Dyson V8 Animal Review

The Animal is the cheapest in the V8 range (though still expensive when compared to the rest of the market). It's lightweight, easy to use and has excellent suction. Even though it might be outshone by the V10, it is still a great vacuum.

Trusted Reviews was impressed enough to suggest the V8 Animal could replace a corded vacuum for most jobs. It seems especially good at picking up pet hair. Its bin is a bit small however and the V8 Absolute performed better on hard floors.

Amazing little picker upper
This vacuum doesn’t stop picking up dirt! I’ve had this little sucker for 3 days and I’ve vacuumed 10+ times and it’s still picking up huge amounts of dirt ❤️. Cannot honestly believe that I’ve had this much dirt, hair, and dust in my carpet. Breaking up with the old bulky dyson ive had for 10+ years and welcoming in this cordless dream. Highly recommend!

Great value cordless vacuum!
I'm really, really happy with our new cordless - the ability to move about without a cord is game-changing! I can vacuum our entire home without the charge running out and it works well on tile, carpet, area rugs, you name it! I know a lot of reviewers mention needing to run it on Max mode to get adequate suction but that has not at all been our experience. Even on regular mode, this thing nearly sucks my area rugs right off the ground! I'm hoping that suction lasts over time but after the first few months, I'm really thrilled with it! The only, minor drawback is the trigger feature - having to hold the handle and trigger when vacuuming for the full charge time can be an annoyance and hurt a bit after a while so just be aware of that feature (not sure if it is something they've adjusted in higher-line models or if all Dyson cordless work on the same trigger system). The basket is also fairly small and needs to be changed quite a bit (especially for pet hair) but it's easy and simple to do!

Do it. You wont regret it
Freaking LOVE this vacuum! I upgraded from a shark that I originally purchased from 2015... yikes! This thing really sucks! I have a corgi, she sheds every single day.. I have a husband who leaves crumbs every single day. I can finally go to bed feeling at peace knowing the hair and crumbs are GONE! This vacuum is so lightweight and easy to use it doesn’t even feel like a chore.

Dyson
I wish it came with the floor vacuum head as well.

Good vacuum
Vacuum suction and ease of use is awesome. The negative of this vacuum is the battery life. Does not last long at all.

My new fave item in the house!
Great to use while holding a baby! Haha! Seriously through! Only need one hand, not heavy, not too loud...I love it!

Love it!!
I think this DYSON is perfect. I love all the attachments and have actually wanted to vacuum every day since it’s so easy to take all around the house. The battery has worked perfectly for me and hasn’t run out any of the times that I have used it. I think it’s worth the money for sure!

Great light vacuum
This vacuum works exactly like I expected it to. It works well on hardwood and different carpet types. Vacuuming our stairs is much easier and much easier for me to carry up and down the stairs. I don’t think this will replace a standard size vacuum (I didn’t expect it to) but is so great for every day cleanup!!!

Love
My daughter told me this was the best gift she has ever received. She said it works great and loves it.

Worth the extra money
After we adopted our pup we noticed she shed like crazy. We wanted something easy enough to use and lightweight enough to handle. It’s cordless, works on different surfaces and very easy to use

(no review title)
Amazing vacuum !! Definitely worth the price. Very light weight. I love that it can become a hand held vacuum. I recommend it.

Powerful Lightweight Vacuum
Works great! Awesome power and love how lightweight and portable it is. Just wish it worked while plugged in for those extended jobs, because it dies before we finish up the entire house.

absolutely an essential in my home!
I live in a three story townhouse with a four member household plus a cat! we have this unit installed on every floor and each functions the same way, to quickly pick up daily crumbs and cat messes (cat litter and hair). Being cordless, it’s so easy and convenient to do a quick 2-3 minutes vac on our hardwood floors, carpeted stairs, and area rugs. Its bagless, so I empty the canister once a week. It picks up a lot of dirt, dust and hair! It’s the only way I can stay on top of the sanity that this pandemic brought to working from home. It is worth the price!

$$ Well Spent
What I love about this stick vacuum is that the wife loves it. For its size, this thing does a hell of a job. We have become particularly partial to Dyson vacuums. And this one may make the full size Dyson obsolete in our house. Unbelievable how powerful and convenient this thing is.

Amazing
Love this vacuum so much it was easy to install to the wall and the vacuum itself has so much power . Glad I got it on sale .

Must have
Works amazing. Super light and easy to maneuver. I have never had such an easy time vacuuming my stairs (carpet and wood stairs)!

My new favorite vaccuum.
The suction of this vacuum is amazing. It’s also incredibly light and easy to use

Love it!
Easy to maneauver, charges great, awesome suction. So far love it!

Love it
Easy to vacuum dust on furniture. great suction.

Awesome vacuum
This vacuum fits the bill exactly. Portable, easy to use, excellent performance.

Worth the money
I spent days reviewing different vacuums and eventually landed on Dyson after realizing most articles online pointed to this brand. I was a bit hesitant because of the price, but I have found out it's totally worth it. I've only had this model for about a month and I absolutely love it. I used it on a rug that I had previously gone over with my old vacuum the week before and it picked up so much. On the normal suction mode, it lasts for quite a bit, but if you do use the super-suction mode, it does eat up the battery pretty quickly. If you're on the fence, I would say it's worth the extra investment.

Product is good but
There’s little scratches and dirt on the surfaces right after I received pkg also pkg was dirty and delayed. I will not use bestbuy delivery service.

the only vacuum you will ever need!
When you turn on *MAX power it actually rips right through space time and creates an inter-dimensional rift to really get deep in that carpet. The *Normal mode works well on hard wood floors. Very portable.

Really Nice Handheld Vacuum
This Dyson V8 Animal cordless vacuum has quite a few good things about it, and some not so good things. This Dyson vacuum is light weight, it has impressively powerful suction on the Max power setting, and the Min power setting is sufficient for most light weight vacuuming tasks. The hepa filter on this vacuum is really easy to remove and clean. The crevice tool and combination tool are well designed and functional, and the mini motorized tool is especially impressive. The mini motorized brush bar spins and loosens dirt and dust, which results in a better than average cleaning result on household items such as recliners and mattresses, and even blankets. The larger motorized floor cleaning tool, which is technically called the direct-drive cleaner head, is really nice and cleans hard wood flooring as well as carpeting. The soft dusting brush is a pretty good design, I would like it better if it was made with bristles that were straight, instead of having angled bristles. The first time I turned on this Dyson V8 Animal cordless vacuum, I was not expecting it to have such a quiet and unique sound. This version of Dyson’s cordless vacuum does have improved battery chemistry, the box specifically refers to it as a Nickel Cobalt Aluminum battery. I did some online research and found out that this is a newer type of lithium rechargeable battery, not sure why the box makes no mention of lithium, which would kind of cause a customer to assume it was not a lithium based battery, but it is. The power adapter that charges the battery, is unique and has a round flexible power cord. The great build quality of this cordless vacuum is what’s expected from a Dyson product. The filter located at the top of the cyclones, is not my favorite type of filter, it is possible to rinse it clean and the filter is reusable afterwards, but it has a rigid center plastic structure, and it has the filter’s fabric surrounding the plastic structure, which makes it so that you can’t squeeze out any accumulated dust during the rinsing process. I prefer the round type of foam filters, which can be squeezed during the rinsing process. This Dyson V8 Animal cordless vacuum kit would be much improved if the battery were designed similar to a power tool battery found on drills, so that the battery could be removed and instantly replaced with a spare battery. As it is, the battery on this Dyson V8 Animal cordless vacuum, needs to be charged for 5 hours, before a completely charged battery can be used again. I charge my Dyson V8 Animal cordless vacuum without the supplied wall hanging bracket, and when I first plugged the power adapter in for charging, I noticed that when the round plug is plugged in all the way, it looks as if it is not plugged in enough, which caused me to try to press harder not knowing it was already plugged in all the way. (One of the attached images shows a close up view of the round power adapter when it is plugged in all the way, showing that it does not look like it is) On this specific Dyson V8 Animal cordless vacuum, Dyson designed it so that the red lever which lifts the cyclone assembly, also opens the dust bin cover to release the dust, and the process is kind of challenging, even after having practiced quite a bit. If the red pull lever which raises the cyclone assembly and opens the dust bin cover, was made out of aluminum instead of plastic, that would be much improved, as it is, the red pull lever kind of feels like it might break off in the process of pulling upwards. Any customer spending $499 on a cordless vacuum, would prefer not to have to be worried about breaking a plastic pulling lever when emptying the dust bin. After I received this Dyson V8 Animal cordless, I visited the Dyson website and I ordered the Dyson quick release extension hose that fits this vacuum. When the Dyson extension hose arrived, I was not expecting to find that the extension hose is really quite short. The actual extension hose section which collapses and extends, is not even 2.75 inches in length when collapsed. The extension hose does extend to well over 1 foot in length, but still that is not very long of an extension hose. The extension hose does make a few of the accessories much easier to use when vacuuming surfaces, as the hose extends and the tool can be swung from left to right, instead of moving the whole vacuum from left to right. I am giving this Dyson V8 Animal cordless vaccum two ratings. I am rating this Dyson product at 4 out of 5 stars, based upon overall build quality and functionality. I am rating this Dyson product at 3.5 out of 5 stars, based upon the difficulty in emptying the dust bin and the plastic pulling lever. I would suggest this Dyson cordless vacuum to any friend that could afford it. This Dyson V8 Animal cordless is a really nice vacuum kit, which I use on a daily basis.

Out of this world suction. Sounds futuristic, too.
I've never owned a cordless vacuum before, and the previous (corded) vacuums I owned always seem to have lost the potential they had when they were purchased brand new. They were also very hard to upkeep and maintenance wasn't necessarily a breeze. I have been given the opportunity to own one of Dyson's newest vaccums, the v8 Animal cordless. I've always known of Dyson vacuums but never took the plunge on purchasing one since they are quite pricey as stated by other reviewers, but now I see why it's worth the price you pay. Out of the box you get a variety of tools that let you use this vacuum on practically any surface or object. You get two floor brushes, a smaller one to use in automobiles and rugs, and a larger one to use on carpets and (somewhat) hard-wood floors (Note: Dyson makes another floor brush specifically for hardfloors, available in their Absolute model). You also get a thin tube to vacuum tight spots like floor corners and sofa cushions, and two brushes for cleaning tabletops, keyboards, window blinds, you get the idea. And lastly a long extension tube necessary for vacuuming the floor and with the proper tool, hard-to-reach areas like your ceiling fans. Setting up the Dyson vacuum was painlessly easy, and installing the wall-mount and charger wasn't as tedious as you'd expect compared to say, wall-mounting a television. As you can see in the photos I provided, the wall-mount goes about 47 inches from the floor to allow the cord to sit evenly near your power outlet. I love the low-profile design and it makes it incredibly easy to switch between tools. I understand why this model is called a "v8", because the suction on this vacuum is pretty darn good! I love using the max suction feature when I want to give my carpets a good clean-up removing all kinds of dust, allergens, and junk possible every once in awhile. For the vast majority of routine cleaning, however, I found the max suction mode to not be as necessary, and the regular suction mode allows me to keep on going with up to 40 minutes of Dyson's "fade-free" suction promise. When you're done, it takes 3 seconds to fully empty out the dust bin. You simply face the motor towards the garbage can, pull the red lever and watch as a thrust of manually forced air pushes most of the dust straight to the can. By popping down the motor hard enough, you can easily get the rest of the remaining dust out. Then you simply close the bin's door and you can either continue vacuuming or prepare it for charging. To be clear, I have only owned this vacuum for about a couple weeks and I gave myself enough time to use the vacuum to it's fullest and giving my home and my car a thoroughly deep clean. Dyson has made one of the most tedious chores a fun thing to look forward to. If you can afford to, get this vacuum. I'm certain it will last you (and me) a very, very long time.

Sucks, No Really, It Sucks Incredibly Well!!
If you are responsible for vacuuming your dwelling, you know the steps are the hardest thing in the household to clean. We have three flights of them, and they are all carpet. I have always lugged my full size Dyson up and down at times my shoulders would struggle to maneuver the weekly task. I do love my original Dyson, even at it's old age of eleven years. I was excited to get the opportunity to test this unit out for a review. I have always had my eye on these models, but had a hard time parting with the cost of them. They seem to be a bit pricey, but...once you get one in your hands and experience the thoughtful design, and true (no gimmick) 40 minute, fade free suction, you realize that Dyson had their stuff together. It's so lightweight and easy to use. From it's wall hanging charger base, that also holds two of the included attachments. I love the fact that it has two 100% powered beater bars. It revitalizes the nap of the pile in the carpet much more then I anticipated. It also has the turbo switch that of course will reduce the 40 minute runtime, but gives you a noticeable boost in suction. I am glad this unit has the battery indicator built into it, giving you a quick idea of how much more charge there is left, before you need to refuel at it's charger base. This unit is also ultra quiet. One feature I miss from other vacuums I've tested, is LED headlights, but I understand Dyson's reasoning. I would rather the power be isolated to suction, giving me more runtime, so I can do all my steps in one charge cycle. I give this unit and undeniable 5 out of 5 stars. I would suggest this to a friend!!!

Dyson V8 lives up to the hype
This Dyson hand vac lives up to its reputation. Not only does it do a great job in picking up messes, it looks great doing it too! There are easily a dozen other choices of hand vacs in all price ranges but this one fills the small niche market of wanting both form and function. Assembly was straight forward and I had it on the charger within minutes of opening the box. The manual does state that it comes pre-charged to about 20% but recommends plugging it in immediately for 5 hours to fully charge the battery. It comes with an assortment of attachments that each has a very distinct purpose and adds value to the already high price tag of the vacuum. It does come with a fancy wall mount but limited to a nearby outlet for the charging cord to reach. I haven’t found that “perfect” spot to mount it yet as I don’t want it to be a “statement piece” in the living room. My interest in the hand vac is linked to the 2 dogs and 1 cat I have in the house. Our dogs have their spots on the couch and can get pretty furry in less than a few days. The chore of lugging a large vacuum out and unwinding the long cord is enough to discourage a daily cleaning of the couch. This is where the Dyson V8 shines. Its light, less than 6 pounds, and fully charged when you need it. Its more convenient to use the hand vac for small tasks than using the large full sized vacuum. I have attached 2 photos that shows the versatility of the hand vac. It has 2 suction settings that you can use to match the job. Most of the time, the lower setting is enough to do the task. The low setting got us about 40 mins of continuous use and the high setting got us a little over 7 minutes. This may not sound like much but this hand vac is meant to fill in the in-between use of your full sized vacuum. The first picture is what the dog fur looks like when we don’t vacuum it for a few days. It didn’t take long for the V8 to tackle the job on the low setting. It took the crevice and small spinning brush to do the job. With a push of a button, changing the tools was a breeze. My full sized vacuum would have done the job but way less convenient. The second picture shows the effectiveness of the hand brush attachment. Brushing the cat usually gets me another cat’s worth of fur on the ground. The cat’s fur is so fine that its easily matted into the carpet. The suction of the Dyson and the small brush head attachment did a great job in picking up the fine cat fur and only with one sweep too. Emptying the canister is as easy as pulling a lever. It does come with a washable filter that’s easy to rinse out in the sink. I highly recommend the Dyson V8 for homes with animals or small children. The convenience of having a small vacuum without unwinding a power cord will most likely increase my vacuuming rate per week. It might be one of the most expensive hand vacs in the market but know that you’re not only paying for its great function, you are also getting a nice looking hand vac that’s not an eyesore that you have to hide in the closet either. I hope my review helped!

Dyson V8: The Undisputed Handheld Vacuum CHAMPION!
REFERENCE FOR EVALUATION: The Dyson V8 Animal Cord-free Vacuum wields higher suction power than some plug-in upright vacuums: 115AW (Air Watts, the measurement of suction power). I own 4) of the Dyson previous top handheld model, the V6 Absolute (100AW) & 3) Dyson Cinetic Big Ball Animal+Allergy upright vacuums (180AW). I picked up a V8 Animal to replace one of the older V6 Absolute vacuums (we are a multi-cat household & have a very messy bird). COMPARING THE V8 ANIMAL TO THE V6: 1- The V8 Animal has a larger 0.14 gallon Dust / Dirt Bin than the 0.11 gallon bin on the V6 - a very welcome improvement! 2- The V8 is much quieter & has a "mellow" sound, compared with the older noisy / "raspy" sounding V6 (the V6 sound didn't bother me until I heard the V8 - WOW!! The sound is reduced approximately 50%). 3- The V8 trigger is a new soft touch design - it is easier & is super smooth - light years ahead of the V6 trigger. 4- The release button on the V8 tools is an amazing soft push with a positive click, now located on the tool end; on V6 & earlier models, the silver release buttons were very stiff & difficult to lock in positively. They were on the vacuum end (opposite of the V8). So tools are NOT interchangeable between the V8 & the V6 or older model. 5- The V8 beater bar is MUCH more powerful than the V6! The nameplate on the pick-up tool specifies a 50 Watt Beater Bar Motor vs. a 20 Watt Beater Bar Motor on the beater bar on the V6! 6- Dumping the bin is radically different on the V8, too. Simply lift the red finger pull on top of the machine & the entire bin raises & the bottom opens up! You never touch the dirt. The older V6 required you to touch the dirt bin. Great sanitary improvement. Dyson calls it a "hygienic dirt ejector". 7- The V8 has 3) blue LED's that indicate battery & charging status, unlike the single LED on the V6. 8- Despite the slightly heavier 5.75 pound weight over the 5 pound V6, both vacuums feel perfectly balanced & comfortable handling at any angle. 9- The V8 includes a greatly improved battery & provides a 40 minute run time. This is a tremendous advantage over the 20 minute runtime of the V6! This longer battery life is even more amazing, considering the even more powerful motor: V8 motor runs at 425 Watts, compared to the V6, which runs at 350 Watts. 10- The wall mounting bracket is necessarily slightly wider to accommodate the slightly larger V8, compared with the smaller V6. Thankfully, the mounting centers for the 2) holes remains 5" OC, co I simply unscrewed the V6 wall bracket & screwed the new V8 wall mounting bracket into the same holes in my wall. FUTURE DESIGN IDEAS: So, what could Dyson change to make the V8 even better? That is a tough question. Only one suggestion: Make the fixed battery pack removable so you could purchase & keep a spare battery pack charged. You could charge each pack, one at a time in the vacuum handle, or Dyson could add a snap-in compartment on the wall bracket that would allow charging both the V8 & the spare battery pack simultaneously... This may sound extreme, considering the V8 features a 40 minute run time, but I operate it on Maximum all of the time. Using motorized power heads, expect 7-8 minutes of operation in Maximum mode. PURCHASING RECOMMENDATIONS: If you have any hard floors, such as hardwood / ceramic time / vinyl, you will be better served buying the Dyson V8 Absolute, as it also includes the soft roller head designed for hard surfaces. Both V8's include the powerful beater bar tool for carpeting, a Mini Motorized Tool - handy for stairs. Both include a dusting brush - great for computer keyboards & a narrow crevice tool. Dyson sells the optional soft roller head for $111.99 - I just ordered one to add to my V8 Animal. It is not listed yet - you have to order it through chat. CONCLUSION: Dyson continues to perfect an already excellent product! Owning 4) impressive V6 vacuums, I did not see how they could improve that design... until now. The V8 changes are not just evolutionary - they are REVOLUTIONARY!! 2X battery life, more suction, more motor power, more beater bar power, soft trigger, softer & more positive tool release buttons, battery / charge indicator, with half the noise! The Dyson V8 is the Undisputed Handheld Vacuum CHAMPION!

A bit pricey, but outstanding
This is the first time that I have owned a cordless vacuum of any type and all I can say is this thing is outstanding. I have only owned it a few days, but I'm totally impressed on how well it sucks up everything I vacuum over. The vacuum comes with a 6' charging power cord. A wall attachment to hang the vacuum from while it's being charged. A 28 1/2 inch extension tube, 1 large and 1 small self powered floor sweeper brushes. 1 thin crevasse tube to get into tight places like sofa cushions, and 2 non powered brushes for cleaning things like window blinds, computer keyboards and such. And of course, the hand held motor and battery unit which weighs only 5 pounds. I have an excellent corded Hoover vacuum cleaner that has attachments like a small rotating brush to clean furniture or stairs, and that rotating brush is powered by the suction that the vacuum creates when using it. Unfortunately, if the carpet is too thick or you push down too hard, the rotating part won't rotate. With the Dyson V8 Animal, the two rotating tools, large and small are electrically powered with each unit having it's own little motor built into the unit. I used the smaller unit to vacuum my dogs hair off the sofa and love seat without any slowdown of the stiff bristles and was totally amazed that it got all of the hair. My Hoover could never get all the dog hair off the furniture. And while I would not use the V8 Animal to vacuum my whole house as it would need to be recharged a few times, I vacuumed in tight areas and under all of the beds with the larger floor attachment. And it worked excellent. I have also used the V8 Animal in my Ford Explorer, and it easily got the dog hair out of the carpet thanks to the smaller powered rotating floor brush. With all the dog hair I vacuumed up, I had to empty the collection chamber a few times, but it's very quick and easy to do so. All you need to do is hold the motorized unit over a trash can, pull up on the red lever and the motor part rises up, and then the bottom of the collection chamber opens on a hinge and the debris falls into the trash can. Then simply push the motor head back down and flip up the bottom of the collection chamber and you're ready to go. The Lithium-ion battery delivers up to 40 minutes of fade-free suction and features a trigger grip that releases instantly to ensure battery power is only used for vacuuming. If you need a bit more power, then simply flipping the switch to max power mode will get you up to 7 minutes of greater suction for harder jobs. I only tried max power for a minute or so to see what it would do, but for what I was doing it was not needed. Dyson sends the Lithium-ion battery with some power in it, but you must charge it for 5 hours before using the V8 Animal for the first time. Another feature is that it has a HEPA filtration system that captures allergens and releases air that's cleaner than the air you breathe thanks to its completely sealed design. The unit has 2 filters that Dyson recommends that you wash at least once a month. Since I just got the Dyson, I can't comment on how this works. The Dyson V8 Animal comes with a 2 year warranty which is great as it seems most items now days only come with a year or less warranty Overall, I highly recommend the Dyson V8 Animal cordless stick vacuum. While it will not replace my regular upright corded Hoover vacuum cleaner, it will compliment it