Dyson V11 Animal Vacuum Review

The Dyson V11 Animal's build quality is only okay. Aside from the metal wand, the rest of the vacuum is made almost entirely out of plastic. It looks nice and doesn't feel cheap, but the plastic used seems rather fragile, like it could crack on impact if dropped.

On the upside, it has a pretty intuitive design that's easy to assemble - the parts clip together with ease and come apart without much trouble. There's also a grippy rubber strip underneath the main compartment to keep it from falling over when leaning against a wall, which is a nice touch.

This vacuum is fairly easy to maintain. The filter needs regular cleaning, but it's very easy to access. Almost all parts that require maintenance can be removed entirely for easy cleaning, and the vacuum can be quickly disassembled in case there's a blockage. It also has indicator lights to let you know when the filter needs cleaning or if there's a blockage.

However, you need to remove the wand from the vacuum to empty the dirt compartment, which is a bit annoying since it's rather small and needs to be emptied quite often. Hair also tends to wrap around the main brush roll head and needs to be removed manually from time to time.

The Dyson V11 Animal has virtually no recurring costs, which is excellent. Just like the Dyson Cinetic Big Ball Animal Canister and Dyson Cyclone V10 Absolute, there are no bags to replace. The filter also is expected to last the lifetime of your product as long as it's well-maintained. If any parts do break or need replacement, you can purchase them directly on Dyson's website.

The Dyson V11 is impressively easy to store. Its tall and narrow design helps it fit in tight spaces like a small broom closet. Unlike the Dyson V8 Animal, this vacuum can store up to two brushes or tools on the vacuum directly without changing its footprint very much. It also comes with a docking station that has a couple of extra spots to store more tools, which is convenient.

Update 08/24/2020: We've retested the dirt compartment volume using our methodology instead of using the manufacturer specs. The dirt compartment's score has been updated to reflect this change.

The Dyson V11 has an adequate dirt compartment. It's a bit small, so it tends to need emptying fairly frequently, but there's an indicator to let you know when it's full. If you want another vacuum with a bigger dirt compartment, check out the Dyson Ball Animal 2.

• Dyson V11 Animal vacuum
• Dirt compartment
• Lint/dust screen
• Filter
• Main vacuum head
• Wand
• Vacuum User Guide
• Various tools and brushes
  • Dusting brush
  • Upholstery brush
  • Turbo brush
  • Crevice tool
  • Tool holder
• Docking station
  • Installation manual
  • 4 screws
  • Charger

Since the Dyson V11 is cordless, you have unlimited range. You can vacuum completely untethered, with the only restrictions being a dead battery or a full canister.

The Dyson V11 Animal is quite portable. While the vacuum itself doesn't weigh too much, the actual weight you feel in your hand when vacuuming can start to feel a bit heavy after a while. On the upside, it has a carrying handle for more comfortable use in handheld mode.

This vacuum's battery performance is alright. It can go for over an hour on the Eco setting in handheld mode, so you shouldn't need to recharge it too often if you're just cleaning up small spills here and there. However, it lasts less than 10 minutes on the Boost setting with the main power head, so if you need some extra torque to power through a tough mess, you'll have to do it quickly. If you don't want to worry about battery life, check out the Shark Rocket Ultra-Light, which is a corded stick/handheld vacuum.

The Dyson V11 has a few features to make your life easier, like automatically adjusting its power level based on its required performance. You can also adjust the main vacuum head's suction to accommodate for different surface types, but you have to do it manually via a small slider on the head.

This cordless vacuum comes with quite a few different tools and brushes to help you get the job done. One of the brushes has retractable bristles so it can be used for dusting or on upholstery. The V11 Torque Drive variant comes with an additional soft brush for delicate surfaces and fabrics. Although there isn't technically an extension wand, you can attach any tool to the end of the main wand for added reach.

You can use the Dyson V11 as either a stick vacuum or in handheld mode by detaching the wand.

Update 08/24/2020: We've retested the Dyson V11 Animal's bare floor performance using the new dirt compartment volume measurements. While the scoring of this box hasn't changed, the large debris results have been updated.

This vacuum has excellent bare floor performance. Even with the dirt compartment full, it still performs almost as well as it does when it's empty. It doesn't suck up large debris like cereal as well as it does with small debris like rice, but it does an outstanding job with pet hair.

If you want a similar vacuum with much better performance on bare floors, consider the Shark APEX UpLight.

Update 08/24/2020: We've retested the Dyson V11 Animal's low-pile carpet performance using the new dirt compartment volume measurements. While the scoring of this box hasn't changed, the small and large debris results have been updated.

This vacuum performs very well on low-pile carpet. It doesn't manage to catch as much debris as it does on bare floors but still does remarkably well with pet hair. It does a better job with large debris like sand than with small debris like baking soda. It also performs quite consistently regardless of how much debris is in the dirt compartment. If you're looking for a cordless vacuum that's even more effective on low-pile carpet, however, take a look at the Shark ION P50 Upright.

Update 08/24/2020: We have retested the Dyson V11 Animal's high-pile carpet performance using the new dirt compartment volume measurements. While the scoring of this box hasn't changed, the small debris results have been updated.

The Dyson V11 has great high-pile carpet performance. While it doesn't manage to get as much debris as it does on bare floors or low-pile carpet, it still manages to do an impressive job thanks to the agitation provided by the brush roll. Like with low-pile carpet, it catches larger debris like sand better than smaller debris like baking soda, but still excels with pet hair. Even though the performance decreases a bit as the dirt compartment fills up with large debris, it still does a decent job even when it's full.

This vacuum has good maneuverability. While the vacuum does feel a bit heavy at times, it maneuvers around quite well thanks to its slim design. The head gets in the way around furniture, so you might have to crouch down low a fair bit to get underneath couches or tables properly. Although it's likely to get stuck on a lightweight tasseled rug like most vacuums, you shouldn't have any issues on a thicker rug or around cables.

The Dyson V11 Animal has no automation features.