Geek Review: Dyson V12s Detect Slim Submarine

Dyson is taking their home-cleaning tools to the next level, this time with a wet-and-dry vacuum that removes dust, spills and stains, in the new all-in-one Dyson V12s Detect Slim Submarine. 

The Submarine is the British brand’s latest wet roller head engineered to deliver the right amount of water to remove spills, tough stains and small debris effectively. Naturally, this isn’t the first vacuum of its kind, but with 30 years of experience in dust, the V12s Detect Slim Submarine already comes with its own set of expectations. 

For S$1,449 you can get a model with HEPA filtration system or S$1,299 for a regular filter. The regular filter captures particles as small as 0.3 microns while the HEPA filter captures particles as small as 0.1 microns, and to be honest, it’s up to you to decide how much dirt to tolerate. The HEPA filter is the current standard when it comes to vacuum filters, but if your home already has a HEPA air purifier, the question is if you’re the type of user who would remember to clean your machine if needed. Either way, both filtration systems from Dyson are fully-sealed and equipped with the Dyson Hyperdymium motor that spins at up to 125,000rpm, so you are promised a strong, comprehensive deep clean each time you vacuum. Personally, we enjoy the peace of mind with a HEPA filter knowing that even the tiniest particle is sucked, especially in this post-Pandemic world. 

The V12s Detect Slim Submarine stands at 1.25m, which is a mere cm taller than the Dyson V12 Detect Slim vacuum from two years ago but given how slim the machine is, it really doesn’t take up much space. Both machines weigh 2.2kg but with the Submarine wet roller head attached, it is a lot heavier. 

The Submarine wet roller head weighs 1kg, and when filled with its max capacity of 300ml of water, the head weighs 1.3kg. This means the entire machine weighs a good 3.5kg in total, and that’s before you even start. It is a rather hefty weight to carry around the house in comparison to a regular mop, but can a mop work the same way as the Dyson Submarine? The answer is a straight no. 

For starters, the new Dyson Submarine head makes it possible to vacuum and mop at the same time, and its motorized microfiber roller head makes it suitable to absorb liquids and wet or dry debris effectively without letting out too much water. The contents that have been sucked up are then contained in a separate tray within the roller head. This means new clean water is expelled with every move you make.

This is a much cleaner and hygienic cleaning process than using a regular wet mop where you’re dipping the same mop in the same water bucket each time. A regular mop also does not suck up debris, you’ll likely need to use your hands to pick up any debris or particles, or use a vacuum cleaner or sweep the debris away before mopping. The Dyson Submarine cuts the need for more than one machine and does all the cleaning you need with just one swift movement. 

The Dyson Submarine is also compatible with a variety of hard floors. We tested out the Submarine on indoor wooden parquet flooring and outdoor brick flooring and both times, the Submarine was able to easily clean wet spills. On outdoor brick flooring, we used the Submarine to clean up a spilt sweet drink. One quick motion and the Milo was gone – our favourite part? The floor was not sticky to the touch afterwards. 

Indoors, the Submarine went up against pet litter strewn across the wooden parquet floor thanks to our one-year-old cat and dust under a drum set. The Submarine effectively sucked up debris surrounding the litter box area and cleaned the floor at the same time, whereas, in the past, the litter particles would be swept with a broomstick and cleaned down with anti-bacterial wipes. 

Cleaning up the dust under the drumset is where we see just how easily the Submarine can fit into tight spaces. Granted, the Submarine head is bulky compared to other Dyson head attachments, but it was still able to fit between the legs and stands of the drum set with ease. We didn’t find a need to shift the two tom-toms, a floor tom, a bass drum, and a snare drum to vacuum and clean our parquet floor. The Submarine simply tilted itself into the various crevices and between the compartments. If we require a bit more assistance with cleaning between narrow gaps, we have the Crevice Tool.

A complete set of the V12s Detect Slim Submarine comes with three main heads: the Fluffy Optic Cleaner Head, Motorbar Cleaner Head and of course, the Submarine Wet Roller Head. You also get tools like the Hair Screw Tool, Combination Tool and Crevice Tool that you can switch out to clean edges and narrow gaps in your house and car or pick up stray human or pet hairs. 

Where we found the Submarine roller head useful in mopping and sucking wet spills and debris such as dust and tiny particles, we found that it was unable to do the same with hair. Roll the Submarine over a strand of hair, the result would be a wet floor with a flattened – now wet – strand of hair. It seems like hair will still have to be removed before using the Submarine to clean the floor. This is an issue that can easily be fixed though. All you have to do is attach the Motorbar Cleaner Head or the Hair Screw Tool provided in the set to the machine, vacuum the hair, and switch back to the Submarine to mop it. All this can be done in a mere minute and your issues are solved. 

One thing we would’ve liked is if the Submarine can somehow dry the area at the same time too. The Submarine expels precisely 18ml of water with each movement, so we’re not left with a puddle or an extremely slippery floor, but it is still somewhat wet after use. The floor dries after 15 minutes under a ceiling fan, but in an ideal world, the Submarine can do it all: suck debris, mop our floor and dry it too. We won’t be surprised if Dyson is able to create such technology in a few years to come. Depending on where and what you’re cleaning, you may not need to change or top up the water in the Submarine during use. After using the Submarine in the living area of our 4-bedroom HDB, there was still a third of the water left in the tank. While there’s no rule on whether you should throw the water out or keep it in for the next use, we keep whatever’s left for a day or two just in case there are small accidents and we wouldn’t be wasting water. 

Cleaning the Submarine is easy and hassle-free too. You can easily slide the water compartment out of the head to top up more water. The roller head can easily slide out of its placement and be washed under running water or with a household anti-bacterial detergent of your choice. Put it aside to dry under the sun, and it is good as new. Like the regular V12 Detect Slim, the V12s Detect Slim Submarine also has no-touch bin emptying where you just have to unclasp the latch and release the dust and debris into a bin in one action. 

With the V12s Detect Slim Submarine, you can get away with an hour of cleaning and all you have to do is click a single button to power it. You don’t have to press down a trigger like other models, so it makes swapping hands while navigating obstacles during cleaning easier. The machine also informs you of how many minutes of usage you have left and if you need to clean the filter or other parts of the machine. The V12s Detect Slim Submarine may be high-tech, but it has an intuitive design that is straightforward to use for first-timers or users of varying ages. 

For light daily or fortnightly cleaning, we find that the 1-hour duration and the accompanying 0.35L bin suitable. The challenge arises when you have the intention of doing a massive deep clean at the end of a few weeks as it would mean multiple trips to clean out the bin and potentially charging the vacuum cleaner twice. It takes 4 hours to charge the machine from 0 to 100% so we’d recommend planning out your chores appropriately. 

In all, the Dyson V12s Detect Slim Submarine is definitely ideal for homes with a mix of hard floors and carpets. Everything you need for a home as such is ready in the set. Need to deep vacuum a hard floor or carpet? You have the Motorbar Cleaner Head. Need to vacuum dust in dark places on a hard floor (like underneath the piano for example), you have the Fluffy Optic Cleaner Head. And now, if you need to clean up wet stains like spaghetti sauce, or a glass of spilt milk or your toddler is creatively drawing on the floor with markers, you have the Submarine. Pet owners or households with people with long hair will find joy in the Hair Screw Tool and the Crevice Tool is perfect to get into tough corners when you’re cleaning. 

With the Dyson V12s Detect Slim Submarine, a household with mixed floorings can solve their issues with one machine, instead of five. S$1,449 is a significant amount, but with that new perspective in mind, combined with Dyson’s advanced technology, the Dyson V12s Detect Slim Submarine is worth the investment. There is additional room for improvement, with the ability to dry at the same time hopefully in the future, but until then, this is the most comprehensive cleaning machine set to come out of the British brand in recent years. 

NOTE: The Dyson Submarine wet roller head is not compatible with any other Dyson vacuums, including pre-purchased V12 vacuum.