GROUP TEST CORDLESS VACS

We’ve tested six of the best cordless muck-slurpers of the 2022 crop – but which will clean up, and which will be left in the dust?

[ Words Chris Haslam ]

Dyson V12 Detect Slim

What’s the story?

Last year Dyson revealed the V15 Detect, a flagship vac with a difference. For hard floors, the box includes a soft roller head with an integrated laser that shines a light on any dirt sitting on your floor. It sounds like a gimmick, but it actually works – and Dyson has now launched this more compact version.

Both cleaners come with a bunch of tools for carpets and upholstery, including a ‘motorbar’ head, a ‘hair screw’ tool (it spins hair into the bin rather than getting tangled up) and a crevice tool. There’s an adapter for getting into hard-to-reach places too.

However, there are some distinct changes compared to the V15. This vac has a smaller dirt bin, it’s got a power button rather than a trigger, and there’s a bit less power at 150 AirWatts compared to the V15’s 230.

But it’s a serious upgrade on Dyson’s other compact hard floor cleaners, the Omni-Glide and Micro. And of course, because of the included tools, the V12 is a vac for all surfaces, not just hard floors.

Is it any good?

For normal cleaning the reduced power versus the V15 isn’t a problem, but we did notice it in boost mode. Note that it will only spin up into boost mode when you really need it, as this really drains the battery. The remaining battery life is shown on the screen alongside info about the particles the cleaner is picking up – interesting, but not that useful.

With most manufacturers the V15 would have been reduced by now, and so would already be a better buy than this newer model. But Dyson tends not to do that for its range-toppers, so the V12 is a really good way to get the all-round brilliance of the V15 with just a little less power.