Is the Dyson V12 Detect Slim worth it?

Dyson has made a name for itself with its line of powerful cordless vacuums, which offer innovative features to help you get your floors as clean as possible. The Dyson V12 Detect Slim boasts many of the same features as the brand’s most popular models, including a dirt-revealing laser that ensures you never miss even a speck of dust. 

But while the V12 Detect Slim offers power and features similar to models like the Dyson V15 Detect, it is lighter and more compact, making it easier to move around and store than other cordless vacuums. 

To see how well it really cleans, the BestReviews Testing Lab put the V12 Detect Slim to work on different flooring surfaces, including laminate, tile, low-pile carpeting and medium-pile carpeting. We also evaluated how well it picked up debris in various sizes, such as coarse kosher salt, ground coffee and dry pet food, and how long its battery lasted in each cleaning mode to see how long it could clean. 

Lastly, we paid special attention to how easy the V12 Detect Slim was to maneuver through our testing area and whether its laser really helped reveal hidden dust and hair.  

Why we like it

• Compact, lightweight design: The V12 Detect Slim weighs just over 5 pounds, making it one of Dyson’s lightest cordless models. It is easy to navigate through tight spaces and carry between floors. 
• Single-button power control: Unlike the Dyson V15 Detect, the V12 Detect Slim has an on/off button rather than a trigger, so you don’t have to hold it down while vacuuming and worry about hand fatigue. 
• Powerful suction: The V12 Detect Slim offers surprisingly good suction power for such a lightweight cordless vacuum, cleaning both hard flooring and carpeting efficiently by removing most types of debris in a single pass.  
• Dirt-revealing laser: The V12 Detect Slim has the same laser that the Dyson V15 Detect and Gen5detect Asolute have, so it can reveal dust, hair and debris on hard flooring that isn’t visible to the naked eye for deeper, more thorough cleaning. 

What we don’t like

• Small dustbin: The Dyson V12 Detect Slim has one of the smallest dustbins of all the cordless vacuums we tested, so you may need to empty it in the middle of cleaning. 
• Shorter battery life: During testing, the V12 Detect Slim’s battery life didn’t last quite as long as other cordless vacuums we tested, including the Dyson V15 Detect, so it may not be the best choice for larger homes. 

The 60-second scoop

The V12 Detect Slim’s lightweight design and impressive features can make cleaning your floors a breeze.

Product specifications: Dust Bin Capacity: 0.09 gal | Dimensions: 9.92” L x 9.8” W x 49.4” H | Battery Life: up to 59 min | Cleaning Path Width: 9.9” | Weight: 5.22 lb

The Dyson V12 Detect Slim weighs slightly over 5 pounds, making it the lightest vacuum in the Dyson line. Its lightweight design makes navigating around furniture and into tight corners extremely easy. It’s also more ergonomic and comfortable to use than models with a power trigger like the Dyson V15 Detect because it turns on and off with the press of a button. Its maximum suction of 150 air watts isn’t as strong as the V15 Detect’s max of 240 AW. However, it still performed well in our tests, needing just one pass to remove most types of debris on both hard flooring and carpeting. 

Like the V15 Detect and other models in the Dyson Detect line, the V12 Detect Slim features a green laser positioned at a precise angle to illuminate hard flooring and reveal invisible dust and hair, ensuring that not a single piece of dirt is left behind. It also has an LCD screen that displays a graph of what it’s picked up, as well as how much battery life is left, to ensure you get the deepest clean possible. Its dustbin is fairly small, holding just 79 grams of debris during our testing, so it can fill quickly, particularly in a larger space. 

See how the V12 Detect Slim compares to other products in its space — check out our reviews for the best Dyson vacuums.

Price and where to buy

The Dyson V12 Detect Slim regularly retails for $649.99. You can find it at Amazon and Best Buy. 

Setup

Testers assemble the Dyson V12 Detect to evaluate its overall performance on carpeted and hard flooring.

The V12 Detect Slim came in a sturdy box that was easy to open, thanks to tabs at the side. The vacuum was completely disassembled, but each component was secured with cardboard and wrapped in foam sheets to protect them during shipping. 

Once we removed the components from the box, the setup was highly intuitive, so we didn’t need to look at the manual or consult the Dyson app to figure it out. The process barely took two minutes — the main body, wand and cleaning heads all snapped into one another easily, so we didn’t have to force them or push too hard. They have red buttons or tabs at their connection points, making it easy to detach the pieces to swap in new accessories or use the main body as a hand vac.  

Design and brushrolls

Our testers recommend washing the filter at least once a month to maintain effective suction power.

The V12 Detect Slim certainly lives up to its name with a compact, lightweight design. It was the lightest of the Dyson cordless vacuums we tested, weighing just 5.22 pounds, so it is 1.3 pounds lighter than the V11 Extra, 1.61 pounds lighter than the V15 Detect, 2.5 pounds lighter than the Gen5detect Absolute and a whopping 3.38 pounds lighter than the Gen5outside Absolute. We definitely noticed how easy the V12 Detect Slim was to maneuver around our testing area, so we had no issue navigating around furniture or carrying it up and down stairs. Storage was just as convenient because its slim design allowed us to tuck it away in a closet without needing too much room. 

The vacuum’s main cleaning head, the Motorbar cleaner head, is designed for hard flooring and carpeting. It has detangling vanes that automatically clear hair from the brushroll as you clean. Our testing area housed two medium to large dogs, so there was plenty of pet hair to pick up. However, we never noticed any hair tangled around the brushrolls, making the V12 Detect Slim an excellent choice for homes with pets. 

Battery life and recharge time

The Testing Team evaluates the Dyson V12 Detect's battery life and charging time.

The V12 Detect Slim has three cleaning modes, which vary in suction and battery life. Eco mode offers the lowest suction power to prolong the battery life. Boost mode provides the highest suction power and drains the battery quickly, making it best for deep cleaning and ground-in dirt. Auto mode balances suction power and battery life by adjusting the power based on the amount of dirt present. 

Dyson advertises a battery life of up to 60 minutes for the V12 Detect Slim. However, during our testing, it cleaned for 54 minutes in Eco mode, 41 minutes in Auto and nine minutes in Boost. Outside of specific tests, we mainly used the V12 Detect Slim in Auto mode and found that its 41-minute battery life was more than enough to clean our 1000-square-foot testing area. 

Suction power

The V12 Detect Slim offers surprising suction power for a cordless vacuum. We tested its ability to clean hard flooring like laminate and tile, as well as both low- and medium-pile carpeting, by placing debris in various sizes on the surfaces, and it removed all types of debris in just one or two passes. 

When we placed 8 grams of ground coffee, 6 grams of coarse kosher salt and 12 grams of dry pet food on laminate, the V12 Detect Slim removed all in a single pass. It also removed 5 grams of kosher salt, 6 grams of kosher salt and 10 grams of dry pet food from low-pile carpeting in one pass. 

When we placed 8 grams of ground coffee, 6 grams of kosher salt and 12 grams of dry pet food on tile, it needed one pass to remove the coffee and salt but two for the pet food. On medium-pile carpeting, it removed 5 grams of ground coffee and 10 grams of dry pet food in a single pass and 6 grams of kosher salt in two passes. 

Dyson V12 pet hair performance

Because our testing area housed two dogs, the V12 Slim Detect had plenty of pet hair to contend with. It removed the hair from hard flooring as well as we expected, but it was truly impressive on carpeting. It easily pulled hair from both low-pile and medium-pile carpeting, removing all the visible hair — plus some hair we couldn’t see since the dustbin was nearly full when we finished vacuuming. 

We mainly used the V12 Slim Detect’s Motorbar cleaner head to remove pet hair from carpeting. Its detangling vanes clear hair from the brush bar to prevent tangles, and after cleaning, we didn’t notice any hair tangled around the roll. We also used the hair screw tool to remove pet hair from the upholstered furniture in our testing area because it was small enough to fit into tight areas. As with the Motorbar cleaner head, we didn’t see any hair tangled around the tool’s brush afterward. 

Noise

Testers assess the Dyson V12 Detect's noise levels in Eco mode, Auto mode and Boost mode.

The V12 Slim Detect is fairly loud, though we didn’t find it was any noisier than most corded models. It hit 74.7 decibels in Eco mode, 80.4 in Auto and 87.1 in Boost. 

Surprisingly, it was slightly louder than the V15 Detect, registering 1 to 5 decibels higher depending on the mode. The V15 Detect offers stronger suction power than the V12 Detect Slim, with a max of 240 AW compared to the latter’s 150 AW, so we expected it to be the louder of the two. 

However, despite its decibel readings, we didn’t find the V12 Slim Detect to be any noisier than our usual corded vacuum, which registered 93.1 decibels. 

Surface performance and docking

The V12 Detect has a no-touch emptying bin that can eject its debris directly into a trash can to keep your hands clean.

Thanks to its lightweight design, the V12 Detect Slim moved extremely easily around our testing area. We didn’t have any issues transitioning between hard surfaces and carpeting, so we didn’t need to push any harder to go between different surfaces. 

The vacuum comes with a wall-mountable docking station that’s very easy to install. We connected the V12 Detect Slim’s charger to the docking station, so the vacuum charged each time we docked it. It easily fit in the dock, too. 

Features and accessories

The Dyson V12 Detect’s LCD screen sends alerts when it’s time to clean the filter or if maintenance issues, like blocked airways, arise.

The V12 Detect Slim comes with two cleaning heads and three accessories that make the vacuum as versatile as possible. It’s also equipped with features to help you clean more effectively and efficiently.

Fluffy optic cleaner head

The Fluffy optic cleaner head is one of the V12 Detect Slim’s most exciting features. It emits a green laser angled in just the right way to illuminate hidden dust and debris on hard flooring.

Before testing, we assumed this feature would be more of a gimmick than actually useful, so we were pleasantly surprised by how well it worked on our laminate flooring. We first tested the Fluffy optic cleaner head in a room with the lights turned off, and it revealed a staggering amount of dust and hair we didn’t realize was there. However, even when we turned an overhead light on, the laser still illuminated considerable hidden dirt we’d missed. 

With the Fluffy optic cleaner head, we could thoroughly clean all the hard flooring in our testing area. The only drawback to the laser feature is that it drains the V12 Detect Slim’s battery fairly quickly, and there’s no way to shut off the laser. 

Hair screw tool

The V12 Detect Slim comes with a hair screw tool, which is a small cleaning head with a conical brushroll designed to pick up pet hair and long hair without getting tangled. It can connect to the end of the wand or directly to the main body for use as a hand vac. 

We used it to clean the upholstered furniture and a set of carpeted stairs in our testing area and were highly impressed with the amount of hair it removed, even in small tight spots. Afterward, we didn’t notice any hair tangled around the hair screw tool’s brush, either, so it would work well for a home with pets. 

LCD screen

The V12 Detect Slim has an LCD screen on top of the main body that displays information to help you clean, including the total for the particles it’s picked up, the current cleaning mode and the remaining battery life. It also alerts you to possible maintenance issues, so you can correct them as soon as possible. 

We found that the LCD screen’s location at the top made it easy to read while using the vacuum and definitely appreciated that it kept a running tally of the remaining battery life based on the cleaning mode to ensure we never ran out of power unexpectedly. However, we weren’t quite as sold on the graph that displays the size and number of particles picked up. There was no way to verify whether the info displayed was accurate, and we weren’t sure how having those numbers would improve our cleaning anyway. Dyson touts the graph as proof of a deep clean, but the dirt-revealing laser on the Fluffy optic head did more to assure us that our floors were thoroughly cleaned. 

Other features and attachments

The V12 Detect Slim has an ergonomic design that makes it very comfortable to use. Unlike the V15 Detect, which has a trigger, it has a one-button on/off switch, so you don’t have to hold it down while vacuuming. We found it made using the V12 Detect Slim much easier because our hands didn’t get fatigued while cleaning. The button was positioned perfectly, too, so we never accidentally turned the vacuum off. 

In addition to the hair screw tool, the V12 Detect Slim includes a crevice tool and a combination tool. The crevice tool has a long, narrow nozzle designed to clean along edges and in other tight, hard-to-reach spots. We used it to clean between the cushions on the sofa in our testing area and were impressed with how well it removed pet hair and crumbs. 

The combination tool has a brush on one end and a wide nozzle on the other, so you can quickly switch between cleaning tasks. We used it to clean the blinds in our testing area, and it effectively removed dust without damaging the delicate slats. 

How we tested

The Testing Team put the Dyson V12 Detect through numerous assessments to determine overall performance and functionality.

To accurately evaluate the V12 Slim Detect’s cleaning ability and features, we conducted several tests to see how it performed in specific situations. We were especially interested in its suction, laser feature and battery life. 

Handling fine debris like ground coffee

To see how well the V12 Slim Detect could handle fine debris, we used ground coffee. We placed 8 grams each on laminate and tile and 5 grams each on low-pile carpet and medium-pile carpet, noting how many passes the vacuum needed to fully remove the debris.

Handling mid-size debris like coarse kosher salt

We evaluated how well the V12 Detect Slim handled mid-size debris by placing coarse kosher salt on various flooring surfaces. We placed 6 grams each on laminate, tile, low-pile carpeting and medium-pile carpeting and observed how many passes were needed to remove the debris. 

Handling large debris like dry pet food

To determine how well the V12 Detect Slim handled large debris, we used dry pet food. We placed 12 grams each on laminate and tile and 10 grams each on low-pile carpet and medium-pile carpet, noting how many passes it took to pick up the debris. 

Evaluating the dirt-detecting laser

We evaluated the laser emitted by the V12 Detect Slim’s Fluffy Optic cleaner head by testing it on laminate flooring in a heavily trafficked area. First, we used the laser feature in a completely dark room with the lights off. Then, we turned on an overhead light to see how well the laser worked in a brighter light. 

Assessing battery life

We tested the V12 Detect Slim’s battery life by running the vacuum in its three cleaning modes. We noted how long it cleaned in Eco, Auto and Boost modes and how long it took to fully recharge the battery once drained. 

Assessing noise level

To determine how loud the V12 Detect Slim was, we used a handheld decibel meter to test its volume in its Eco, Auto and Boost modes. 

How does it compare to other vacuums we’ve tested

• Weight: Weighing just over 5 pounds, the V12 Detect Slim was the lightest cordless vacuum we tested. It is at least 1 pound lighter than the Dyson V11 Extra, Dyson V15 Detect, Dyson Gen5detect Absolute, Dyson Gen5outside Absolute and the Shark Cordless Detect Pro.
• Suction: The V12 Detect Slim offered excellent suction power for a cordless vacuum in our testing, but it has a maximum suction power of 150 AW. The Dyson V15 Detect can reach 240 AW; Gen5outside Absolute has 250 AW; and the Gen5detect Absolute has 262 AW.
• Battery: The V12 Detect Slim cleaned for up to 54 minutes during our testing, slightly shorter than the V15 Detect’s 69 minutes. It exceeded the Shark Cordless Detect Pro, though, which only ran for 42 minutes before needing to recharge. 
• Single-button power control: Unlike the Dyson V15 Detect, the V12 Detect Slim doesn’t have a power trigger that has to be held down throughout cleaning. Instead, its single on/off button made vacuuming much more comfortable because our hands never got tired holding down a trigger. 
• Dirt-revealing laser: Like other vacuums in the Dyson Detect line, including the V15 Detect, the V15 Detect Submarine and the Gen5detect Absolute, the V12 Detect Slim comes with a Fluffy Optic cleaner head that emits a green laser to reveal hidden dirt. 

The final verdict

The V12 Detect needed just five minutes to thoroughly clean a 120-square-foot section full of pet hair in our testing area, making it a very efficient cordless model.

The V12 Detect Slim is a lightweight cordless vacuum that’s easy and comfortable to use but still offers excellent suction power on both hard flooring and carpeting. Like other Dyson vacuums, it’s pricey, typically retailing for $600-plus, but it does cost less than other models with similar features. 

We especially love how well it handled hair without tangling, so it’s an excellent option for pet owners. While its shorter battery life and smaller dustbin probably make it a better choice for smaller homes, we recommend it for houses with multiple levels because its lightweight design makes it extremely easy to carry up and down stairs. The dirt-revealing laser also makes it a perfect fit for anyone who wants the deepest clean possible for their hard floors — you’ll never miss even the smallest speck of dust with its Fluffy Optic cleaner head.