Dyson Ball Animal 3 Extra Upright Vacuum – Copper/Silver

About the Dyson Ball Animal 3 Extra Upright
The Animal 3 Extra by Dyson is designed with pet owners in mind. It not only can pick up the hair on the floor, but this model actually comes with a brush to use directly on your pet. It has the standard Dyson features and quality of the Animal series, but has also added a few new features. The brush has a new tangle free design and there are two new attachments that come with this version.
Packaging and What It Comes With
The outer packaging was more compact than I expected. The 3 Extra is basically the same size as the other Dyson Animal vacuums. Same handle, cyclone container, and attachments. The brush head was noticeable smaller than my Animal 1’s. All of the attachments and the brush head are individually protected with cardboard packaging.
The vacuum comes with 4 attachment accessories and an instruction booklet. The attachments are a Pet Groom tool, Tangle Free Turbine tool, Combination tool, and Stair tool. There is an instruction booklet which is all text in various languages with no pictures. Everything from assembly to maintenance is written out.
Instructions
Dyson wins points from me for actually including an instruction booklet in the box. Some manufacturers have quit doing this. Unfortunately, the instructions were not good. As I mentioned there were no pictures. This could have helped with the assembly because some of the attachments and connections were not as straight forward as you would think. For instance, there’s a piece that you mount to the back side of the vacuum to hold two attachments. I had to look at the outside of the box to figure out that it goes here and actually hold two tools instead of just one. The Pet Groom tool and Tangle Free Turbine tool do not attach to the vacuum, so you will have to store those. Also, the vacuum requires maintenance because you have to clean the filters. It would have been nice to have pictures explaining how to take the vacuum apart to show the location and how to access these.
Attachments
I listed the four attachments above. Here’s a little more info on each one.
Stair tool – this is a standard plain plastic piece for the Animal series. It has no moving parts and just provides a different shape to utilize the vacuum’s suction.
Combination tool – this is also a standard attachment for the Animal series. It has a long skinny tube with a sliding brush that can be pushed down to the end or left up to use as a crevice tool.
Tangle Free Turbine tool – this is one of the new tools included with the 3 Extra. It is a flat surface (like a couch cushion) cleaner. It uses two round heads with plastic bristles that spin around from the force of the vacuum’s suction. The tangle free description is added to point out that there’s no brush head for hair, string, etc. to get wrapped around.
Pet Groom tool – this is the main attachment innovation for the vacuum. It’s built similar to a pet brush with a wire head. The wired head brushes the hair off of the pet and the vacuum sucks the hair up so that it doesn’t remain on the floor. There’s a push button feature that allows you to control how much of the wire sticks out. There’s no lock for the button so you have to maintain the same pressure to keep consistent wire depth.
I generally like the attachments themselves for the Animal series, but I have a major issue with the hose that they attach to. The hose in my opinion is clunky. It has to stretch out to go very far and it always pulls the vacuum over when I try to use any of the attachments. Dyson needs to find a better way to do this.
There is a long wand built into the Animal vacuums that can be used as well. I don’t include it in the attachment list because it’s kind of part of the vacuum when being used as an upright.
As for the Pet Groom tool, it takes a certain kind of pet to utilize this attachment. First, there are certain pet coats that can’t use this type of brush. If you have a short-haired (dachshund) or very curly haired (poodle) pet this will not work well. Second, your pet cannot be afraid of the vacuum. I tried this with both of my lab mixes. The younger one did not like the wired brush, but the older one would let me use it on him. Unfortunately, both were scared of the vacuum sound, so they didn’t hang around long enough to test the full capability. I may try some more later, but for now they are not having any of that.
Upright Use
Dyson makes the best floor cleaning vacuums that I have used. The floor is much cleaner with these than other products I have had. The suction on these is very powerful, and it doesn’t degrade much when the tank gets full.
Tangle Free Brush – Dyson has a new design for the brush head to keep string and hair from wrapping around the brush. I live with two long-haired blondes and after vacuuming the entire first floor, there wasn’t one hair or string wrapped around the brush. It seems to work pretty well. My Animal 1 would normally have hair wrapped around the brush when finished so this is an improvement.
3 Cleaning Modes – There are supposedly 3 cleaning modes for this vacuum. Unfortunately the instructions nor box packaging show or describe this. I can see a slide button on the brush head, and assume that it’s for three heights, but I am just guessing based off the image on the vacuum and the difference in suction while using it.
I don’t feel comfortable using this vacuum on my hardwood floors, so I will be using a different Dyson vacuum with soft rollers for those areas.
Comparing the Animal 3 Extra vs Animal 1
I happen to own the first version of this Dyson upright, so I have a different perspective to see what has changed in innovation. Here are a few things that I have noted:
The vacuums are very similar. Cyclone containers look interchangeable. Both use the versatile Ball technology giving it an agile capability. Both have the long power cord. The basic attachment parts are very similar. One very noticeable difference is how much more narrow the brush head is on the 3 Extra. This can be good if you need to use this in tighter spaces. It’s bad if you have a larger area, because it requires more passes.
The Animal 3 Extra seems harder to roll than my Animal 1. Not sure why that is because it’s the same size.
Brush Heads – As I mentioned earlier the 3 Extra does a much better job with not tangling at the brush. This could increase the life of the vacuum / brush motor.
I’m giving the Dyson Ball Animal 3 Extra 4 stars. The instructions were irritating and Dyson could fix this easily. The hose that connects to the attachments is also very cumbersome. If Dyson could fix this, I would give it 5 stars. Overall, the vacuum works very well and does an excellent job with cleaning.

Dyson Ball Animal 3 Extra Upright Vacuum -It has some power to it.
The first thing you want to do is go to Dyson’s website and register the vacuum. When you do this, it takes you to the part of the site that deals with this particular vacuum. Though there is a manual included with the product, it has no pictures, so it is pretty worthless. Never fear; the website has short videos showing how to put the unit together along with adding the attachments to the unit. It also has a video showing the correct method to use the vacuum. And a guide to show how to wash the filter and empty the unit. There are also troubleshooting videos for checking the cleaner head and base for blockages and checking the wand and hose for blockages. And a very important picture about the cleaner head modes. (the left position for use on deep and medium pile carpets and delicate flooring. Center position for low pile carpets and large debris. Right position for had floors and ground-in dirt – See picture) There is also a button to turn off the brush bar.
This is not a self-propelled vacuum but at 17.3 pounds it is light enough not to really need the extra complications. The Dyson ball is easily maneuvered and the 35ft cord allows you to moved the unit around without having to constantly replug it in. The hose is 15ft, but it wants some tension to maintain its length, which would be better if, once stretched, it stayed that way until you put it away. The Animal 3 Extra comes with one of the most powerful vacuums in its class and has four extra tools included for use with the hose. A pet groom tool and combo tool and tangle-free turbine tool, and a stair tool. There are also extra tools available for separate purchase.

This unit is powerful when cleaning the carpet that is matted down because it had a throw rug on it; the machine brought the pile back up to height while doing a superb job of cleaning- good job, nylon bristles and suction power. The Motorbar cleaner head has hair removal vanes to automatically clear wrapped hair as it cleans. And this hair removal truly works. Funny thing is not only does it work for long pet hair cleanup, but my wife has long titanium strength hair, and I used to have to use a box cutter to remove it from the cleaner head on my old vacuum, but I have not gotten any cleaner head tangles with this unit. The vacuum does not expel odor and dust while cleaning, which is a big plus. I attribute this to the washable post-motor filter.
The pet groom tool is tool with extendable pins, kind of like a curry brush. It is designed to remove loose hair and with the vacuum dander and allergens. Not all animals will put up with this as the vacuum is 15ft away, and some animals just don’t like vacuums. If your pet tolerates this, it is a good feature that works well.
The Tangle-free turbine tool removes hair for carpets, cars, fabrics, and upholstery. It does a great job I like how it cleans up the pet bed, and it is tangle-free.
The refuse tank is easy to dump and has a max level displayed on it, so you know when it needs to be done. I didn’t notice any deterioration in power as the tank became more full.
The combo tool is your typical crevasse tool and brush. And the stair tool is the typical little head for cleaning stairs and getting into small places. It has the addition of velour strips to pick up extra hair and dirt.
The Dyson Ball Animal 3 Extra Upright Vacuum has a powerful vacuum, but there is always room for improvement. One Item I don’t know how to improve is that to keep it compact, the extension wand is inside the hose. This makes it a little more inconvenient to switch to the hose/tools while cleaning. The Main head doesn’t get dirt and debris on the sides of the head as well as I would like when you are close to a wall, and here is where the switching to the hose to get the stuff here is needed. I would like to see some LEDs on the Motorbar to make cleaning more convenient. And the on/off switch and the button for the brush bar, in my opinion, should have indicator LED’s. Plus, as mentioned, the hose could use some improvement in maintaining length where often maintaining tension causes you to knock over the unit. The friction snap instead of a pedal, though making things simpler often means you disengage the upright lock when you don’t want to.
Overall this is a very powerful, compact, modular vacuum for easy service with nice detangle features and is worth your consideration.

In the last twenty years the Dyson brand has become synonymous with quality. Their vacuums are unparalleled in suction power and dependability, so I was very excited to review the new Animal 3 Extra.
The vacuum came packaged well with multiple different accessories. It took only a few minutes to unbox everything and get it setup. I should note I’ve owned a Dyson before so I am pretty familiar with how they are assembled. This particular model is geared more towards being a pet owner. I have a dog who has horrible skin issues so she is constantly shedding dead skin flakes on everything in our home. The Animal 3 Extra comes with a couch brush along with with a hair attachment for actually grooming your pet. I would imagine this tool would be great for a longer hair breed that sheds fur-balls like a husky. Unfortunately my dogs wants nothing to do with the hair tool, but the couch tool absolutely does the trick for picking up dead skin off the couch. The dual brushes seem to work into the couch very well and picked up a lot of excess dust. The main vacuum has a huge roller that is designed in a way to not allow the roller to get clogged with human or dog hair. It has 3 adjustable levels for short or longer carpet. Using it on my main carpet upstairs I noticed a huge difference in suction power compared to my older Shark. It was so strong that it actually pulled some loose carpet fibers from the carpet itself. So I would definitely be aware of the correct height for the carpet while you’re using it. The vacuum picked up a ton of dirt and left my carpet feeling smoother than normal. There is also a detachable handle on the vacuum as well to get to hard to reach places. An extra wand accessory is included as well for dusting blinds and getting in nooks and crannies. The cord on the Dyson is a great length as well allowing me to move freely around the upstairs without having to plug and replug. The canister itself is very easy to dispose of dirt that’s collected and the whole vacuum feels like a quality product.
Overall I am very very satisfied with this vacuum. If you’re a pet owner it is a no brainer for picking up dirt and dust from your furry friends off your carpet and couches. I would highly recommend this model for anyone who owns a pet. The Dyson brand doesn’t disappoint and I give this vacuum 5 stars!

I’ll refrain from being cliche by stating the obvious in a not as obvious way. This thing is POWERFUL. While it isn’t perfect (nothing is), it is a solid choice in the world of suction devices.
The suction was going to be my #1 pro with this vacuum, but I am actually going to give that to the de-tangling roller. Being in a family with a lot of girls that have long hair, I have always loathed cutting the hair from the roller. This chore needs to be done in our home a few times a month. I can see through the little window on our other vacuum when it is time to get the scissors out because I can’t even see the roller when it has SO MUCH HAIR wrapped around it. This Dyson “de-tangling” technology is what I have been waiting for since vacuums were invented. Thank you Dyson for saving me the time and nasty effort of giving the other vacuum a haircut!
Now to the suction. This is also the first vacuum I have ever had that has so much suction it feels like you may be able to pick up a bowling ball with the cleaner hose. This translates to using it in any mode. In fact, the first time I used it was a day after we used the “other” vacuum and I still managed to almost totally fill the brand new debris tank (see pics). Yuck! While that is gross, it just goes to show you that you get what you pay for. It’s not all peaches and cream though. It seems like even though the suction is awesome, the left and right sides (close to the baseboards) could be designed to pick up debris just a tad better. Not too big of a deal because you always have the hose for the cracks. Another thing on the suction. When using the hose and attachments, you can feel how powerful it is because it wants to pull the hose and attachments towards the vacuum. Crazy!
Other excellent things I have found out about my first Dyson include the five layer filtration. The engineering here seems second to none. With whole vacuum filtration, you can rest assured that none of the pet dander or allergens creep back into your house when you vacuum. We have several air purifiers and they stay idle when using the Dyson. Emptying the cylinder couldn’t be easier. Just press the button to release and empty into your garbage can. The ball system is excellent. It really makes navigating the vacuum anywhere a breeze. Really great invention by Dyson.
Setup out of the box was easy and done in about 5 minutes with the included picture directions. Snap this piece here and that piece there. Easy, easy.
All of that said, the good outweighs the bad by a large margin. If I had to nitpick, I would say that the hose system and attachments take a bit to get used to compared to my other vacuums. The way the handles/hose system connects to the base is a tad wonky IMO. You unlock the handle then pull/extend the metal rod from the hose to get farther reach with the attachments. While this seems normal, you just have to try it to know what I mean. Then once you are done with the hose, putting it back on the base is also a tad wonky. You push the metal extension rod back into the hose, then snap it all back on to the base. I am certain that after using the Dyson a few times I will easily get the hang of it, but at first, it seems weird. The other thing I noticed is that some of the plastic parts seem thin and you can press them with your fingers to bend them. Particularly the clear part of the canister, the canister handle, and the parts you wrap the cord around. I have never owned a Dyson before, so I am not sure how that will affect the longevity of the vacuum. I am guessing they did this to save on weight. Speaking of weight, I put it on the scale and without attachments, it weighs 17.5 pounds.
Lastly, we own two cats, but no dog to try the dog grooming attachment. With this being a pet vacuum that has excellent filtration, I would highly recommend it for any type of pet owner. Cats shed a ton in the summer and I can easily see how much just by emptying the canister every few days. The pet upholstery brush attachment also works like a charm with cat hair on couches.
In conclusion, there are far more benefits to owning a Dyson than another brand, minor gripes included. If you want the best suction, the best filtration, and the best and only de-tangling hair roller, look no further than this pet vacuum from Dyson.