Top pick
This nimble, high-tech model is light, powerful, and easy to maneuver. But it doesn’t stand up on its own, and its dustbin is small.
Of all the models we’ve tested, the nimble and powerful Dyson V12 Detect Slim comes closest to being the ideal cordless stick vacuum.
It’s lithe and graceful. Weighing just over 5 pounds, the V12 Detect Slim maneuvers easily in awkward spaces and on stairs. Though most of its weight sits on top, we found the V12 Detect Slim comfortable for our hands and wrists. Its cleaner head swivels 180 degrees, allowing it to reach into tight corners, around table legs, and between furniture better than other vacuums we’ve tested. It’s also very quiet (73 dB) compared with other models. Whereas previous Dyson models featured an uncomfortable trigger-style switch that you needed to squeeze for operation, the V12 Detect Slim has an on/off button.
It sucks (in a good way). The V12 Detect Slim offers powerful suction and airflow, and it excels at picking up dust and debris on both bare floors and rugs. In our controlled rug-cleaning test, it devoured almost 100% of the baking soda we had spread out on medium-pile rugs—a clear sign that it is capable of targeting deeper-sitting dust and dander that other cordless sticks might miss. (One competitor picked up only a bit over 40%.) It also extracted fur from rugs well.
The V12 Detect Slim has three suction modes: eco (lower suction, which conserves battery), boost (stronger suction), and auto. The auto mode is particularly helpful, as the dust sensor detects dirt and triggers increased suction power when necessary; for example, in our tests the V12 Detect Slim regularly went into boost mode near a cat litter box.
It has two effective cleaner heads for different types of flooring. Designed to deep-clean rugs and carpet, the V12’s Motorbar cleaner head has tooth-like rubber vanes that, Dyson claims, automatically clear wrapped hair during cleaning. In our testing, the head readily captured 6-inch strands of hair, but the brush was less effective with 18-inch-long hair. (You can remove the brush, and you can cut off long locks with scissors or a box cutter.) On bare floors, the Motorbar head efficiently cleaned baking soda and seeds, but it tended to snowplow Cheerios.
The second cleaner head, the Laser Slim Fluffy, is made of soft microfiber fabric and is specifically designed to snag dust and fur from bare floors. It features a laser light that spookily illuminates dark corners—one moment the dust is spotlighted, the next it’s gone.
In our testing, we found that the Fluffy head picked up larger debris that the Motorbar head tended to snowplow. The Fluffy head swallowed everything we presented it with, aside from a large mound of Cheerios (which it choked on) and a huge cockroach (which got stuck in the brush housing).
It converts to a handheld vacuum with useful attachments. The V12 Detect Slim easily converts into a handheld vacuum and comes with helpful attachments for tasks around the home and in the car. Its mini motorized brush tool was one of the best we tested for removing pet hair from couches, cat beds, and car upholstery. Its combination tool allowed for quick switching between a wide nozzle and a brush; we found the brush particularly handy for dusting bookshelves and windowsills.
It has a decent warranty, and its battery and many of its parts are replaceable. Dyson’s two-year warranty on this model is decent, though that’s less coverage time than we’ve seen for many other high-performing cordless sticks. The V12 Detect Slim uses swappable, click-in batteries, and you can buy spare packs to extend the run time—though we’ve noticed that they are routinely out of stock on the website. (Often you can still get them by calling the company. Or you can find cheaper knockoff batteries, but we don’t recommend them.) The battery is one of the most common failure points on cordless stick vacuums, so Dyson’s swappable design means you won’t have to toss the whole vacuum if the battery goes bad. Many of its other parts, including its washable filter, are replaceable, as well.
It has cool features. The V12 Detect Slim’s LCD screen shows animated maintenance reminders, troubleshooting tips, and, most important, a battery-life countdown. Its chief gimmick is its particle counter, which estimates the number of differently sized particles collected and displays the tallies in a bar graph—supposedly to help you feel confident that you’ve deep-cleaned your flooring. We don’t know how accurate or useful the particle counter is, but it can be a fun motivator.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
- It’s expensive. Typically around $600, the V12 Detect Slim is pricey. During our testing, it gave no indication that it would be more durable than other, more affordable cordless vacs like our other top pick—let alone plug-in vacuums, which typically clean better, last longer, and, in some cases, cost less.
- It has a tiny dustbin. The V12 Detect Slim’s roughly 12-ounce dustbin is minuscule, capable of storing less than half as much debris as that of our other top pick. In our tests, we had to empty the dustbin at least three times when cleaning a 650-square-foot space with pets. The V12 Detect Slim ejects debris from the bin like a mini T-shirt cannon, an action that can easily lead to spills. We also found that debris often gets stuck in the dustbin’s upper segment, requiring you to reach in and pull it out.
- Switching between cleaner heads can be annoying. Though we appreciate the versatility and effectiveness of the Motorbar head (for carpet) and the Laser Slim Fluffy head (for bare flooring), switching them can be annoying, especially if you just want to give your half-carpeted dining room a quick once-over.
- It doesn’t stand on its own. The V12 Detect Slim’s inability to stand on its own is a source of irritation. You’ll need to find a secure spot to prop it up if you have to answer the doorbell.
