Dyson Ball Animal 2 vs Shark Navigator ZU561: Although the first one is significantly more expensive, they tie in this head-to-head fight. That said, each has its own pros and cons.
The Dyson Ball Animal 2 has powerful suction, which is a double-edged sword. It can suck up everything on hard floors and is difficult to push on carpets. The biggest minus is that its suction is not adjustable, and it is heavy. However, it has a super long power cord and a large dust tank.
You typically get what you pay for, but not with the Shark ZU561. It will give you powerful suction to suck up everything on your surface without costing an arm and a leg. Thanks to Zero M technology, it even does a better job than its competitor regarding reducing hair wrap. Of course, don’t expect to get high-end things like the powered lift-away feature.
Dyson Ball Animal 2 vs Shark Navigator ZU561: Comparison Chart
Dyson Ball Animal 2 vs Shark Navigator ZU561: Differences
No one wins this battle. The Dyson Ball Animal 2 has strong suction but is awkward at removing tangled hair because its roller isn’t self-cleaning like the ZU561’s. It is heavier and harder to maneuver but comes with a longer cord and a bigger dirt tank.
Cleaning Performance
Winner: Shark ZU561
The ZU561 offers strong suction, which was enough to capture debris of all sizes on my hard floor. It surprised me with the stuff it can suck up ( dirt, hair, crumbs, etc.)
But the ZU561 was challenging to maneuver on my carpet, which is a bit denser but not excessively thick. I tried to adjust the suction until it could move more smoothly, but it didn’t clean my carpet effectively. So a bit of effort pushing the machine on my carpet is the price to pay for strong enough suction.
A self-cleaning brush roll with Zero M technology is one of the selling features of the ZU561. This brush is expected to completely eliminate the hair wrap problem, which is why it’s called “Zero-Maintenance” (Zero M). I found that most of the hair vacuumed up is sent straight into the dust cup instead of ending up on the roller, but not all. Sometimes I have seen a small amount of hair remain on the brush after vacuuming. But I just turned it on again and rolled it around a bit, and the problem was solved.
The Dyson Ball Animal 2 also has incredible suction, and it quickly filled its dust cup with lots of dirt and pet hair when I tested it on my bare floor. But its big minus is that it was tough to push or pull on the carpet because it has so much suction power, which cannot be adjusted. So I had to put some muscle into using this machine on my carpet.
It also did a good job of catching hair, but its brush roll is not made to untangle hair on its own. So I had to clean the brush head often; otherwise, it would stop working because of accumulated hair and fur over time.
Weight and Maneuverability
Winner: Shark ZU561
The Dyson Ball Animal 2 weighs 17.2 lbs (or about 7.80 kg), so it may be heavy or too heavy for many users, especially non-workout users. Combined with its insanely strong suction, maneuvering this machine made me sweat. It has a ball-shaped mechanism that is expected to make maneuvering easier, but this feature doesn’t really help much. If you’re an elderly person or a girl with weak wrists, you won’t want to struggle with it every day.
The ZU561, on the other hand, is easy to maneuver as it weighs only about 13.4 lbs. Carrying it around is a breeze as it is light as a feather. It is even lighter when used as a semi-handheld vacuum, which is ideal for cleaning cobwebs, dust on dressers, dog hair on furniture, etc.
The swivel feature is also excellent but can be annoying for beginners since keeping the vacuum in a straight line is hard. But once they get the hang of it, I bet they’ll love the feature.
Dust Cup Capacity And Filter
Winner: Dyson Ball Animal 2
When you empty a dust tank, you run the risk of inhaling allergens while dust and grime are allowed to disperse. So dust cup capacity is also one of the factors worth taking into account. And the larger the cup, the less often you empty it.
The Dyson Ball Animal 2 gets the first score thanks to the larger dust cup, which has a capacity of 1.28 quarts. Meanwhile, the ZU561 is equipped with a 0.9-quart dirt bin. I’d not say the dust canister of the ZU561 is small, but it’s clear that the Dyson Ball Animal 2’s allows you to collect much more dirt before it needs to be emptied.
Regarding the filtration systems, both the Dyson Ball Animal 2 vs Shark Navigator are equipped with HEPA filters apart from the pre-motor filters. Needless to say, the HEPA filter is the best filter available today since it can capture up to 99.9% of airborne dust and allergens. They are washable and don’t need to be cleaned frequently because almost everything is kept in the pre-motor filters.
Range
Winner: Dyson Ball Animal 2
Regarding coverage, the Dyson Ball Animal 2 is the star of the show because it comes with a 35-foot cord and 9-foot hose, allowing you to easily clean hard-to-reach places like stairs, bookshelves, or under furniture. However, I wish its cord was retractable, as manually wrapping such a long cord seems tedious.
On the flip side, the cord of the ZU561 is only 25 feet long, which is on the short side, and 5 feet longer would definitely make it better. During testing, I had to unplug and plug several times, which was time-consuming and uncomfortable. Its hose is also relatively short, at about 6.6 feet, but the Lift-Away feature can compensate for that.
Surface-Type Setting
Winner: Tie
As mentioned above, the Dyson Ball Animal 2 can automatically adjust the height of its head to fit the surface you’re cleaning. Therefore, you only need to press a button on its body to turn off the brush roll every time you vacuum hard floors. However, it maintains a nonadjustable, strong suction, making it difficult to push on carpets. Dyson recognized this minus and added a slider on the floorhead of the Ball Animal 3 to allow for suction power adjustment.
As for the Shark ZU561, this machine has a switch on the body that allows you to toggle between two settings: “Carpet” and “Hard Floor.” If you have any lower back, hip, or knee issues, bending to press this switch is not easy. One thing it has over the Dyson Ball Animal 2 is a collar on the handle, allowing you to customize its suction power. So every time you find it hard to push this model on the carpet, just reduce suction power, but remember that it can sacrifice cleaning performance.
Quick Rundown Of Shark ZU561
- Self-cleaning brushroll for powerful pet hair pickup with no hair wrap.
- Use as an upright vacuum for powerful floor and carpet cleaning. Or for more portability, detach the pod to go into Lift-Away mode to easily clean, above-floor areas like furniture and stairs.
- Anti-Allergen Complete Seal Technology and a HEPA filter traps over 99.9% of dust and allergens inside the vacuum cleaner.
- Swivel Steering provides effortless maneuverability for cleaning hard-to-reach areas.
- Suction control slider to manage suction power from hard floors to carpets.
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
Product Video
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References:
- Dyson Ball Animal 2: https://www.dyson.com/vacuum-cleaners/uprights/ball-animal-2
- Shark ZU561: http://www.sharkclean.us/support/product-series/1134/shark-navigator-speed-upright-vacuum-with-lift-away-and-self-cleaning-brushroll/
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.