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The Dyson V8

My hate-affair with vacuums began in youth, when I'd make like a dog and dive under the sofa for cover whenever one was turned on because the noise was so rattling.

Later, my mother (an intelligent woman) was actually lured by a door-to-door salesman into the purchase of a wincingly expensive machine, roughly the size of an oil barrel and about as easy to drag around by a nozzle. She had to get rid of it long before it wore out because she could no longer lift it.

More recently, I acquired a vacuum through marriage. Another dud: big, clumsy, loud (I'm talking about the machine) and about as efficient for getting around furniture as a Zamboni. I gave up and went broom.

Recently, however, two sightings caught my attention. Our neighbour with a toddler was showing off a hand-held piece of something space-age-like, which he declared, "life-changing."

Never mind sterling mugs and onesies; the baby present he now gives to friends is the Dyson DC61. A few streets over, my sister-in-law had the cordless Dyson V8 hanging on her kitchen wall.

When I inquired how she liked it, she gave me a look as though I'd just asked how her romantic weekend with Idris Elba had gone.

That did it. I got the latter: light, slender, sleek, and with attachments for every nook and cranny imaginable.

The main head swivels naturally so that it can cruise in, under and around objects effortlessly, including my enormous terracotta pot holding a shedding fern.

The top detaches and turns into a mini hand-held vacuum, so you can whip into the kitchen and suck up an entire bag of spilled sesame seeds in no time. Speaking of suction, airplane loos have nothing on the power of this thing, and, as if that weren't enough, there are no bags to change, just a transparent canister to detach and spill into the garbage can when it's full.

Dyson products are expensive and get a lot of hype. Now I know why.

Dyson V8 Absolute: $699.99

Do you know of a genius domestic product? If so, Laura wants to hear about it. E-mail domesticaffairs@globeandmail.com.

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