Roborock H6 vs. Dyson Cyclone V10 Motorhead: Which one should you buy?

Roborock H6

Roborock might be a new competitor in the handheld vacuum space, but its expertise in robot vacuums has helped make the Roborock H6 a more efficient stick vacuum.

Dyson Cyclone V10 Motorhead

Dyson's least expensive stick vacuum in the V10 family offers great value and great performance for the money.

You might have a robot vacuum for the main floors in your home, but what about all those places a robot vacuum can't reach? That's exactly what a cordless "stick" vacuum is for. Providing versatility and ease of use, these types of vacuums are meant to grab-and-go clean up the mess without a lot of fuss.

What's in a stick?

From the looks of things, there's plenty here that looks alike between the two options. Red pipes, silver handles, rechargeable batteries with wall mounts, and even many included accessories are similar. No matter which one of these you choose, you'll find that both are incredibly convenient to use no matter if it's cleaning up an emergency spill or just performing regular cleanings of your home and furniture.

The value proposition

Right off the bat though, you'll have to make a big decision: Spend $350 on the Dyson Cyclone V10 Motorhead, or pony up and extra $100 for the Roborock H6. Price alone makes a decision pretty simple, value is a more important deciding factor in the long term. If you're simply looking to save as much money as possible, the $100 you'll save on the Dyson Cyclone V10 Motorhead is pretty cut and dry.

For $100 more, Roborock offers two big accessories and some impressive design enhancements over Dyson's model that are certainly worth the price on convenience alone. A motorized mini-brush makes cleaning furniture and area rugs ridiculously easy, especially if you've got pets whose hair often weaves its way into all kinds of fabric. The flex tube makes cleaning places like the tops of furniture or above cabinets possible, while you'll have to crane your wrists in awkward positions when using the Dyson.

You'll also find that the Roborock H6's 1.3-inch OLED screen on the top makes it easy to see how much battery life is left, how much time it's going to take before the vacuum is fully charged, what operating mode is being used, and even a single-tap way to change between these modes. That's in addition to some other major conveniences like washable parts and auto carpet boost that make the Roborock H6 the better value.

Easier to use, easier to clean

What's the main purpose of a cordless stick vacuum? Portability, of course. On that proposition alone, the Roborock H6 makes the most sense to buy. At 3.1lbs, it's almost half the weight of the 5.5lb Dyson Cyclone V10 Motorhead. If you're using the vacuum for the entire 60 or 90-minute rated battery length for these vacuums, you're going to be far more tuckered out after using the Dyson. A lighter weight also means it's easier to use the vacuum in awkward places and crane it around corners, making the Roborock H6 a more versatile product.

Dyson's 'Point and shoot' bin emptying is darn cool, but the Roborock H6 features a removable and washable dustbin. That last part is most important, especially when considering long-term ownership of the vacuum. Dust and junk will inevitably get caked on over time, and without a removable and washable dustbin, your vacuum is going to end up looking gross and dirty in no time flat. Sure, you could use Q-tips and old toothbrushes to clean the junk out, but it's just easier to wash things with water. Roborock's filters and suction cyclones are also washable with water, meaning you can keep your vacuum fresh and clean with very little effort.

Battery life vs dustbin size

There's a pretty big difference between the size of both dustbins. At 400mL, the Roborock H6's dustbin is the same size as most robot vacuums' dustbins, but the Dyson Cyclone V10 Motorhead increases that size to a whopping 530mL. That means more space to suck up more stuff before you have to empty it. But extra space doesn't matter as much when battery life can't keep the vacuum going for a long time.

At 90 minutes of rated battery life, the Roborock H6 lasts 50% longer than the Dyson Cyclone V10 Motorhead's 60-minute level 1 suction rating. It's easy to empty a full bin and only takes a few seconds extra. Charging, on the other hand, takes hours. The Dyson Cyclone V10 Motorhead will charge about half an hour quicker than the Roborock H6, but we're talking the difference between 3.5 hours and 4 hours. That's a long time to wait if you just need an extra 10 or 20 minutes to clean the rest of the house, whereas the Roborock H6 can get it done without needing a top-up.

Roborock has also created a custom-build Lithium-Polymer battery for the Roborock H6 that's designed to be viable for years before needing to be replaced. It's also got a visual battery indicator that'll let you know how much longer you can vacuum for before needing to charge it up again. That's a huge advantage over the Dyson.

The Dyson Cyclone V10 Motorhead provides three cleaning modes: level 1 (low), which lasts about an hour, level 2 suction (medium) will last for about half an hour, and level 3 (maximum) lasts 7 minutes. The Roborock H6, on the other hand, only has two manual modes: eco (low), which lasts about an hour and a half, or max suction which lasts about 10 minutes. The advantage Roborock has here is in the versatility the automatic carpet boost brings.

Why waste battery life on higher suction modes when you only need eco mode suction for most of the house? Roborock only uses the additional suction modes when needed, which makes it a more efficient vacuum.

And the winner is…

The Roborock H6 is $100 more expensive than the Dyson Cyclone V10 Motorhead, but the extra versatility this vacuum brings, combined with the extra value makes it the better buy. It's a more efficient vacuum with better battery life, an intelligent automated carpet boost mode, and fully washable parts that make long-term ownership much more pleasant.