The new Vroom from Dirt Devil is the greatest thing to happen to central vacuum systems since the full-bag LED (central vac humor).

The compact unit (about the size of a DVD player) can fit in tight spaces, like beneath the kitchen sink, for easy access in minor spillage emergencies. The hose reaches up to 24 feet, and retracts neatly into the base.

What’s the big deal?

Central vacuum systems are nice, but who wants to lug around a giant hose to the site of every minor mishap?

Vac pans, installed in many kitchens of central vac owners, are convenient because you can simply sweep small messes into the ether.

But still, “even if you have a vac pan, you don’t want to go all the way and get a broom and sweep it [the mess] across the room,” says Greg Calderone, vice president and floorcare GM for H-P Products, purveyor of the Dirt Devil central vac brand. “We want to clean instantaneously. We don’t want to waste time getting the gear out.”

I think we can all agree with Calderone that Vroom “is going to be bad news for vac pans.”

Vroom turns on automatically when you grab the hose and release it from its base, and shuts off when you snap the hose back into place.

It works with any central vac system, including H-P’s Dirt Devil. A standalone version with its own sucking power will be forthcoming.

The system costs $249, which includes the 24-foot hose with a built-in crevice cleaning nozzle, an adjustable wand that extends to 30.5 inches, and an adaptable floor tool to clean bare floors and rugs. Also included is a sliding dusting brush that attaches to the floor tool.

Lest you want to reverse-engineer this product, don’t even think about it. Calderone says that H-P has a patent pending on “how to fit so much hose in such a small space.”

Who wouldn’t want to buy a few of these for the kitchen and bathrooms?

Julie Jacobson - Editor, Electronic House; Editor-at-large, CE Pro

Julie Jacobson is editor of Electronic House and editor-at-large for CE Pro magazine, the trade magazine for home technology. She co-founded parent company EH Publishing in 1994.