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Ideal Home’s review of Dyson’s corded Big Ball found it effective at lifting fine dust and managing pet hair, but less convincing on larger debris. The 7.9kg vacuum has a 1.6L bin, a 10m total reach and a five-year guarantee, while its bulk and storage needs may make it awkward in smaller homes.
Ideal Home has published a hands-on review of Dyson’s new Big Ball cylinder vacuum, a corded model that revives the brand’s self-righting ball design and the colourful Harlequin finish associated with its early bagless machines. Tester Caroline Preece found that it lifted fine dust and handled cat hair well, but struggled to clear some larger debris and was cumbersome to move and store in her small flat.
The Big Ball has a 700W motor, rated suction of 135 air watts in Powerful mode, and a 1.6-litre bin. Its cord is 6.6 metres long and Dyson lists a total reach of 10 metres. The machine weighs 7.9kg and measures 114.5cm high, 40cm long and 25cm wide. In the box are a Motorbar cleaner head, crevice tool, brush tool and wand storage clip. Dyson provides a five-year guarantee.
For Ideal Home’s debris test, Preece scattered flour, rice and crushed cereal on a vinyl floor. The flour and rice were removed in one pass, including from tile gaps. Larger cereal pieces took several passes; the Motorbar pushed some pieces ahead of the cleaner head and to the sides before collecting them. The report says performance on that test was less impressive than expected, while noting the model’s stated suction rating.
Preece also tested the vacuum in everyday use in a one-bedroom basement flat in Ipswich, where laminate and vinyl floors are mixed with rugs and a cat lives in the home. She reported that the vacuum lifted fine dust left behind by a robot cleaner and that its Motorbar hair-removal vanes kept the brush bar clear of human and animal hair during testing. The review also describes setup as straightforward: the hose, wand and cleaner head click together, and assembly took about three minutes.
Cleaning Power Versus Home Practicality
The review highlights the trade-off behind choosing a full-size corded vacuum over a cordless or robot model. The Big Ball does not depend on a battery, and its 1.6-litre bin offers more capacity than many compact cleaners. For people who clean several rooms in one session, that can mean fewer interruptions to recharge or empty the machine. Ideal Home also notes that the vacuum has no bags to replace and no filter to wash.
Those advantages come with day-to-day costs in space and handling. Preece found the machine heavy and prone to wobbling or tilting as she pulled it between rooms. Its wand does not attach to the body for storage, and she said it often leaned against a wall in her flat. The test therefore points to a model that may suit households with storage space and more rugs or carpet better than people in compact homes who need a vacuum that is easy to tuck away.
Its results also suggest buyers should match the machine to the debris they regularly clean. The test showed strong pickup of fine dust and rice but a less smooth job with larger cereal pieces. The review does not establish that the same result will occur on every surface or in every home, but it gives readers a practical performance check beyond the product’s appearance and specifications.
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A Corded Design With Dyson Roots
Dyson’s Big Ball retains the self-righting ball format, in which the body rests on a ball rather than conventional wheels. The company says this design helps the vacuum steer around furniture and right itself after tipping. The review describes the body as having a low centre of gravity and a 360-degree articulating wand handle, which is intended to help users reach under furniture.
The Harlequin colour scheme, with red cyclones, a yellow bin shroud and a blue-and-red ball, references the DC01 De Stijl, a special edition of Dyson’s first bagless vacuum. Ideal Home’s reviewer liked the vivid finish, while noting that its prominent colours may not appeal to everyone. The report frames the Big Ball as an old-school corded alternative at a time when Preece says cordless and robot vacuums are more familiar to her.
Preece has 15 years of experience writing about technology and home appliances, according to Ideal Home. For this review, she used the Big Ball as her main vacuum and assessed debris pickup on hard floors and rugs, cat-hair removal, setup, storage, emptying and carrying. She also measured noise with a phone decibel-meter app; the supplied source material does not include a noise result.
“The flour and rice disappeared in a single pass, with nothing left behind in the gaps between tiles.”
— Caroline Preece, Ideal Home reviewer
Questions Beyond the Published Tests
The supplied review material does not provide a full set of results from the everyday-cleaning tests, a measured noise reading, or a detailed account of performance across every floor type. It also does not establish how the vacuum compares with competing models under a controlled, side-by-side test. The cereal result comes from one reviewer’s test conditions and should not be treated as a universal outcome.
The report lists a filter that captures 99.97% of particles down to 0.3 microns and says there is no filter to wash, but the supplied material does not explain the testing method behind that particle-capture figure. The excerpt also does not give a price, a precise publication date, or details about availability. Those points cannot be confirmed from the source material provided.
Check Price and Fit Before Buying
The review’s immediate takeaway is to weigh cleaning needs against the space available at home. People considering the Big Ball can compare its 10m total reach, 1.6-litre bin and five-year guarantee with the storage and carrying demands Preece describes. Households that often clean larger debris may also want to look for further testing on that type of pickup, rather than relying only on the fine-dust and cereal results in this review.
No further product announcement or update is included in the source material. Price, availability and any additional testing results remain unreported here, so readers will need current retailer or manufacturer information to confirm those details.
Key Questions
What did Ideal Home find in its Dyson Big Ball review?
Ideal Home found strong fine-dust and hair pickup in its tests, but reported that larger cereal pieces took several passes. The reviewer also found the vacuum bulky to move and store in a small flat.
How heavy is the Dyson Big Ball?
The listed weight is 7.9kg. Ideal Home’s reviewer described it as heavy and said it could wobble or tilt while being pulled between rooms.
What is the Big Ball’s suction rating?
The specifications list 135 air watts in Powerful mode, alongside a 700W motor. The review’s cereal test required several passes for larger pieces, while flour and rice were collected in one pass on vinyl.
Does the Dyson Big Ball need bags or filter washing?
According to the Ideal Home review, the Big Ball uses a 1.6-litre bin rather than bags and has no filter to wash. The source does not provide further detail about filter maintenance.
Who might find the Big Ball practical?
The review suggests it may suit homes with space for storage, rugs or carpet, and longer cleaning sessions. Its size and cord may be less convenient in small homes, while buyers should consider the reported cereal-test result if they often vacuum larger debris.
Source: idealhome.co.uk
