As the name suggests, the PencilVac is a lightweight cordless vacuum cleaner that is “pencil-thin” at only 38mm diameter. At just 1.8kg, the PencilVac is Dyson’s most manoeuvrable vacuum cleaner according to its maker.

Dyson also claims that it is the only vacuum cleaner with four fluffy cones to detangle long hair. Its new Fluffycones cleaner head is said to eject even long hair from the brush bar as you clean. In other words, there is no more cutting or pulling hair out of tangled brush bars.

The Dyson PencilVac has four cones in two brush bars, one behind the other, which rotate in opposite directions to clean both forwards and backwards. You will also know what you are cleaning, as the PencilVac has laser-like illumination both in front and behind.

Personally, I have been using Dyson Omni-glide for around four years. And I am still loving it due to its lightweightness (a wee bit heavier at 1.9kg) and easy manoeuvrability. I wonder how the PencilVac will fare against it. Hopefully, I will be able to get a review unit.

It uses Cone Aerodynamics to deliver 10-metre projection, a new K-Carbon filter for better NO2 capture and introduces a CO2 sensor. Cone Aerodynamics uses the Coanda effect to merge two streams of air over a smooth surface, resulting in a powerful and condensed jet of air that can be projected of up to 10 metres – more than double the airflow of the previous generation Dyson Purifiers – with minimal noise.

Alongside its powerful projection, the Dyson Purifier Big+Quiet Formaldehyde is also engineered to operate quietly, producing just 56 decibels of noise – making it Dyson’s quietest yet most powerful purifier. For comparison, a quiet library produces around 40 decibels of noise.

With haze season coming, an air purifier might be the best thing to get to prevent getting respiratory diseases. The Dyson Purifier Big+Quiet Formaldehyde does not come cheap though, with pricing starting from S$1,299.

The British tech giant said it will be committing half a billion pounds (S$812 million) to expand and accelerate its research and technology development across its beauty portfolio in the next four years. And beauty lovers can looking forward to more Dyson’s “pretty” gadgets, as it announced plans to launch 20 new beauty products in the next four years.

Across Dyson’s four Technology Campuses, there are 6,000 engineers and scientists in hundreds of laboratories doing rigorous testing of new ideas and technologies for the next generation of beauty products. Developing technology for all hair types remains a crucial focus for the research and development teams at Dyson

For Dyson to truly understand how all hair types behave as well as identify better and healthier ways to style your hair, Dyson has developed test rigs and employ state of the art equipment. Machinery such as scanning electron microscopes, thermal cameras and airflow laser smoke machines help engineers better understand the impact of hair damage, global hair types and the effects of high-speed airflow.

The new monetary investment will create new lab spaces to deepen Dyson’s understanding of global hair types and damage, while supporting the continued diversification of Dyson’s beauty technology.

At the same time, Dyson also released the results of its most comprehensive hair research study, called Dyson Global Hair Study. In Singapore, Dyson found that 40% of Singaporeans cited hair loss as their common hair or scalp issues.

Interestingly, 70% of Singaporeans felt that their hair is damaged but yet most still feel their hair is healthy. Thankfully, 90% of Singapore wash their hair every day or once every two days, which is more than the global average of 80%.

• Price: S$1,349, exclusive at Dyson Store
• Weight: 3.1kg

The review unit is the V15 Detect Absolute (HEPA) version, which is more expensive than the standard V15 Detect Absolute model (S$1,299, get it at Shopee). The main difference is the HEPA version comes with three more tools – comb-crevice tool, fabric and mattress tool and up-top adaptor.

In addition, instead of having a separate crevice tool in the standard model, the HEPA version features a built-in crevice tool that is integrated to the main wand. It easily detaches from the wand for a ready-to-go crevice tool. No more having to use a wand clip to store the combination and crevice tools anymore.

Of course, as its name implies, the HEPA version features an advanced HEPA post-motor filter to trap more microscopic particles as small as 0.1 microns. It also has Dyson’s 5-stage advanced filtration technology that can capture 99.99% of particles as small as 0.3 microns. Most importantly, the V15 comes with a more powerful Dyson Hyperdymium motor that can spin up to 125,000rpm for up to 230AW of suction power (up from V12’s 150AW).

Like the V12, the V15 has laser dust detection to help you see dust better and thus clean better. Basically, it is a green laser diode being integrated into its Slim Fluffy cleaner head to help you see dust better. It works similar to how you are able to see dust in the air when a ray of light shine through your window.

The V15 also features an anti-tangle hair screw tool that is designed to prevent the wrapping of hair around the brush bar. Again, similar to V12, the V15 comes with an acoustic piezo sensor sited within the bin inlet. It measures the size and quantity of different dusts and the results are shown on the circular LCD screen at the rear of V15.

The V15 also has a bigger 0.54-litre dust bin, over V12’s 0.35-litre. But the V15 is bigger and heavier at 3.1kg, compared to V12’s 2.2kg frame.

In terms of looks though, the V15 does not differ much from the V12. It looks like a futuristic ray-gun from some sci-fi movie. The hand grip has an opening at its bottom to insert the removable battery like a magazine. Like a gun, it has a trigger that activates the suction power unlike the V12.

Personally, I prefer the power button of V12. That way, you do not need to squeeze the trigger all the time when vacuuming. Not helped by the increased weight, my fingers felt fatigued and numb after each cleaning session with V15. On the bright size, it does save some battery life as it stops vacuuming the moment you release the trigger.

Not to mention, the V15’s bigger dust bin means less trips to my trash bin to empty it. With V12, I usually have to empty the dust bin three times. But I only need to do it once for V15, at the end of the cleaning session.

Having used the V12’s Laser Slim Fluffy cleaner head and anti-tangle Hair Screw tool for nearly a year, I am not surprised by the similar superb performance when I was using V15. With the Laser Slim Fluffy, I can see dust more easily on my floor. You can literally see the line between where has been vacuumed and where it has not.

And the Hair Screw tool continues to be the go-to tool when vacuuming my sofa and beds. It does a superb job in clearing all the dust and hair.

In terms of cleanliness, I do feel the V15 makes my 90 sq metre house cleaner (the floor especially) than the V12 with just one round of vacuuming. I guess the increased suction power does help.

As expected, the battery life of V15 is better than the V12. While I found the V12 to last around 45 minutes on Eco mode, the V15 lasted an hour on Auto mode. I was able to finish vacuuming the floor of my house with the Laser Slim Fluffy as well as sofa, bed and other surfaces with the Hair Screw tool within the hour.

It is nice to finish the vacuuming session without changing tools too often. This is especially so when I can just detach the built-in crevice tool to vacuum up any “stray dust” I see. My only complaint with the built-in crevice tool is its brushes are too short and might scrap some surfaces as a result.

But the biggest downer of the V15 is its hefty price tag. At S$1,349, it is pretty expensive. But given its convenience and performance, I would say it is well worth its price. That said, I am someone who bought a S$3,000-plus industrial corded vacuum cleaner to clean my house until I found Dyson’s cordless machines. So I might be biased.

VERDICT: Apart from its hefty weight and price tag, the Dyson V15 Detect Absolute (HEPA) is the perfect cordless vacuum cleaner you can get right now. It offers great vacuum performance along with its array of tools to clean any surfaces.

Exclusive to Dyson Direct, the V15 Detect Absolute (HEPA) model is further equipped with whole machine HEPA filtration to capture ultra-fine particles such as pet dander and nasties. The post-motor filter is able to capture 99.97% of particles down to 0.1 microns. Dyson says this is its most hygienic vacuum as well as having the best-ever filtration in a Dyson cordless vacuum.

In addition, the  V15 Detect introduces a new brush bar technology designed to tackle all hair, whether it is from our pets or ourselves. This brush bar features 56 hair removal vanes, precisely angled to help migrate all hair types directly into the cleaner head. Furthermore, the V15 comes with technologies found in Dyson V12 Detect Slim, including laser dust detection to see hidden dust and Piezo Sensor to measure the kind and amount of dust gathered.

NEW CLEANING TOOLS

At the same time, Dyson also unveils its new Pet Groom Tool. This tool has 364 bristles angled at 35 degrees, which can be extended, to brush your pet’s coat for quick and comfortable grooming.

This tool is attached to compatible Dyson vacuum directly or via an extension hose. As such, the loose hairs gathered on the bristles can be easily removed using the vacuum. It is fast and convenient to use, as you can see from the video below.

Dyson also introduces two new cleaning attachments with the Scratch-free Dusting Brush and Awkward Gap Tool.

As the name implies, the Scratch-free Dusting Brush comes with 8,100 ultra-fine and densely-packed polymer filaments tapered to just 0.05mm to prevent scratching when cleaning delicate surfaces. Instead of dirtying your hands, the brush has a rotating cuff that lets you remove dust and debris hygienically and easily.

If you have difficult corners or awkward spaces, the Awkward Gap Tool is what you need. With a width of 12.5mm and reach of 254mm, this nifty tool is able to twist up to 22 degrees – the optimum angle according to Dyson’s extensive research – to reach and clean those narrow gaps in your house. There is also a secondary brush at its tip to gather more stubborn dust and mess.

The Pet Groom Tool, Scratch-free Dusting Brush and Awkward Gap Tool are all compatible with Dyson’s cordless vacuum cleaners way back to the V7 version. However, they cannot work with the Dyson Omni-Glide.

The Dyson V15 Detect Absolute cordless vacuum cleaner is available today at S$1,299 and S$1,349 (HEPA version, Dyson Direct exclusive).

The Pet Grooming Kit (which includes the Pet Groom Tool, extension hose and cord free adapter) is priced at S$99, while you can get the Scratch-free Dusting Brush and Awkward Gap Tool together with the Detail Cleaning Kit at S$99. Both kits are available today as well.