The Dyson Big Ball Animal 2 is a bagless cylinder vacuum cleaner designed to cope with real-life mess, particularly in homes with pets. With Dyson’s reputation for strong suction and clever engineering, this is very much a premium option in the cylinder market rather than a budget buy.
Its 1.5-litre bin, specialist pet tools and long reach make it well suited to whole-house cleans on both carpets and hard floors. A 4.6 out of 5 score from thousands of owner reviews suggests that it not only performs well out of the box but also holds up in everyday use.
If you’re looking for a robust mains-powered alternative to a cordless stick, and want something that can genuinely tackle embedded hair and dust, the Big Ball Animal 2 is aimed squarely at you.
The Dyson Big Ball Animal 2 is ideal for pet owners who constantly battle fur on carpets, sofas and stairs. The tangle-free turbine tool and carbon fibre turbine head are specifically designed to pull up hair and fine dust without clogging, making it a strong choice for homes with dogs or cats.
With its 1.5-litre dust capacity, 6.66 m power cord and 3.37 m hose, it’s well suited to small and medium-sized UK homes, flats and townhouses where you want to cover several rooms without constantly swapping sockets or emptying the bin. It’s a step up from basic budget cylinders, both in price and performance, so it suits buyers who are willing to pay more for a long-lasting, higher-spec machine.
If you prefer a traditional pull-along vacuum to a cordless stick, or if you have thicker carpets that benefit from sustained mains-powered suction, this model makes a lot of sense. First-time buyers who simply want something that “just works” will appreciate the straightforward bagless design and included tools.
On the other hand, if you live in a small studio with very little floor to clean, or you’re on a tight budget, this may feel like more vacuum (and more spend) than you actually need.
Excellent all-round cleaning on both carpets and hard floors, thanks to 600 W of power and Dyson’s turbine heads that maintain strong suction as you move from room to room.
Pet-hair performance is a real highlight. The tangle-free turbine tool is designed to avoid hair wrapping around the brush, which makes a big difference if you’re constantly cleaning up after cats, dogs or long-haired family members.
The generous 1.5-litre bin means fewer trips to the bin mid-clean, while the bagless design keeps ongoing running costs low as there are no dust bags to buy.
With a 6.66 m cord and 3.37 m hose, the overall reach is very good for a cylinder, making it easier to tackle stairs, ceilings and under furniture without constantly unplugging.
A full set of tools is included – combination, crevice, dusting brush, stair and turbo tools – so you can switch from skirting boards to sofas to car interiors without needing to buy extra accessories.
The 5-year manufacturer warranty is much longer than many rivals and gives added peace of mind that the machine is built to last.
At 80 dB, it’s not the quietest cylinder vacuum, so noise-sensitive households may find it a bit intrusive during longer cleans.
The Big Ball Animal 2 is a premium Dyson, so the upfront price is higher than basic cylinders. If you only vacuum occasionally or don’t have pets, you may struggle to justify the extra spend.
With a 1.5-litre bin it sits in the mid-range for capacity; it’s fine for regular weekly cleans, but very large homes or heavy-shedding multi-pet households might still find themselves emptying it fairly often.
The carpet cleaning performance class is rated C, which suggests it’s not at the absolute top of the efficiency charts on all carpet types, even though real-world owner ratings remain very strong.
Day to day, the Dyson Big Ball Animal 2 feels like a practical, no-nonsense machine. The cylinder format and long hose make it easy to park the main unit at the edge of a room while you work around furniture, and the articulating handle gives a good range of motion for reaching under tables or around tight corners.
The 6.66 m cord combined with a 3.37 m hose gives ample reach up staircases and across landings, cutting down on plug changes. For UK homes with a mix of carpets and laminate or tiles, the switch between floor types is straightforward, and the carbon fibre turbine head helps lift fine dust from hard flooring.
Being bagless, emptying the 1.5-litre bin is simple and quick; you avoid the ongoing cost of bags, but you do need to be comfortable tipping dust straight into the bin. The clear bin lets you see when it’s time to empty and helps you spot if something important has been accidentally vacuumed up.
Noise is the main compromise in everyday use. At 80 dB, it’s noticeably louder than some quieter models, so late-night vacuuming in flats or shared houses won’t be ideal. However, the cleaning power and the convenience of the included tools go a long way to offset this in typical daytime use.
With 600 W of power and a strong focus on airflow efficiency, the Big Ball Animal 2 delivers impressive suction for a modern cylinder vacuum. It’s designed for both carpets and hard floors, with a hard floor performance class of B and a dust emission class of A, which means it does a good job of trapping fine particles rather than blowing them back into the room.
The star of the show for many buyers will be the tangle-free turbine tool. Rather than relying on a single rotating brush bar where hair tends to wrap around, this attachment is engineered to remove pet hair and fibres without constant de-tangling, making it particularly effective on sofas, pet beds and carpeted stairs.
The carbon fibre turbine head is another useful feature, using stiff bristles and carbon fibre filaments to lift both larger debris and fine dust. This gives solid performance on everyday crumbs and dirt while also improving the look of high-traffic areas that can quickly look tired.
Filtration and emissions are strong points: with an A rating for dust emission, the vacuum captures fine dust effectively, which is reassuring for allergy sufferers. The bagless cyclonic system means suction remains consistent as the bin fills, and you don’t get the gradual performance drop-off that some bagged models suffer before their bags are changed.
On the practicality front, you get a comprehensive toolkit: combination tool, crevice tool, dusting brush, stair tool and turbo tool, covering most domestic jobs from skirting boards and blinds to car interiors. Average annual energy consumption is rated at just 28 kWh, so despite the mains power, it’s relatively efficient to run over the year.
The Dyson Big Ball Animal 2 sits at the premium end of the cylinder vacuum market, and its price reflects both the Dyson badge and the pet-focused feature set. You can certainly find cheaper cylinders, but they rarely offer the same combination of powerful pet tools, strong filtration and an extended warranty.
The 5-year manufacturer warranty adds significant value, as many rivals only offer one or two years of cover. Spread over that timeframe, the cost per year looks much more reasonable, especially for households that vacuum daily.
Running costs are low thanks to the bagless design and modest annual energy consumption, so once you’ve paid the initial purchase price, there’s little ongoing spend beyond occasional filter maintenance.
Crucially, owner satisfaction is high, with a 4.6 out of 5 rating from a large number of reviews, which supports the idea that most buyers feel they have received good value for their money. If you want a robust, long-term solution for a pet-heavy home, the extra outlay is easier to justify than if you only vacuum once a week in a pet-free flat.
The Dyson Big Ball Animal 2 is a strong choice for anyone who wants a powerful, mains-powered cylinder vacuum that can genuinely cope with pet hair and everyday family mess. Its tangle-free turbine tool, carbon fibre turbine head and long reach make it well suited to typical UK homes with a mix of carpets and hard floors.
It’s not the cheapest cylinder around and it’s a little on the loud side, but the combination of solid cleaning performance, a comprehensive set of tools, low running costs and a generous 5-year warranty makes it a compelling option for serious, regular cleaning.
If you’re a pet owner or you simply want a dependable, bagless cylinder that feels built to last, the Big Ball Animal 2 is well worth the investment. Budget-conscious buyers with smaller, pet-free spaces may be happier with a cheaper model, but for many households this Dyson will feel like money well spent.
