Review: Dyson PencilVac Fluffycones

The vacuum connects to Dyson’s app, where you’ll find resources such as how to empty the dustbin and wash the filter, but not much else. It can tell you how long your last vacuuming session was, but no other details, so it’s not as interesting or as informative as the data you’d get from a robot vacuum.

Fluffy Face

Photograph: Nena Farrell

Photograph: Nena Farrell

This vacuum’s full name is the Dyson PencilVac Fluffycones, aptly named for the four fluffy cones inside the vacuum head. Dyson’s previous recent stick vacuums all have the Fluffy Optic cleaner head for vacuuming hard floors. While both have a fluffy roller bar, the Fluffycones have a conical shape that Dyson says will detangle and remove hair rather than the hair getting stuck all around it. It did detangle hair for me, but when I vacuumed up larger portions of hair from my bathroom floor (a place where many a stray hair comes to die at the hands of my hairbrush, comb, and towel), it actually bunched up the hair into a ball and spat it back out a few times before finally sucking it up into the dustbin.

While the hair results weren’t great, I did love this vacuum for sucking up the cat litter that constantly plagues my home. It did a great job with flour on my hard floors and a solid job with dry oats, but it occasionally just bumped the oats around instead of immediately sucking them up. I was even able to quickly run it over the top of my carpet, but rolling back and forth on the carpet a bunch did stop the cones.

The head is designed to move in just about any direction. The cones make it easy to swivel around, and the green illuminating lights on the front and back help you spot any debris you might otherwise miss. With its compact size that fits in tricky corners, the PencilVac finally lets me vacuum up all the litter around the base of my toilet and pedestal sink. It’s part of what makes me reach for this vacuum over and over, even after my robot vacuum cleaned the day before.

Forward Momentum

Photograph: Nena Farrell

Do I think this vacuum replaces Dyson’s existing cordless options? No. But Dyson has other new vacuums planned that could do that. This vacuum has a specific design for a specific use: smaller homes with entirely hard floors. There’s an accessibility opportunity here, too. This lightweight vacuum can be much easier to use for folks with mobility and strength restrictions. The magnetic charging base also makes it easy to store and access for a variety of people, whether they struggle with fine motor skills or can’t bend over and grab the vacuum.