When you think of Dyson—if you think of the expensive British vacs at all—you probably think "suction." After all, the slogan "doesn't lose suction" is plastered on all of the Dyson vac marketing material. But James Dyson's first innovations were not in vacuums, but in wheelbarrows of all things. Sir James built a wheelbarrow with a ball on it—the ballbarrow—adding stability to a traditionally wobbly device.As you can see in the video above, the DC24 pivots right and left as you twist your wrist, allowing it to corner like it's on rails. It has two tiny rear wheels, but they rarely touch the floor. It's all ball.

Does that make it worth the money? It's up to you—we're not going to tell you it's the best vac in the world. It's just fun to see a product as part of an evolution, rather than some standalone brain fart. If you want to know more about Dyson's early days (he designed boats, too, including something called the seatruck), have a look at this old Core77 interview. And if you want to know how his Airblade did against the Mitsubishi Jet Towel, well, just check out our Ultimate Hand-Dryer Battlemodo. [Dyson]

Notice that the Dyson has a HEPA air filter but the Mitsubishi doesn't? Says the Dyson camp:

The Jet Towel draws the already filthy air through a basic gauze filter (designed to protect the motor) using the heating element stores unfiltered air at around 95°F (ideal temp for breeding bacterial) and then blows it out on your hands and back into the room. Even though you just washed your hands, the air from Jet Towel contaminates them all over again with warm bacteria laden air. It's a vicious cycle.

[The HEPA filter] clogs very quickly and when it does the air flow is dramatically reduced. Mitsubishi found this to be true when they experimented with HEPA filters long ago.

Because the Airblade has no drain tank (unlike the Jet Towel's drain tank which is easily emptied in about five seconds), when the filter runs out and has not been changed the bacteria is exhausted into the environment. Very unsanitary. [Also] water splashes out the sides of the unit and therefore drips down the side of the unit and onto the floor. You will probably notice this happens even after 5-10 uses. It does not happen with the Jet Towel. A serious sanitary issue.

Waste water stagnates in a collection tray mounted right above the storage heater, warming up and brewing bacteria.

The Dyson motor's lifespan is estimated at about 1/3 of the lifespan of the Jet Towel [we have ascertained that this is true]. If there is a problem with the Dyson motor, it is mechanically almost impossible to replace it. On the other hand the Jet Towel motor is modular and can be easily swapped out if needed (but has not happened in our experience).

Jet Towel's DC brushless motor is less efficient and not as powerful, therefore only generating a 200MPH airflow. [Mitsu claims even less at 180MPH.]

We totally feel like Don King right now. Remember when we interviewed James Dyson about his Airblade, and he said it could put a hurtin' on Mitsubishi's Jet Towel? Well, Mitsubishi fired back, saying, "We obviously take issue with his claims and would love the opportunity to dispute it." Then, only a day ago, this arrived at our door:Yep, a freakin' Jet Towel—the latest and greatest one, too.

Dyson's on board. Not long ago, he wrote us personally, saying:

I hear our demo sparked Gizmodo's curiosity in seeing a battle take place between Airblade and the Mitsubishi Jet Towel... I never shy away from such fun and I look forward to seeing the outcome!

We're not sure the world is fully ready for an Ultimate Hand-Dryer Battlemodo between Dyson and Mitsubishi, but baby, ready or not, here it comes... Stay tuned for Battlemodo details and a tale of the tape early next week.

Special thanks to Mr. Frucci for the cartoon witticisms above!

Dyson Airblade Copied Mitsubishi Jet Towel? [Gizmodo]

James Dyson Shows Giz His Airblade [Gizmodo]

Called the Jet Towel, the dryer works in a virtually identical way to removes water from the front and back of freshly-washed hands.

We'll give Dyson the benefit of the doubt here, since there's only so many ways you can get water off your hands using air. – Jason Chen

Dyson Airblade appears to be a copy of Mitsubishi Jet Towel [Pocket Lint]

This might be a great device for those of us who really don't want to touch anything in a public bathroom, and don't much like standing around for 30 seconds at a noisy hot air blower waiting for the hands to dry. – Charlie White

Dyson goes 400mph in toilet [The Sun]