Dyson PencilVac setup
The Dyson PencilVac arrived at my home in an unbelievably slender box – so slim, in fact, that I genuinely struggled to believe it contained a full vacuum cleaner. Dyson clearly knows this is part of the appeal. The front of the packaging proudly shows an exploded illustration of the machine’s engineering, revealing how the battery, motor, electronics and dustbin have all been squeezed neatly into the wand itself – a sort of internal anatomy lesson that feels like Dyson is showing off a bit.
There’s a similar reveal illustration of the cleaner head, too, stripping back the surface to show the fluffycones rollers, which look like something halfway between a hairbrush and a futuristic pastry tool. It’s immediately clear that this vacuum’s entire identity is built around how much engineering Dyson has managed to cram into a surprisingly slender frame.
Putting it together takes less time than making a cup of tea. Scratch that – less time than pouring the hot water in is more like it. You just click the wand into the floor head and then click the handle into the wand. That’s the whole assembly process. Once it’s charged, you’re ready to go. It’s the quickest vacuum setup I’ve ever done.
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Dyson PencilVac design
The handle houses the battery, the heaviest part of the machine, along with the motor, controls and display. Despite that, it all feels extremely well-balanced and the slim aluminium-style finish gives it a very premium feel in the hand.
The PencilVac’s slim design is largely down to Dyson’s new Hyperdymium motor. Borrowed from the engineering used in the brand’s supersonic and airwrap hair tools, it measures just 28mm in diameter, making it the smallest and fastest motor Dyson currently produces.
Just beneath the handle, there’s a small digital display that shows battery life and cleaning mode. A red power button switches the vacuum on, while a blue button cycles between eco, medium and boost modes. The display shows exactly how many minutes of cleaning time you have left as you switch between them, which is surprisingly helpful when you’re deciding whether you’ve got time to tackle another room.
The wand itself measures just 38mm in diameter, which explains why the whole thing feels more like holding a broom handle than a traditional vacuum cleaner. Further down the wand sits the dustbin, which has what Dyson calls a “syringe-action” system. It compresses dust inside the bin so it can hold more than you might expect from such a slim design. The bin capacity tops out at 80ml, which is respectable given the machine’s narrow profile.
Turning over the cleaner head reveals four conical rollers (two at the front and two at the back) and between them are four tiny castor wheels that help the head glide smoothly across the floor.
The box also includes a magnetic charging dock that holds the vacuum upright when not in use. The shaft snaps neatly into place and is held by magnets, creating a tidy little charging station that doesn’t take up much floor space. The dock itself measures roughly 25cm x 29cm, and the vacuum’s slim pole is about 116cm long.
You only get one extra attachment: a combination dusting and crevice tool. It features soft blue bristles and a velour strip designed to help lift hair from surfaces and it clips neatly onto the charging stand.
The PencilVac can also connect to the MyDyson app, where you can download the manual, check machine settings and get maintenance advice. It’s a useful addition, though you probably won’t need it much once everything’s up and running.
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Dyson PencilVac performance
The first thing you notice when switching on the PencilVac is how light and agile it feels. There’s a reassuring “thwomp” as the motor kicks in, and the cleaner head begins to glide across the floor. In fact, it almost feels like the vacuum is riding on a cushion of air. The suction pulls the vacuum forward slightly, which makes it feel almost self-propelling. Combined with the slim wand and lightweight design, the whole thing feels incredibly nimble in use.
Another thing you notice straight away is the laser illumination. As soon as the vacuum powers on, green laser lights stretch out across the floor to highlight dust and debris. Dyson uses this trick on several of its vacuums, but this is the first model I’ve tested where the lasers appear on both sides of the cleaner head.
The reason for this becomes obvious once you start cleaning. Because the handle rotates freely in your hand, you can twist the vacuum to clean forward or backwards without lifting it. Having lasers on both sides means you can see dust whichever direction you’re moving.
In everyday use, the PencilVac is incredibly easy to manoeuvre. I found it simple to weave tightly around table and chair legs, thanks to the smooth swivelling action of the cleaner head.
Its slim design also makes it surprisingly good at reaching awkward spaces. One example that stood out was my shoe rack, underneath which dust and debris tends to gather and glare at me. Most vacuums can’t get close enough to reach underneath it, but the PencilVac was shallow enough that I could angle the cleaner head to vacuum just under it by a few centimetres and get rid of the offending mess.
Hard floor cleaning is where this vacuum really shines. When I scattered flour across the floor in my tests, it left a satisfyingly straight line through the powder as it passed. There was occasionally a faint strip of flour where the two conical rollers meet, but rotating the vacuum slightly cleared the remaining dust in a single pass.
It did pretty well with lentils, too, although I needed a couple of passes to collect every last one. Watching the debris shoot up the tube and compress inside the dustbin was oddly satisfying. Or is that just me? It’s probably just me.
Pet hair removal was excellent as well. Judging by the amount of hair that quickly accumulated inside the bin, it looked like the PencilVac was incubating a tiny Golden Retriever.
Read more: 7 best pet vacuum cleaners, tried and tested in a home with two dogs
The vacuum also transitions surprisingly well onto flat rugs, as long as they’re pretty low profile. Unlike other vacs I’ve tested, it didn’t bunch the mat up, suck it into the cleaner head or give up the will to live and shut itself off – instead, gently purring across the divide.
The dusting attachment turned out to be genuinely useful as well. Because the vacuum is so lightweight, attaching the brush to the wand makes it ideal for above-floor cleaning. It’s great for clearing cobwebs from ceilings and corners, dusting lampshades, cleaning behind radiators and sweeping dust off door frames and window frames. Although I’m not sure the crevice tool works as well at the end of a long pole.
Dyson PencilVac emptying and maintenance
Emptying the PencilVac uses Dyson’s syringe-style bin mechanism, which pushes compressed dust downwards into your bin.
In theory, this reduces dust clouds during emptying. In practice, however, I struggled with the release mechanism and emptying the bin. It could be a lack of familiarity with the new design, but it feels like the whole thing could be smoother. In the end, I had to hold it like a rifle against my chest while attempting to unleash the ‘syringe’.
Dust also tends to collect around the small seams and crevices of the bin housing, which can make it look a little untidy over time. I’d have liked the plastic casing to be easier to remove, so it could be wiped down more thoroughly.
What could Dyson do better?
While the PencilVac handles fine debris extremely well, it did struggle slightly with larger flat items, such as dried leaves. These sometimes get pushed forward rather than immediately sucked up, or the cones roll them around for a while before spitting them back out.
The number of attachments included is also limited. Aside from the combination dusting tool, there aren’t any additional accessories in the box. At this price, you might want a little more for your money.
Finally, although the dust compression system helps maximise capacity, the bin itself is small, which means you’ll definitely find yourself emptying it more frequently than with larger Dyson models.
