Electrical appliance manufacturer Dyson yesterday launched what it claims is the biggest change to vacuuming since it introduced bagless technology 12 years ago.
The company, whose futuristic-looking designs are now the biggest sellers in the UK, Europe, the US and Australia, has invented a cleaner with a single ball-shaped wheel designed to make it far easier to manoeuvre around furniture. Users can change direction with a small turn of the wrist rather than have to resort to the push-and-pull required with conventional upright cleaners.
The new cleaner, known as "The Ball" (DC15), will retail for between £320 (€458) and £350 (€500), depending on the model.
Inventor James Dyson turned the world of vacuum cleaners on its head in 1993 with the arrival of the DCO1, the first in a range of bagless appliances.
The single wheel on the DC15 is reminiscent of one of Dyson's earlier inventions - the "Ballbarrow Wheelbarrow". It retains the same dual cyclone technology, in which the traditional bag has been replaced by two cyclone chambers which cannot clog with dust. After the outer cyclone has spun out the larger dust and dirt particles, the inner cyclone accelerates the air still further to remove the minute particles.