A while back I got ridiculously excited about plugs.

Today... today it's vacuum cleaners... not just any vacuum of course but the phenomenal DYSON brand name. I've never owned a DYSON but I did borrow one from a friend a few years back and I recall then being hugely impressed. Never in a million years did I anticipate I would be reviewing one on TakTik Bitch but the handheld DYSON Issey Miyake DC16 deserves some space on this site.

I wasn't quite so positive at first, I admit. For a handheld it came in a large box - and that box was heavy! DYSON seemed to have second guessed my reaction because on the back of the box in sizeable print is 2.5kgs - and that's not much weight at all. I understood better when I unpacked it.

Almost a third of the weight is the power stand which you never walk around with. I was an instantly happy bear.
The unit looks good. In fact Amy walked in today, took one look at it and came out with the admiring equivalent of "Good God, what is that?" (I heard pure geek envy in her voice! I did.) It radiates power in its looks.

I'm not ever brilliant at reading instructions. I just want to unpack, chuck on charge and play and again DYSON appeared to have anticipated that (I am starting to wonder if I am more a guinea pig than a reviewer...) for wrapped around the handle was a 'quick start' guide. Pop it on charge for three hours and you're off! There's a facility to wall mount the battery charging base by the way - most useful and everything needed is of course supplied.

Three hours passed and I had to give it a try. Not bothering to play with the attachments initially I picked up and overturned an ashtray onto the floor and looked at the mess. This thing had better work.
I directed the DC16 at the mess and pulled the trigger. With a delightfully satisfying revving swoosh of sound the ash disappeared almost too fast - I was tempted to empty the Dyson contents over the floor and start again! Those who know me well will be amazed at this last paragraph as I am notorious in my dislike of the noise of vacuums but there is nothing offensive about the DC16 at all.

I looked around wondering what to attack next - feeling a little GI Jane-ish with it in my hand. I spied my four keyboards (it is a gadget household, thank you) and whooped! Included in the pack is a complimentary £22 attachment kit - including a brush for running over keyboards. The state of my keyboards had genuinely been a concern for a while. Attachment fitted and I lightly dusted over the keys. Perfection! Those dreadful miniature dust bunnies that I had contemplated attacking with a toothpick vanished!
Now, I could sing the impressive praises of Dysons

• • 2 year warranty;
• • the filters that never need replacing (just wash them every 3-6 months, depending on usage);
• • the see-thru' 'bin' so you know when to empty it;
• • the nifty switch for emptying the bin so you don't get filthy;
• • the wide nozzle so this little thing can suck up sizeable things;
• • the battery status light

Uh-huh. Thing is that list actually is quite impressive but what beats it hands down is quite simply the way the DC16 performs. My team literally caught me hunting for something to vacuum this evening - and I'd finished making my notes for the review!

After writing my own notes, I did a quick check of what others had written about the DC16. Several had slated it for only having a 6 minute battery life but considering the power of this cute monster I am not complaining at all. I could clean out a car in six minutes with the DC16 because the power ensures I'm not having to go over and over the same patch - do you remember how annoying that is? Argh. Power vs time - I'd take the power any day.

My one criticism is the instructions - I got to them eventually - and thank goodness I didn't have call to earlier as they let the side down terribly. No offense to their graphic designer but someone needs a swift injection of common sense. Please!

So, if you buy one - and if you need a handheld vacuum I'd recommend this one wholeheartedly, for goodness sake sign the registration document and post it off in the pre-paid envelope provided - it gives you access to a great customer service helpline - sod the instructions, eh ;-)

Household cleaning products may not be the most exciting things to ever grace your shopping basket but the DC16 gets pretty close to inspiring a frisson of *phwoar* factor.

RRP £99. See www.dyson.co.uk for more information