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Time to Replace My Dyson Ball/Animal

Suzieque
last month

I'm pretty sure that my Dyson is an Animal. I've had it for about 10 years and have been happy with it. Over the past couple of years it's been struggling and today i decided that it's time to replace it.

So ... I wouldn't mind getting the same thing.

But ... I'm VERY interested in the experience of those of you who have had great experiences with your vacuum cleaners.

My situation: 4 pets (one small dog, 3 cats), a husband that is allergic to the cats but loves them beyone all measure so they're not going anywhere), mostly hardwood througout with a couple of area rugs.

I'm not a neat-freak. I vaccuum a couple of times a week, maybe (I also have a Roomba), and want my vacuum to do bare floors and also area rugs.

So .... where are we at now with vacuums and what's best? Tell me where you are, please. (I have a Shark upstair ... it's fairly lightweight but does an Ok job). I guess I'm looking to spend up to about $500 or so.


Comments (18)

  • foodonastump
    last month

    I'm not a neat-freak. I vaccuum a couple of times a week, maybe (I also have a Roomba)

    This has me wondering what a neat freak does and what I’d be considered! 😂

    Sorry, that just struck me as funny, I probably don’t have a helpful answer. I couldn’t wait for my Dyson to finally die. I hated bagless and would never have one again. I have a $140 Hoover that I’m much happier with. I’m realize probably in the minority saying that and that’s fine! But I am curious to see the actual responses you get.

    Suzieque thanked foodonastump
  • User
    last month
    last modified: last month

    I have a Dyson V8 Totalclean cordless and love it. If it goes kablooey, I’d buy another one.

    I also have a Dyson full canister plug-in but I seldom use it. It’s a really good vacuum cleaner but the cordless one works just as well for my needs and is so much easier to use.

    My other house, 20 years ago had a built in system and I did not like it at all.

    Suzieque thanked User
  • Rho Dodendron
    last month

    I have a $140 Hoover that I’m much happier with. I’m realize probably in the minority saying that and that’s fine!


    Scootch over on the minority bench. I have two inexpensive Hoovers--one for the groud floor and one for upstairs. Not real fond of the bagless option BUT the machines do their jobs and when they break too bad so sad time to find another Hoover.

    The Shark hand held that mother-in-law gave me is just a heavy dust buster and can't even be hung on the wall for storage.

  • Mrs. S
    last month

    After my Dyson Animal died (fell apart, plastic parts duct-taped, but it did last a number of years), I researched like heck and bought a Miele Blizzard bagless thing that's specially geared for pet hair. It's a canister vac, so took some getting used to. It is so powerful... remarkably powerful.... easy to clean out, and the whole exterior feels "sturdier" than the old Dyson.

    I do recommend it!!! But I wouldn't spend that much money again, probably, on a vacuum. It does feel like a luxe vacuum, so there is that!

    Suzieque thanked Mrs. S
  • arkansas girl
    last month

    Suzie, you say it's been struggling? Maybe it has a clog somewhere that just needs to be cleaned?

    Suzieque thanked arkansas girl
  • M H
    last month

    We own an absurd number of vacuums including a central vac. If you have mainly wood floors and just a few rugs, perhaps a Miele canister? We own two - one compact version at our beach house and the "big guns", a C3 Marin in our primary home. If you're not overly concerned with longevity, we have a Shark upright with the DuoClean brushroll that our cleaning lady requested for us to buy on one level of our home that is also primarily wood floors with some area rugs. For being relatively inexpensive, it sure does a nice job. I know it won't last as long as my Miele or centrals though.

    We have two Dyson cordless vacs that get the most use but they don't have the rug cleaning power that a regular corded machine would have due to the motor size.

    Suzieque thanked M H
  • Kendrah
    last month

    Meiele canister vac is the best purchase I have ever made. Bought it 16 years ago, has never needed service or repair. Have a crazy shedding dog - mountains of hair, and a husband with dust mite alleries. We have mostly hardwood with a few large area rugs. I purchased the second to the lowest price model. Will only ever buy from them.

    Suzieque thanked Kendrah
  • Suzieque
    Original Author
    last month

    Thank you all for your comments.

    FOAS, I don't understand your comment. Are you thinking that vacuuming maybe twice a week makes me a neat freak? Hmmm. I wouldn't think so. But perhaps you do. I have 3 cats and a dog so the fur gets flying sometimes.

    Arkansas_girl and FOAS, yeah, I have been cleaning the filters although probably not as often as I should. And I've checked for a blockage. The "struggling" comment is because first the button for the beater bar on/off stopped working. Then the ball got wonky. Now the part that you can pull up and out has no suction. But no blockage.

    So ... time for me to stop being aggravated by it. But it has been wonderful for many years. It deserves a proper burial!

  • foodonastump
    last month

    Ha, googling the question I see ”they” recommend vacuuming twice a week. And you have a bunch of pets. So even with the addition of the roomba I guess you're in the range of normal.

    Suzieque thanked foodonastump
  • Kate
    last month

    I love my meile canister with the hepa bags and filter so much I bought another!

    Suzieque thanked Kate
  • nicole___
    last month
    last modified: last month

    We have a Dyson Ball DC65 Animal that's 10 years old, 2 cats. We decided to get a new one, it's more powerful and has better attachments for hair. $199/new in the box w/ full warranty, but it said refurbished in the listing. Made in 2021. We also have a cordless rechargeable Dyson V6 for the car or carpeted stairs crevices. We use a Shark Navagator at the lodge for party cleanups it's not very good compared to a Dyson. My husband purchased it online. If your interested I'll ask where he got it.

    Suzieque thanked nicole___
  • raee_gw zone 5b-6a Ohio
    last month

    Even if the filters have been cleaned regularly, at some point they will need to be replaced. This is true for all bagless vacuums.

    I have visited a forum dedicated to vacuums - which can be kind of an echo chamber of opinions- but I repeatedly see recommendations for Sebo and Miele bagged vacuums. Probably Sebo more than Miele. However, there is a guy on YouTube who uses a Miele to suck the dirt out of vacuums that he is rehabbing - it is powerful!

    I prefer a bagged vac too. My 20-some years old Panasonic is still doing the job (brand no longer made) so I am not in the market myself. I don't think that I would like to pull around a canister, which the recommended Mieles and Sebos are.

    I also have a somewhat older model Shark that I rescued from the curb- I love its strong suction, long hose that allows me to use my old floor attachment (because I don't think that the Shark does bare floors as well, and can't get into the corners, or under furniture.) The newer ones aren't as comfortable, to me, for using attachments. Plus, although the filters are super easy to access and clean, if the brush roll is clogged one does have to have a no-tamper torx screwdriver to remove the bottom plate. To me that isn't an obstacle but I am sure it is for many.

    Suzieque thanked raee_gw zone 5b-6a Ohio
  • M H
    last month

    My parents have a Sebo upright that is still going strong after 15+ years. If nothing else, it's certainly durable.

    Suzieque thanked M H
  • JoanM
    last month

    I use the cordless Dyson for most everything. If anything ever happened to it I would buy the same one again immediately. My upright lives in the garage in case I need to use the hose to vacuum suck a storage bag.

    Suzieque thanked JoanM
  • OutsidePlaying
    last month

    I love all the Dyson vacs we have owned. I had taken my old Dyson Ball to the lake to use there and it recently was burned in the fire in January, which kinda broke my heart. It was a workhorse. We had also taken our older cordless Dyson down there to use downstairs on the tile and LVP. It appears to still be working, which is kind of a miracle, but it was stored in a closet.

    Last year I gave my V11 to our grandaughter when she moved to her first post-college apartment. I had recently replaced the rechargeable battery and DH gave it a good cleaning and it works like new. I bought the 15 Plus and love the power of it, although it took getting used to the heavier weight. I do have a corded Shark Navigator for heavy duty jobs & some of the attachments but really seldom need it.

    Suzieque thanked OutsidePlaying
  • J Mig
    last month

    “I'm not a neat-freak. I vaccuum a couple of times a week, maybe (I also have a Roomba.”

    That comment also made me laugh nervously, because I’m lucky if my house gets vacuumed every two weeks. I did want to say that we put our cat on Purina live clear for allergies, and that really helped my husband‘s allergies to cats. However, I did notice that the cat has gotten a little chunky on that food, so I probably should’ve reduced it quite significantly … But then I would’ve had a really angry cat…

    The comment about an old Panasonic vacuum cleaner reminded me that we used to have one that we loved, and of course it was discontinued as well. We just keep buying cheap sharks, and they work for us.

    Suzieque thanked J Mig
  • dadoes
    last month
    last modified: last month

    I have a Singer SST.1300B upright bought in the mid 1980s for $85 on clearance at WM. Dustbags have become a challenge to find but I bought a bunch on eBay a few years ago. Only failure for the duration is the stretchy strap broke that anchors the dustbag jacket to the handle. I linked some zip ties, around the top frame of the jacket and hung it on the upper cord hook. I have no idea what I'd buy for a replacement but I know it wouldn't be a Dy$on.

    Suzieque thanked dadoes