I tried the Dyson PencilVac — is this ultra-slender vacuum actually worth it?

Dyson vacuums are always easy to spot. Aside from their futuristic designs and shiny purple accents, they're often the first to feature cutting-edge technology, whether it's AI-powered mess detection or neon green lights that illuminate every speck of dust. The brand clearly invests a lot in its engineering, and the new PencilVac Fluffycones is classic Dyson in that regard. 

Described by the brand as "the world's slimmest vacuum," it pairs an extremely slender, lightweight frame with an advanced motor. It's also classic Dyson as far as price: $600 when not on sale (and as I'll get into in this Dyson PencilVac review, the machine is made for hard floors only; no carpet cleaning here!). 

Despite their eye-watering price tags, the best Dyson vacuums have earned the love of thousands of fans, including my fellow home experts at Yahoo. Our resident vacuum tester, Kristin Granero , uses a Dyson V12 Detect Slim at home even though she has dozens of options. I'm our lead home editor, and I own a Dyson V11 as well as a handheld model that's so old, I can't even find evidence of it on the internet. 

So when the PencilVac Fluffycones came out a few months ago, we were raring to try it out. We tested it the way we do all vacuum cleaners , inspecting it closely, clocking its runtime and pitting it against various messes, including rice, sand and Cheerios. We also used it on everyday dirt and dust in two different houses. So, how did the PencilVac hold up? And is it worth the price? 

Dyson PencilVac Fluffycones review for 2026

Dyson PencilVac Fluffycones design and features

The PencilVac has very few parts: just the 1.5-inch-diameter handle that also serves as the dust cup, a cleaner head and an attachment that's both a brush and a crevice tool. The cleaner head features four soft conical brushes (those are the "Fluffycones") lit by neon-green LEDs at the front and back. Dyson says the vacuum will suck up dirt whether you push the vacuum away from you or pull it toward you. The Fluffycones lift debris and suck it into the handle, where it's compressed. The dust bin in the handle holds less than a tenth of a liter of debris (for comparison, our top-tested cordless stick vacuum made by Tineco has a 1-liter dust bin). 

Unlike most Dyson stick vacuums, this model does not come with a wall mount — instead, there's a standalone magnetic dock for charging. Plug in the vac for four hours, and you'll get about 30 minutes of runtime. A mini display on the handle shows how much battery you have left and the vacuum's suction speed (choose from auto or eco modes). 

Dyson boasts that the motor on the PencilVac spins at 140,000 rpm, faster than many of its stick vacuums, including the popular (and relatively affordable) V8 . Its suction power, on the other hand, is only 55 air watts; for reference, the V8's is 115 air watts. That might give you an idea of our gripes with this machine.

What we like about the Dyson PencilVac

But first, let's dive into the positives:

✅ Setup is easy-peasy:It doesn't get much more user-friendly than this vac. The pieces all click into one another (and it's obvious what goes where), and the minimal buttons are easy to understand. The base consists of two parts that quickly come together, and there's an included holder for the one attachment. Set the PencilVac to auto mode, and it will adjust its suction to match the level of grime on your floors. 

✅ It won't weigh you down:At 4 pounds, this vac can easily compete with the best lightweight vacuums . And if you swap out the cleaner head for the attachment tool, it becomes even lighter. "Generally, I do love the overall build of the vacuum," says our home tester. "It's great for someone who lives in a small space with hardwood floors and does not need a machine that's heavy-duty." 

✅ It gets into every crevice:The PencilVac's impressive maneuverability lets it go where many vacuums can't. You can push down the handle so it's almost touching the floor, rendering the machine nearly flat. That's helpful for nabbing dust bunnies under low sofas and beds. The cleaner head also swivels smoothly around furniture legs, lamps and tables. If you replace the cleaner head with the attachment tool, you can treat the PencilVac like a duster, using it to reach high corners and ceiling fans. 

✅ The dock is delightful:Originally, I was skeptical of the freestanding dock, which holds the PencilVac upright for charging (it clicks into place thanks to magnets). It takes up some floor space, but it's actually pretty minimal, and it's helpful for renters and anyone who doesn't want to, or can't, drill a charging dock into their wall. 

What we don't like about the Dyson PencilVac

❌ So-so suction:I wouldn't go so far as to say the suction, well, sucks, but it did disappoint us. During our testing, the PencilVac hoovered the faux fur, kitty litter and sand we spilled on the floor, but it struggled with Cheerios and rice, scattering rather than sucking them up. As Granero puts it, "It has the ability to clean these materials, but it's sputtery, kind of spinning materials out along the way."

Our home tester agreed. "This vacuum is best suited for very light debris, so dust and fine particles. It seems to struggle against anything larger than that — as in, you need to vacuum the same spot several times over before seeing any real traction, and even then you might be left with some crumbs in the aftermath."

❌ It struggles with edge cleaning:The edge cleaning on this vac is top-notch if you believe Dyson, but in our testing, it was just OK. Because the cleaner head is slightly curved, it struggled along baseboards. In general, we think that the traditional Dyson Motorhead cleaner head and FluffyOptic brushes perform better.

❌ A disappointing dust bin:As inventive as the tiny dust bin tucked into the handle is, it holds very little. You have to empty it frequently, and Granero found that it jams easily. Of course, a larger dust bin might defeat the purpose of this particular vac, as it would add heft to the frame. 

❌ That price!The PencilVac is essentially a souped-up broom, making the $600 price tag hard to swallow. Remember: This stick vac doesn't have a beater bar, so it won't do much for carpets or rugs. If you have only hardwood or tile, that might be fine, but many people will need a second vacuum.

How we test vacuums

As this Dyson only works on hard floors, we limited our testing to hardwood and tile. We spilled rice, sand, kitty litter and Cheerios on the ground and scattered about some faux fur. We made several passes with the vacuum, noting how much it picked up. We repeated this test using the rice and Cheerios against baseboards, and we also checked the runtime on a full charge.

Then, we sent the vacuum home with one of our editors who had what seemed like the ideal situation for the PencilVac: She lives alone in a fairly small apartment with wood floors and needed a vacuum just for light cleaning. She used the vac several times, rating it on setup, ease of use, suction, maneuverability and maintenance.

Is the Dyson PencilVac worth buying?

Dyson devotees who are obsessed with the brand's newest tech will probably delight in this impressively lightweight vacuum. It looks cool, takes up minimal space and does a decent job on dust and fine debris. If you need something for light everyday cleaning, it could be just the ticket. Most of us, though, will need a vacuum with stronger suction. If you've got $600 to spend, we recommend the Dyson V12 Detect Slim for its versatility and power.

We received complimentary samples of some products and purchased others ourselves, but we reviewed all products using the same objective criteria.