In this review, we’ll be looking at Dyson’s latest hard floor vacuum – the Micro 1.5KG.
Yes, a cordless stick vacuum that only weighs 1.5 KG, the lightest I’ve tested so far.
How good is this hard floor vacuum from Dyson?
I’ve spent the past week putting it through my usual series of tests, and there were a few surprises I’ll share with you in this review.
Lightest Cordless Stick Vacuum I've Tested
- Ergonomics - 97%97%
- Surface Cleaning - 99.11%99%
- Deep Cleaning - 75%75%
- Quality - 94%94%
- Design - 95%95%
- Value - 94%94%
Summary
Dyson tries to break the mold again with the Micro 1.5 KG stick vacuum. It’s the total opposite of their full-sized line-up—an extremely lightweight product that focuses more on ergonomics than anything else.
Everything, from the body, volume, and battery to the nozzle, is downsized to make it as light as possible. The Micro is the lightest stick vacuum I’ve tested, and I won’t be surprised if copycats will sprout as this product is quite popular. But how good is it? I’ve spent many hours testing this product to find out.
Pros
- The lightweight frame weighs a little over 2 pounds
- Dyson ditches the trigger
- Excellent cleaning performance (even on carpet)
- Highly ergonomic in its handheld configuration
- The fully sealed system didn’t leak during the fog test
Cons
- Small dustbin capacity
- It will not deep clean carpet
- Weak airflow and suction
Introduction to the Dyson Micro 1.5KG
After Dyson unveiled the V15 Detect, I didn’t know what they’d do for an encore.
But we could see a pattern with the subsequent release of the Omni-Glide and Micro.
James Dyson seems to be focusing on an underserved niche: hard floor vacuums.
The Micro 1.5 KG is Dyson’s latest hard floor vacuum with a lightweight form factor of (you guessed it) 1.5 kilograms.
While other brands utilize a high-powered motor paired with a suction-only floor tool, Dyson sticks to its tried and tested formula – the soft roller.
Everything in the Micro is focused on shedding as much weight as possible.
It has the same form factor as a full-sized Dyson cordless stick vacuum but is much smaller.
Dyson downsized everything from the dustbin, battery to the soft roller tool, aptly called the “Micro Roller.”
I mentioned in the video review that it’s a smaller version of the V8’s soft roller, but it’s closer to the slim attachment of the V15 Detect minus the green LED.
We’ll go through these features in this section.
Micro Fully cleaner head
One of my favorite Dyson attachments is the soft roller, which is a tool that Dyson pioneered and other brands have copied.
The Micro Fluffy cleaner head is another technological first in the industry as the smallest and lightest soft roller nozzle.
It’s similar in width to the Omni-Glide’s dual roller tool, but this one is lighter.
With steering, the micro roller is similar to a Dyson full-sized roller, and it doesn’t have the 360-degree steering of the Omni-Glide.
However, it has more torque than an omnidirectional head and works on carpet.
It’s usable on carpet, at least for surface dirt.
You’ll see in the cleaning tests; it is pretty good as it picked up a high percentage, which was a pleasant surprise.
But don’t rely on this stick vacuum for carpet since it lacks a motorized brush and it’s primarily designed for hard surfaces.
On a practical aspect, you could utilize this capability to clean light area rugs and something full-sized stick vacuums will struggle cleaning.
Root cyclone technology
The Dyson Micro retains the root cyclone technology, and due to the smaller form factor, the number of cyclones is reduced to eight.
Still, it retains the cyclonic system that keeps suction even as the dustbin fills up.
It has a fully sealed system that didn’t leak during the fog test – a good sign for allergy sufferers.
Dustbin design and volume
This cordless stick vacuum retains the same horizontally aligned dustbin as the full-sized V-series line-up (V10, V11, and V15) but at a much smaller scale.
It retains the trombone-style lever that you push forward to empty, but at the cost of volume.
Due to Dyson’s weight-saving quest, capacity takes a hit and only can hold 0.05 gallons (or 0.18 liters) worth of debris.
The Micro dustbin inner components are similar to the Omni-Glide, but the dust cup isn’t interchangeable due to the differences with mounting mechanisms.
Push-button switch
Another feature I like with the Dyson Micro is the push-button on top of the body.
It’s a similar feature to the Omni-Glide, but Dyson ditches the trigger interesting with the Micro.
I’m not sure if this will crossover to the full-sized stick vacuums, but I hope they consider it since it adds a lot to usability.
Ergonomics and usability
Dyson Micro’s biggest strength is its lightweight frame.
I weighed it with and without tools, and it was extremely lightweight.
Without any tools, it weighs only 2 pounds and 0.9 ounces.
And with the extension wand and nozzle, it goes up to 3 pounds and 4.6 ounces, which is in line with Dyson’s claim of 3.3 pounds.
The lower weight figure is impressive for a stick vacuum, making it the lightest I’ve tested.
Add Dyson’s decision to go with a push-button switch adds to the excellent ergonomics since there’s no need to squeeze anything.
Handle weight is light, at only 0.85 kgs or 1.87 pounds.
Expect similar steering feel as the Dyson V8, but with a much lighter feel.
What I like about the Dyson Micro’s lightweight frame is how well it translates to handheld usability.
It’s where the benefit of the push-button switch is most felt.
Not having to continually squeeze the trigger matters since your arm and wrist are more relaxed.
The domino effect is a more relaxed user experience and less arm fatigue.
Battery and run time
The Dyson Micro utilizes a 2500 mAh lithium-ion battery, smaller than a full-sized Dyson stick vacuum.
So don’t expect the same run time as, let’s say, a Dyson V10 or V11.
Dyson says that the Micro will run for up to 20 minutes, but run time tests exceed this figure, lasting up to 27 minutes.
In the max setting, it ran for 8 minutes and 58 seconds before draining the battery.
Not bad for a lightweight stick vacuum.
But the good news for potential Dyson Micro users is there’s no need to use the max setting since the micro roller attachment has enough agitation to pick up debris on hard surfaces.
Unfortunately, the Micro 1.5KG battery isn’t detachable.
Users will have to unfasten three Torx screws to remove the battery, unlike the Omni-Glide battery that has a release latch behind the battery.
What comes out of the box?
Attachments and tools will depend on where you purchase this product.
North American consumers will get more tools, including the micro roller, light pipe crevice tool, workshop tool, combination crevice tool, and mini motorized tool, plus the wand clip.
If you can purchase the gold North American variant, by all means for these extra attachments.
Unfortunately, the Asian market won’t get as much.
- Dyson Micro vacuum
- Extension wand
- Combination tool
- Mini turbo brush
- Charger
- Wall mount
- Micro roller
How much power does the Dyson Micro have?
For all Dyson vacuum reviews, I use an anemometer to measure airflow at the wand and nozzle.
It’s not the most precise way to check power, but it provides an excellent baseline to compare with other vacuums.
I expected the same results as the Omni Glide before this test since Dyson claims both have the same power output at 50 air watts, but it wasn’t the case, at least for airflow.
Airflow at the wand
- Normal: 24.53 CFM
- Max: 32.41 CFM
Airflow at the nozzle
- Normal: 19.33 CFM
- Max: 26.64 CFM
However, when I did the suction test, the results were the same at 48″ of water lift. I stated in the Omni Glide review that it had 45″ of water lift, but when I did a retest, it was at 48″.
Not everyone agrees with the water lift test using only the water lift gauge, so I purchased a Y vacuum gauge used for central vacuums.
But it’s also usable on other types of vacuums. I did two tests, the sealed and unsealed, and here are the results.
- Unsealed: 9″ water lift
- Sealed: 50″ water lift
It’s the exact same result as the Dyson Omni Glide, so the claimed air watt numbers are accurate.
Cleaning performance
Initially, my mindset was only doing the hard floor test since this vacuum (as Dyson claims) is a hard-floor-only stick vacuum.
But when I tried it on carpet, the soft roller spun, which was a surprise because the Dyson Omni Glide did not.
- Overall: 93.08%
- Hard floor: 99.45%
- Sand on hard floor: 99.7%
- Carpet (surface): 98.17%
- Deep cleaning: 75%
The Dyson Micro’s carpet results are impressive, considering it wasn’t designed for this surface.
I wasn’t expecting much from it, honestly. However, when the roller spun on it, I had to do the whole gamut of experiments for you guys.
And I’ll explain in the carpet cleaning section the domino effect of this added benefit.
Hard floor results
- Quaker oats: 100%
- Coffee grounds: 97.8%
- Quinoa: 100%
- Pet litter: 100%
Results were excellent on hard floors, considering it had less airflow than the Omni Glide.
It was (actually) slightly better than its fellow Dyson hard floor vacuum on this surface.
The Micro’s soft roller has the same dynamics as its full-sized counterparts, which did well considering the airflow disadvantage.
Sand on hard floor test
Another strength of the Dyson Micro roller is its high-end sand on hard floor pick up with a 99.7% average, the same score as the Shark Vertex Cordless.
It’s one of the better results and better than the Omni Glide that picked up 99.5%.
Hair wrap
Another surprise for me is how well the Dyson Micro picked up hair, where I tested it on around one gram of five and seven-inch hair.
- 5-inch: 96% inside the dustbin; 4% on the roller
- 7-inch: 88% inside the dustbin; 12% on the roller
You can see that nothing wrapped on the roller after the five-inch experiment.
Likewise, there’s no visible hair with the seven-inch test.
Granted, I did these experiments using the max setting, but it’s still impressive since the micro roller tool doesn’t have an active anti-tangle system.
But the hair will stick on the middle filter piece inside and will not easily come off as you empty it.
Consumers may need to detach the exterior dustbin frame or use their fingers to remove any hair sticking.
I’m sure you won’t have to tackle this much hair daily, so it shouldn’t be an issue.
For everyday messes, the dustbin will look like this.
This is how much it picked up after cleaning the area under the sofa.
The hair issue remains as it sticks on the exterior mesh filter, which will require you to detach the outer dustbin frame.
Not a big deal since detaching it is easy, but it’s an extra step.
Edge cleaning
Another plus for the micro roller attachment is its efficiency at cleaning edges.
It picked up nearly every crumb on this zone after a few quick passes.
Even the micro roller tool sides have openings, enabling it to pick up small debris from this area.
Carpet cleaning results
The biggest surprise for me doing the cleaning tests is how well it picks up on carpet.
To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much from the Dyson Micro on this surface, but when I tried it, the roller spun continuously, so I had to do the tests.
Low pile results
- Quaker oats: 98.6%
- Coffee grounds: 97%
- Quinoa: 100%
- Pet litter: 98.8%
Not the best Dyson on carpet, but considering this model is supposed to be a hard-floor-only vacuum, these numbers are excellent.
It struggles most with coffee grounds (obviously); as you can see, it didn’t pick up everything, but the 97% score is impressive.
Mid pile results
- Quaker oats: 98%
- Coffee grounds: 94.2%
- Quinoa: 100%
- Pet litter: 98.8%
The results on mid-pile carpet mirror the low pile scores, so it picked up more or less the same amount, except for coffee grounds.
But it’s understandable since it lacks stiff bristles for picking up embedded dirt.
Deep cleaning
I had to do a deep cleaning experiment to see how well it picked up.
And the results were below average at 75% but still impressive for a vacuum with only a soft roller.
It was better than another soft-roller-only vacuum I’ve tested – the Dreame V10.
The experiment shows that it is usable to a degree on carpet or light area rugs, which I’d recommend using this on if you don’t have a wet/dry hard floor cleaner.
How noisy is the Dyson Micro 1.5KG?
One downside with any Dyson stick vacuum product is its high noise levels; the Micro is no exception.
Using a sound meter, these are the results on both power settings.
- Default: 74.0 dB
- Max: 78.5 dB
It’s one of the loudest Dyson vacuums I’ve tested and probably is a negative consequence of trying to squeeze out more power from a smaller motor.
Availability of Parts
One plus with Dyson cordless products is parts availability, and the Micro should be no exception.
Since the Dyson Micro is a new product, spare parts won’t be available.
Still, with its popularity, I’d expect third-party brands to sell these components in stores like Amazon or eBay eventually.
Dyson also sells these parts on their website, so long-term ownership shouldn’t be a concern.
Product Specifications
Model | Dyson Micro 1.5KG |
---|---|
Brush roll on/off | No |
Battery | 2500 mAh Li-ion battery |
Charging time | 3 - 4 hrs. |
Battery life | up to 27 mins |
Weight | 3.3 lbs. |
Width | 8.25" |
Overall length | 47.5" |
Battery indicator | Yes |
Filter type | Washable pre-motor and HEPA filter |
Dust capacity | 0.18 li |
Airflow | Up to 32.41 CFM |
Cordless | Yes |
Bagless | Yes |
Warranty | 2 yrs. |
Price | Check Price |
Where can I buy the Dyson Micro?
The Dyson Micro is only available on the Dyson website. Check the link below for the latest pricing.
- Dyson Micro 1.5KG on Dyson.com
Disclaimer: I may earn a commission if you purchase through the link above, but at no extra cost, so it’s a win-win for us!
Does the Dyson Micro 1.5KG offer good value?
The Dyson Micro isn’t cheap at its introductory price.
Other brands, like the Shark Vertex cordless, won’t be as expensive, but users will not enjoy the lightweight benefits the Micro offers.
There’s no other vacuum in the market like it (so far) for hard surfaces, so I doubt Dyson will bring the price down.
So to help you decide, I’ve enumerated some reasons you may want to consider buying a Dyson Micro below.
4 Reasons to buy the Dyson Micro 1.5KG
- Extremely lightweight: This vacuum weighs only 3 pounds and 4.6 ounces WITH the extension wand, cleaning nozzle, and body. It’s the lightest I’ve tested so far.
- Light steering feel: Not only is this vacuum light, but it also has a feathery feel that I have not seen in other brands.
- Fits in tight spaces: The compact frame of the micro roller attachment enables it to fit in areas other stick vacuums cannot.
- Excellent cleaning performance: The Dyson Micro is one of the best at vacuuming hard surfaces despite the low airflow.
- Great for stairs: Another plus with the lightweight design is its ability to clean stairs – at least the non-carpeted variety.
The Verdict: Better Than I Expected
Dyson is greasing its creative gears with the Micro 1.5KG.
I honestly didn’t know what to expect when I got it, but I’m impressed by this lightweight stick vacuum.
It exceeded expectations with its superb cleaning performance and picked up debris even on carpets!
The small form factor, smooth steering mechanism, and push-button switch make it one of the most ergonomically pleasing stick vacuums to use.
It lacks the Omni-Glide’s 360-degree steering, but I prefer its handheld usability over its wand-handled sibling.
In the video review, I’ve mentioned that it’s the best Dyson handheld I’ve tested, and I stand by that statement in this article.
Sure there are price issues, but if you value versatility, ergonomics, and lightweight design, strongly consider the Dyson Micro 1.5KG.