Verdict

Pros

• Powerful and manoeuvrable
• Comprehensive set of accessories
• Outstanding pet hair removal
• Great stair-cleaning features

Cons

• Price

What is the Dyson DC41 Mk2 Animal?

Dyson’s second-generation DC41 comes with an ‘Animal’ suffix, indicating it’s aimed solely at pet owners. Yet we think this might just be one of the best all-round cleaners you can buy.

While it’s one of the most expensive vacuum cleaners on the market, it’s packed with features and tools, offers extremely high suction power and has the company’s latest brush bar technology with a motorised brush.

Dyson DC41 Mk2 Animal – Design and Features

Putting the DC41 Animal together from the box is straightforward (as long as you follow the diagrams!) and it’s up and running in minutes.

The aforementioned brush bar is housed in an innovative floor head, with runners that raise and lower depending on the surface type to ensure the brush is always at the ideal distance from the floor.

Dyson’s Advanced Root Cyclone technology is claimed to capture more dust per Watt of power than any other cleaner, feeding into a 2.1-litre bin that can be removed and emptied with one hand. The DC41 Mk2 is also British Allergy Foundation approved, indicating that very little dust will get blown back into the room while vacuuming.

With its streamlined profile, Dyson’s latest ball technology enables the body to pivot freely relative to the floor head, increasing manoeuvrability. The integrated hose is quick-release and comes with a telescopic wand that will reach easily up to the ceiling of most homes.

For peace of mind, the Dyson DC41 Mk2 also comes with a five-year guarantee.

Dyson DC41 Mk2 Animal – Accessories

The DC41 Mk2 offers on-board storage for the crevice/dusting brush tool, which simply clicks onto the telescopic wand. The wand is very easy to remove and extends from the hose as you reach out. The reverse action clips the hose snugly back to the body.

While there’s no room for it to be stored on the machine, the hero tool supplied is the Tangle-Free Turbine tool. Attaching to the wand, this handheld tool features two counter-rotating heads, rather than a traditional brush bar, with flexible brushes that reach to the edges of the tool. It looks strange, but for owners of pets it’s nothing short of revolutionary.

Traditional brush bars get wrapped up with hairs after a while – of the human and pet variety – reducing the efficiency of the brushes and requiring fairly intensive cleaning. The Turbine tool managed to put almost all of the pet hair through to the bin, and demonstrated faultless ability to pick up pet hairs from upholstery, corners and even our difficult-to-clean nylon office carpet.

A small turbo-brush head is essential for pet owners, but Dyson’s Turbine tool takes this feature to the next level.

Dyson DC41 Mk2 Animal – How well does it clean?

Powered up on a carpeted floor, the DC41 Animal wasn’t too noisy in use, and was considerably quieter than some older high-power cleaners we tested before the EU’s 1600W limit was enforced. It measured 82dB at ear height above the machine, which is about the same sound level as road noise in a car travelling at 40mph.

The ball mechanism makes the machine very easy to manoeuvre and Dyson has managed a perfect balance in the hand, with the DC41 never feeling like it wants to tip one way or the other. It’s relatively light, too, so long cleaning sessions will never be a chore – well, no more than they are naturally.

The design of the main brush head makes as much difference to a cleaner’s ability to pick up dirt as the suction power, and the DC41 Animal has the best brush head we’ve tested to date. Despite offering extremely high suction power, the design never lets the head ‘stick’ down to the floor, allowing you to move around with ease. It cleaned almost everything we threw down onto the carpet in a single pass and did a good job at cleaning close to the edge, even where the carpet was tucked down into the gripper.

Our test carpet before (left, obviously) and after. A clean sweep

As you move from carpet to hard floor the automatic adjuster immediately changes the level, so there’s no faffing about with levers to change head height. It veritably glides around hard floors, with the ball making it feel very light and manoeuvrable.

Dyson DC41 Mk2 Animal – How does it perform on stairs?

Dyson hoses seem to stretch further yet retract to become shorter than almost every other brand’s, and the DC41 Mk2 Animal’s hose is no exception. Combined with the telescopic wand, it reached right to the top of our domestic stairs and, thanks to the low attachment point to the machine, the DC41 remained stable and upright even when provoked with some thorough tugging on the hose.

However, it’s the Turbine head that really makes the DC41 Animal a stand-out choice for stair cleaning. It’s light in the hand, cleans right up to the stair edges and offers exceptional suction and cleaning power thanks to the innovative brush design.

Dyson DC41 Mk2 Animal – How does it cope with pet hair?

The DC41 Mk2 removed a 30cm patch of test pet hair rubbed into the carpet in the record time of just 3 seconds. We actually conducted the test three times just because we couldn’t believe it was so quick!

The main brush head has been increased in power by 20 per cent over previous generations, and it shows no hesitation in picking up everything from pet hairs to gravel, as well as most things in between. With outstanding pet hair cleaning from both the main cleaner and the Turbine brush, the DC41 Mk2 Animal certainly lives up to its name.

Should I buy the Dyson DC41 Mk2 Animal?

Great overall performance, fabulous tools and easy manoeuvrability make the DC41 Animal one of the very best upright cleaners money can buy, whether you have pets or not. The only sharp intake of breath is that hefty price tag.

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