Many people are wondering if they should buy the newer Dyson Ball Animal 3 or stick with the tried-and-true Dyson Ball Animal 2. The machines are extremely comparable to one another, but there are a few significant distinctions between them. In this Dyson Ball Animal 2 vs 3 comparison, I will compare the two to help you make the right decision.
Which won? The Dyson Ball Animal 3 is much better than the Dyson Ball Animal 2. The two vacuums look pretty much the same, but the Animal 3’s updated floorhead is what sets it apart. Unlike the Animal 2, the brushroll can be taken off the vacuum, which makes it easier to clean. The floorhead of the Animal 3 also has anti-tangle vanes that help prevent hair from getting tangled. It also has three levels of surface adjustment, which improves performance and suction force on a wide range of surfaces.
Dyson Animal 2, on the other hand, has a self-adjusting floorhead that doesn’t let you choose a surface setting manually. This makes it a little harder to move around on uneven floors. It has an amazing 306 AW of suction power, higher than any other vacuum, which makes it a great vacuum for hard floors.
Dyson Ball Animal 2 vs 3: Comparison Chart
Dyson Ball Animal 2 vs 3: Differences
Dyson Ball Animal 3 wins 2-0 and ties once against Dyson Ball Animal 2 thanks to its better cleaning performance on all types of floors and hair. Its overall design has also been improved.
Cleaning Performance
The Winner: Dyson Ball Animal 3
Airwatts Rating
The Dyson Ball Animal 2 is the vacuum cleaner with the most powerful suction that Dyson currently manufactures. It possesses a suction power of 306 AW. However, its incredible suction power is a blessing and a curse. One of the most common Dyson vacuuming complaints and drawbacks is that it can’t handle cleaning every type of carpet. It is challenging to push them forward due to the strong suction. This occurs most frequently on carpets with a high pile, but it can also happen on some medium-pile carpets.
The Dyson Ball Animal 3 has a lower maximum suction power and is designed to perform better on carpets. Because the Dyson Ball Animal 3 has a suction power of 290 AW, it is significantly less likely to cause problems than the Dyson Ball Animal 2. In my experience, this maximum suction power is sufficient for doing any type of cleaning task on any kind of floor. It solves problems with excessive suction, which were a problem with the Dyson Ball Animal 2 model.
Bare Floor Performance (Hardwood, Laminate, Tiles)
On bare floors, the Dyson Ball Animal 2 delivers satisfactory performance. It can clean up a variety of different types of debris without any problems.
The Dyson Ball Animal 3 is also an excellent choice if your home has a lot of bare floors. On this type of floor, it cleans up pet hair as well as small and large debris with ease, and its powerful suction motor does a fantastic job of sucking up debris from cracks and crevices.
When it comes to how well they clean bare floors, I do not see many significant differences between these two vacuums.
Low-Pile Carpet Performance
Both the Dyson Ball Animal 3 and the Animal 2 are excellent choices for cleaning low-pile carpets. Thanks to their powerful suction motor, they are able to quickly and easily remove both fine and large debris from low-pile carpets.
When compared to the Dyson Ball Animal 2, the Dyson Ball Animal 3 is slightly easier to maneuver on carpeted floors thanks to the adjustable floorhead surface settings. Unfortunately, even with the brushroll turned off, you still have to be careful when cleaning around tasseled rugs because they can get caught in the floorhead.
High-Pile Carpet Performance
If you have high-pile carpets, you shouldn’t choose the Dyson Ball Animal 2 vacuum. It is still able to remove pet hair and other types of solid debris from high-pile carpets, but its powerful suction force can make it difficult to maneuver. On high-pile carpets, I sometimes can’t even move it. Although it does not have a power adjustment setting, the height of the vacuum head can be adjusted automatically to accommodate a variety of floor surfaces.
In contrast, the Dyson Ball Animal 3 performs exceptionally well when vacuuming high-pile carpets. Pet hair, along with fine and large debris, can be quickly and easily removed from this surface by the vacuum’s adjustable floorhead and a powerful suction motor. Nevertheless, extreme caution is still required when cleaning extremely dense shag pile carpeting because the piles can get caught in the vacuum floorhead.
Long Hairs and Pets Hair Performance
When it comes to removing hair from pets, the Dyson Ball Animal 2 is an excellent choice. It has a turbo brush that makes it easier to vacuum on couches, and it can remove hair from any surface without any difficulty. In addition to that, it features a HEPA filter that captures allergens and a tool specifically designed for grooming pets.
However, the hair became entangled in the brushroll, and I will need to remove it manually. Because the brushroll isn’t supposed to be removed completely from the vacuum, detangling any hair can be a little bit more difficult.
I can say without a doubt that the Dyson Ball Animal 3 is an infallible option that resolves the issues that Animal 2 has when dealing with pet hair or long hair. Cleaning up pet hair is a breeze on hard floors, low-pile carpets, and high-pile carpets with this vacuum.
The floorhead’s anti-tangle vanes are also highly efficient at preventing hair from becoming entangled in the mechanism. In contrast to the Dyson Ball Animal 2, this model’s brushroll can be removed and taken apart for a more thorough cleaning. This model is also equipped with a pet grooming tool that is designed specifically for removing dead skin and loose fur from pets. Its five-stage filtration system is also fairly effective in sealing fine allergens such as pet dander inside the machine.
It blows my mind that Animal 3 had almost no hair at all wrapped around the brushroll. It had collected all of my stray hairs in the dustbin, making it possible for them to be emptied along with the rest of the dirt and debris. Only a few strands were wrapped around the brushroll and became tangled. Even though there were only a few strands of hair were wrapped around the brushroll and became tangled, they were simple to remove.
Because of this improvement in the Dyson Ball Animal 3, I do not regret making the investment.
Suction Settings
Because there is no way to vary the suction and excessive suction, one of the most common complaints about the Dyson Ball Animal 2 is that it has trouble pushing on certain types of carpets. This problem has been solved on the Dyson Ball Animal 3. You can adjust the “gates” on the front of the cleaning head by moving a slider that is located on the front of the Motorbar.
On Dyson Ball Animal 3 cleaner head slider can be set to:
- Left: best used for medium-pile carpet, or rugs and delicate flooring.
- Middle: best used for low-pile carpet or picking up larger debris.
- Right: best for hard floors and dealing with ground-in dirt.
The cleaning head slider allows for variable suction, which is a feature that has only been available on cordless Dyson vacuums in my research. I have used and tested this variable suction slider for many years and have found it to be very incredibly effective. In any case, I couldn’t be more thrilled to see it being implemented in this model as it addresses the most common complaint regarding the Dyson Ball Animal 2.
Design & Convenience
The Winner: Dyson Ball Animal 3
Noise Level
The Dyson Ball Animal 3 doesn’t make as much noise as Animal 2. I tested the loudness of both vacuums by positioning a digital noise level meter 3 ft. in front of the cleaner head for 10 seconds.
Based on my tests, the average sound level of the Dyson Ball Animal 3 and Animal 2 is 75.7 dB and 78.1 dB, respectively. These levels of noise are about the same as a conversation or a dishwasher.
Even though Animal 3 isn’t as loud as the Dyson Animal 2, that doesn’t mean Animal 2 is quiet. Not at all. Both of these machines make a lot of noise, with decibel levels that are on the high side.
Build Quality
The Dyson Ball Animal 2 does not give off the impression of being particularly well-built. Its plastic construction causes it to make a few creaking noises and flex very slightly when in use. The ball-shaped wheels feel pretty flimsy, and when the vacuum is in an upright position, they move a bit.
The Dyson Ball Animal 3 has a build quality that is satisfactory overall. It’s also mainly made out of plastic. When compared to the Dyson Ball Animal 2, the overall build quality of Animal 3’s redesigned floorhead sees a significant improvement. It is more compact in size, but it has a brushroll that is thicker and has nylon bristles that are spaced more closely together.
Additionally, the Dyson Ball Animal 3 has a series of detangling vanes that help reduce the number of hair wraps that occur. Having said that, it does have several of the same cons as its predecessor. The semi-spherical wheels and the clear plastic dirt compartment both give the impression of being made of relatively flimsy materials.
Weight
The weight of these two vacuums, which can be found on the Dyson website, is listed as anywhere between 17.3, 17.4, and 17.5 pounds. If there is a difference in weight between the two vacuums, it is likely to be extremely minute and, even if it is, it won’t be noticeable to most people.
Both of these vacuums are considered to be on the heavier side, and you will feel that weight when you are lifting and moving them.
Maneuverability
Dyson Ball Animal 2 and Dyson Ball Animal 3 are quite big and heavy, weighing 17.5 lbs and 17.4 lbs, respectively. This makes it more challenging to use them in tight areas. While the floorhead doesn’t pivot quite as smoothly and adds some cumbersome weight, the ball-shaped articulating mechanism makes them easier to maneuver around obstacles than most conventional uprights.
When compared to the Dyson Ball Animal 2, which had a strong suction force and could get caught on shag-pile rugs and drag them around, the Dyson Ball Animal 3 has a redesigned floorhead that allows for manually adjustable surface configurations, making it easier to maneuver on thick carpets. However, keep in mind that the vacuum can still get stuck on shag-pile carpeting and that you’ll need to crouch over the floorhead to change setting modes.
Dirt Bin
The Winner: It’s a Tie!
Dirt Bin Capacity
Both of these vacuums have a large dirt compartment that can hold up to 0.32 gal of debris. They are made of clear plastic so you can see at a glance how much room is still available. When compared to the Dyson Ball Animal 2, the capacity of the Dyson Ball Animal 3 remains the same, and there is a max fill line that provides an indication of how close it is to be completely full.
Filter
The Dyson Ball Animal 2 and Animal 3 include 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. It’s a big plus for me!
Quick Rundown Of Dyson Ball Animal 3
- The best cleaning performance of any upright de-tangling vacuum¹
- De-tangling technology. Automatically clears wrapped hair from the brush bar as you clean.
- Ball technology. Navigate around obstacles with a simple turn of the wrist. For easy, precise maneuvering around your home.
- 3 cleaning modes. Select the right cleaning mode for the right task. Optimized for a variety of tasks, for complete control over your clean.
- Engineered for larger homes with pets. Removes dirt and pet hair around your home. Easily tackles big messes.
Quick Rundown Of Dyson Ball Animal 2
- Strongest suction of any vacuum; Even more power for tough tasks
- Self adjusting cleaner head seals in suction across carpet, wood, vinyl, and tile floors
- Tangle free turbine tool, stair tool, combination tool included
- Whole machine filtration ensures that allergens are trapped inside the machine, not expelled back into the home.
- Hygienically empty the bin with the push of a button
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References:
- Dyson Ball Animal 2: https://www.dyson.com/vacuum-cleaners/uprights/ball-animal-2/iron-purple
- Dyson Ball Animal 3: https://www.dyson.com/vacuum-cleaners/uprights/ball-animal-3
Victor K. Giles is a leading consultant and expert in vacuum cleaner technology with over a decade of experience. As a mechanical engineering graduate in the University of Michigan, he specializes in product development, design optimization, and performance analysis. Victor collaborates with manufacturers and educates consumers, making her a sought-after guest speaker at industry events. His work has been featured in renowned publications, and he shares his expertise on his blog, “The Vacuum Teria”. Victor’s passion for cleaner, healthier living spaces drives his to help clients choose the best vacuum solutions for their needs.