The Dyson Ball Animal 3 cleans exceptionally well, with a 99.4% debris removal rate in review tests. Its adjustable cleaning head and advanced motorbar system work across floor types and handle pet hair, and reviewers noted it detangles long and pet hair automatically. Some users find the dustbin smaller than its predecessor's, and availability is limited at many retailers. Pet owners after high-performance cleaning are the fit; budget-conscious buyers, or anyone who wants wide retailer access, are not.
Full review
290 air watts through an adjustable Motorbar head
The Animal 3 is rated at 290 air watts, up from 227 on the Animal 2, and pairs that with a cleaning head adjustable for bare floors or carpet. Vacuum Wars found it picked up fine debris well on both carpet and tile, but also that the low front edge and tight seal push larger debris along a carpet instead of swallowing it, a familiar consequence of a well-sealed head. Vacuum Cleaner Advisor recorded complete removal of long hair in its own testing.
De-tangling vanes keep hair off the brush bar
The Motorbar head adds de-tangle vanes that guide hair off the brush roll and into the bin, which removes the recurring chore of cutting tangled hair free with scissors. That is the biggest change from earlier Dyson uprights for households with pets or long-haired people. Whole-machine HEPA filtration and a sealed body handle the other half of the pet problem, and the internal filters rinse under a tap rather than needing replacement.
An 11-inch head, narrower than the Animal 2's 13.25
The cleaning head is 11 inches wide against 13.25 on the Animal 2, so covering a room takes more passes even though the narrower head reaches further into tight spots. Vacuum Cleaner Advisor also found the machine harder to push and turn than its predecessor despite that narrower head, and rated the stretch hose a nuisance because it pulls back against the user during work. At 17.3 pounds it is heavy on stairs, and the bin is smaller than the previous model's.
A 35-foot cord plus a 15-foot hose
Reach is generous: a 35-foot cord and a 15-foot hose-and-wand extension give roughly 50 feet of working radius, enough to do a floor of a house from one socket. Accessory counts vary by trim, with the base bundle carrying two tools and the fuller kits adding a pet grooming attachment. A five-year parts and labor warranty backs the machine.
$409.99, and hard to find outside Dyson
At $409.99 this is a premium upright, and the case for it rests on the anti-tangle head and the sealed HEPA path rather than on maneuverability or bin capacity. Retail availability is thin, with Dyson's own store the reliable source, so there is little room to shop the price down. Households with pets and mixed flooring get the most from it; anyone carrying a vacuum up and down stairs daily should weigh those 17.3 pounds first.
Strengths
- +99.4% removal rate in cleaning tests
- +Adjustable cleaning head enables effective cleaning on varied floor types
- +Handles pet hair easily with automatic tangle-free operation
- +Effective at removing long hair with 100% success rate
Watch-outs
- −Slightly smaller dustbin compared to previous model
- −Not available at many retailers
How it compares
The Dyson Ball Animal 3 stands out with its 99.4% debris removal rate and automatic tangle-free operation for pet hair, which the Shark Navigator Lift-Away NV351 struggles with due to hair tangling issues. Unlike the Kenmore BU1018, it avoids major reliability concerns and offers superior performance on varied floor types, though it has a smaller dustbin than previous models and limited retailer availability compared to the Bissell CleanView Swivel Pet 2252.
Rating sources
“The Dyson Ball Animal 3 is Dyson's latest upright for pets. It comes with some very interesting technology and there are several different models to choose from.”
“We are impressed by the Dyson Ball Animal 3 s performance. Particularly effective on carpeted floors, this vacuum offers strong suction and airflow, paired with an innovative brushroll design that allows you to toggle it on or off depending on the surface.”
Our 4.5 score is the average of these published ratings. Ratings marked * were derived from the reviewer’s written analysis or video transcript — the publisher didn’t print an explicit numeric score, so we inferred one from their own words. Click through to verify. More about methodology.
