It might have a smaller dustbin and less power than the V15 Detect, but don’t dismiss the Dyson V12 Detect Slim just yet.
The Dyson V12 Detect Slim was only mentioned in passing during the official launch of the V15 Detect – it was almost as though Dyson didn’t really want much to do with the V12 because it wasn’t a flagship. But we’ve just spent a few weeks with both new Dyson handsticks and we’re pretty impressed with what the V12 Detect Slim can do… at a slightly lower price than the V15 Detect. Compared side by side, the V15 flagship is the clear winner in terms of performance, with far superior suction, but given the V12 Detect Slim comes with the headline-making features like the Laser Slim Fluffy cleaning head and the piezo sensor that ‘listens’ to what’s getting sucked up, but in a slightly cheaper package, there’s not much to complain about here. It has a small bin, yes, the same one used in the Dyson Omni-Glide, but it’s also what makes the V12 lighter, and thus easier to maneuver, than the V15 Detect. But, because the sides of the bin are so close to the inner cyclone, we found that clumps of hair and fibre don’t fall out as easily as they do with the 0.76L bins on the other V-series models. We had to use our fingers to get the dirt and debris out almost each time we vacuumed a carpet – not as hygienic as we hoped it would be. If you’re not too fussed about that, though, the V12 Detect Slim can match the V10 Cyclone for power (which is a darn good vacuum in its own right) and do so reactively. That means that if the V12 detects more dirt in a particular spot, it automatically increases suction power – the change is slight but effective. However, unlike the V15 Detect when used with the High Torque cleaning head, the V12 doesn’t reactively adjust suction when moving from hard floor to carpet. There’s hardly any other compromises with the V12 Detect Slim. It ships with its own version of the amazing new Hair Screw Tool – a masterpiece of engineering capable of sucking hair and fur (even slim cables if you’re not too careful) of any length without tangles – and you get the digital display of everything that’s being sucked up thanks to the piezo sensor. However, it costs almost as much as a Dyson V11, and if you can manage without the laser-lit Slim Fluffy tool and “scientific proof” of what you’re cleaning, then we’d lean towards getting the older model only because of the bin capacity. While the Dyson V15 Detect and the Dyson Omni-Glide were the highlights of the company’s May 2021 launch announcement, a third vacuum cleaner was also mentioned. The V12 Detect Slim comes in as the cheaper sibling to the V15 Detect, but only for select markets. So far, it’s available in Australia, New Zealand and Japan, but in several other countries, Dyson has introduced the ultra-lightweight Micro 1.5kg instead – an even lighter model with a maximum runtime of just 20 minutes. The V12 Detect Slim offers almost as much as the V15 Detect and costs AU$1,199 in Australia (about $895 / £645 – conversions likely higher than actual RRP), which is as much as a V11 model in Australia. At the time of writing, there was no official word on whether the V12 models would be available in the US or UK, but we’ll update this review as soon as we know more.
