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The Dyson Omni-Glide Can Handle Whatever Your Kid Throws at It (Literally)

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  • Value: 16/20
  • Functionality: 18/20
  • Ease of Use: 19/20
  • Aesthetics: 18/20
  • Suction: 20/20

TOTAL: 91/100

For my 30th birthday, my best friend gifted me a Shark vacuum. And while I was a little surprised at first (I mean, I was turning 30, not 50), I quickly became obsessed with it. The suction power! The bagless functionality! I could rave about this device for hours. But fast-forward a couple of years later, and my favorite appliance just wasn't the same anymore. And to be honest—neither was I. These days, most of my messes involve tidying up after an active—and pretty gross—toddler. I need a vacuum that can suck up Cheerios from under the couch, hoover rice grains from the high chair and eliminate carpet fluff from hard-to-reach corners (my kid, by the way, will happily eat all three of these). In other words, I need a device with serious maneuverability that can be whipped out at a moment’s notice. Enter: The Dyson Omni-Glide, a lightweight vacuum that’s designed for cleaning hard surface floors (think hardwood, vinyl, tile, etc.).

It’s Ideal for a Quick-Yet-Effective Post-Meal Cleanup

When the geniuses at Dyson say the Omni-Glide is lightweight, they’re not kidding. This compact hoover weighs just 4.18 pounds and measures 42 inches long, making it slimmer than the brand’s other offerings. But small in size doesn’t mean sacrificing on power. The Omni-Glide features Dyson’s signature mighty suction, masterfully sucking up everything from cereal to sugar grains without leaving a trace behind. And because it’s so lightweight, it’s a cinch to take it out of the closet to clean up messes right after they happen (rather than waiting until my son is in bed, which admittedly is how I dealt with most messes pre-Omni-Glide). The vacuum has two cleaning modes—regular and max—and I found both to be 100 percent effective at tackling my family’s messes (the max setting gets the job done slightly faster, which is useful if you’re in a rush to get out the door).

It Can Go Where No Vacuum Has Gone Before

Dual rotating soft brushes means the Omni-Glide’s maneuverability is quite impressive…it really does glide across the floor in every direction (forwards, backwards and sideways). I also like that the soft brushes mean that I don’t have to get the scissors out to cut tangles of hair off the brush (something I’ve had to do with all my other vacuum cleaners…just me?). And when it comes to emptying out the canister, a simple click and flip gets the job done without any fuss.

The device can be used as a full-sized cordless stick or as a portable handheld. The latter has been especially useful for cleaning up messes from the kitchen table, as well as tackling the ceiling cobwebs that tend to gather in my living room. It comes with one cleaning head and one attachment tool—a crevice tool that doubles as a dusting brush—as well as a charging cradle. Per Dyson, the Omni-Glide can run for up to 20 minutes when fully charged (I actually found this to be closer to the 25-minute mark). If you have a big house then this time limit is an obvious con but for my small abode, I was able to tackle the kitchen, TV room, bathrooms and two bedrooms all without running out of juice.

It’s Designed for Hard Surfaces… But It Also Works Well on the Soft Stuff, Too

OK, so the biggest downside to the Omni-Glide is that it’s designed for hard floors and chances are, you at least have one or two carpets lying around your house that are in need of some cleaning assistance. I guess the boffins at Dyson expect you to have two vacuums at home, which obviously isn’t ideal. But in my experience, the Omni-Glide does a pretty decent job of getting dust and crumbs out of my area rug and ditto for underneath my couch cushions. We’ve even used the Omni-Glide to clean up mud, sand and cracker remnants from our car. In fact, I’ve owned the Omni-Glide for over a month now and used it exclusively for vacuuming my home—carpets and all. (Note: I only have two rugs in my house—if you have more soft floors to hoover then you may want to consider having another vacuum as a back-up).

So, do I love the Omni-Glide as much as my beloved Shark vacuum? Truth be told, I love it more. But depending on your home size and budget, it might not be the perfect tool for you. Here are some quick pros and cons at a glance to help you decide.

  • Pros: Sleek design means it can glide into hard-to-reach areas, ultra-powerful suction, lightweight enough to whip out quickly and move from room to room
  • Cons: Designed to be used on hard floors only, only a 20-minute (ish) runtime,

The PureWow100 is a scale our editors use to vet new products and services, so you know what’s worth the spend—and what’s total hype. Learn more about our process here.

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Executive Editor

  • Lifestyle editor focusing primarily on family, wellness and travel
  • Has more than 10 years experience writing and editing
  • Studied journalism at the University of Westminster in London, UK