- Dyson has announced the new ultra-thin, ultra-light PencilVac
- Its new Fluffycones floorhead is designed to avoid hair tangling
- It looks like a specialist model for hard floors
I write about vacuum cleaners for a living, and while performance varies, most new models these days tend to look roughly the same.
So when news of a new addition to the Dyson vacuum lineup landed in my inbox, I expected to see something similar to its existing models: slick and high-quality, but not especially distinctive or surprising.
How wrong I was.
The newly unveiled Dyson PencilVac doesn’t just have an unusual name, it’s all-round one of the most unique vacuums I’ve seen. This brand knows what it’s doing in this marketplace – it makes some of the best cordless vacuums you can buy, and today’s very best Dyson vacuums include features you still can’t find anywhere else.
So while the PencilVac strays a long way from the tried-and-tested formula of what works for vacuum cleaners, I’m very optimistic about its performance. Here’s a rundown of the most intriguing features in this new launch…
1. It’s ridiculously thin
The most immediately noticeable thing about the PencilVac is that it’s incredibly streamlined. Without the floorhead, the whole thing is 1.5 inches / 3.8cm in diameter. To make that possible, the brand had to develop a tiny new motor – the Dyson Hyperdymium 140k motor is just 1.1 inches / 2.8cm wide, and hidden entirely within the handle.
The PencilVac is also impressively lightweight, clocking in at 4lbs / 1.8kg. For context, the lightest option in our best cordless vacuum roundup right now is 5.7lbs / 2.6kg, and there are a number of models that weigh over 6.6lbs / 3kg.
Generally, when you shrink down a vacuum, you sacrifice power. That’s why handheld vacuums tend to be much less ‘sucky’ than full-sized options. That holds true for the PencilVac – there’s 55AW of suction, compared to 115AW for the V8 (the oldest Dyson stick vacuum in the current range) and a massive 280AW for the latest-and-greatest Gen5detect. However, while it’s unlikely to be suitable for a truly deep clean, that’s still a decent amount of suction for the size and weight.
As a side note, the 1.5-inch / 3.8cm diameter isn’t incidental. Brand founder James Dyson says, “I have long wanted to make a vacuum of only 38mm diameter (the same as my latest hair dryer, the Supersonic r)”. The Dyson Supersonic r is the pipe-shaped dryer that was originally released for professionals only, but recently joined the main consumer range.
2. There are cones instead of rollers
Moving down to the business end, and you’ll find the new ‘Fluffycones’ floorhead. It sounds like a Pokémon, but it’s actually a reimagined cleaner head. Vacuums traditionally have one brush roll, maximum two, and they’re tube-shaped. The Dyson PencilVac has four brushrolls, and they’re all conical.
There’s logic to the tapering shape: it helps direct long hair along the roll and into the dust cup, whereas with parallel rollers the hair tends to just wrap around and stay there, until your rip it off or attack it with scissors. Dyson’s hair screw tool also has a conical brush roll, and works exactly as it’s meant to when it comes to tackling long hair.
The cones project out at the sides so they can clean right to the edges of rooms, and the whole thing can lie flat to the ground, with a clearance of just 9.5cm / 3.75 inches off the floor.
I’m interested in Dyson’s description of the rollers as ‘fluffy’, because in the brand’s vocabulary that usually indicates a soft roller for use on hard floors only. In fact, the more I look at this vacuum, the more I’m convinced it’s a specialist model just for use on hard floor. It’s not specified in the press material I have so far, but it would make sense with the lower suction and smaller dust capacity.
3. There’s no visible dust cup
One of the most baffling things about the PencilVac is that it doesn’t appear to have a dust cup. Of course, there is one – like the motor, it’s hidden away inside the handle.
The capacity is next-to-nothing: just 0.08L. However, Dyson has introduced a dust compression system, which uses air to squish down the particles so they take up as little room as possible. Dyson claims that means it can hold five times the physical volume.
The emptying process has also been reimagined, with a push-lever system replaced by an exciting-sounding “syringe, no-touch bin ejection mechanism”.
As it pushes out dust and debris, the mechanism simultaneously wipes the ‘shroud’. I’m not totally clear what the ‘shroud’ is in this context, but I do know that keeping the internal mechanisms clean is key to efficient vacuum performance, so this seems like a good thing.
4. The floorhead glows and appears to float
As well as siphoning off hair as you clean, the floorhead cones have another trick up their sleeve. The cones rotate in opposite directions, the aim being that this vacuum cleans just as well when it’s pushed forward as when it’s pulled back. This is a bit of a weak spot on the regular Fluffy floorhead – it has no trouble sucking things up when moving forwards, but pull it back and debris will pool behind it.
I’m intrigued to see how this new approach works in practice – especially because Dyson describes it as “floating” across the floor. I wonder, too, if it might make this vacuum reversible altogether, given the fact that the handle section looks very symmetrical.
Dyson has also added “laser-like” illumination to both the front and back of the floorhead. This is another feature borrowed from the exsiting Fluffy floorhead, and helps create big shadows on the tiniest bits of dust, which otherwise might go missed. It only works on hard floors, which is another indication this vac is likely not for carpet.
There’s an intriguing addition to the tool lineup in the form of a ‘Rotating combi-crevice tool’, designed for cleaning in awkward gaps. This seems especially geared towards cleaning high-up, where it can be tricky to get your angles correct. It makes particular sense for an ultra-light vacuum like this one, which is far easier to lift above your head than your average stick vacuum.
As an aside, it looks like the PencilVac is button- rather than trigger-operated. That’s dictated by the streamlined shape, but it’s also great news for maneuverability and easy of use – the fact that many Dyson vacs still use a trigger to turn on is a perpetual bugbear of mine.
You’ll also get a Conical hair screw tool, similar to the one included with the newest Dyson stick vacuums, for tackling long hair on furniture. Both can be stored on the magnetic charging dock.
6. It’s app-connected
I’m much less excited about this feature, but it feel like I should point out that this is the first Dyson cordless vacuum to connect to the MyDyson app. The app will provide more information about battery life and also report on filter status. However, there’s also a screen on the vacuum itself showing remaining battery, so I’m hoping the app connection is an optional extra rather than an essential.
Price & availability
The PencilVac will arrive in Australia first, with launch scheduled for August 2025. It’s due to go on sale in the UK sometime in 2026, and I’m awaiting info as to if/when it will come to the US. As of yet I don’t have any pricing info at all – I’ll update this article with more details when I have them.
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