Last month, Dyson unveiled the PencilVac – a new addition to brand’s floorcare lineup, and apparently the world’s slimmest vacuum cleaner. Yesterday, I had a chance to try one out, and it turns out this odd-looking vac is one heck of a smooth mover.
The PencilVac looks nothing like your standard cordless stick vacuum. The motor, filters and dust cup are all hidden within the broom-like handle, which clocks in at a diminutive 1.5 inches / 3.8cm in diameter. The floorhead is equally surprising, with its four cone-shaped, fluffy rollers.
Less obvious from the press photos is just how maneuverable this cleaner is. The cleaner head can swivel on the spot and it cleans from the front and from the back sides. Like all the best Dyson vacuums, it can lie flat to the ground, and because the handle is symmetrical, you can hold it from any side, too. You can do figure-eights on your floor if you can get your angles right.
The maneuverability is impressive, but there are plenty more cool features besides. The ‘QuadConical’ floorhead is new on this machine, and designed so that if it encounters long hair, it’ll make its way to the narrow end of the cone and pop out as a bundle on the side, at which point it can be easily vacuumed up. The soft material is perfect for delicate hard floors, and the cones protrude out from the casing so you can clean right into the corners, and even give your baseboards a bit of a dust as you go.
Dyson has added its distinctive green laser (which first appeared on the Dyson V15 Detect) to the cleaner head. This helps cast shadows on debris on the floor, so you don’t miss even the tiniest speck of dirt. Here, it’s located in the center of both sides of the floorhead, and it’s just as useful as ever.
Who’s the PencilVac for?
While Dyson says the PencilVac can be used on carpet, it’s really specialized for hard floors. The fluffy rollers are perfect for hard floors and the laser really comes into its own on a solid surface.
While it looks looks like a strong contender for TechRadar’s best vacuum for hardwood floor roundup, the soft rollers won’t agitate the fibers enough to offer a deep clean on carpet. The suction is also much lower than you’ll find on the main flagship range – partly due to the motor and partly due to the more open floorhead design.
For many, it’ll be a complimentary machine rather than your main vacuum, but if you want something for quick cleanups on hard floors, the PencilVac looks perfect. Full review to follow when I’ve had a chance to put it through its paces properly.
At time of writing, I don’t have any pricing information for the PencilVac, but I know it’s scheduled to go on sale in Australia in August 2025, before hitting the US and UK markets sometime in 2026. If you can’t wait that long, you could check out the Dyson V12 Detect Slim, which is a – for our money, underrated – scaled-down vacuum for smaller homes.
