Dyson just quietly launched a new PencilVac, and it solves the big problem I had with the original

• Dyson has launched the PencilVac Fluffy, following the Fluffycones version
• It features a parallel roller rather than cone-shaped, otherwise the same ultra-compact vacuum design
• Currently available in the US only, it’s significantly cheaper than the original

Recently, Dyson launched an almost impossibly compact new vacuum: the Dyson PencilVac Fluffycones. It looks nothing like a regular cordless vacuum, because all of the main components have been shrunk right down and hidden within the handle, which itself is about the size of a broom handle.

I tested one out and declared it a true feat of engineering and innovation. In fact, I was completely sold on this new design… save for one niggling issue. Dyson has used cone-shaped rollers on the floorhead, rather than standard parallel ones. The plastic casing then follows the shape of the cones, which means the floorhead comes to a slight point at the front.

The knock-on effect is that the PencilVac Fluffycones can’t sit flush to a wall, unless you approach side-on, which isn’t always possible. It makes vacuuming the edges of rooms unnecessarily tricky, and tasks like cleaning the stairs – which this lightweight, nimble vacuum would otherwise be perfect for – become a major hassle. It’s a problem I also had with the Dyson V16 Piston Animal, which has a similar cone-based floorhead.

Imagine my joy when I spotted an alternative on the dyson.com website, launched without any fuss or fanfare: the Dyson Fluffy. It looks to be exactly the same as the PencilVac Fluffycones, except for the floorhead. The cone-based head has been swapped for one with a parallel roller.