TESTED: THE DYSON CINETIC BIG BALL VACUUM CLEANER

I am not into gadgets or appliances: I don’t need to have the newest iPhone or iPad. And my 5-year-old desktop computer works just fine so there is no need to buy a faster, newer, slicker version. But there is one electrical product that I do get excited about. And that’s … a good vacuum cleaner! With a dog and kids running around the house a powerful vacuum cleaner can be a game changer. I discovered this a few years ago when I decided to spend a bit more money and bought a more expensive, better vacuum cleaner. But after a year of intensive use it got broken and unfortunately that particular model was no longer available. I never managed to find a vacuum that was equally powerful. I did look at Dyson vacuum cleaners as they get raving reviews but I was hesitant to actually buy one because I was not sure if it was worth the price tag.

So I got very excited (really!) when I got to test the new Dyson Cinetic Big Ball vacuum. This new model is the only vacuum that self-rights when toppled. Dyson engineers made this possible by assembling the vacuum’s components 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. Handy!

Another important feature of the Dyson Cinetic Big Ball is that it does not use bags or filters. Usually vacuums get less powerful with time as the filter needs to be cleaned or changed after a couple of loads (most of us tend to forget this including me). Also, bagged vacuums lose suction because the bags’ pores clog, blocking airflow. And most bagless vacuums use inefficient cyclones to separate dirt and dust from the air. Dust that isn’t captured passes onto the filter – clogging it. Dyson claims that because of the Dyson Cinetic technology the machine will maintain strong suction power for its working life. I was curious to see whether the Dyson would maintain its strong power even after weeks of intensive use. And I pleased to say that it did! After four loads (which is when usually a vacuum with filter loses strength as the filter needs to be cleaned) the suction power remained the same with the Dyson picking up the tiniest bits of crumbs and dust.

The Cinetic Big Ball comes with an impressive array of seven attachments (see image above) including a carbon fibre soft dusting brush, a multi-angle brush, and mattress, reach-under, and tangle-free turbine tools. So in addition to my floors, this spread allows me to clean just about everything in my home, from corners and curtains to pet hair and upholstery. Assembling the vacuum was relatively easy although it took me a while to figure out how to use all the attachments. This is not described in the manual (which would have made it easier) but I managed to find more information online. I mostly used the Musclehead floor tool, which self-adjusts to clean every floor type. An active base plate automatically adjusts the cleaner head height, raising and lowering to seal in suction across carpets, rugs and hard floors.

The verdict: this is a very powerful vacuum cleaner. It does make my (cleaning) life easier as it takes me less time to vacuum my home. Our house is a 100 year old farm house and there is always a lot of dust. Usually when vacuumed dust returns after one day but with the Dyson being more powerful I did not have to vacuum as often as I normally would. The Dyson Cinetic Big Ball did not have any problems with removing dog hair (stuck in carpets etc) which to me was the true test.

Quality like this comes with a price. The Dyson Cinetic Big Ball is more expensive than the average vacuum cleaner. But there are no hidden costs as there are no filters to wash or replace and no bags to buy. In addition, the Dyson does save me time which too me is a very big plus! Also, there is a 5 year guarantee on parts and labour (no quibble repair or replacement). Which is good news as my previous vacuum cleaners all broke down after 1 or 2 years. If you take all these facts into account, the price is justified in my opinion.

Nice facts to know:
– Approx. 55 design engineers produced more than 1,000 prototypes of the Dyson Cinetic BigBall TM cylinder during the development phase.
– 1,800kg of test dust was used during the development of Dyson Cinetic Big Ball TM machines. That’s approx. the weight of two Minis!

This post has been created in collaboration with Dyson. Words and opinion are my own.

from THE STYLE FILES http://style-files.com/2016/06/21/tested-the-dyson-cinetic-big-ball-vacuum-cleaner/