Dyson Ball Animal 2 Review

UPDATE 6/22/22 – Dyson just released the new Dyson Ball Animal 3. It’s better than Animal 2 in almost every functional area, while also being less expensive. See review here.

The Dyson Ball Animal 2 is one of the most well-known and high powered upright vacuums on the market. But is it right for you? Let’s break it down with our Dyson Ball Animal 2 review.

Pros

• Highest suction of any vacuum cleaner on the market a 306 AW
• A maximum cleaning reach of 50 feet, utilizing a 35 foot cord
• Lifetime washable filter

Cons

• On the heavier side at 17.5 pounds
• Fairly expensive

Prefer to watch rather than read? See our Dyson Ball Animal 2 video review here.

Dyson Ball Animal 2 Design

The Dyson Ball Animal 2 is the most powerful and highest performing upright vacuum cleaner Dyson makes. It’s designed to be the ultimate upright vacuum and remains one of Dyson’s flagship models even several years after its release.

The Animal 2 utilizes Dyson’s ball design for improved manueverability (a welcome benefit given the weight).

It also includes a self-adjusting cleaning head, clear dust bin (so you can always see what’s going on), and Dyson’s stacked radial cyclones.

Cyclones

The Dyson cyclones are really what drive the performance and power of the whole machine.

These cyclones spin particulates, dust, dirt, and debris through the centrifuge, allowing even the smallest particles to be removed or trapped within the filter.

Suction Power

According to Dyson, the Dyson Animal 2 has the strongest suction of any vacuum cleaner at an incredible 306 AW (air watts). This claim is based on the ASTM F558 test at the cleaner head itself.

For comparison, Dyson’s Multi Floor 2 has 250 AW of suction power and the Dyson V11 has 185 AW of suction power (on max mode).

See our Dyson Multi Floor 2 review and Dyson V11 review here for more information.

Also see our comprehensive Dyson Multi Floor 2 vs. Animal 2 comparison here.

The Dyson Ball

The Dyson Ball is more than just a sphere. The motor and other essential parts and electronics reside in the ball itself.

This design helps keep more of the weight of the vacuum lower towards the ground, which in combination with the ball design, helps improve maneuverability.

Self-Adjusting Brushroll

Lastly, we have the Dyson Animal 2 brushroll.

The brushroll is motorized and is able to automatically adjust the height based on your floor type. This is a nice extra if you have multiple floor or carpet types around your home.

Washable Filter

The Dyson Ball Animal 2 includes a washable filter that will last the life of the vacuum (according to Dyson). If you do happen to lose or damage your filter they are inexpensive to replace.

The filter sits in the cyclones housing where it’s able to effectively capture small particulates. Vacuums with built in filters seem to be fairly rare. We have not tested many upright vacuums that include a filter.

Over the last 6 months the Modern Castle team has tested a number of air purifiers (using a laser based particulate measuring device). Our results from those tests have helped prove to me the importance of good quality filters, both in air purifiers and the vacuums themselves.

A vacuum that doesn’t have a filter is more likely to simply release those ultra fine particulates back into your room and air.

In any case, it’s a big plus in my mind that the Dyson Animal 2 has the washable filter.

Dyson Animal vs. Animal 2

One of the most common questions is whether or not to get the Dyson Animal or the Animal 2?

The Dyson Ball Animal 2 is the newer and upgraded version, but where are the biggest difference? The table below provides detailed side-by-side specs of the Dyson Animal vs. Animal 2.

As you can see from the comparison above, the Dyson Animal vs. Animal 2 are more alike than they are different. The Animal 2 is a definite upgrade over the original Animal, but they aren’t massively different.

The biggest challenge is simply finding the original Dyson Animal upright. It’s not as widely available as it used to be, so finding it at all can prove difficult.

In most cases, I think I would prefer the Dyson Ball Animal 2 for sheer suction power alone. The Animal 2 has 24.9% more suction than the original Dyson Animal upright.

Both the Dyson Animal 2 and Animal typically include the same accessories (see below for details), which includes the combination tool, stair tool, and turbine tool.

Some Animal 1 packages will also include the up top tool (allows you to more easily clean on top of furniture and cabinets). Always double check the spec sheet to see the full list of accessories that’s included.

Size & Dimensions

The Dyson Ball Animal 2 is:

• Height: 42.13″
• Length: 15.35″
• Width: 13.39″
• Weighs: 17.5″

In addition, it has a 35 foot power cord and a maximum reach of 50 feet.

Accessories & Parts

Unlike Dyson’s V-series vacuum, which include a large number of accessories, the Dyson Animal 2 only includes a few basic (but important accessories):

The Animal 2 includes:

• Combination tool – part crevice tool and part dusting brush, this is a 2-in-1 tool that serves both purposes. The dusting brush simply slides outward to use or backward to store.
• Stair tool – primarily designed for stairs, this is a non-motorized straight suction tool with a wider mouth. Could also be used on upholstery, mattresses, or other fabrics where agitation might be too much.
• Turbine tool – this is a motorized brushroll and provides more agitation, making it a better choice for deeper handheld cleaning (especially in cases where you aren’t as worried about protecting a fabric)

Cleaning Performance

Unsurprisingly, the Dyson Animal 2 dominated our cleaning tests. Scoring nearly perfect vs. every debris and floor type we could throw at it.

It had one hiccup on cereal on high carpets, otherwise it basically 100% across the board.

Below is our complete cleaning performance tests for the Dyson Ball Animal 2.

Hardwood Floors

We expected if we were going to run into performance issues, it would be on the cereal tests on hardwood floors. However, that was not the case.

The self-adjusting head was able to rise high enough to get over the top of cereal, removing 99% of all debris we tested.

Low Pile Carpet

When it comes to carpet it’s not much of a contest here. Dyson Animal 2 upright has the highest suction among any vacuum cleaner and it shows.

That high suction results in exceptional cleaning performance, as noted below.

High Pile Carpet

Like our low pile carpet tests, the high pile carpet test were nearly flawless.

The only issue was removing cereal.

Because the Animal 2 has such incredible suction it pulled the cleaning head down into the carpets. As a result, the cereal (which was sitting higher up on the carpet) was largely pushed forward.

This prevented the Animal 2 from removing a large portion of the cereal.

That said, had we used the hose we could have easily removed it.

Usability & Maneuverability

Despite being on the heavier side, the Animal 2 is still fairly easy to move around the home.

Maneuverability Quick Facts:

• Weight: 17.5 pounds
• Turning: 90°
• Reach: 50 feet
• Cord: 35 feet

Extension Wand

The combination of the extension wand and hose give the Dyson Animal 2 an extra 15 feet of reach.

This is ideal for cleaning up high, under / behind furniture, or even cleaning stairs. You can simply leave the base of the vacuum at the base of the stairs, while you walk with the light wand in hand.

This combined with the vacuums 35 foot cord gives a total reach of 50 feet.

Dyson Ball

As we discussed above, the Dyson Ball is a big part of the maneuverability. With most of the electronics and motor stored within the ball it gives the Animal 2 a low center of gravity.

This helps more easily turn the vacuum, when combined with the smooth rolling ball.

Dust Bin

The large clean dust bin is 0.55 gallons (2.08 liters).

It can be easily removed from the unit. The contents are emptied using the release button top of the bin.

For example, this allows you to place the bin partially in or over a trash can and then release the dust. This method helps you get more of the dust into the trash and prevents it from escaping back into the room.

Maintenance

Maintenance on the Dyson Ball Animal 2 is right to the point.

• Periodically empty the dust bin
• Wash the filter (about once per month is sufficient for most homes)
• Periodically examine the brushroll and remove any hair or other debris

That is really about it.

I’m a big fan of both Dyson’s upright vacuums and their cordless stick vacuums. One of the big reasons is the lifetime washable filter.

These filters simply slide into the top of the dust bin and capture fine particulates. Most are rated as HEPA filters, which means they can remove particulates as small as 0.3 microns.

Not having to worry about buying and installing a new filter every 6-12 months is a huge value add, in my opinion.

Is the Dyson Animal 2 worth it?

In a word, yes. The Dyson Ball Animal 2 is worth it and an excellent value for the money.

This isn’t a cheap vacuum, but that should come as no surprise. The Dyson Animal 2 is one of Dyson’s flagship vacuums and one of the most powerful commercial vacuum cleaners every made.

With 306 AW of suction power there is virtually no surface it cannot effectively clean.

The extra tools and accessories are a nice value add, as is the lifetime washable filter.

If you want raw cleaning power then you’ve got to pay for it. The Dyson Ball Animal 2 is well worth the money and easily the best upright vacuum we’ve tested to date.

Dyson Ball Animal 2 Specifications

Below we’ve listed the complete specifications for the Dyson Ball Animal 2.

Who should buy the Dyson Ball Animal 2 vacuum?

You should buy the Dyson Ball Animal 2 upright vacuum cleaner if you want:

• Raw suction power – The Animal 2 is equipped with 306 AW of suction power, giving it the most suction of any commercially available vacuum cleaner.
• Great cleaning performance – The Dyson Ball Animal 2 scored nearly flawlessly in our cleaning tests.
• The best upright – This is easily our favorite and the best upright vacuum we’ve tested to date. Yes, it’s heavy, but the performance speaks for itself. At the end of the day, that’s what really matters.
• Don’t mind the heavier upright design – The Animal 2 is a hefty machine. While the Ball does help improve maneuverability it’s still heavier than most and takes some effort to move around the room.

For more information, check out the Dyson Ball Animal 2 vacuum here.