Dyson PencilVac Fluffycones review: Not heavy and fits anywhere, but not recommended for all types of homes

Dyson is preparing a slew of new cordless vacuum cleaners for 2026. Most of that is apparently being saved for the second half of the year, but one unique little machine was squeezed out for sale in February. Whatever comes to mind when you imagine a traditional Dyson stick vacuum, I promise you that’s not the case with the Dyson PencilVac Fluffycones.

PencilVac is so thin that it can be stored in just a few inches of open space.
Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable

Before the PencilVac, Dyson hadn’t released a new cordless vacuum since 2023, and they weren’t all that groundbreaking. (We’ve seen what happens when once storied brands give up on innovation, like the fall of the iRobot company.) I’ve been using the PencilVac at home for nearly four months now, and this enjoyable experience further supports my position that there’s no reason to keep forcing Dyson robot vacuums, as Dyson is a very professional cordless vacuum company.

Considering the PencilVac is the successor to my absolute favorite cordless vacuum of the past three years, I jumped at the chance to test them against each other in my apartment. Since 2022, I’ve been recommending the Dyson V12 Detect Slim non-stop for two main reasons. It’s incredibly lightweight and the laser that illuminates the dust has completely changed the way I clean. The Dyson PencilVac is even lighter and has two lasers instead of one. Is it really that easy to remove the GOAT?

Comparison of Dyson V12 Detect Slim (left) and PencilVac (right).
Credit: Leah Stoddart

Four “Fluffycones” give the PencilVac an incredibly smooth sweep over hardwood and tile.
Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable

The PencilVac’s design is minimalist, so setting up the vacuum itself is very easy. The box is compact and flat, and there’s only one accessory, so you don’t have to hunt around for tons of packaging materials. Click the motor, wand, and cleaning head together to find a location near the charging station outlet. I don’t really like being forced to use an app on an appliance just for the sake of using the app. But since the PencilVac’s screen is so small, I’m sure this app will be useful for notifying you about airway blockages and filter changes.

What’s special about Dyson PencilVac Fluffycones?

The Dyson PencilVac is a stick vacuum in the literal sense of the word. It is shaped exactly like a pencil and is less than 1.5 inches in diameter. The battery, motor, trash can, buttons, and screen are built into the wand and lie completely flush. This means the cane can reach deeper into tight spaces without being hindered by large cylindrical trash cans or heavy battery packs.

The Fluffycones head rotates vertically to fit snugly between the table and stool legs.
Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable

In wand form, the PencilVac can be slipped behind a dresser to reach dusty baseboards.
Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable

The Fluffycones cleaning head can rotate 360 ​​degrees, allowing you to rotate it to clean awkward areas where you would normally have to move furniture or get it at a certain angle. (There are also cheaper versions of the PencilVac with a “Micro Fluffy” cleaner head with a single roller, like the V12 Detect Slim.)

Dyson PencilVac Fluffycones weigh less than 4 pounds with the main Fluffycones cleaning head and less than 3 pounds with the precision wand attachment. That’s over a pound lighter than the V12 Detect Slim (which already feels incredibly ergonomic) and less than half the weight of the heaviest Dyson stick vacuum.

Holding a PencilVac in the air doesn’t seem like a workout.
Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable

The PencilVac goes deep into the waste drawer slot on my LitterRobot.
Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable

One of my first jobs with the PencilVac was to vacuum out the corners of my ceiling and the cobwebs I had been pretending weren’t there. The PencilVac was comfortable to hold over my head with one hand because it didn’t have the weight of an ungainly trash can top. (I can’t say the same for my mom’s 8.6-pound Dyson Gen5outsize.)

The wand doesn’t bend, so you have to stay awkwardly away from certain nooks and crannies when drawing details. But the long cane also makes it easier to keep up with dusty baseboards without kneeling, which is great news for my allergies and back.

About the double laser situation is definitely normal

The PencilVac has two of my favorite Dyson features. It is a dust irradiation laser. One illuminates the cleaning path in front of you and the other illuminates the cleaning trail directly behind the cleaning head.

I purchased the V12 Detect Slim in 2023 and have been laser vacuuming avidly ever since. So the dual laser concept is monumental for those who barely remember BL (Before Laser) life. You never know how much dust, dander, and hair will accumulate on your floors throughout the day. Hardwood and tile always look good to the naked eye unless there’s obviously a huge piece of debris…until you’re enlightened by a laser. You can never go back after that.

You can check the amount of garbage that goes in and out of the toilet at the same time.
Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable

For such a small vacuum cleaner, the PencilVac has pretty strong suction power.
Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable

We love that the dual-headed laser gives you a 360-degree view of your floors before and after cleaning. After passing through with the V12 Detect Slim, I often turned around and focused the laser on the area I had just cleaned to make sure no tiny stray bits stuck to my bare feet later. The double-headed laser shows where the dirty spots are and provides real-time proof that debris is being picked up in the path behind it.

This flexibility and precision quickly made the PencilVac a core part of my cleaning routine. It’s actually a more time-consuming routine now, but that’s only because the PencilVac now allows me to easily access areas that used to be difficult to clean: small spaces between furniture and the washing machine and walls, next to and behind the toilet, and small pieces of open floor space under junk in various closets.

Conveniently, I got the PencilVac around the same time I started wondering about the fact that microplastics exist in dust. If I didn’t have an easy way to deal with the dust that builds up on my dresser and behind my TV in my bedroom, I wouldn’t be able to sleep.

Things to consider: trash cans, carpet usage, and other hassles.

To empty, point the trash can at the top of the trash can and click the button to eject the trash. But any veteran stick vacuum user knows that you always have to pull out some of the dirt by hand. Being so thin, it’s a bit difficult to keep the PencilVac’s trash can and suction airway clear. I’ve found that I can use a water bottle sponge (I don’t use it to wash dishes) to wipe away fine hair and dust from the sides, but I don’t know what to do when clumps of hair get tangled there.

Small trash cans are impractical for large homes.
Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable

The debris is compacted in layers and looks like an ugly sand painting.
Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable

If a 0.02 gallon trash can sounds small, that’s because it is. I’m always shocked at the brown and gray clumps of fluff that accumulate during the first cleaning session after emptying. I swear I vacuumed the kitchen, bathroom with toilet, and living room almost half full once. You don’t even have to try it on your living room rug, because the PencilVac’s suction power and fluffy fibers aren’t designed to dig into your carpet.

The PencilVac is also one of the only Dyson stick vacuums in recent memory that doesn’t come with a mini electric pet hair tool. I can’t help but laugh as I imagine the PencilVac being the only vacuum cleaner in my friend’s and her Golden Retriever’s apartment. Since I’m constantly testing robot vacuums at home, my Dyson PencilVac’s bin probably won’t fill up as quickly unless I automatically help my two cats shed hair. Shoppers who buy a vacuum cleaner primarily for the purpose of sucking up pet hair should definitely keep looking for a powerful one with an automatic vacuum emptying feature.

Finally, the Dyson PencilVac doesn’t have a long battery life. You’ll be lucky if you can get 30 minutes on the lowest cleaning mode and 10 minutes on the most powerful cleaning mode. With that in mind, it’s also worth complaining about the charging station situation. It’s much more convenient to keep your PencilVac charged if you can lay it under your couch or something. Aren’t we trying to sell you a little space fantasy here? Instead, you have to charge it between the magnetic protrusions on the stand, which makes it less stable in high-traffic areas.

So while I would say it’s the best cordless vacuum for small spaces or hardwood stands, it would be an equally bad option for homes larger than 1,000 square feet or 1,500 square feet, or homes with multiple pets.