Dyson V11 Animal

I was cautious prior to buying this and read all the negative reviews but decided to buy. Glad I did. I wanted to comment on some of the negative comments with my opinion to help skeptical buyers like myself. So, 1. the plastic wall mount base, its not to flimsy. It holds the vacuum great if you slam it around like rubber weights in the gym. 2. If you see my picture I mounted it so its supported with the attachment on to help hold the weight and prevent the bottom from being caught. It has a lot of leverage on drywall anchors if it's torqued on, as is anything mounted on sheet rock. I did this for my V7 as well and has worked great for years. 3. Use the right settings for the head when going from carpet to hardwood; the center setting or minus setting (letting in more air) and it works great. It picks up sand, cherries, screws, peanuts or what ever just fine. 4. It's not the manufactures fault there isn't an outlet in your closet. 5. The directions are vague and little under done, but this isn't a complicated item either. 6. Is this the right vacuum is the biggest question of all. I have a V7 for the second floor that is all carpet and it works great for about 1000 sq. ft. of quick clean up and is about $200 less. We went with this for the downstairs because we were too lazy to keep going upstairs and this one worked better transitioning on an off our rugs to hardwood that we on the first floor. We have a 1 year old and teenagers so this was a great addition that quickly and efficiently keep the floors clean for the baby. I'm so over swiffer mops that don't really work. 7. Deep cleaning ability is good. We have a Kirby that we use one time a year (just before we have the carpets shampooed). The other 364 days of the year the Dyson's do all the work. 8. Battery life, great in this V11. If you need more, vacuum more often or make life changes..lol. I've cleaned the whole bottom floor and used on the car and still never got below 50% on the V11. The v7 would have needed to be charged at least once for that amount. So that maybe a decision point. Lastly the V11 has been said to be unbalanced in weight and awkward. If you see the second picture and use the attachment holder it offsets the slight misbalance. But really, it is 6 lbs. if that gives you issues get a gym membership, really. Oh and the V11 has a detachable battery that the v7 doesn't. If multiple charges for long runs is what you may need then that maybe a decision point. If not you may want to save some cash and go with the v7. I've also purchased cheaper model of cordless vacuums but they don't last and preform like Dysons so you'll get what you pay for.

I bought the Dyson Animal in 2007 and had it for 10+ years. It was still fully functional but was just getting too heavy and cumbersome for me to use in my small apartment. I was able to sell my old, fully working dyson (which still had amazing pick up btw) for $75. I sold a few other household items and then, I was able to buy my dyson at a great price here on amazon. :-) I also have a small ergorapido vacuum but i was getting extremely frustrated at how poor the suction was. It is essentially useless and was a waste of $100. I am trying to sell that too but alas, no one is biting!! Not surprised there!!!First off, it was better than Christmas when this new dyson arrived. The boxing was impeccable and each piece is high quality. I was very excited to use my vacuum because my apartment had not been thoroughly deep cleaned in a while!!The old dyson being way too difficult for me to maneuver with my back problem and the ergorapido being completely USELESS. My allergies were also really flaring up with all the dust!!So, the first time I used the V11 I was extremely impressed with the pick up capacity. I was able to clean the vacuum my entire apartment, with base boards and detailing of dusty furniture and blinds, in under 45 minutes one morning before I went to work. I couldn't believe how much dust there was but already my eyes and sinuses are LESS itchy. I emptied the canister twice because I picked up so MUCH DUST. Although it was slightly heavier than I was anticipating, it is MUCH lighter and easier to maneuver than my old dyson animal. I didn't break a sweat like I did with the old dyson. It rolls very smoothly and the AUTO adjustable function between the rug and carpet saves A LOT OF TIME. I was able to clean so much more in less time because I wasn't messing with a cord and switching between the different functions constantly. I was able to complete EVERYTHING on one charge of course with plenty of time to spare.I love all the attachment heads that come with it. I am also VERY much looking to keeping my car more clean on a regular basis now that I have a portable vacuum with great attachments as well!I also really like the feature where you can remove the roller from the side of the vacuum head. I have long hair and wanted something that I would be able to easily remove the hair! I was unable to unscrew the side of it easily but that was ok because I was still able to pull the hair out pretty easily, much more easily than other vacuums I have used in the past.CAVEATS: Make sure to empty the vacuum BEFORE there is too much stuff in it! Debris WILL get caught if it goes above the line! I had to spend a little time really getting the canister cleaned out before I started round 2 because my hair got caught above the line! Next time, I will empty it sooner! Vacuuming just got so much easier I barely even noticed how much I was really picking up so fast!Now that my apartment is so clean, the V11 will make it much more enjoyable and easier for me to maintain a cleaner home. I will be vacuuming more frequently now to maintain areas because of the ease of using the vacuum. It is a highly effective vacuum and there isn't much of a need to have to run the vacuum over multiple times in one location. It picks up what it rolls over very well.For installation of the hanging charging station on the wall, make sure you have a drill on hand to make the holes for the screw to go into! It didn't say that in the directions but you will need a drill to make the pilot holes! :-)I love that you can hang the vacuum out of sight just about anywhere near an outlet!I am VERY pleased with my purchase and my dyson upgrade! I can see this one lasting me at least another ten years which to me is worth it, considering my last one was still going for over 10+! I also love the interface. It is a really really COOL vacuum and it was worth the effort to let go of my old dyson for a new one!

I had a cordless Dyson for about 10 years before it developed any sort of problem but since it was so old, I decided to not have it repaired (I live in a town which doesn't have any sort of Dyson repair place) because it would mean traveling too far to get it fixed and would require a couple of trips. Instead, I opted to replace it with a cordless vacuum which was not a Dyson and was cheaper. The new one lasted about a year.....won't do that again. I can spend almost $150 a year and buy a cheaper cordless vac or I can buy the best and have it last a whole lot longer. I opted for the latter and I am delirious with my decision. I'm telling you, the Dyson V11 Animal has far exceeded my expectations. It has super suction and I love the way you can select auto adjustment from hard floors to carpet or you can leave it on what you want if you don't want to do that. It is so easy to use yet is powerful beyond belief. Yeah, it was a little pricey but not if you want THE BEST. I have 2 Dyson canister vacuums (one for each end of the house) but I find myself grabbing the V11 Animal more frequently. It even sounds powerful yet it is not very noisy. I LOVE IT!!!! It cleans like crazy. It is definitely worth the price. I'll stick to Dyson from now on....no more less expensive cordless vacuums for me....HOORAY DYSON!!!!!!