Review of the Dyson - Ball Animal Bagless Upright Vacuum

I was recently asked to review the Dyson Ball Animal Bagless Upright Vacuum, I wasn't sure how I would feel about a larger, full-size vacuum. I own one of the Dyson Digital Slim models, which I've used for a year and love it. I have a small home, and it's hard to get through all the furniture and toys we have in our living areas. I was worried that the full-sized Animal would just be too big to use effectively. I was wrong!

Cool "ball" design

This is what my floor looks like most of the time.

Review of the Dyson Ball Animal Bagless Upright Vacuum

Not only does the "ball" design make it easy to glide in and out of the small spaces that need vacuumed regularly in our home, the vacuum itself doesn't take up much more space than the slim model, both in use and in storage. The suction power is unbelievable, and the large canister size means I can do the whole house (dust from our farm and pet hair and all) without having to dump it until finished.

Removing the dust bin is as easy as pressing this button

While I prefer cordless models as a rule, this vacuum has a very long cord that can reach across my small home without having to unplug and find a new outlet. Wrapping it up isn't much of a chore, as the cord holder actually accommodates such a long cord (unlike other vacuums.)

Red button turns it on. Silver start the brush rotation.

How does it sound? This vacuum is rather loud, especially with the brush motor engaged. Because it takes just one pass to get the job done, however, I really don't mind. This model came with lots of accessories, some of which I'm not sure how I will use. Assembling it was kind of tricky, as it only comes with picture instructions, and I'm not very good at visualizing things.

Lots and lots of accessories

Assembly instructions

Not sure what this does

Even the attachments are high tech!

One other feature that could be good -- or bad -- is that there is no step button to push to lay the vacuum down to use (as opposed to leaving it upright to use the attachments). You simply pull back and use the vacuum's own weight to engage it into the recline position. Might be more difficult for an older person to do. Also, you have to pick it up to move it, if you don't want it to recline and push against the floor, instead of just pulling back and rolling it on the back two wheels like other more traditional models.

No pedal!

This may be tricky for someone who can't carry things, even with the vacuum being rather light. I think this easily trumps the other vacuums we've used over the years.

When it comes time to clean your filter, the Dyson team will be able to help - should you need it!

I already know that Dyson has an excellent customer service team, great warranty, and will help you out with any of your questions (learned from other vacuums I own from them), so this is a good value when you consider craftsmanship and support. I'd pay more to get a great company that stands behind their products.

The vacuum that does serious work.

The vacuum, currently available at Best Buy is one of those products where you get what you pay for. It's a quality machine that I'm sure we'll get plenty of good use out of over the next several years!

* I did receive the Dyson - Ball Animal Bagless Upright Vacuum in exchange for my review. All opinions though are my own.