A vacuum that can’t clean carpets, has a battery that only lasts less than 20 minutes and costs well over £400 sounds utterly ridiculous, but I’ve been left smitten by Dyson’s new PencilVac. This skinny and lightweight device is so simple and easy to use that your wooden floors will never be filthy again. Yes, it’s way too expensive, and you’re probably thinking a £5 dustpan and brush could do just as good a job, but Dyson has created a genuinely brilliant product here.

Right out of the box, it takes seconds to set up with no fussy screws or endless instructions to follow. Just snap the handle and cleaning head together, and you are ready to go.

It also comes with its very own power stand, which it clips neatly into for a refill – that means it’s always charged and ready for action. You also don’t have to plug it in, as the stand features a smart connector that automatically powers up the battery.

With my floors looking messy, it was time for the first clean, and the PencilVac really impressed.

Its clever ‘Fluffycones’ cleaning head moves in all directions, making it feel more like a high-tech mop than a bulky vacuum cleaner.

Whizzing it around my rooms, under sofas and the kitchen table, is effortless and far easier than anything I’ve tried before.

The fact that it’s so thin and light also improves the usability, and it even features glowing green lasers that reveal exactly where the dust is and the bits you may have missed.

That Star Wars-style technology might sound like a bit of a gimmick, but it works surprisingly well, and it’s amazing the bits of the floor that haven’t been cleaned.

Dust and debris are collected in the skinny handle, but don’t worry about it filling up constantly.

Its clever new collection chamber squishes the muck to fit more in, and I’ve easily performed two or three cleans before worrying that’s getting too full.

Unlike some older Dyson models, the PencilVac is hassle-free to empty, and it’s much easier to get all of the collected muck directly into the bin rather than spreading back all over the freshly cleaned floors.

Now, let’s talk about battery life. There are three modes which offer different levels of suction. Set the PencilVac to Eco, and you’ll get over 20 minutes of cleaning time. Sadly, things rapidly reduce if you place the device on its highest “Boost” setting, with my tests only offering around 10 minutes of cleaning before it dies.

So battery life isn’t the best, but you can swap the power pack (at extra cost) during cleaning if you need a longer runtime.

Having tried it on all the family mess, from cereal to pet hair, there is nothing the tiny but powerful Hyperdymium motor won’t suck up.

As I mentioned before, the PencilVac doesn’t like carpets, so it’s not the solution for homes with different flooring types. You can rub it over a rug, but it doesn’t perform as well on fabric as a standard vacuum.

With a launch price of £429, this is also not a cheap machine – in fact, it’s ludicrously expensive.

So, it’s not perfect. But if you have loads of hard flooring, hate using cumbersome vacuums and want a serene way to quickly clean up the day’s dirt, the PencilVac comes highly recommended.

It’s perfect for busy homes that want an easy way to keep on top of the weekly chores.

Maybe one to watch out for if the price tumbles in the yearly sales.