Most traditional vacuums aren’t designed to handle the onslaught of pet hair, dander and other debris a pet can leave in your home.?And though it may be bothersome to pick pet hair from your clothes, you won’t get a full picture of your personal fur apocalypse until you’re ready to vacuum. Thankfully, manufacturers understand the added pressures of pet ownership and now design machines that specifically tackle these problems. Dyson, an early adopter, created its upright Animal line to pick up pet hair (not always an easy task depending on the length and breed) and filter out allergens.
The newest model, the Dyson Ball Animal 3 Complete, offers a number of improvements — including one of the best detangling heads on the market — yet struggles in other ways. With the assistance of my dog, a short-haired pointer mix who doesn’t get brushed nearly enough and is allowed on all the furniture, I tested this vacuum for a month to thoroughly assess its strengths and weaknesses and determine if it’s a good solution and value for pet owners. Here’s what I found out.
The Dyson Ball 3 Animal Complete has powerful suction and is adept at removing hair that even a lint roller won’t pick up from a variety of surfaces. Even better, its specially designed head effectively prevents the tangling that burns out so many vacuum motors, and it has a variety of clever attachments. However, we were surprised at how heavy it was with such a compact design.?
What we liked about it
The Dyson Ball Animal 3 Complete is an upright-style vacuum with a swivel head and streamlined design that doesn’t take up a lot of space (it’s roughly 42 inches tall with a 15-inch-by-11-inch footprint). The bin capacity is good sized at 1.7 liters, and the transparent casing allows you to see just how much hair you’re sucking up.
Raw Suction Power
Dyson says this is one its most powerful vacuums, and I believe it. My proof? My initial test vacuum was performed on a room that I had just cleaned inch by inch with a shop vac and then a carpet washer. It appeared spotless to the naked eye. The Dyson Ball Animal 3 Complete pulled an amazing amount of dog hair out of the carpet that the other two devices missed.
The attachments work similarly well. Previously, I have had great difficulty getting hair off furniture and my car interior with traditional vacuums, shop vacs, lint rollers and special tools designed for pet hair. This Dyson blew them all away and got the hair off every surface, including hardwood, carpeted stairs, car and furniture upholstery and tile. For raw suction, it can’t be beat, and that’s one of a vacuum’s most essential jobs, so it counts for a lot.
The Ball Animal 3 also has a head that prevents tangling, a frequent problem if you have long-haired pets (or humans) in the home. Unlike previous models, the head is removable in the event you do have to clean it, but that was never the case for me. Hair simply didn’t get caught in it. In the past, this has been one of my top complaints about vacuums, and Dyson appears to have solved it. I also appreciated that the suction power to the head can be adjusted to any of three levels, which comes in handy for different surfaces and carpets of varying pile heights.
Allergen Elimination
The Ball Animal 3 has a five-stage filtration system, so along with all the visible pet hair and dirt you suck up, you’re also getting a lot of pet dander, dust and irritants. I do not have allergies, but after seeing what this vacuum did in a room I had determined was as clean as I could get it with other methods, I’m impressed by how thoroughly it picks up particulate matter. I also used it to vacuum before a guest with allergies visited, and the difference between this and previous visits was notable. Unlike previous visits, she had nearly no runny nose or watery eyes in the days after her visit. I also love that the filters are washable, so you don’t need to constantly invest in new ones.
Slim Profile and Smart Design
Dyson made a name for itself with its sleek, innovative design that combines form and function, and the Ball Animal 3 is no exception. The swivel base alluded to in its name (Ball) allows this upright to pivot and get into corners, and the long cord and extendable hose make sweeping stairs a whole lot easier. Plus, the hose retracts to store into the handle of the vacuum when not in use. Dyson is good at intuitive, user-friendly design, and I was able to assemble and start this vacuum with hardly a glance at the instructions. Removing, emptying and replacing the collection bin is a snap, and I appreciate the larger capacity because it will fill up. Plus, it’s a fact that Dysons just look cooler. The model I got has a gold crown on the bin; it also comes in copper or silver.
Versatility
I like that this vacuum transitions easily from carpet to tile and sofa to stairs. It also comes with 10 specialized accessories that snap onto the hose and can be used for crevices, upholstery, stairs and even your pet. No amount of treats could get my dog to submit to the grooming tool, but in theory, I love the idea of vacuuming hair up at the source. These accessories give your upright vacuum cleaner additional functionality and come with a handy carrying bag.
What we didn’t like about it
Restricted Maneuverability
The Ball Animal 3’s compact design comes at a cost: A lot of users complain about the weight. At more than 17 pounds, it does require a bit of muscle to sweep a floor, and that detracts from the agility afforded by the swivel ball design, which helps this upright navigate a lot of tight corners. I will also note that the main brush head didn’t fit under a lot of my furniture, despite being adjustable as far as suction goes. And making that adjustment requires you to bend down and move a switch on the brush head itself; I prefer my controls to be at one source. The end result was that while the Ball Animal 3 can perform equally well on a variety of surfaces, you still need to pause and use the hose and attachments for any narrow spaces or those with low overhangs.
Value for Price
You’re going to pay top dollar for a Dyson, and that dollar tends to go toward performance and looks, not necessarily longevity. These machines come with a good warranty, but by most accounts, you are going to have to use that warranty. I was also somewhat surprised by the fact that, in spite of the vacuum’s substantial weight, most of the parts are cheap plastic. The Ball Animal 3 looks like royalty, but the feel of the assembly is more like a kid playing dress-up. So I can see how pieces might easily break. I struggled with replacing the hose into the handle every single time because the plastic cap that unites the two never seemed to click into place just right. I definitely would have expected more for the price point.
How it compares
The Dyson Ball Animal 3 definitely demonstrates superior suction and was able to remove pet hair from surfaces that I struggled with in the past quickly and efficiently. That quality comes at the cost of a louder and heavier machine, and you sacrifice some agility as well. If I did not have a pet, I would probably prefer my Miele C1 ($440), especially on hardwood, because it is quieter and made to last.
The Dyson is more of a workhorse, which is what you need when you’re dealing with the kind of messes a pet can make. To my knowledge, the Dyson is the only machine that has a tangle-preventing brush head that lives up to its claim as well. My previous vacuum was a Sirena ($800), which is a high-end model known for allergen filtration, but the Dyson was superior in this regard as well (granted, the Sirena was almost a decade old). I enjoy that the Dyson combines the ease of use of an upright with the versatility of a canister-style vacuum.
Bottom line
This is an impressive vacuum for pet hair and allergens, and I was convinced of its superiority after a single use. It isn’t perfect and does make some sacrifices in terms of maneuverability and durability for power, but if you own one or more pets and have struggled with pet hair in the past, this vacuum is a game changer. The innovation in a tangle-free brush head and quality filtration system can restore your living space to its pre-pet conditions, if only temporarily, and that alone may be worth the price tag.
