Dyson V8 Animal Review | Cordless Stick Vacuum

As you open the V8 Animal box, you will find the following contents inside:

1) Extension Wand
2) Direct Drive Cleaner Head
3) Docking/Charging Station
4) 2-in-1 Combination Tool
5) Crevice Tool
6) Dyson V8 Animal Unit
7) Soft Dusting Brush
8) Mini Motorized Tool
9) Charging Adapter

The Dyson V8 is a handheld/cordless stick vacuum cleaner. It was released in 2016, a year before the Dyson V7. The V8 can be viewed as an upgrade of the V7.

The two models share body design, usability, and attachments, but slightly differ in terms of performance. Both models come with a charger and a docking station.

The V8 Animal suction rating registered at 115 Air Watts, providing a substantial boost over the V7, and a 150% brush roll power improvement over the V6. Dirt, dog hair, pollen, dust, bacteria - this vacuum gets the job done quickly. The V8 Animal has 2 power settings: normal mode which provides 22 air watts of suction, and a max suction mode which provides a whopping 115 air watts. Even on normal mode, the V8 offers sufficient power to provide high cleaning efficiency. In terms of suction strength, the V8 offers a significant 50 inches of water lift.

The V8 vacuums come with 2 power settings: Normal and Max. The normal run time is 40 minutes with non motorized attachments. 30 minutes with the 20W fluffy cleaning head. 25 minutes with the 50W direct drive cleaning head. 7-8 minutes on max setting regardless of attachment.

While the V8 battery gained a significant boost over the V7, it is still one of the main issues customers run into. This is why it's important to understand the capability of the vacuum so that you can plan accordingly.

The V8 takes 5 hours to charge, which is an increase from 3.5 hours in the V7. The V8 also has 3 battery level indicator lights instead of just 1, giving you a better idea of remaining battery life.

When the vacuum is connected to the charger, the battery indictator light will blink. Once the vacuum is fully charged, the indicator light will disappear - that's when you know the vacuum is ready for use.

The V8 Animal weighs just 5.8 lbs, up from 5.3 lbs from the V7. The bit of extra weight comes from the slightly extended battery for longer run time. It's easy to lift and maneuver around, vacuuming everything from floors to ceiling fans. All in all, the V8 is an extremely lightweight vacuum cleaner.

The V8 Animal dust bin is 25% larger than the V6, filling at a modest 500ml (0.13 gallons). Even with the increase in size, it's still fairly small, and you will have to make extra trips to the trash can if your house is extra dirty. This dust bin got a surprisingly great overhaul from the previous generation of V6 dust bins in terms of simplicity and ease of use. Simply lift the small red handle up and bottom of the dust bin will fly open, releasing all the dust and debris directly into the trash can, without getting your hands dirty. The see-through canister design is great because you can see what is being picked up and how much.

Emptying the bin is quick, convenient, and clean. Should any hair get wrapped around the collector head refusing to drop down, simply shake the container or reach in and pry it off. While the design is great, points are removed for its small size.

If you're looking for a larger dust bin, you will have to skip the V8 model and go for the V10, which provides a 50% larger dust bin than the V7 or V8. However, keep in mind that the V10 and V11 dust bins aren't as simple to empty - they require removing any attachment before you can empty it. So while the V8 dust bin is smaller, it's also more convenient to empty.

The Dyson V8 Animal comes with a first stage pre-motor filter that removes relatively small debris as it enters the vacuum, but before it reaches the motor compartment. This allows all the larger particulates from remaining in the dust bin, and not pass through the motor stage.

Small dust particles, allergens, mold, and bacteria will still pass through the pre-motor filter, getting pushed right out into the air you breathe unless the vacuum has a HEPA filter installed.

Luckily, the V8 Animal does have a whole-system HEPA filter installed, which will trap all those undesireables within the high efficiency filtration system. This helps clean your air as you vacuum, keeping you and your family breathing fresh and clean air.

The V8 Animal deep cleans dirt, dust, and pet hair effortlessly. High pile or low pile, the V8 sucks up >99% of surface debris, and 92% of deep seated debris within just a few passes. Like the V7, the V8 Animal offers excellent carpet cleaning performance, leaving your carpet groomed and looking fresh.

The V8 Animal direct drive cleaning head does a great job cleaning hard surfaces of any kind. Flour, rice, pet hair, sand, dirt, all gets picked up with a breeze. Not only does it vacuum proficiently, but the carbon fiber bristles also brush & polish your floors, removing dirt patches and leaves them looking better.

The only downside to the direct drive cleaning head is that it's not great at picking up large debris like cheerios. It tends to push most of the large debris toward.

You may optionally purchase a Fluffy cleaner head which is designed exclusively for hardwood floors, or if you only have hardwood floors, then look into picking up the V8 Fluffy.

The V8 receieved improvements from the V6 in terms of noise. The V8 is much quieter due to noise dampening, post motor HEPA filter, and a different noise frequency that it emits. While the V7 is still quieter, that's due to the fact that the V7 is slightly less powerful. Both the V7 and the V8 use the same advanced noise dampening technology.

It costs $0/year to maintain the V8. All you need to do is wash the pre-motor and the HEPA filter about once a month. Be sure to dry the filters for 24 hours before using the vacuum. The filters do not need to be replaced.

The V8 Animal is one of the best Dyson cordless vacuums on the market today, and even one of the best cordless vacuums in general. Everything from design, to suction power, the convenience and ease of use, it truly does make a big difference in your day to day cleaning.

If you value ease of use and convenience, the V8 Animal outperforms even the V10 and V11 in many aspects. While the vacuum does cost more than a lot of its competitors, Dyson is in a class of its own. With so many new throwaway vacuum brands popping up each year, you're better off buying from a well established brand with a proven track record. You might pay more up front, but save in the long term.