Dyson Omniglide Review: Lightweight, Unusual and Designed for the Asian Market
Here’s something you don’t see every day. A Dyson cordless vacuum that weighs under 2 kg. This is the Dyson Omniglide. If you’ve never come across one before, that’s because it wasn’t really made with the UK in mind. These were launched in 2021 for the Asian market, places like China, Korea, Singapore, and Japan.
It’s the forerunner to the newer Dyson PencilVac, also launched in Asia. This one is light, compact, and designed almost entirely for small flats with hard floors. If you live in a place with an Alsatian and fitted carpet, this isn’t going to be your new everyday cleaner.
The Omniglide weighs just 1.8 kg. It’s light enough to use one-handed with ease. The bin is absolutely tiny. You’ll get about 0.2 L in it before needing to empty, which again points to the type of home it’s made for: minimalist, urban, and not very dusty.
Dyson Omniglide: Designed for the Asian Market
Since Dyson moved to Singapore in 2019 and shifted its focus, they’ve been making more and more products for the Asian market. Humidifiers spring to mind; nobody ever wanted one of those in Bradford. The Omniglide is another one. You’ll have noticed the same trend with the Dyson Micro, which we’ve looked at previously. There’s a clear design shift towards smaller, lighter machines aimed at compact living spaces.
Dyson’s biggest market now is Asia, not us in dear old Blighty anymore – where it all started. And these products are a reflection of that. Most of their innovation no longer comes with the UK in mind first.
What Makes the Dyson Omniglide Different?
The battery is a removable click-out unit, but it’s not shared with any other Dyson. It doesn’t share any other parts with other Dysons, either. The only other machine that shares any fittings with this one is the Dyson Micro, they share tool fittings between them.
This means that parts compatibility is extremely limited. If you lose or break something, you’ll be hunting for genuine parts — and probably paying for them — as no aftermarket options exist.
The head is quite clever. It uses contra-rotating brush rolls, meaning the rollers spin in opposite directions. This is a method seen in other brands, including Sebo’s Duo carpet cleaner, which agitates powder into carpets before extraction. Dyson has taken this idea and refined it for compact use. The contra-rotating action helps prevent hair from wrapping around the brush roll, which is a real issue in markets like Asia, where women often have long hair. And anyone who lives with a long-haired woman knows about cleaning vacuum brushrolls!
The head strips down easily for cleaning. A red button releases the brushrolls as one unit and allows access to the drive cogs and castors. And there’s a dust channel that also pops off for cleaning. It’s genuinely quite user-friendly in that regard.
Does It Actually Work?
In short, yes — if your expectations are in line with what it’s designed for. It’s ideal for light use on hard floors. But you wouldn’t want to clean a three-bedroom semi with pets and carpet using one of these.
The controls are more like a Dyson hairdryer than a traditional vacuum. A soft-touch button turns it on and off, with a second button for the higher speed. The experience feels more like using a tech gadget than a cleaner.
On carpet, performance is limited. But on smooth floors, it glides effortlessly. The tiny weight and contra-rotating brushes make it quite satisfying to push around, though it isn’t going to rival your main vacuum cleaner any time soon.
Are Spares and Accessories Available?
We do have a section for Dyson Omniglide spares on our website, but the range is very limited. Very few of these were sold in the UK, and nobody has made aftermarket parts for them. We very seldom see them for repair in our Stockport Dyson repair centre. If you do find something available, it’ll almost certainly be genuine. These machines are already being discontinued, with the newer PencilVac taking their place in the Dyson product line.
If you want a new one, you might still find one here and there online. But they’re disappearing fast. We wouldn’t recommend buying one as your only cleaner, but if you live in a small flat with nothing but hard flooring, it might suit you.
You can watch our video all about it below, and see it in action.
The Dyson Omniglide is an interesting piece of kit. It’s clearly part of Dyson’s design trend towards lighter, more compact vacuums for the Asian market. The design choices reflect that: a tiny bin, low weight, unique fittings (!), and clever head technology.
It isn’t something we’d recommend for most UK homes. But if you want something ultra-light for hard floors only, and you’re aware of its limitations, it’s an intriguing option. Vacuum collectors and Dyson enthusiasts always like them.
If you’ve used one, let us know what you think in the comments. And if you’re after a cordless Dyson more suitable for a British home, we’ll happily point you in the right direction. Have a look at the Dyson V8 here.