Dyson made its name by eliminating big frustrations people encounter when trying to accomplish one of the most basic household tasks: vacuuming. So what do you do when the big frustrations are gone? You tackle the little ones.

Company founder James Dyson created the first vacuum cleaner without a bag, and he also created the ball-based design that made it easier to negotiate complicated room layouts. A couple of years ago, Dyson also eliminated the need for a filter with its Cinetic range. Along they way the company has also been working on improving battery life, power and ergonomics, and other pieces of the vacuuming puzzle, and the new Cinetic Big Ball Animal continues that work.

At a glance

• 0.42 gallon bin
• 17.64 lbs
• 35-foot reach

Pros

• 4.1 ft extension rod for high spot cleaning
• Big bin
• Ball won’t flip

Cons

• Expensive
• Fairly large in terms of occupying storage space

Design

The new Cinetic Big Ball canister vacuum also seeks to continue refining the model, getting rid of two remaining annoyances that can still making cleaning up a pain. The first is navigation; canister designs tend to get twisted and potentially flip while in use, and the Cinetic Big Ball gets around that with a canister designed around a ball-shaped main body, which will indeed resist attempts to knock it over, as you can see in the short GIF below.

“We’ve assembled all the vacuum cleaner’s components around this spherical array, with the heaviest components nearest to the bottom inside the ball,” explained product engineering lead for the Big Ball Rob Green in an interview. “This lower center of gravity and curved body is what allows it to self-right with the assistance of gravity if the machine is knocked over.”

The ball body is clever and works, but for smaller spaces or ones where there are fewer obstructions, the more important design features are a long, flexible cord and the vacuum wand portion, which is long and light. Using the canister blends the power of a corded vacuum with much of the convenience of a portable, and Dyson has done particularly well at making sure both benefits translate without incurring many of the compromises of either design type.

Dyson has also refined some of the more basic elements of canister vacuum design, including a new quick release attachment coupling system that’s easier than what the company has offered in previous generations, and which also includes an adapter bracket so you can still use existing attachments you have from previous machines or accessory purchases. And there’s an articulating handle for the wants that can rotate in three separate directions to make it easier to clean hard-to-reach places even when the canister’s firmly grounded.

Function

Dyson’s newest canister has a number of functional advantages over previous machines and competitors, but the main one in terms of convenience over time might be that it lacks any kind of general maintenance – including filter cleaning. The Cinetic line from Dyson all offer this more recent trick: even the low-maintenance, wash-once-a-month removable filter is gone, thanks to a built-in filtration system that weeds out microscopic dust particles before they ever hit the permanently installed filter.

It can really seem like indulging in extreme laziness to complain about having to rinse something under a tap for a few minutes every month and then just letting it dry, but taking that single, minor pain point away actually makes a huge difference, because it’s one less thing you have to worry about.

Another thing you no longer have to worry about is the dust cloud that typically results from emptying a vacuum bin. New to the Big Ball specifically is a bin emptying mechanism design that includes a silicone wiper part, which sweeps down the sides of the canister interior to push out the dust in a downward motion that does help a lot with making sure the finest dirt from your vacuuming session also makes its way to the garbage can, rather than either remaining inside as a fine layer, or blowing about in your interior air.