Dyson Cordless Stick Vacuum

Less than the hour on the box once you're on carpet. The V12 Detect Slim is rated for 60 minutes, and that's enough for most homes on the lower setting. With the main floor heads on auto or high it's closer to 25 to 30 minutes, though, and boost drains it faster still.

Yes. At 5.2 lb the V12 Detect Slim feels light and well balanced, so it steers under furniture and carries upstairs without much strain. It's a comfortable pick if your back or knees complain after pushing a heavier stick around.

Sometimes. In a lot of pet homes the V12 Detect Slim clears dog hair from rugs and carpet well, but some units clog often enough that the attachment has to come off so the blockage can be pulled out. If you have a heavy shedder, expect to do that now and then.

Not really. To empty the V12 Detect Slim you hold it over the trash and push a lever, and the dirt drops out without your hands going near it. The catch is long hair, which sometimes winds around inside and has to be pulled out by hand.

For one pet, yes. The bin on the V12 Detect Slim holds 0.38 liters, which is small, but in a single-pet home that's fine. With a heavy shedder it fills before you're done, so you'll stop and empty it partway through a clean.

It shows dust and hair you'd otherwise miss. The V12 Detect Slim's floor head throws a green light across hard floors, and dust and hair that were invisible before show up clearly, which most find useful rather than a gimmick. It works on hardwood, tile and laminate.