I have "to wait 24 hours for the filter to dry...". So, is this filter swappable? Speaking of swaps, since the battery cannot be, how many recharges can I expect before the performance suffers? ... and can a new battery be swapped in at home when that happens? For such a pricey machine, everything that wears out must be replaceable.

Ugh. Bought a pair of V8s in March. Regardless, the V8 is a pretty remarkable vacuum. I guess by the time either of those needs replacing I can look at the V16. Our last Dyson handheld lasted seven or eight years!

I can only assume the noise is too nasty to mention, but I can see I'd hate to clean the exterior detailing.

Ah Dyson, the filterless machines.... that have filters (which are a PITA to clean). Their much-vaunted tech may be cutting edge but it is never works as well as they claim and is carefully designed not to be repairable. I have had three Dyson machines (a mains upright and two hand-helds) and on the latest V6 they've changed the battery design so that, unlike predecerssors, it isn't hot-swappable. Given that the suction is dire unless at full power and that the battery then only lasts about 15 minutes beforea recharge is required. Mind you, during that 15 minutes you'll have had to empty the dust collector several times as it is truly *tiny*. Clips and catches to release filters and containers are horribly designed and are very difficult to operate and clunky to refit. I'm afraid Dyson have always relied on hot air rather than engineering excellence and this product looks to be no exception.

These are brilliant, but there is little to no reason they could not have done a swappable battery. There is no way I will pay $500+ on a vacuum that will have to go to the shop for battery replacement with no idea of cost...or availability.

"...a well-engineered piece of kit."?? Did you try drying the filter with a blow dryer? I'll bet it has to go to the shop for battery replacement. What will that cost and what is its life? The pass/fail could rest on the battery, just as a true EV.
We have the best vacuum but my wife hardly ever uses it because of the cleanup time. She has to wash out the water drum, wash & dry the rotor. It leaves the air cleaner and we both are sensitive to dust so that's why we spent triple what the Dyson cost. But she prefers a quick wet mop of the tile floors and we don't wear shoes so the rugs hardly ever need vacuuming. We have been here for 8 years and the rugs don't need to be shampooed.
If Dyson doesn't make a big breakthrough in batteries, their EV will fail, just like all Evs. (Only the "true believers" buy.)

I bet their car's going to suck.

@Don Duncan launching a new car company is a difficult enough task without tying to success to a new, non-existent technology. Sometimes you see companies make seemingly illogical decisions and assume they must know what they are doing, then you watch the train wreck develop exactly as it was called from the sidelines and realize wealthy people can make bad calls too.

Dyson's products are always very expensive solutions [gizmos] looking for a problem.

Bought a V8 Absolute on sale during Christmas and it is the best vacuum we've ever had! Our house is 2,000 sqft and this thing does the whole place on one charge using the power roller attachment. It's so easy to use that we vacuum some part of the house daily (long-haired-dog-problems). We haven't noticed any degradation in battery performance, but that is my only concern with a sealed unit.