If Santa's paying...
December 2011
By Quentin Clarke, London
A newly-built flat with floor-to-ceiling windows has many joys—including great insulation—but what walls I have are blockaded by vast radiators. Bookcases and furniture can’t line a wall; although this fact likely leads to healthier feng shui, my rooms end up suffering from endless clutter. If I could only exchange my radiators for Dyson’s new fan heater all my problems would be solved! The Dyson Hot not only heats a room perfectly evenly, but it can also be operated by remote control thermostat and is devoid of both scalding hot edges and that nauseous storage heater smell. The design keeps my flat hovering in the space age and while £269 is quite an investment, the product ticks an awful lot of boxes – it even doubles as a fan in summer, cutting down storage needs. Brand snobbery is undoubtedly a factor and decent alternatives are available for less, but if the bill is on Santa...I’m asking for a Dyson.
Santa’s eyes may also water at Heritage Helmets’ Trojan Records helmet (£170). Two-wheel transport is the only thing booming in London at the moment but two factors put me off: the very real risk of death or paralysis, and the utter dorkiness of associated headgear, particularly for bicycles. Protective headgear needs to look good – why has no one seen the gap in this market before? I like this one so much that rather than carry it about, I might even wear it as a hat—bike or no bike!


