Our In-Depth Review
Design
The Dyson DC41 is a large upright bagless vacuum cleaner. The Dyson ball allows a user to turn much easier than you can with a typical vacuum that has two rear wheels.
The only negative of the ball technology is you have to rotate your wrist to turn the vacuum.
This can make your wrist sore after a little while because the weight of the vacuum is centered in the ball of the vacuum.
It is also an Animal vacuum because it is specifically designed to clean up pet hair and dander.
The powerful cleaning head and Mini Turbine Brush suck up all the debris, and the filtration system keeps all the dander in, which makes this an excellent vacuum for people with allergies.
We aren’t exaggerating when we say this is the best floor-cleaning vacuum we have tested. The performance is impressive in every situation.
Carpets, hard floors, and the edges of the floor are spotless after vacuuming with the DC41. Also, the cleaning path is 13 inches wide.
This makes it easy to clean large open areas quickly. Our only complaint is the hose is hard to reattach after you have used on board tools.
Performance / Using the Dyson DC41 Animal
Performance on Carpets
With the brush bar activated, you will clean your carpets with ease. The DC41 Animal rolls on carpet smoothly and cleans up small, and very large particles easily.
The flour we used to simulate fine particulate matter was lifted away with no trace. Thick plant leaves were sucked up into the vacuum as a test of its capabilities to clean large particles.
The real test was when we mashed pet hair into the carpet fibers. The DC41 vacuum cleaned this fur off the carpeting very easily too. It really is a beast of a machine when it comes to cleaning up after pets, and we mean that in a good way!
Performance on Rugs
Cleaning rugs with the Dyson DC41 is a tricky proposition. It will get your rugs clean, but make sure to only use it on larger area rugs that have a thick carpet backing.
Smaller rugs will get lifted off the floor because of the powerful suction. You can try to keep your feet on the rug to make sure the Dyson doesn’t lift it off the ground.
Performance on Hard Floors
There are two settings for the vacuum when it is in use. Make sure you turn the brush bar off when using the Animal vacuum on hard floors.
For smaller particles, it did an excellent job. They were cleaned up immediately. Some very large particles weren’t cleaned up right away because they didn’t fit under the head of the vacuum.
The suction power is tremendous, so once the particles went under the vacuum head, they were sucked up right away.
Edge Cleaning
We can’t undersell the amazing edge cleaning skills that the Ball possesses. The first thing is the ball itself allows you to get right up against the edge of the wall very smoothly.
As you approach the wall head on, simply turn your wrist so you can vacuum the whole side of the wall in one pass.
This works so much better than going back and forth, butting the vacuum head up against the wall. The powerful suction enables you to clean right up against the edge with incredible ease.
Another factor that helps the DC41 clean edges effectively, is the cleaning head is rather low to the ground.
This means it can fit underneath the lip of cabinets. If you prefer to go at a wall head on, the suction is just as effective this way, so no matter how you approach the edge of the floor or carpet, the Dyson will get it clean.
Filtration
The “Root Cyclone Technology” is combined with the HEPA filters to eliminate any dust from coming out of the vacuum exhaust. The particle scanner detected no dust over 0.3 microns coming out of the Ball vacuum.
This is very important for people who might suffer from airborne allergies. Pet dander can cause allergic reactions, so using a Dyson DC41 vacuum not only cleans up the pet hair, but also removes the dander from the carpeting and doesn’t kick it back into the air after it is sucked up.
Ease of Use
When you are using the Dyson DC41 to vacuum the floors, this vacuum is very easy to use. The ball makes it easy to steer and clean.
The suction power, bagless dust bin, and the washable filters are also very nice. The only problems are when you are using on board tools, the Dyson isn’t so easy to use. The extendable wand doesn’t have a nice handle, like some other Dyson models do.
The Mini Turbine Head doesn’t store on the upright unit. Also, reattaching the hose and wand to the upright unit after use takes some finesse.
Getting Started
No tools are necessary for assembly. You simply have to clip together the vacuum cleaning head, the handle, the wand into the hose, and attach the dustbin to the main unit.
We are very familiar with Dyson vacuums at Vacuum Wizard, but we can imagine that this very unique Dyson Ball can be strange to piece together.
Dyson recognizes this and has very clear step by step picture instructions to piece the vacuum together.
Maneuverability
The Dyson DC41 Animal features the ball technology. We really recommend checking one out in a store just so you see how it maneuvers. You have to turn your wrist to make the vacuum turn along with you.
Some people might feel too much strain on their wrist with this motion and not like the ball at all.
The ability to turn on a dime is incredible, but for some people, it just isn’t a comfortable feeling. You have to experience it to see if you would like this type of vacuum.
Noise
80 decibels is average for a vacuum cleaner, and the DC41 was just under this level on hard flooring and carpeting. The noise was around 75 decibels in a carpeted room.
On the hard floor, it was around 78 decibels. You have to talk quite loud if you want some one to hear you when the vacuum is in operation.
Attachments / Onboard Tools
The suction with the on board tools is very powerful. No matter what tool you use, it will have considerable suction behind it.
Two of the on board tools are stored right on the upright vacuum unit. One is actually a combination tool which is a crevice cleaner and upholstery brush. The other is a smaller stair brush.
The best tool for cleaning up pet hair isn’t stored on the vacuum. This is rather inconvenient. The Dyson DC41 Animal vacuum comes with a Mini Turbine Brush, that you have to carry along with you or store somewhere when not in use.
When you clip it on, the brush bar is air driven and starts to rotate very quickly. This brush bar dislodges fur from upholstery so it can get sucked up.
Sometimes the pet hair will cling to the felt corners on the Mini Turbine Brush, so just pull them off and then carefully let the brush suck it into the vacuum.
Ease of Use on Stairs
The stair brush or Mini Turbine Brush works well on stairs, but overall this is not the best vacuum for cleaning stairs.
The Ball doesn’t sit on the staircase very nicely. You have to turn the vacuum at an angle to have it sit there without tipping over.
Also, the vacuum weighs just over 17 pounds, so it isn’t easy to lift from step to step as you clean a stair case.
Maintenance
The biggest positive for maintenance on a Dyson is no recurring costs. Two washable filters and the bagless dust-bin never have to be replaced.
With that being said, you still do have to “maintain” this vacuum so it doesn’t break down. This entails emptying out the dust bin when it is full, and washing the filters every three months.
The clear dust bin has a red tab at the top. Make sure you hold the dust bun directly over a trash can before you press this tab. All the debris you sucked up will fall out the bottom of the bin.
One annoying quirk is that some debris can get wedged in the bottom of the dust bin, and you might have to hand pick these particles out.
Two filters are in the DC41 machine. The first filter is stored on top of the dust bin. Pop the top of the dust bin open to access the filter. Take it out and wash it under cool water.
The second filter is located on the side of the ball. Spin the purple tab to take off the side of the ball. Take out the circular filter and wash this out under cool water.
Let both filters dry for at least 24 hours. Make sure they are completely dry before putting them back in the machine to vacuum again.
Conclusion
The Dyson DC41 Animal vacuum is designed specifically for dealing with pet hair. If you don’t have pets, then keep in mind that there are other Dyson models that cost less, but still have great cleaning capabilities.
If you do have a pet, and you want the cleanest house possible, then the DC41 is for you. The price tag is pretty steep, but there are no recurring costs.
Final Vacuum Verdict
Dyson has produced another fantastic vacuum. The ball allows you to move around the floor easily, and the suction power is tremendous. We were only slightly disappointed with the on board tools.The hose and extendable wand weren’t easy to snap on and off. There isn’t a handle on the extendable wand like some other Dyson models have.
But overall the Dyson DC41 is one of the most efficient vacuum cleaners when it comes to cleaning, it provides you with HEPA filtration and is very easy to maneuver.
