What makes the Dyson v8 a bad vacuum?

Hi everyone,

I bought a v8 hastily on the last day of Black Friday sales for 269€, as I was fed up with the state of my current vacuum canister, an inexpensive 700W Moulinex City Space. It has a broken combi head whose wheels are seized, which makes it impossible to drag it along the floor. As stupid as it sounds, I've thus been vacuuming hunched over with the bare hose for as long as I can remember.

I live in a 35 sqm (~380 sq. feet) apartment with exclusively hardwood flooring. I was hoping to try out the v8 before making up my mind, but the shop I bought it from doesn't offer returns once the packaging has been opened, so the box is just sitting in the corner of my living room until I decide what to do.

I read all of the recommandation and flow charts thread, but I still feel like I'm missing some important information, i.e. what features are desirable in a vacuum and why.

I'd say the important points for me regarding a vacuum would be:

  1. Ease of use
  2. Ease of maintenance
  3. Durability and/or repairability

The canister has given me entire satisfaction regarding 2 : I change the bag every once in a while and that's it. The same can be said for 3 (I've probably had that vacuum for the past 10 years), with the exception of the combi head of course, which I should have already replaced by now tbh. When it comes to 1, it being a PITA is probably mostly due to, again, not having a functioning head. However, having to unplug and replug it when moving from room to room doesn't make it a very smooth experience.

My thinking moving to a Dyson was that it being battery powered would increase ease of use significantly (compared to a canister): no need to unplug and replug, I could just vacuum my entire apartment in one fell swoop.
However, it seems, reading comments on here, that it would come at the expense of 2 and 3.

Is that really the case? What more would the maintenance entail compared to a bagged canister, and at which frequency? Do they break that often? Replacement parts (including batteries) seem to be available though.

Thanks for your help!