Review: The DYSON DC31 ANIMAL

The DYSON DC31 ANIMAL is a lean, mean, powerful cleaning machine, a must have especially if you have pets in your home!! But, you don't need to be a pet owner to benefit from the amazing suction power of this exceptional hand-held vacuum from DYSON!! I am a bit of a clean freak, I am constantly picking up around the house, washing down counters and bathrooms and yes I do vacuum everyday, sometimes more than once a day!! Okay, so now you know.......I am a little OCD and so having an arsenal of effective cleaning tools is very important to me, essential in fact. And, it is with such honest and heartfelt enthusiasm that I introduce the best hand-held vacuum I have ever used to you all in this review. It is absolutely fantastic, amazing beyond words. Before I share my thoughts and experiences with using the DYSON DC31 ANIMAL vacuum with you, here is what the company has to say about their compact little dream machine:

{Taken from the DYSON DC31 Press Release}

From the vacuum that doesn’t lose suction to the only one that rides on a ball, James Dyson and his team of engineers are obsessed with engineering new and better technology. They’ve proven this once again with two new handheld vacuums: DC31 and DC31 Animal. The handhelds are powered by the latest evolution of the Dyson digital motor (DDM), redefining what it means to vacuum with a handheld.

A team of mechanical, electrical, aerodynamic and software engineers worked for over 10 years to design the DDM to be a faster and smarter, a truly new class of motor. What they developed was the fastest, most energy efficient motor ever developed for a home appliance. DDM uses digital pulse technology to make over 3000 adjustments a second. This smart technology drives the motor to spin up to 104,000 rpm – that’s five times faster than a Formula 1 racecar engine. Designed specifically for battery operated machines, the new DDM is half the size of the original, making DC31 smaller and lighter but more powerful than any other handheld.

“We’re not content to just sit still. Knowing that bigger motors don’t always equal better performance, we developed our digital motor to be small, fast and incredibly smart. DDM is an amazingly powerful motor. It’s affected the way we engineer our machines, and the potential to be used in other applications is enormous.” says James Dyson.

DC31 features dual-power mode. With an industry-leading 38 airwatts, and at only three pounds, the machines offer a ten minute run time. For even more power, the machines can be set to run at an unparalleled 65 airwatts for a full six minutes. With that level of performance, there’s more than enough time to tackle even the toughest pick-ups.

Other handhelds use primitive technology and rely on flimsy filters that block the airflow, some losing suction power in less than one minute. DC31 and DC31 Animal both use patented Root CycloneTM technology to spin dust and dirt out of the air, and never lose suction. The machines feature a lifetime filter, and with an internal dirt trap, dirt gets picked
up and stays picked up.

DC31 Animal’s motorized brushbar has been redesigned to swivel for better contact when tackling tough pet hair. From the couch to the car, the machine removes even the most stubborn animal hair.

Beginning September 2009, DC31 and DC31 Animal are available at most major retailers and Dyson.com at the manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $219.99 and $269.99, respectively. Both are covered under a 2 year warranty for parts and labor. For more information, please visit www.dyson.com.

MY REVIEW

The gracious folks at DYSON sent me the DYSON DC31 ANIMAL VACUUM to review. I am sure most of you have heard how phenomenal DYSON vacuums are, and I can now through my experience that this vacuum has indeed met and far exceeded any expectations I had for it. Not only did this vacuum perform considerably better than any hand-held vacuum I have used before, but the design is small, light-weight, and really ultra cool too! DYSON are best known for their ability to perform with excellence and power that excels and surpasses most other vacuums. DYSON is also known for designing vacuums that are user friendly, ergonomically superior, and really visually pleasing and fascinating to the eye. They did not rest on their laurels when designing this model, in spite of its small size either! It is pure genius!!

Here are some fantastic features about this magnificent vacuum:

Dual power mode



10 minutes of high constant suction or 6 minutes with 70% higher suction.

Dyson digital motor



Smaller, lighter and more powerful than conventional motors. No carbon brushes, no carbon dust.

Lightweight and ergonomic



Only 3.4lbs with balanced weight distribution for easy handling.

Hygienic and quick to empty



Minimizes risk of contact with dirt.

ENERGY STAR® qualified battery charging system



A joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy that helps consumers protect the environment through energy-efficient products and practices.

Motorized brush bar



Powerful bristles remove dirt and pet hair from carpets.

MY THOUGHTS: We have 2 dogs in our home, 3 young children, and both my husband and I and with all the activity that goes on around here on a daily basis, perhaps now you understand why I feel compelled to vacuum everyday, sometimes more than that. The dogs jump up on the furniture all the time, and when the little darlings move, they leave their precious little hairs all over the place, god love them!! The kids are forever spilling anything and everything on the floors, especially my biggest pet peeve dry cereal and cracker crumbs! I need to be able to grab a vacuum in a flash and with little effort on my part to constantly keep up with the constant maintenance that needs to be done around here. That is precisely where this splendid DC31 Animal is going to be a life saver for me!!

Okay, my out of the box experience was such a joyous one! It literally was a no brainer, THANK YOU DYSON!! I did take the time to look at the quick set-up guide and I did also browse through the manual, but this vacuum is so intuitive that I really did not need to. It was a breeze to get started with it. In the box I found the body of the vacuum with the battery already attached to the vacuum, there was the power/charging cord and 3 perfect attachments. All I had to do to get started was plug the one end of the power/charging cord into the vacuum and plug the other end into the electrical power strip and wait about 3 hours to it to fully charge. It said 3.5 hours, but mine charged in 3 hours. Easy like the snap of a finger. What a positive first impression for sure!

I knew the vacuum was charged when the light went off and I unplugged everything and couldn't get cleaning fast enough at that point. I used the vacuum for about 9 minutes using the regular power mode before it needed to be charged again. I had more than enough time to vacuum both of our loveseats in the family room and the hygienic bin/canister was full of pet hair and dust, yikes! What struck me the most about using this vacuum for the first time was that it never for a second seemed to slow down, or lose any of its power strength. It consistently cleaned at the same power level, blew me away with excitement!

I am thrilled to see that in such a small amount of time, I was able to quickly and effectively clean two major pieces of furniture in our home that are sat on and used by everyone all the time and I now have great peace of mind in knowing that I was able to remove lots of dust and pesky pet hairs. The full bin/canister was proof of that and emptying was a pleasure too! There is no bag or filter that ever needs replacing, Yay! You just pull down on the little lever, the bin pops open and you empty the contents, gotta love that feature also!!

My family now thinks I am even more obsessed with cleaning now that I have this new toy! I let it charge up, I clean, then I re-charge it and I clean some more. I did this for about 3 days straight......it was too funny! The 3 attachments are so easy to click on and off and I love the Crevice tool for cleaning narrow spaces around our house and tight corners and edges of the rooms. The motorized brush bar is the coolest attachment. It is perfect for cleaning off the hair and dust from all our furniture and carpeting. I have never had an attachment like this on a hand-held vacuum before and now that I have had a chance to experience it, I want to use it all the time. The combination accessory tool is terrific for picking up the cereal and cracker crumbs my kids leave behind. It is also really neat because it not only picks up large particles, but converts to a brush tool for dusting! We have some hardwood floors in our home and this is working out excellent for keeping those dust bunny free.

There are so many elements to this DYSON DC31 ANIMAL that make it one of the most dynamic hand-held vacuum on the market today. You receive a 2-year warranty when you purchase one and there are never any costs involved in maintaining the vacuum. It has a Lifetime filter on it that never needs replacing, it is just recommended that you wash it every month. It has a 22.2V lithium ion battery so the Power never fades on you and it recharges up to 3 times faster than others. And, the vacuum is rendered in a very durable tough construction made from the strongest plastics available and it is able to withstand bumps and bashes like no other.

I am in seventh heaven with this little baby. My new favorite toy, and using this makes cleaning our home fun and effortless. I hope I was able to capture the very essence of this dreamy machine and if you would like to learn more about it, or the other very fine vacuums available from DYSON you may visit their website by CLICKING HERE.

A very special THANK YOU to the wonderful people at DYSON for providing me with the DC31 ANIMAL for this review.


Disclosure: I received from DYSON DC31 ANIMAL VACUUM for the purposes of this Review . This has no bearing on my completely honest review above and was not influenced by any type of monetary compensation. The opinions and experiences I’ve shared with this product are my own and yours may differ.