As for the debate between the Dyson V15 vs Animal 3, I lean towards the former model.
If asked about my favorite stick vacuums, the Dyson V15 must be one of them. Its performance can beat most other sticks and even outperform many uprights. As for other pros, it is light, easy to maneuver, comes with a HEPA filter, and is packed with great attachments.
The Dyson Ball Animal 3 also has great performance, but I wouldn’t generally recommend it if you’re looking for an upright. Consider shark uprights, which also have good cleaning performance, more bells and whistles, are lighter, and don’t cost an arm and a leg.
Dyson V15 vs Animal 3: Comparison Chart
Dyson V15 vs Animal 3: Differences
The Dyson V15 triumphs over the Dyson Ball Animal 3 with a score of 3-1. The key areas where the V15 outshines its competitor is hard floor vacuuming, weight & maneuverability, and special features (utilities).
Cleaning Performance
Winner: Dyson V15
Suction Power
The Dyson V15 has a maximum suction power of 230 AW, whereas the Dyson Ball Animal 3 has a maximum suction power of 290 AW. Generally, these are all monsters with insanely strong suction. And my tests (on different surfaces) showed that they all did their jobs well.
Hard Floor
The Dyson Ball Animal 3 comes with only a motorbar cleaner head, which is designed to clean both bare floors and carpets. It also has a roller on/off button, which I used to turn off the roller brush to avoid scratching my floor. I found a small slider on the floorhead, and I had it set to the leftmost position, which is intended for hard surfaces. For the Dyson V15, I used the Laser Slim Fluffy cleaning head, which includes a removable and washable soft roller.
Both of these machines had an excellent performance on my hardwood floors. They picked up all the debris of all sizes with ease, and nothing was left behind after a single pass. I could feel how clean my floor was with my bare feet.
The Dyson V15’s Laser Slim Fluffy Floorhead has a green laser, which gave me a better view of what was on my floor and needed to be removed. This thing was really helpful and not just a gimmick.
Carpet
For carpet testing, I used a Dyson V15 with a High Torque 2.0 cleaning head, which is similar to Animal 3’s motorbar head, and turned on the roller of Animal 3.
On my low carpets, the Dyson V15 and the Animal 3 were neck and neck. They left me gasping in awe with the amount of hair and dirt they captured. They pulled most, if not all, things from this type of surface. These machines still worked great on high-pile carpets, but I found it more difficult to push Animal 3.
Overall, the Dyson V15 and the Animal 3 perform similarly on the carpet and are both incredibly awesome. That’s something only the workhorses from Dyson can do.
Hair Removal
Whether on hard floors or carpets, the Dyson V15 vs Animal 3 devoured all the hair I dropped. Better yet, there was almost no hair wrapped around the roller of the duo.
So what miracle was this, exactly?
Their Motorbar heads share an anti-hair-wrap system, which consists of a series of small polycarbonate fangs. They don’t guarantee that 100% of the hair is sent into the dust cup, but you certainly won’t need to spend a lot of time untangling the roller.
Design And Usability
Winner: Dyson V15
Dimensions And Storage
The Dyson Ball Animal 3 is somewhat bulky. It can stand upright by itself and has room for two attachments. That said, you’ll need to find another place to store the rest of the attachments. I wish I could put all the attachments on the machine’s body, so they are always ready for use.
The Animal 3, like all other sticks, has a compact and lightweight design. But this machine is top-heavy (because the motor and dust cup assembly are on the top). So, when not in use, it must be placed in a charging station, leaned against a wall, or lie on the ground. It comes with a wand clip that can hold two attachments, while the charging station has room for two other attachments. So you’ll also need to find another location for any leftover attachments.
Weight And Maneuverability
The Dyson V15 is a stick vacuum, and the Dyson Ball Animal 3 is an upright one. So the V15 is lighter than the Animal 3, which is a no-brainer. Specifically, the Animal 3 weighs 17.46 pounds, while the Dyson V15 is much lighter at 6.8 pounds.
The duo has a rotating head designed to turn on a dime easily, but pushing the Animal 3 is still a bit of a workout for some (because of its heavy weight). Meanwhile, I could work with the Dyson V15 with just one hand for long periods of time without issue.
Cord Length And Battery Life
The Animal 3 is a cord upright vacuum, and it is powered by electricity through a 35-foot power cord. With such a long cord, I could clean everywhere in my house from a single outlet. This cord isn’t retractable, so I had to wrap it manually. This job is time-consuming, but it is okay!
The Dyson V15 is a cordless vacuum that is powered by a 3600 mAh 7-Cells battery. You can take it anywhere without worrying about plugging it in, but it will run out of battery after a while. It will last the longest in Eco mode (71 minutes) and drain the battery the fastest in Boost mode (8 minutes). It takes almost 4 hours to fully charge this monster, so I highly recommend investing in an extra battery to extend run time.
Dust Cup Capacity And Filters
Winner: Dyson Ball Animal 3
The dust cup of the Animal 3 is larger at 1.20 liters, and I didn’t need to empty it any time during testing. I also loved how easy it was to empty this dust cup. There was a button on the cup’s handle. All I had to do was press this button and make sure the trash can covered the cup. And after that, gravity would take care of the rest.
As for the Dyson V15, its dust canister has a capacity of 0.75 liters. It’s quite small, but that’s what all sticks have in common. I had several trips to the trash can in the middle to empty it, but this isn’t a big deal. To empty its cup, I simply slid the red lever to release the latch, and all the debris and dust would fall straight into the trash without hassle.
The Dyson V15 vs Animal 3 share a sealed system. This ensures the sucked air will pass through a quality filtration system (including a washable HEPA filter) before being released. Note that the HEPA filter is only included with the Dyson V15 Detect Absolute. Other versions, including Dyson V15 Detect and Dyson V15 Detect+, lack this filter.
Utilities
Winner: Dyson V15
LCD Screen
A small LCD screen on top of the Dyson V15 shows the run-time countdown, the chosen power mode, and how many and what size particles the machine picks up.
I was impressed with how the Dyson V15 was able to count and categorize vacuumed dust particles into four different sizes: 10, 60, 180, and 500 microns. Well, this seems based on some type of alien technology, but it’s not.
The technology behind this is an onboard piezo sensor that can detect particle quantity and size in real-time and then display the collected data on the LCD screen. I didn’t know how dirty my house was until I looked at this metric.
Attachments
| Dyson V15 | Dyson Ball Animal 3 |
| Wand and Wand Clip. Wall Mount. Click-in Battery. Charger. 2.0 High Torque floorhead. Fluffy cleaning head. Crevice tool. Hair screw tool. Combination tool. Soft dusting brush. Stubborn dirt brush. | Motorbar cleaner head. Stair tool Multi-angle brush tool. Carbon fiber soft dusting brush. Articulating hard floor tool. Mattress tool. Reach under tool. Combination tool. Pet groom tool. Tool bag. |
Both come with a great set of attachments and tools that can be used for a wide range of cleaning tasks. So I call this round a tie!
But if you are a pet owner, I recommend Animal 3 since it’s engineered for homes with pets. I really enjoyed the pet groom tool, which I used to brush directly onto my four-legged friend and suck up loose hair/fur directly into the dust canister.
But for daily cleaning chores, the Dyson V15 is the better option. It has two cleaning heads specially designed for hard floor vacuuming and carpet deep cleaning.
Alternate Configuration
The Dyson V15 can be reconfigured into a handheld vacuum by removing the handle from the tube. In this configuration, you can easily clean stairs, countertops, the surface of my sofa, and hard-to-reach areas with the proper attachment.
As for Animal 3, you will need to leave the machine completely upright to divert suction through the hose/wand. Locking it in the upright position and deploying the hose is a bit awkward.
Quick Rundown of Dyson V15
- The most powerful intelligent cordless vacuum.¹ With laser illumination.
- Engineered for whole home, deep cleans. Suction power, run time and tools designed to deep clean your whole home. Engineered for homes with pets.
- Up to 60 minutes of run time.³ Power saving trigger helps maximize battery life, only using power when you need it. Actual run time will vary based on power mode and/or attachments used.
- Laser reveals microscopic dust. A precisely angled laser makes invisible dust visible on hard floors, so you don’t miss anything.
- Intelligently optimizes suction and run time based on dust level and floor type. A Piezo sensor and Dyson DLS technology automatically sense debris level and floor type to adapt suction for the right balance of power and run time when you need it.²
Quick Rundown of Dyson Ball Animal 3
- Removes dirt, allergens and pet hair around your home. Easily tackles big messes.
- Automatically clears wrapped hair from the brush bar as you clean.
- Navigate around obstacles with a simple turn of the wrist. For easy, precise maneuvering around your home.
- Select the right cleaning mode for the right task. Optimized for a variety of floor types, for complete control over your clean.
- Stair tool and combination tool
Product Videos
Related Articles to Dyson V15
- Triflex HX2 Vs Dyson V15: Best Cordless Vacuum? $ 600$
- Karcher VC7 Vs Dyson V15: Find Out The Better Pick For You!
- LG CordZero Kompressor Vs Dyson V15: Compare The Two Premium Stick Vacuums
- Vorwerk Folletto VK7s Vs Dyson V15 Honest Review: Versatile & High-Performance Vacuums
- Miele Triflex HX2 Pro Vs Dyson V15: Battle Between High-end Stick Vacuums – Which Is Better?
- Samsung Jet 75 Pet Vs Dyson V15: Determining The Best Vacuum Cleaner
- AEG ULTIMATE 8000 vs Dyson V15: A Head-To-Head Comparison
- Dyson V15 vs Rowenta 15.60: Which Is The Most Powerful Cordless Stick Vacuum?
- Vorwerk Vk7 vs Dyson V15: Which Will Win With A Whopping ~$200 Price Gap?
- Philips XC8349/01 vs Dyson V15: Who Should Buy These Powerful Cordless Stick Vacuum Cleaners?
- Lupe vs Dyson V15: 2 Powerful Vacuums – Which One Makes A Smatter Investment?
- Shark IZ320UKT vs Dyson V15: Are These Vacuums Worth The Money?
- Bosch Unlimited 7 vs Dyson V15: Can Bosch Surpass Dyson? – Choose Your Perfect Vacuum!
- Kobold VB100 Vs Dyson V15: Vacuuming Power Showdown
- Samsung Jet 70 Pet Vs Dyson V15 Detect: Which Is Better For Whole-House Cleaning?
- LG CordZero vs Dyson V15: A Tough Comparison Between The Most Powerful Cordless Stick Vacuums
- Dyson V15 vs Bosch Serie 8: Can Miele Surpass Dyson In A Vacuum’s Faceoff?
- Dyson V15 Vs Outsize Cordless Vacuums: Staying With The Standard Or Extra Size?
- Samsung Jet 60 Vs Dyson V15: Discover The Best Vacuum
- Roborock H7 vs Dyson V15: Which One Is The Most Powerful Cordless Stick Vacuum?
- Dyson V15 vs Philips 9000: Should You Invest In A Dyson Or A Wet-dry Philips?
- Karcher VC6 Vs Dyson V15: Which One Should You Opt For?
- Tineco S11 Vs Dyson V15: A Head-To-Head Battle Of Premium Cordless Vacuums
- Samsung Bespoke Jet Vs Dyson V15 Detect: Compare The Top-Notch Cordless Stick Vacuums
- Dyson V15 Detect Vs V11 Animal: Let’s Read to Choose the Better One!
- Dyson V15 vs Philips 8000: 2 Expensive Cordless Stick Vacuums – Which One Is Better?
- Xiaomi G11 vs Dyson V15: An Honest Comparison Review For Stick Vacuum Lovers
- Hoover HF 9 Vs Dyson V15: Best Cordless Stick Vacuum for Easy and Hassle-Free Cleaning
- Vax Blade 4 Vs Dyson V15: Detailed Review And Comparison
- Xiaomi V11 vs Dyson V15: Let’s Read To Find Out What Is The Better One!
Related Articles to Dyson Ball Animal 3
- Dyson Ball Animal 3 vs V12: Let’s Looking For The Top-Of-The-Line Dyson Vacuum
- Dyson Cinetic Big Ball vs Animal 3: Which One Should You Go For?
- Dyson Ball Animal Origin vs Animal 3: Which Is The Difference Between Animal 3 And Origin Version?
- Dyson Slim Ball Animal vs Animal 3: An Honest Comparison Between Powerful Upright Vacuums
- Dyson Ball Animal 3 vs V15: Which One Will Be Your Best Bet?
- Dyson Ball Animal 3 vs Shark NV752: Which One Is Best Value for Money?
- Dyson Ball Animal 3 vs Shark NV501: Which Should You Go For This Year?
- Shark AZ2002 vs Dyson Ball Animal 3: Two Beasts But Only One Winner!
- Dyson Ball Animal 3 vs Kirby Avalir 2: Which Is Better for Home Use?
- Dyson Ball Animal 3 vs Extra: There Is Only A Small Difference, But It Really Should Be Taken Into Account
- Shark AZ1002 vs Dyson Ball Animal 3: A Side-By-Side Comparison
- Dyson Ball Animal 2 vs 3: Should We Buy The Newer Model Or Stick With The Tried-and-true One?
- Shark UV850 vs Dyson Ball Animal 3: A Comparison of Two Robust Vacuum Cleaners
- Shark NV352 vs Dyson Ball Animal 3: A Decision From Real Experience
References:
- Dyson V15 Detect Absolute: https://www.dyson.com/vacuum-cleaners/cordless/v15/detect/absolute-gold
- Dyson Ball Animal 3: https://www.dyson.com/vacuum-cleaners/uprights/ball-animal-3/complete-gold
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.