engineers have developed what they explain is an eight-point hydration system, which uses a pressurised 300 millilitre water chamber to get hard floors clean and/or spills sucked up pronto. 

Water gets distributed across the soft roller via eight small jets at a rate of 18 millilitres per minute. Dirty water is dispensed into a separate 360 millilitre chamber for emptying. Aside from the Submarine cleaning head, the Dyson V15s Detect Submarine is very much a standard cordless vacuum, with the same sort of quirky design and innovative array of features that puts it up against the company’s other cleaners.

Dyson V15s Detect Submarine review: Is it any good?

There’s quite a lot to unpack when the Dyson V15s Detect Submarine arrives, with a long slender box providing a home to everything needed to get cleaning. Setting up the vacuum is very simple, with not much to do aside from charge and decide which head you’re going to need first. The Submarine head is joined by a gaggle of others, including Dyson's neat angled Hair Screw head for taking on hair without getting annoyingly tangled up.

If you’re already a fan of Dyson products, then you’ll certainly love this appliance as it’s simply a variation on the existing theme. Naturally there are the fancy touches that Dyson likes to add to the mix, like the HEPA filtration system that detects particles as small as 0.1 microns, details of which are shown on the digital display where you can also cycle through power mode options. The Hyperdyium motor delivers 125,000rpm at top whack too, which equates to 240 watts of suction so it’s more than capable in the power department.

Dyson V15s Detect Submarine review: Performance

I haven’t really had any experience of Dyson vacuums prior to this, so I have to say that it more than meets my expectations. There’s plenty of power, which results in good levels of suction, especially if you switch up to the Boost mode for tackling hard to get at corners and the like. So, I don’t have any doubts about the capabilities of its standard vacuuming, which is made even better by the excellent collection of cleaning heads. Battery life seems solid too, with the included charger making it easy to top up as and when it’s needed.

Moving on to the Submarine cleaning head. This certainly isn’t a novelty-like addition to what is a very good cordless vacuum. I’ve got a tiled conservatory floor that is ideally suited to its charms, and this proved ideal for testing purposes given that it frequently gets grimy during the winter months as people walk through from outside. The room isn’t huge, so it’s also more than suited to Dyson’s figure of 110m2 cleaning coverage from one 300 millilitre tank full of water.

Getting ready for mopping is easy enough. Simply fill the water container and the Dyson does the rest, displaying moisture collection information on the LCD screen. The appliance works just like a regular vacuum with the Submarine head attached, with the only difference being that the roller mop scrubs (lightly) across your tiles. It’s very easy to see the progress if you’re scrubbing a tiled floor that’s as grubby as mine as it cleans up a treat.

Thankfully, there’s not too much water dispensed either and the Dyson seems pretty clever at doing this. Keeping my conservatory door open and allowing air to circulate meant the tiles were dry pretty much immediately. I’m guessing the biggest issue might be that the mopping roller gradually degrades, so there’s probably an additional expense from time to time for replacements. Aside from that though, the Submarine head itself seems well made and durable, so it’s a great accompaniment to an already impressive cordless vacuum.

Dyson V15s Detect Submarine review: Verdict

The Dyson V15s Detect Submarine is an impressive cordless vacuum with cleaning credentials that are everything you’d expect from this brand. While there’s not too much to report about its suction capabilities, which follow the same theme as other models in the range, the addition of the Submarine mopping head is the real news here.

While there’s a little bit of clean-up and drying out of the head after use, this is going to be a real boon for any household with a collection of different floor types. Based on my experience with it cleaning tiles floors in a conservatory it seems very capable. The only downside is going to be the need to clean the head and replace the mopping roller from time to time. Aside from that, it’s all good. However, I still think the price tag is very high.

Dyson V15s Detect Submarine review: Alternatives to consider

There are actually quite a few robot vacuums that come with mopping functionality as part of the package, with the Philips Homerun 7000 Series Aqua being a premium example with a similar price tag to the conventional style Dyson. Alternatively, there are the likes of the iRobot Roomba Combo J7+ and Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra to consider. 

If you prefer an upright option then standard steam mops like the Shark Klik n’ Flip Automatic Steam Mop or Kärcher SC3 Upright EasyFix get the job done, with the only minor issue being you’ll need to supplement those with a cordless vacuum cleaner model too.