Dyson V12 Slim Review

We loved Dyson's accessories, including the hard surface-specific head, which is great for hardwood, and a mini motorized attachment perfect for upholstery.

Carpet Performance

The V12 comes with Dyson's Motorbar head, rather than the Digital Motorbar that's stocked on higher-end models. The distinction may seem minor, but there's a difference in real-world performance.

With more clearance between the head and floor, the seal doesn't grip the carpet as tightly, making it less effective at pulling up debris, especially when it's deep. The V12 Detect doesn't reach the same level of clean as some of Dyson's top-tier models. On top of that, its small dustbin fills quickly, which can trigger a clog warning and cause the vacuum to shut off.

Admittedly, this testing is rigorous. It also bears mentioning that the Dyson performed well during each trial prior to clogging. But the fact is that large, tough-to-tackle messes are common in many people's lives, and the speed with which the vacuum filled up and shut itself off felt like a real flaw.

On shag carpet, it felt less effective, but this is standard across the board, as it's more challenging to clean thicker carpets successfully.

Hardwood Performance

Vacuums often excel at one particular floor surface. In the case of the V12, that surface is hardwood, in large part because of the Fluffy Optic cleaner head, a feature that we've loved in other Dysons and were excited to see in this more affordable model. The laser-like beam of green LED light throws grit and detritus into sharp relief on hard surfaces.

At the end of each trial, the dustbin was yet again full to bursting, and the vacuum had started to feel weaker. Still, Dyson's laser detection system works so well that I'd feel confident recommending this vacuum for a hardwood-floored house, though perhaps not a particularly large one.

Edge performance is surprisingly important in terms of the overall vacuuming experience. If you clean your entire floor, but the inch closest to each wall remains dirty, it won't feel very clean.

Before Testing After Testing

On both test strips of coffee grounds, this product left no crumbs behind. This bolstered my overall impression that this vacuum would be great for small spaces like a dorm room or studio apartment, where tight spaces, a high edge-to-floor space ratio, and potentially different flooring types, but not for a large house with wide open rooms.

Because of the dustbin size, I'd still hesitate to recommend it for bigger houses, even if they are all hardwood. However, if you don't mind taking a few breaks to empty the dustbin, it could be a high-performing, lightweight, and relatively affordable option, even for larger spaces.

Pet Hair

Pet hair is one of the most difficult messes to clean up, and cordless vacuums, with their power limited by battery life and size, especially tend to struggle. However, just like the rest of us, many pet owners are attracted to the ease and maneuverability of going cordless.

The V12 did pretty well with pet hair cleanup. On low-pile carpet, we were able to gather 75% of the hair we put down, and 57% on high-pile.

Before Testing After Testing

On both carpet types, there were clumps of pet hair left behind when my time was up and long hairs wrapped around the brush roll. This is a very common problem; despite various brush roll head technologies that promise to eliminate hair wrap, almost all vacuums struggle with it.

Filtration

This product's HEPA filter performed excellently, and there was no significant increase in airborne particulates from the room's baseline.

Dylos designates that any reading below 75 particles is excellent air quality for small particle filtration. Small particles are more hazardous than larger particles because they can enter your bloodstream, causing chronic problems. This makes the V12 Detect Slim a great option for anyone sensitive to allergens.

Ease of Use

This vacuum has certain features that we love, like the specialized hardwood floor head and the mini motorized roller attachment. But it was also difficult to disassemble, empty, and clean, and the tiny dustbin meant that this process was necessary more often than it is on other vacuums.

We found the dustbin really difficult to detach from the vacuum's head. Multiple team members tried, and we were all left similarly frustrated. It's possible that this was a manufacturing defect with the specific vacuum we bought, but it certainly didn't inspire confidence.

Despite this, the V12 was light and maneuverable, and during the vacuuming process, we appreciated that it was easier to move around than other Dysons we've tested. We also loved that Dyson has finally upgraded to an on/off button! The trigger activation on previous models was genuinely tiring for our hands, and the button completely solves that problem.

This vacuum transitioned easily between the floor types, but we found that when swiveling the head, it didn't articulate smoothly. It would pick up off the floor rather than lying flat, reducing suction power and forcing us to adjust its angle manually. Zig-zagging the cleaning head through the cones required a bit of muscle, but overall, the V12 was easy to steer and cornered well. Its lightweight also made it easier to get under couches and tables.

The minimotorized attachment excelled on couches, and though the movement of the motorized roller blew a few coffee grounds around, it left the pillow and the ironing board completely clean.

The attachments are one of the highlights of this vacuum. We heavily depended on the mini motorized brush and hard surface roller, which felt built-to-purpose and significantly increased the quality of the clean we were able to achieve on the surfaces they were intended for. The V12 also came with a crevice tool and a combination tool, both relatively standard but good quality, and a wand clip to secure the attachments to the vacuum wand.

The specificity of the V12's attachments massively upgrades the vacuum. Particularly if you're going to be focusing on upholstery or hard floors, this vacuum might be a worthwhile buy just for the attachments.

Battery

Like most cordless vacuums, this vacuum's battery isn't particularly long-lived. A caveat to these numbers is that, though less powerful than other Dysons, the V12's low (or 'eco') setting still provides a lot of suction, so you shouldn't need to use the high (or 'boost') setting all that often. It also has an auto mode, which detects the level of suction necessary and adjusts the vacuum accordingly, ostensibly providing the longest possible battery life.

The V12's battery life isn't a problem in and of itself, particularly if you're willing to split your cleaning into a couple of separate blocks. However, between charging breaks and emptying the dustbin, cleaning a full-sized house with this vacuum will require numerous interruptions.

Should You Buy the Dyson V8?

We would only buy the Dyson V12 Detect Slim on sale or if we want it to tackle light cleaning. If we spent $650, we'd be frustrated by the finicky maintenance and the tiny dustbin. However, if you're cleaning a small space, particularly one with a lot of hardwood, and want to opt for a luxury name like Dyson, this can fill a niche area while saving you hundreds of dollars compared to other models from the popular brand.

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