Dyson launches DC31 and the DC31 Animal vacuums

26 June 2009 16:48 GMT / By Ben Crompton

Anyone still using their DustBuster? Thought not, but if you were in love with the concept but not with the performance, this new release from Dyson could be the very thing to brush - sorry, suck - your cleaning related cares away.

The DC31 and the DC31 Animal handheld vacuum cleaners are said to be "small, light machines with a 10-minute battery life and constant, strong suction".

And if you thought vacuum cleaners were boring you'll be glad to hear that both models come with a boost button, which, with a flick of a switch, gives you extra power for that really stubborn grime - though reducing the battery life to 6 minutes.

The most exciting part of the new Dyson however lies within, in the form of the new digital motor that powers the device. The DDM V2 appears to be a very smart innovation in that it is 84% efficient and twice as efficient as its carbon brushed counterpart.

It achieves this kind of efficiency by dispensing with the need for carbon brushes which create friction within the motor, relying instead on an electromagnetic field where the polarity is switched using a microprocessor.

Spinning at 104,000rpm Dyson’s motors are quoted as being "the fastest, highest power density motors ever developed for domestic appliances".

The two Dyson handhelds are available from July and are priced at £129.99 for the DC31, with the DC31 Animal, complete with motorised brushbar and pivoting soleplate - for cleaning up pet hair, coming in at £149.99.