I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who cleans more these past couple of years than I have in the past. And that means any tool that can help make the task easier is a welcome addition. So, when Dyson offered to send over its newest vacuum through its official local distributor White Planet, I said yes immediately.
I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who cleans more these past couple of years than I have in the past. And that means any tool that can help make the task easier is a welcome addition. So, when Dyson offered to send over its newest vacuum through its official local distributor White Planet, I said yes immediately.
The Dyson V12 Detect Slim was launched in some markets earlier this year, and it finally made its way into the country last month. This compact handheld vacuum brings into the country laser detection tech to spot unseen dust and debris and a new attachment that makes it easier to clean up pet and human hair without clogging up the pipe or the vacuum’s body.
If those are particularly interesting to you, then this new high-tech vacuum is designed for you. Let’s take a quick look at the three main reasons you’d want to pick up the Dyson V12 Detect Slim.
You want a compact, fool-proof vacuum
The Dyson V12 Detect Slim shares many features with its bulkier sibling, the Dyson V15 Detect. But that premium vacuum isn’t available here. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The slightly shorter and lighter Dyson V12 is easier to use, especially for users with smaller builds. This vacuum weighs around 2.2kg, making it easy to maneuver the machine when you’re trying to reach up or change directions.
With some of the motorized cleaner heads, it can be a bit heavy. And it can still get tiring to use if you’re reaching up. But it’s still much easier to get to hard-to-reach places. As with other Dyson appliances, you don’t need to be technologically savvy to set this vacuum up. Everything just attaches and detaches easily.
The only thing I had to look up was the purpose of the different accessories. Dyson didn’t send us a retail unit, so we had more accessories included with our review unit than what you get with the retail box. But you will get the essential accessories with your purchase, including the aluminum wand for floor cleaning, direct drive cleaner head, combination tool, mini soft dusting brush, stubborn dirt brush, reach under tool, light pipe/crevice tool, and more. We definitely need to talk about two accessories, but we’re going to do that later.
What makes it easier to clean is the new power button introduced with this vacuum. Instead of the usual trigger seen on other handheld Dyson vacuums, the V12 has a red button at the top you can press to power the appliance on and off. It means you don’t have to keep pressing on the trigger as you clean. It’s pretty convenient, and we hope Dyson keeps this design around.
Even as a more compact vacuum, the Dyson V12 still offers a battery life on par with its V11 and the V15, which promises up to 60 minutes of fade-free suction power. And this vacuum does live up to that promise if you use it in Eco mode and with the non-motorized cleaning heads. There are two other modes you can use: Med and Boost. I typically use it in Med, and that would give around 30 minutes of cleaning time. Using Boost eats up the battery quicker, but it’ll help clean up harder-to-clean areas. Charging this vacuum takes around three hours. The battery is also replaceable, and White Planet says they will be carrying those battery packs soon.
The Dyson V12 is built for cleaning little and often, instead of a marathon, full-house cleaning session. And it’s not just that battery capacity that dictates that. A smaller vacuum means it gets a smaller bin. This appliance only has a 0.35L one, which means you’ll be emptying it more often. And while it is easy to empty that container, it can be a bit messy at times still. Its design pushes most of the dust and debris down into your trash can. But things will get stuck occasionally, and you will need to wipe that down. It’s relatively easy to clean, though, but it’s not as “no-touch” as Dyson mentioned.
This vacuum is not Dyson’s most powerful handstick vacuum, but it is positioned as its “most powerful, compact cordless vacuum.” And it gets the job done fine. It works well on hard floors, which I have at home, and even the Eco setting does well for that general, everyday cleaning. It has lower suction power than V11 and V15 vacuums because it has fewer radial cyclones than those two. But the V12 still comes equipped with the company’s Hyperdymium motor, capable of generating up to 150 air watts of suction. It has a five-stage filtration system capable of catching 99.99% of dust particles up to 0.3 microns, and it can spin up to 125,000rpm to help you deep clean. As with other Dyson appliances, this machine’s fully-sealed system makes sure none of the dirt and dust get filtered back into your home.
You take deep cleaning very seriously
In a country like the Philippines, it’s easy for dust to enter into homes, and sometimes you can’t tell just how dusty things can get. Enter the Laser Slim Fluffy cleaner head included with the Dyson V12. This cleaning tool comes with a precisely-angled green laser to show any hidden dust on the floor. And it really does that job so well that it’s quite surprising seeing how much dirt and dust goes unnoticed or uncleaned.
It’s the best tool for deep cleaning your floors, and I don’t think I can do without it. It works the best on hard floors with that green laser diode giving the best contrast to see those nearly invisible dust particles. This cleaning head works best when you move the vacuum back and forth. Changing directions is a bit difficult. The casters on this cleaning head can be unwieldy at times.
Dyson takes this tech further by showing you just what you’ve picked up. Like the Dyson V15, the Dyson V12 has a built-in LCD to show you the particle sizes, and how many of these particles were sucked up into the machine. The vacuum can tell this with the help of the acoustic piezo sensor.
If you want more detail about those dust particles, you can’t get them beyond that. It might not even matter to you much, but my inner geek kind of wishes this vacuum connects to the Dyson Link app and shows more detail about the dust it picks up. It’s not an essential feature, but it’s an extra functionality I wished it offered. By the way, that display also shows you the runtime of the V12.
One other feature I appreciate about the Dyson V12 is you can hear and feel it increase its suction power when it hits a particularly dusty area. You don’t even need to switch modes for that to happen. It makes sure you clean the spots you need to clean properly.
You want an easier way to clean pet or human hair
Maybe the laser wasn’t enough of a pull for you, or you want something a bit more. Dyson offers an additional tool to help pet owners or those who want an easier way to clean hair. The Dyson V12 comes with Dyson’s new anti-tangle hair screw tool. This cleaning attachment solves the problem of removing hair from the brush bar or it clogging the pipe.
It features a conical shape that allows the hair to spiral off the motorized tool and into the bin. This tool spreads out the hair clumps into smaller bunches and spirals them into the container. If something does get stuck in the machine, the Dyson V12 will let you know you need to clean out the bin.
What’s lit and what’s not?
What’s lit about it:
- Easy to set up and use
- Power button is a welcome addition
- Battery life is on par with the bigger Dyson models
- Easily discard accumulated dust and dirt
- Green laser makes it easy to locate dust and dirt
- Automatically increases suction power in particularly dusty areas
- See what kind of dust, mites, and allergens collected
- The new “hair tool” makes it so easy to pick up human and pet hair
What needs the extra spark:
- Smaller machine means smaller bin
- A bit of a messy affair cleaning out the bin sometimes
- Casters on the Laser Slim Fluffy are a bit unwieldy when moving left and right
- Want a way to see more detailed info on the collected dust
- Premium product means a premium price
Final thoughts
I’ve mentioned this in my Dyson Purifier Cool Formaldehyde review, but I have to repeat it, all of the tech features that come with the Dyson V12 Detect Slim mean you’ll pay a pretty hefty price. That isn’t surprising for a Dyson product since these are designed to be premium appliances.
And for those in that market, you’ll get what you pay for with this vacuum. You get an easy-to-use machine that gives you the assurance of how well your deep cleaning is. It helps get rid of troublesome messes like falling hair and pet hair quickly, too.
The Dyson V12 Detect Slim is available for PHP 44,900 (around USD 888 converted).