Ball Animal 3 Upright Vacuum, Corded, 290AW, De-tangling Motorbar Cleaner Head for All Floors, 3 Suction Modes

Let me just start by saying I poured over a ton of reviews of different Dyson models before buying, and on finally deciding on this one (Animal 3), was *hoping* the negative reviews weren’t huge red flags. I’ll get specific with my skepticism in this review as it would’ve helped me when shopping. The listing I purchased from was for Animal 2, Animal 3, and Animal 3 Extra models, and comparing basically ALL reviews for the 3 models, I chose Animal 3 and I’m glad I did. First: the bad reviews stating this vacuum won’t go on thick carpet ALMOST had me convinced not to buy it. Even Dysons site has multiple bad reviews stating the same, more bad than good on their own website! I’m happy to report I have zero issue with this with my shaggy, thick, plush carpets. If it’s on either of the carpet settings it moves just fine. Adjust your vacuum and go. I’d had a ball Dyson in the past, and I didn’t love it. This was another hesitation. The swivel/ball mechanism on my previous one was loose and flowy, but this meant the thing would curve around just when I was trying to push it straight. This Animal 3 does not do that. It’s a bit tighter, it stays straight but is easy to curve when you want. My previous Dyson also toppled over anytime I was tugging at the hose and this one, probably because it’s a little heavier, stays up even when the hose is really extended and being jostled around. PROS: excellent suction, it moves well. I really like how it gets all the way to the edge when you run the side of the vacuum head along the baseboard, not leaving a 1/2 inch gap like my last vacuum. So far I’m really stoked about how the rotating brush clears hair in this Animal 3-we only have one shorthair cat, but I have long hair and so does my daughter, and between the two of us shedding, I’ve done my fair share of cutting the tons of hair that was wrapped around the vacuum beater bar with a utility knife and yanking it out with previous vacuums! So far I have vacuumed my entire house a few times with this Dyson and not a single hair wrapped around the bar in the vacuum head. To my extreme surprise, I LOVE the little stair tool!! Vacuuming carpeted stairs has been the bane of my existence for years (that’s only a slight exaggeration) and this little tool that looks like it should be meant for hard floors does a killer job picking up all the dirt and bits, while fluffing the carpet nicely, including the carpeted edge and the little vertical part under each step where it fits in just right (the wand even swivels at the end of the hose so you can change your angle with ease while vacuuming your steps). Finally, I’m not lifting a heavy upright vacuum in a ridiculous way and hurting my back to make the stairs look nice!! So far I’m very pleased with this vacuum especially considering my hesitation about buying another Dyson after not really liking my old one. If things change, I will definitely update this review. Not many cons to this vacuum…but… CONS: it’s kinda heavy, but not much different than my last vacuum (a Hoover windtunnel) or my previous Dyson. The weight is not a huge issue for me. The plastic parts that seem very breakable are disappointing in such a pricy vacuum. The hooks to wrap the cord look like they could snap, and worse, the thin plastic mechanism that extends down the tank and opens the lower flap to empty it seems very delicate and if that breaks, it could be a real PITA. For several hundred dollars I would hope things would be more durable, but I was aware of this complaint going in—and this is why I give it just below 5 stars. When I have the hose wand out and am putting it back in, it’s a little sticky at the very last part of sliding it back into place at the top of the vacuum. Sometimes it really does NOT want to slide into place, and I have to use a little force. A couple of times it went right in easily. I’m unsure if this is just an issue with my unit or an issue with other Animal 3’s. I don’t like how there’s not a release to tilt the vacuum, and that you must just *crack* the sucker down to tilt it and start vacuuming. However this on Animal 3, that is easier to do and not nearly as harsh of a crack as the Dyson I had before. All in all, I was extremely skeptical buying this vacuum and I’m quite thrilled at how much I like using it and how well it works. Especially vacuuming my stairs, it is really a game changer!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Powerful and Pet-Friendly I’ve been using the Dyson Animal 3 for a few weeks now, and it’s been a total game-changer for a home with two shedding pets. The suction is incredibly strong, and it picks up hair from carpets and hard floors without any clogging. It’s surprisingly easy to maneuver, and the attachments make cleaning furniture and stairs simple. It’s definitely on the pricier side, but the performance more than justifies it. If you have pets, this vacuum is absolutely worth every penny.

It actually should get 4 1/2 stars. It's an excellent vacuum with some minor drawbacks. It is powerful and versatile. It purchased it as I am a parrot owner. Parrots are the messiest of all pets. Between the dust, feathers, thrown seeds, fruits and everything else, a powerful and versatile vacuum is a must and this vacuum "fills the bill." It also works well for hardwood floors, carpet, stairs, furniture and the like. I wish that the extendable attachment hose was longer as it is not very long and it is stiff making it difficult to reach certain places with the attachments. Also, I would prefer that there be an unlatching button to release the handle down rather than a press down on the handle until it clicks because it sometimes unlatches when you don't want it to. Lastly, the dust bin could be larger. Still, as far as vacuums go, its a great vacuum.

Since we have now owned this Dyson Ball Animal 3 Upright Vacuum now for about 15 months I figure I can write an honest review. So here I go. The good: The vacuum suction is pretty powerful. The Bad: General Design/Quality: Once you assemble this vacuum you can see that it is made of very flimsy plastic. The handle twists as you maneuver around objects. When moving over floor transitions sometimes the vacuum head detaches from the unit. They put the button to remove the vacuum head on the bottom of the unit so if the button catches on any irregular surface the button moves back causing the vacuum head to fall off. What a joke. Then there is the upright lock when you store the vacuum. When you move the vacuum to begin using it you roll it on its rear wheels. When you do this the lock will disengage and the rear wheels snap up. You need to stop, lift the vacuum upright again to lock it in the upright position so you can then resume moving the vacuum where you want to use it. Then there is the ease of cleaning. Like I said previously the vacuum suction is really good. It is so good that you cannot vacuum a rug that is not attached to your floor like throw rugs. It sucks the rug right up so you can't move the vacuum. It does this because the vacuum head automatically adjusts to the surface, there is no manual height adjustment. Then you go get a smaller vacuum cleaner to do your smaller rugs. What good is that. Then there is the hose so you can do your stairs. The hose is an expandable type that can expand like about 15 feet. So with the vacuum at the bottom of the stairs you power on the vacuum, then go up the stairs while extending the hose to get to the top. The problem is the vacuum suction is so powerful that it wants to suck the hose back to the retracted position. As you pull the hose up the vacuum at the bottom of the stairs will tip over, then begin coming up the stairs on it's side. You can't even use the hose at the top of the steps like the manufactures website shows. So we just use our handheld Dirt Devil to vacuum our stairs. Again, what a joke. I can go on and on about how we dislike this vacuum. In summary, I gave this vacuum 1 star because at a pretty expensive price point, we think this vacuum is a total waste of money and a piece of junk...and I am being nice about it. I can tell you we bought this because of the name brand and the fact that our previous Shark vacuum is made so you cannot service them if they fail for some reason. But for the price of this Dyson we could have bought two Shark vacuums and be totally happy with the performance of them and the design. We dislike this vacuum so much that after 15 months we are going to try to sell it at a loss so we can get another Shark. We thought Dyson was quality, but it's design and ease of use is subpar. We will never buy a Dyson again.

Took a bit to figure out how to assemble everything wasn't obvious with included packaging and materials. This doesn't have a foot release, you just pull on handle and it clicks into position so initially turning on it blasts air up through the handle and when you move arm it engages vacuum. The suction is excellent, we have a pet in my wife has used arm and hammer powder etc on floors, the old vacuum left a surprising amount of this cleaning product in rug and this machine pulled it right up, it was like emptying white sand the first round. I miss the old powerful vacuums that used bags and after using this searched and found you can still buy ones that have that. I don't like that when emptying dust goes everywhere all of the place and I have bad allergies. This is the main reason I docked a star, for the price I would like contained mess that you toss out that keeps air clean around house. The machine is effective at picking up hair and de-tangling it where it doesnt get stuck on rollers like many vaccums. The plastic seams cheap though like budget vacuums so for price I expected higher quality on the overall system which looks almost toy like, time will tell if it lasts but the main thing is as a vacuum this thing has great suction so we gave it 4 stars on pulling up the crud from our carpets. My next vacuum will use the bags, I saw this on sale and wanted to try Dyson since I have heard a lot of good about their quality. Normal price is far too high but at the sale price you save 40% and at that price if it lasts as long as the warranty which is 5 years that is acceptable and makes it a solid buy. Finally the other reason to dock a star is its not as maneuverable as other even cheaper vacuums I have owned it takes a lot of effort to corner and I expected handling to be much better. If you are young and strong to middle aged probably not an issue but for older people that don't have as much strength could be an issue and can cause fatigue either way.

This is the 2nd Dyson ball I’ve purchased. I have 3 German Shepherds and they shed ALOT! This vacuum works amazing on all surfaces. Took my old one to a vacation home because it still works perfectly. I vacuumed with an another “Pet” vacuum. When I finished I used the Dyson where I had just used the other vacuum. It literally picked up an entire canister of stuff. These vacuums are beasts! Must have with pets! And no I have no affiliation with Dyson!

I have plants, pets, kids, and crafts and let me just say OVER 9000 stars! This vacuum is HANDS DOWN The best investment in terms of vacuums. Clogs are a thing of the past with how this vacuum is built. There are so many places that things get stuck where before it would take a miracle and a coathanger to solve on regular vacuums, not this one. There are main points that have latches and flips for easy clog clean up. The vacuum also picks up dirt SO WELL. I've been telling my husband I'll never regret this purchase, and I wont. I bought this in July 2025 its Jan 2026 and NOTHING is wrong with it, its like its brand new still suction and all. The durability, suction, speed (not needing as many passes), easy to clean, just everything 👌 its perfect. Ive had all kinds of vacuums including the shark ones that were fantastic at first but last about as long as zebra stripe gum due to it being harder to clean than a house of hoarders. Stop wasting time, money, and coat hangers and let this thing save your life.

Just received and unboxed so these are first findings behind the 3 star review. Pros: smaller profile than the really old Dyson Animal, significant suction, longer cord, Dyson is closing these out so the pricing has dramatically reduced. Cons: Assembly instructions/diagram lacking - had to go to youtube videos; the cleaner head may have a design flaw as it keeps falling off during the vacuum process which may cause us to return it if we can't get a resolution to make it stay in place; VERY heavy to push/roll even when setting to the highest carpet height; very plastic construction.