Bosch Athlet vs Dyson (Which is Best?) In-Depth Comparison

Bosch and Dyson, two fantastic brands that pride themselves on the quality and reliability of their products. You can’t go wrong with either of these brands and while they are both cordless, they are also very different.

I have a house with an awkward shape and a massive socket shortage, so a cordless vacuum cleaner solves a lot of issues for me. I’ve owned quite a few in the past, especially Dyson ones, but I have recently been drawn to the beauty of the Bosch upright cordless series – the Athlet.

I’m taking you through another detailed comparison guide, but this time I am comparing the Dyson V8 Animal with the Bosch Athlet Animal, and the Dyson V10 Absolute with the Bosch Athlet Ultimate.

Things to Consider Before Buying a Cordless Vacuum

If you are like me and despise the hassle and stress that often comes with the restrictive nature of a corded vacuum (combined with the fact that it never seems long enough), a cordless vacuum cleaner is probably the right choice for you.

They tend to offer an easier and more versatile cleaning experience and are usually lighter than their corded counterparts. While the Dyson models are able to convert into handheld vacuums for quick and easy cleaning, the Bosch ones are actually upright cordless vacuums.

This means that you have an excellent range of choices when it comes to deciding which one is best for your home. You should also be thinking about the kind of home you live in. Do you have pets and need a more powerful vacuum cleaner or stairs that require something more compact for efficient cleaning?

Think about these questions. However, there is one thing to watch out for with cordless vacuums, and this is the fact that they do tend to need a minimum of three hours to charge, so they aren’t always available. Plus, models with a turbo mode tend to have tiny battery life on that setting.

This is where a corded vacuum might work better for you because they do not need to charge up, and you don’t need to worry about the battery life. Some even claim that corded models work better on carpets and tough areas.

Presenting the Bosch Athlet Animal / Ultimate and the Dyson V8 / V10 

The Dyson V8 Animal came after the V6, and it worked to fix many of the issues its predecessor had with regard to battery and suction. It promises to give your home a deep and thoroughly clean, while also ensuring both hard floors and carpet are well looked after.

It comes with excellent attachments and has been developed to get even the most embedded pet hair out of your floors with ease. It is great for those who have one or more pets and need something reliable to keep every area of the home clean. However, it should be noted that it has a small dust canister and a long charge period.

The Bosch Athlet Animal has an upright design that has been made to provide you with masses of power when cleaning your floors. Created to be better than the rest of the Athlet range when it comes to removing pet hair, the main floorhead works effortlessly across all floor types and is perfect for homes with one pet, or even ten.

Stairs aren’t an issue for it either thanks to its portable design, and the price is surprisingly low – ideal for those on a budget. However, if you want to use it regularly you may be disappointed as the charging period is quite long, and the dust capacity is still quite small when compared to corded models.

The Dyson V10 Absolute is part of the latest range in the V series, and it was designed to be an improvement on its predecessor in terms of battery life and suction.

It ticks all the boxes and allows you to clean your home with plenty of time to spare, while also converting into a handheld model and coming complete with a fantastic range of tools for you to use. It works seamlessly across hard floors and carpets alike.

The new canister emptying system is the icing on the cake here. However, if you are on a budget, this is not the one for you as the price is quite high. It’s likely to go down over time, but as a new release, the cost is higher.

The Bosch Athlet Ultimate was designed for powerful cleaning performance that lives up to the brand it was manufactured by. It boasts an incredible runtime that is rarely seen in cordless vacuum cleaners, as well as powerful suction that is sure to lift the carpet right up to reach even the most embedded dirt and debris.

It promises a clean home that looks better than ever, and it comes with a great tool selection as well as loads of extra tech and features that will leave you surprised and excited to see just what it can do.

Comfortable to hold and easy to handle, it offers a lot for a relatively small price. However, the charge period is very long, and so if you need something that is readily available more than once a day, this might not be the best choice for you.

Features and Benefits of the Bosch Athlet Animal / Ultimate and the Dyson V8 / V10

Key Features

Power and Design

The Dyson V8 Animal is a cordless stick vacuum with a sleek design and a grey tube with purple detailing to let you know it is part of the Animal series.

The way it has been designed means that the wand is attached to the bin, but in a way that you just need to hold it over your own bin and press the button for the contents to be released, making it quick and easy.

The Bosch Athlet Animal is a cordless upright vacuum cleaner, which means that it needs to be pushed along your floors. It comes in red and silver, with a dust bin that is incredibly easy to remove from the centre of the machine.

It is also easy to empty with a quick-release button that ensures a smooth experience. The Dyson V10 Absolute is also a cordless stick vacuum, and it has a similar design to the V8 Animal, but the wand is copper coloured and actually goes directly through the dust canister.

This means that the wand needs to be removed for you to empty it, but the process is incredibly easy, which we will look at a little later. The Bosch Athlet Ultimate is an upright cordless vacuum cleaner that is pushed across the floor when you are cleaning.

This model tends to come in white and black, with a dust canister that is really simple to remove and is located in the centre of the machine. The emptying system is quick and effortless, so you don’t have to hassle. The Dyson V8 Animal comes with a main floorhead in the form of a brush bar.

This works well on all floor types and has been made to deal with pet hair and dirt in an efficient manner. It reaches right into the deepest crevices of your carpet to get embedded fluff, while also remaining gentle and reliable on hard floors.

The Bosch Athlet Animal has a high-powered brush that is suitable for use on all floor types, providing a good clean across carpets and hard floors. 

However, it also has a brush bar that has been specially made for dealing with pet hair, and you will find this glide across your floors effortlessly for a fantastic clean that picks up all the pet hair it can find. The V10 Absolute has two different floorheads from you to choose from.

The first is the classic burhs bar, which can be used on carpets and hard floors, and is especially good for reaching embedded dirt and grime.

The second of these is the soft roller brush, and this has been designed for wood floors – offering a gentle clean that is still incredibly efficient at picking up dirt and debris.

The Bosch Athlet Ultimate, on the other hand, has one floorhead, and this contains a powerful brush bar that is able to reach right into your carpets to bring up old dirt and debris.

At the same time, it is kind on your hard floors while also being powerful enough to remove every trace of fluff, dust, and debris without issue. When it comes to the power levels and suction, there are some large differences.

The Dyson V8 Animal is able to produce an impressive 115aw of power; the Bosch Athlet Animal tops that with an amazing 250aw – making it the more powerful choice. When we look at the Dyson V10 Absolute, it is able to produce 150aw, but the Bosch Athlet Ultimate beats it again with 200aw.

Both the Dyson V8 Animal and V10 Absolute are able to be converted into handheld models, making it easy to clean the stairs as well as the furniture and tight areas of the home.

The Bosch Athlet Animal and Ultimate come with an accessory kit that includes a shoulder strap so that it can be turned into a more portable model so that the stairs, furniture, and other areas can be reached.

Every model here has strengths and weaknesses. Between the Dyson V8 and the Bosch Athlet Animal, the power and design section are won by the latter for its power and suction. With regards to the V10 Absolute and the Bosch Athlet Ultimate, the competition is tough, but the Bosch model wins again.

Battery Life 

This is an essential feature in any cordless vacuum cleaner, especially when so many have such short battery lives. The Dyson V8 Animal came after the V6, and the battery life was massively improved, giving this machine a running time of 40 minutes – which is more than enough to keep your home clean and collect pet hair.

However, the turbo setting for tough areas and dirt only lasts eight minutes. The Bosch Athlet Animal boasts a longer battery life than its Dyson competition, running at an impressive 60 minutes before it needs to be charged again.

This means it can be used for larger homes, and when combined with the incredible suction, your floors will be left looking brand new. The second power setting leaves you with 20 minutes of runtime, and the turbo mode will only last around ten minutes or so, which seems typical for cordless vacuums.

The V10 Absolute has three power settings instead of the two Dyson usually provide. On the regular one, this model has 60 minutes of battery life so that even large homes can benefit from it being used, and it provides an effective clean.

The medium setting provides around 20 minutes, which is great, but the turbo mode is at a disappointing eight minutes of battery life. The Bosch Athlet Ultimate has an incredible 75 minutes of battery life, which is far more than most cordless vacuum cleaners, and also makes it the best model in the range for charge. 

This also means that it is great for larger homes that need a thorough clean, and it comes with three power settings. The middle one will give you around 30 minutes of power, while you may get 15 out of the turbo mode – although this is only needed for really tough spots.

When comparing the battery life of these models, it is clear that the Bosch Athlet vacuum cleaners win on both counts. The Athlet Animal has a longer battery life than the V8 Animal, and the Athlet Ultimate is able to deliver an incredible 75 minutes of charge when compared to the V10 Absolute’s 60 minutes.

Charging Period 

The time it takes your cordless vacuum to charge is also important, as it dictates how much you can use it in a day. The V8 Animal was designed with a larger battery than the V6 series that came before it, and as a result, it has a longer charging period than the rest of the V series at five hours. 

This does mean that it may not be available more than once per day. The Bosch Athlet Animal also has a long charge time, although it can be split into two parts. After three hours on a charge, it will have 80% battery, but if you want to use it with a full battery, you will need to be willing to wait six hours for results.

This also means that it might not always be ready when you need it. The Dyson V10 Absolute has a larger battery than most in the V series due to its increased running time, but the charge time is only 3.5 hours. This means that you can pick it up for use a few times a day, making it a reliable and readily available model to choose.

On the other hand, the Bosch Athlet Ultimate has a charge period that is similar to the other models in the range. After three hours, it will have 80% charge, which means that it is ready to be used. However, it takes six hours for it to reach 100%, so you will have to wait if you want a full battery.

Between the V8 Animal and the Athlet Animal, it is a tough call. On the one hand, the V8 has a shorter charge period overall, but the Athlet can be used at 80% after three hours. Between these two, there can be no winners. However, between the V10 Absolute and the Athlet Ultimate, the Dyson wins hands down.

Filtration System 

If you have allergies or asthma, the filtration system in your vacuum cleaner should be of massive importance. Interestingly, the Dyson V8 Animal and V10 Absolute have the same system in place.

They each have a HEPA filter installed, and this is able to trap 99.7% of allergens and dust due to the new and secure filtration system they have in place.

It ensures that all of the air going into the vacuum cleaner is forced through the filter, where the offending particles are trapped, and then clean air is pushed out of the machine afterwards.

Both the Bosch Athlet Animal and Athlet Ultimate have the same filtration system as well. It comes with a washable filter that traps dust and allergens effectively, and the pure air membrane helps clean air to be pushed back out of the vacuum cleaner.

It is also very easy to clean, comes with a spare in the box, and has an LED light that lets you know when it needs to be changed.

For the filtration system, Dyson wins by a small amount – simply because they have a more advanced filtration system that works well for those who are struggling with asthma or allergies. The ones provided by Bosch are still fantastic, but just not quite as good as the Dyson ones.

Weight 

The Dyson V8 Animal weighs in at 2.61kg, making it a lightweight model (despite its large battery). This also means that it is easy to handle, especially with the addition of the flexible floorhead. On the other hand, the Bosch Athlet Animal weighs 3kg, making it a slightly heavier model because it is an upright vacuum cleaner. 

However, it is still great to handle. The Dyson V10 Absolute weighs 2.68kg due to its large battery, although it is still a very lightweight model that offers smooth handling and a great cleaning experience.

The Bosch Athlet Ultimate weighs in at 3kg, which makes it the heavier of the two, but this is because it is an upright vacuum cleaner and it does not impact the ease of handling in any way.

Between the competing Dyson and Bosch models, the former of these wins both times. The Dyson V8 Animal and V10 Absolute are lighter than their Bosch counterparts by around half a kilo, and while all four are incredibly easy to handle, Dyson is the way to go for a lightweight vacuum.

Dust Capacity 

This is important because cordless vacuum cleaners tend to have a smaller dust capacity than corded ones due to their compact and lightweight design. The Dyson V8 Animal has a 0.54L capacity, which could be described as decent.

The emptying process is also incredibly simple, as all you need to do is hold the canister over your bin and press the release button. The Bosch Athlet Animal has a 0.9L capacity, which is made possible by its upright design – offering a larger space for the storage of debris.

The dust container is easy to remove and empties over your bin at the press of a button for a clean and convenient process. The V10 has a larger capacity of 0.76L, and it uses Dyson’s new emptying system as well.

After removing the wand to access it, once you open the bin, the shroud will clean itself so that you don’t have to worry about getting dust on your hands or spreading it. The Bosch Athlet Ultimate has a 0.9L capacity as well, like most models in the Athlet range.

Again, this is because it is an upright model and so has extra space for a larger bin. The emptying process is just as simple as well, with a release button ready to be pressed for a quick emptying experience. In this case, each of the Bosch models beat their Dyson competition with ease.

They have much larger capacities, and so they are able to cope with more dirt and need to be emptied less frequently. While the V10 Animal is not far behind, it also has a way to go before catching up.

Attachments 

The Dyson V8 and the V10 come with the following:

• Main floorhead (as discussed)
• Soft floorhead (as discussed)
• Docking station and charger to mount the vacuum on the wall for storage/charging
• Combination tool
• Crevice tool
• Mini motorhead
• Quick release dusting brush

The Bosch Athlet Animal and Athlet Ultimate come with the following:

• Plug-in adapter with hose
• Shoulder strap
• Upholstery tool
• Crevice tool

Just to take you through the standard tools all of the vacuums here come with. The combination tool has an upholstery tool, and a small brush on it that you can switch between, allowing you to vacuum all of your surfaces, while the crevice tool helps you to reach tight spaces and nooks – both of these are standard tools to have.

The upholstery tool does what it says on the tin and is great for furniture or car interiors. Both the Dyson V8 Animal and V10 Absolute also have the addition of a dusting brush for delicate surfaces and countertops, as well as a mini motorhead that is able to give specific areas of carpet a really deep and thorough clean.

What makes the Dyson V10 Absolute different from all the rest, however, is the new quick-release system for attaching tools to the wand and the handheld section. The tools clip into place, ensuring that they do not come loose from wear, or end up jammed in place from too much force.

It is a better system that provides the tools with a longer lifespan. Both the V8 Animal and the V10 Absolute come with a better and wider range of accessories than the Bosch counterparts, and this makes them winners in this section. The tools are more diverse, and this helps you to achieve an even better level of cleanliness.

Social Proof

Of course, I don’t expect you to take my word for everything here, and it is important to see how other customers felt about the vacuum cleaners that they bought. To give you further insight, I scoured the internet and discovered these great reviews for each of the Bosch and Dyson models that we have listed here.

If you want to know more about the comparison between shark and Dyson then read more here. 

To Conclude 

We hope that this guide has helped you to learn more about each model, as well as which one will work best for you. Honestly, this one is too close to call.

Both the Dyson and Bosch models here win in their own regards, and they come with fantastic suction levels, attachments, and are wonderfully lightweight and easy to handle – even in an upright form. Whether you need a reliable pet vacuum or something for everyday use, there is a Dyson or a Bosch here for you.

Which is best? Well, that really depends on what you need it for. What did you think of this comparison guide? If you would like to check out the Dyson 360 robot you can click here, and for the V10, just follow this link.

For the Bosch Athlet Animal, you can go here, and the Bosch Athlet Ultimate can be found by following this link. They are all great vacuums, and we would love to hear your thoughts on them below.

Last Updated on January 27, 2022 by Gemma Tyler