The Dyson Ball Animal 3 Extra is a bagless upright vacuum. It's an updated version of the Dyson Ball Animal 2 with a redesigned floorhead. It features three dedicated surface settings for different floor types and a removable anti-tangle brushroll. The latter feature is very helpful if you have a pet that sheds heavily. Its five-stage filtration system also helps to seal in allergens like pet dander.
While there are multiple variants, they only differ in color and included accessories. Further details on the differences between models are outlined in the Differences Between Variants section of the review.
Our Verdict
The Dyson Ball Animal 3 is very good for cleaning bare floors. It easily clears away small and bulky debris on this floor type, and its powerful suction motor does a fantastic job of sucking up debris in cracks and crevices. However, the vacuum itself doesn't feel especially sturdy in places, particularly the clear plastic dustbin and semi-spherical wheels. Its bulky design can also be a challenge to maneuver in tighter spaces.
- Superb performance on bare floors.
- Easily clears debris in cracks and crevices.
- Easily clears away pet hair.
- Easy-to-maintain design.
- A little fragile in places.
- Heavy, bulky design.
The Dyson Ball Animal 3 is a good option for vacuuming low-pile carpet. Its strong suction motor lets it easily suck up fine and large debris from low-pile carpets. The adjustable floorhead surface settings make pushing it around on carpeted floors easier than its predecessor. Unfortunately, you must still be careful when cleaning around tasseled rugs, which can get caught in the floorhead even with the brushroll turned off.
- Fantastic performance on carpets.
- Easily clears away pet hair.
- Easy-to-maintain design.
- A little fragile in places.
- Can get stuck on rug tassels.
The Dyson Ball Animal 3 is very good for vacuuming high-pile carpet. The adjustable floorhead and strong suction motor allow it to clear a mix of debris types fairly easily, though you might still need to make an extra pass to clear away everything. You also still need to be careful when cleaning very dense shag pile carpeting, which can get caught in its floorhead. Its bagless design incurs minimal recurring costs and isn't especially hard to maintain. However, its clear plastic dustbin feels a little fragile, as do its ball wheels.
- Fantastic performance on carpets.
- Easily clears away pet hair.
- Easy-to-maintain design.
- A little fragile in places.
- Shag pile carpeting can get caught in floorhead.
The Dyson Ball Animal 3 is impressively well-suited to dealing with pet hair. It can handle pet hair on bare floors and carpet. The anti-tangle vanes in its floorhead are also very effective in minimizing the chances of hair getting tangled within the mechanism. Unlike its predecessor, the brushroll is removable, enabling you to clean it thoroughly. This vacuum variant comes with a dedicated pet grooming tool, ideal for clearing loose fur and dead skin. Its five-stage filtration system is also pretty effective in sealing fine allergens like pet dander. Unfortunately, this vacuum is on the louder end of the scale and might startle animals sensitive to loud noises.
- Dedicated pet grooming tool.
- Five-stage filtration system.
- Floorhead with removable brushroll and anti-tangle vanes.
- Easily clears away pet hair.
- Easy-to-maintain design.
- A little fragile in places.
- Somewhat loud.
- Can't be used to clean liquid spills.
The Dyson Ball Animal 3 is okay for vacuuming staircases. Its upright body is somewhat heavy and rather bulky, making it a hassle to carry around. That said, you can use it in a semi-handheld configuration by leaving it positioned upright and cleaning with its hose, which is quite long and enables you to reach most faraway areas. Its long power cord also ensures you won't have to swap outlets when vacuuming taller staircases. Make sure you leave it on secure footing so that it doesn't tip over, as some parts of its mainly plastic construction feel a little flimsy, like the dustbin and main wheels.
- Superb performance on bare floors.
- Long overall range.
- A little fragile in places.
- Heavy, bulky design.
The Dyson Ball Animal 3 is an upright vacuum and isn't suitable for cleaning the inside of your car.
The Dyson Ball Animal 3 is mediocre for light workshop cleaning tasks, as that isn't what it's designed for. It can easily clear away household debris on hard surfaces like concrete floors, not to mention low-pile rugs, but it could be damaged if you use it to suck up heavier debris like metal or wood shavings. It also isn't meant for sucking up liquid spills.
- Superb performance on bare floors.
- Easily clears debris in cracks and crevices.
- A little fragile in places.
- Can't be used to clean liquid spills.
Changelog
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Updated Dec 17, 2024:
Added a link to the SEBO FELIX in the User Maintenance section of the review to provide an alternative that incurs fewer maintenance needs.
- Updated Oct 16, 2024: We've added the Ball Animal 3 Advanced model variant to the Differences Between Variants section of the review.
- Updated Aug 26, 2024: We've updated the scores in the Hard Floor Pick-Up, High-Pile Carpet Pick-Up, Low-Pile Carpet Pick-Up, and Pet-Hair Pick-Up tests to align with a broader data set. For more information about the reasoning for this update, you can look at our forum post.
- Updated Apr 09, 2024: We've added text to this review for the new tests added in Test Bench 1.3.
Check Price
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Dyson Ball Animal 3 is available in four variants, which differ only in the included attachments. We tested the 'Extra' variant, and you can see its label here. Outlined below is the current Ball Animal 3 model lineup.
| Model Name | Parts Included | Canister Color | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ball Animal 3 | Combination tool, Stair tool | Nickel | |
| Ball Animal 3+ | Combination tool, Stair tool, Tangle-Free Turbine tool | Nickel | Only available from Costco |
| Ball Animal 3 Advanced | Carbon fiber soft dusting brush, Combination tool, Stair tool, tool holder | Nickel | |
| Ball Animal 3 Extra | Pet Groom tool, Combination tool, Tangle-Free Turbine tool, Stair tool | Copper | |
| Ball Animal 3 Complete | Reach under tool, Pet groom tool, Combination tool, Tangle-free turbine tool, Stair tool, Articulating hard floor tool, Multi-angle Brush tool, Carbon fiber soft dusting brush, mattress tool, Tool holder, Tool bag | Gold | Only available from Dyson's site |
Let us know in the comments if you encounter another variant of this vacuum, and we'll update our review.
Popular Vacuum Comparisons
The Dyson Ball Animal 3 is a bagless upright vacuum. It delivers remarkably strong performance across a wide variety of surfaces, even when compared to high-end models like the discontinued Miele Dynamic U1 PowerLine, and represents a good option for pet owners thanks to its superb pet hair cleaning capability and anti-tangle floorhead. That said, even with its redesigned floorhead, it still suffers some of the same issues as the older Dyson Ball Animal 2. Its strong suction motor can cause it to drag around some lighter rugs and get caught on shag-pile carpeting, though admittedly to a lesser degree than its predecessor.
If you're looking for an alternative, look at our list of recommendations for the best upright vacuums, the best bagless vacuums, and the best vacuums for pet hair.
The Dyson Ball Animal 3 Extra is better than the Shark Stratos Upright AZ3002. The Dyson is easier to maintain, thanks to its removable brushroll, has a height-adjustable floorhead to allow for improved maneuverability on surfaces like thick carpeting, and delivers better overall debris-pickup performance. Pricier variants of the Dyson also come with a wider array of attachments. Conversely, the Shark feels better built and has an odor-neutralization feature.
The Dyson Ball Animal 3 Extra is a notable improvement over the Dyson Ball Animal 2 Total Clean/Origin. The two vacuums are similar in design, but the Animal 3's updated floorhead makes all the difference. Unlike the Animal 2, it can be detached from the vacuum and has a removable brushroll, making it easier to clean. The Animal 3's floorhead also has anti-tangle vanes that are effective in minimizing hair wraps, and it offers three levels of surface adjustment, resulting in improved performance and suction force across a wide range of surfaces. In contrast, the Animal 2 has a self-adjusting floorhead that doesn't allow you to manually select a surface setting, which makes it slightly harder to maneuver on uneven floors.
The Dyson Ball Animal 3 Extra and the Dyson Cinetic Big Ball Animal are different types of vacuums, with the former being an upright and the latter being a canister, but they each have their own advantages. The Ball Animal 3 is the best choice if you need something for cleaning thick carpeting, as it's equipped with a more powerful suction motor and has a height-adjustable powerhead. It also has a longer power cord than its canister counterpart. That being said, the Big Ball is a much smaller, more maneuverable option that could be a better fit if you live in a smaller home and don't require the upright's sheer power.
The Dyson Ball Animal 3 Extra is better than the Shark Navigator Lift-Away Deluxe. The Dyson has a height-adjustable floorhead, making it easier to maneuver on thick carpeting, a more powerful suction motor, and a longer range. It also incurs lower recurring costs and is easier to maneuver despite its heavier build. That said, the Shark's 'Lift-Away' design does make it a little easier to clean tight spots.
Test Results
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