Those of you who are regular readers will know I’m a total neat freak and I love nothing more than to take the latest cleaning products or gadgets for a spin. No really, this stuff excites me! I also have a long time love affair with Dyson, having grown up in Wiltshire, England, where James Dyson opened his first factory. As a local newspaper reporter back in the day, one of my most exciting assignments was to cover the launch of the until then top secret Dyson washing machine. I’ve been a Dyson fan since I bought a reconditioned one on first moving out of home (my trainee reporter salary didn’t quite stretch to brand new) and have been one ever since.
I bought the handy Dyson V6 Animal last year and it gets a serious workout. I love how portable, flexible and lightweight it is. But at the end of the day, a battery charge only lasts a max of 20-odd minutes and you really can’t have it all. So while this will always be the go-to in my house for a quick vacuum, it’s got nothing on this powerful new beast, the Cinetic Big Ball.
Of course, like all Dysons, it looks pretty cool. While some people say that doesn’t matter, I think it’s an added bonus. And it’s not just aesthetics, it’s clever design too, which will always be a winner with me. While some barrel vacuum cleaners can be cumbersome and frustrating, Dyson engineers set out to solve some common problems with this one: “The problem with some barrel vacuums is that they can go off on a tangent and topple, leaving you to walk back over the floor you’ve just cleaned to right the machine. We challenged our engineers to refine the barrel format, to solve this problem and others. The Dyson Cinetic Big Ball barrel is the vacuum that self-rights when toppled. Further advances include hygienic dirt ejection and an articulated handle,” says James Dyson.
It’s the only vacuum with no maintenance and no loss of suction, as there are no filters to wash or replace and no bags to buy. It self-rights when toppled because its components are put together in a spherical array, with the heaviest nearest to the floor. Placing them inside a curved body with a low centre of gravity means that whenever the vacuum is displaced, gravitational forces will automatically return it to its upright resting position. It can turn on the spot and follow you effortlessly around the home. This is great for a clumsy person with little patience (that’s me).
As the bin is emptied, a silicone collar slides down the shroud. This scrapes off trapped dirt or debris, driving them out. There’s no need to touch the dirt or reach inside the bin (something I often have to do with the Animal if I’m honest. And yuck!).
As well as being a neat freak I’m also in total denial about having a stylish home and a toddler. Case in point: our newly purchased cream wool rug which shows every speck of dirt. The extreme suction (it’s so powerful, it takes some getting used to, and the toddler is scared of it, but again, you can’t have it all!), removes everything and leaves it looking all perfect, fluffed up and like new. Hoorah! (And did you know almost every small spill can be removed with baby wipes? It’s true.).
There are so many more cool features to this machines, like the attachment with anti-static carbon fibre filaments to help remove dust from hard floors. And an active base plate automatically adjusts the cleaner head height, raising and lowering to seal in suction across carpets, rugs and hard floors.
If you’re a true Dyson fan like me, you’ll know that back in the seventies, James Dyson revolutionised wheelbarrows by replacing the wheel with a ball. So it’s kind of like coming full circle really.
Available now from all major retailers. RRP from $699. For more information.
Fun fact: The Dyson Cinetic Big Ball barrel was in development for more than 2.5 years and more than 50 design engineers produced more than 1,000 prototypes of it.
Disclosure: Dyson gifted me with this vacuum for the purposes of this review. Positive coverage was not guaranteed.