66 Reviews
customer reviews
Showing 1 - 20 out of 66 reviews
I was thinking of buying one
I was interested in buying one but after reading the reviews I changed my mind.
The good, the bad, and the questionable.
Our last vacuum was a DC-07. Used it for 18 years. It was a great vacuum overall, and would still be going strong today, but my wife needs something easier to handle due to her bad back. She narrowed her choices down to two vacuums: the Ball Animal 3, and a competitor's. Obviously, given our positive experience with the DC-07, we went with the Dyson, and also because the competitor's model still uses bags (seriously?) which we didn't want to deal with. In terms of engineering, the Ball Animal 3 is impressive. The suction is incredibly powerful. In fact, it's so powerful that in some cases--like bathroom rugs, hallway runners, etc--it's actually a detriment because the rug buckles as you're pulling the vacuum back. My wife likes the head design; it's lower to the ground so it can get into tighter spaces under chairs, etc. I also like that you can see the brush bar while operating the vacuum, so you know whether it's spinning or needs to be cleaned. So as far as engineering and technology are concerned, the Ball Animal 3 is fantastic. The vacuum's Achille's heal, however, is its ergonomics. This is not an easy vacuum to use, and requires a fair amount of strength to push around. I'm 6'3" 250+ lbs, and by the time I'm finished vacuuming with the Ball Animal 3, my shoulder feels like it's going to fall off, and my back hurts for about a half hour afterwards, from the coccyx up to the middle. If *I'm* this stiff, sore, sweating like a pig, and gasping for air after using the vacuum, imagine what it must be like for my poor wife and her bad back! This vacuum does not "roll" or "glide" across the carpet, and frankly I also feel it's a lot harder to maneuver. On a positive note, though, the clutch mechanism is in a much more user-friendly location now (an electronic switch next to the power button versus having to bend over and manipulate a mechanical knob); but then Dyson goes and cancels it out by putting the suction adjustment slider in an even more inconvenient location than where the DC-07 clutch knob was. My wife likes the wand on this unit better than the DC-07. I disagree, but I do like that the tools can be directly attached to the hose now. That's probably the best improvement Dyson made, ergonomically speaking. Unfortunately, the main chassis/body still "follows" you around whenever you stretch the hose, getting in the way and making the job harder. The on-board storage of the tools isn't very good, either, and seems like it was more of an afterthought. The brush bar is much easier to remove on the Ball Animal 3. It's more of a sleeve that fits over the actual rotating mechanism, so no special tool is required to disconnect the drive belt from the roller bar. Lastly, both filters on the Ball Animal 3 are washable (the post-motor filter on the DC-07 wasn't washable and had to be replaced periodically, and was difficult to access). Now as for the construction of the Ball Animal 3, that remains in question. Some of the plastic, particularly in the handle and the flip-up wand end cap, is really flimsy and bends way too much. I feel like it's going to snap or permanently deform at any moment. However, being open-minded, perhaps the flexibiltiy helps _prevent_ the plastic from snapping. I don't know. Time will tell. I'm torn. On the one hand, I want the Ball Animal 3 to give us 18+ years of reliable service like the DC-07 did; but on the other hand, I am not looking forward to my wife and I (especially her) having to lug this thing around while using it. We may be back in the market sooner than later.
Great Suction, but falls over & hose is stiff
My wife recently purchased this model and all the accessories after Thanksgiving 2022. Today, we decided that we had used it enough to know that this was not for us. Our previous vacuum was a competitor which we loved and well the hose busted so we thought let's see what is out there. The Ball animal 3 extra has great suction but that is about it. It's not as advertised in the video and more. We hated how our competitor as it fell over when we used the hose attachment and when watching the video for this product it seemed that the hose was not like that and longer, meaning you could take out attachments and use the hose while the vacuum stayed stationary. This enticed us. Additionally the marketing shows a lady on stairs with the hose and the unit is at the bottom. Its laughable to see this and then try it. The unit again has great suction, but its bulky, heavy, falls over easily, does not click into place when you try to stand it into positoin and overall is not worth the money. We recently called to chat about this with Dyson and said that because its out of the 30 day warranty we were out of luck. We offered to exchange which would allow them to essentially get our barely used unit back to then clean and resale and then charge us likely more money for another vacuum and they still said no. We went the factory defect route and they still said no. Granted there was a language barrier on this situation but still our points were getting across. I am sure if the management and owner of Dyson saw and understood the struggles they would have no problem helping us out but we could not get passed the customer service rep on the phone who agreed with our position but was not able to assist. So, my recommendation would be, buyer beware. Stick to being impressed by the Dyson fans in the bathrooms and stay aware of the rest as the support is not there for the products should something occur before and after the 30-day warranty. Very sad as they took our money and did not want more of it frankly. Bad business!!!
Blown away
Snagged this on sale at my local store for a steal. I have 4 dogs, 3 cats, and 5 people in my house. Some carpet, some hardwood. After 2 sharks in the past 3 years, I finally broke down and got the Dyson and I'm kicking myself for not doing it sooner. Only 2 days after my floors had been done, got the dyson and I did 1 rug, a high traffic area for us and the dogs. The amount of dirt that this thing sucked out is insane! It's like I've never cleaned this rug before. It is a little hard to push on the middle setting, and having the option to turn off the beater is nice. Lots of extra parts on this one, but worth it with my high ceilings, stairs, and shedding dogs. If you're debating or unsure, just do it, I promise you won't be disappointed.
Great for pet hair
This is my third Dyson, and second Animal. It moves smoothly over the carpet (which is cheap and thick), and cleaned it well. I changed the setting to hardwood/deep dirt and while it was harder to push over the carpet, it worked wonders! I'd take this any day over dog hair and dirt staying down in the carpet fibers. For those who complain about how hard it is to push, check your setting. You likely have it on the one for hardwood/no carpet. It was super easy to push over the carpet on the high pile setting.
if you have pets this is a must!!
The best vacuum I’ve ever owned!! The suction is super powerful I used my old vacuum and then this one right after and it picked up so much leftover dirt and pet hair! Yes it does take some time to get used to just because the suctions so strong. The hose stretches 15 feet so I can now just vacuum the stairs without worrying about carrying the vacuum with me
If I could return I would
Has great suction power , so much so that to use the Hose it’s a fight constantly!! I have left the hose stretched out to see if it would help and nope 👎. I do like how clean the regular part gets my carpet.even though it does perform well for regular sweeping , due to the hose and the constant struggle I would return in a heart beat . I burned the box right away hoping it was as good as my rechargeable Dyson . I would not recommend this at all
Much better than the Shark for pet hair
In just the first use we realized that the Dyson Animal 3 was much better at picking up dirt than our old Shark for pet hair. We have several LLBean water hog rugs that are notorious for holding on to bits of grass, hay and pine needles. In just the first pass with the Dyson it picked up nearly all the pieces and the rug looked so much better. Hands down, this is a much better vacuum.
Best product i got till now
Dyson ball 3 was the best product i got till now and it is working great . It would have been a best deal if i would have got what dyson was offering ( exclusive tools) when we order from it directly.
Love at first go
We love Dyson and this is our 4th vacuum. They last forever; however, we've opted to get a new one every 6-7 years and then pass down our "old" ones to our grown children. This new vacuum has the best suction yet and I LOVE the tangle free feature.
YES! YES YOU WANT IT!
I own 5 dyson vacuums 3 animal ball, 1 animal ball kinetic, and now this one. This one is by far the best one yet. I had a 10 year old animal ball that still worked fine when I decided to replace it. Our house is so large that I wanted to have a in multiple areas for convenience. We also had 3 cordless dysons in the past and I do not recommend those at all.
Best Vacuum I Have Ever Owned
My last vacuum was 15yrs old and falling apart. I was hesitant about spending a lot on a new vacuum but after the reviews and other family members who owned a Dyson for years, I decided to get this during the sale. This vacuum sucked up so much dirt/dust/hair in one clean sweep in the entire house. I couldn’t believe how dirty my carpet/area rugs and hardwood floors were! The hose extension is stiff, but with time it’ll loosen up. I’ve even cleaned my sofa with the attachments and works awesome! I’m hoping this will help with my hubbys allergies knowing this vacuum throughly cleans!
Love It !!!
Dyson vac is the upmost !! My 3rd one the 3extra !!! Oh ! You won’t regret buying !!!! For pile high carpet just turn off the brush setting.
Hose hard to bend working in a tight area
Must have for pet parents!
This is my second Dyson Animal. Never disappoints! I absolutely love the pet grooming tool! Even the pups enjoy it. While it may be hards to push and you get a little work out it’s not that bad. It just goes to show how out of shape one might be. It’s a vacuum, a workout, and dog groomer all in one! Great job Dyson!
Great Suction
Love this vacuum. It does a fantastic job getting the hair up from my golden retriever and 3 cats. The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is because the hose for stretching the vacuum up the stairs does not come close to the full length advertised. At the full length stretched I can’t get to the last 2-3 steps and at that point the vacuum falls over and starts getting pulled up the stairs. FYI I also find that the upholstery attachment gets the animal hair out of the stair runner rug and carpet better than the stair tool. By the way the upholstery tool is unbelievably amazing. It makes quick work out of getting cat hair off chairs and couches. Truly awesome! This vacuum is so amazing that the less than stellar stair hose does not keep me from loving it. I am truly in love with this vacuum. I am very happy with this purchase. I do hope Dyson will lengthen the stair hose though. It would then be perfect!!
Love the new roller bar
Have had this since June. 2 long haired cats were constantly clogging the rollerbar of our last Dyson. I would have to cut the hair off the bar during vacuuming. Took a chance and couldn’t be happier. I’ve not had to clean the bar yet!
Better than a shark vacuum.
[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I’ve got a dogs that sheds a lot. It picks up there hair no problem. Has so much suction while running on hard wood floor. It stick to the floor a bit. Everything comes down that my shark vacuum did none of these things.
Great suction & power. So far, so good!
Cleans up all debris quickly with great suction power.
Very nice vacuum
Love this vacuum so far. The hose attachment is a little awkward to use. They should make the hose attachment towards the bottom, so it won’t tip over. Overall my favorite vacuum.
Showing 1 - 20 out of 66 reviews