Why Get a Cord-Free Stick Vacuum...?

Cordless vacuum cleaners are light-weight. And without a cord, you can travel from one room to the next or to the car without being tethered. These Dyson stick vacuums were designed to help you tidy up quickly. They were not meant to be used as a primary vacuum cleaner unless your living space is quite small.

So, think quick jobs, like dusting the ceiling, curtains, your car or area rug. Or whenever it might be more convenient than pulling out your big ole vacuum. These machines are battery operated so you cannot expect to be able to vacuum a 2500-square-foot home on one charge.

Appearance and Size

These Dyson vacuum cleaners are very similar in appearance. They look like vaccum cleaners, but on a diet. They don’t have a cord, which frees you to go seamlessly from one room to another. They’re very cool looking in my opinion. The base has a large handle for easy gripping. To operate, you must squeeze the handle. Don’t worry, customers say it isn’t that difficult to hold and squeeze at the same time.

The dc59-Motorhead is listed as being almost 9.5 pounds and the is listed at right around 9 pounds. That’s very light for a more traditional vacuum cleaner. But when I thought about the stuff I’d like to clean if I purchased this vacuum cleaner, I got concerned. If I were considering either of these units, I’d like to put it to work on my drapery, ceiling for dusting, couch, blinds, and other things that might require my arms to stretched in front of me or above my head for long periods of time. I think that I’m fairly strong guy, but after a while 9 to 10 pounds will become heavy. Heck, even a couple pounds will get pretty heavy after a while.

I came across some candid customers who shared their experience with these machines. Using it to vacuum your floor you probably experience the lightest feeling vacuum cleaner ever. However, some say you might experience some hand fatigue after a while others say it is very light and they don’t notice any issues. It might require that you take a two-hand approach to use it comfortably for longer periods of time.

Power

Both of these machines are beast. They each have the same digital v 6 motor - 350-watts and packed with power. Each is capable of putting out up to 110,000 rpm’s. Both have a 2-tier radial cyclones, it’s a system of 15 cyclones that operate in parallel. The result is that you end up with a suction power that is a lot more power than most other vacuum cleaners out there, so says Dyson. If you need more power there is a “boost” button that will get you an extra little “kick”, but it will use more battery power.

Battery

Both cord-free vacuums come with Li-ion with NCM (Nickel-Manganese-Cobalt) batteries. These batteries will last a long time but, eventually, they will hold a charge for less and less time. The batteries should last you a while, I'd say at least a few years or more. But your specific results will be based on your personal usage. As the saying goes, your mileage may vary.

If the battery dies, there are batteries for sale from the company. By the way, if you need to ever get a new battery be sure to use the one from Dyson or whichever one they recommend. To replace the battery, you can't simply pop the old one out and put the new one in - you will need to remove a few screws.

I always recommend getting replacement parts and accessories from the manufacturer. Using cheap third-party can sometimes yield results that aren’t up to par, and worse they can damage your unit and/or void your warranty.

Dyson claims that the DC59 Animal will provide a maximum of 26-minutes of suction and the Motorhead will provide you with 20-minutes of suction. With the mini tool you will get about 16 minutes of suction. Both have a "boost" button that will provided you will a more powerful suction but it will drain the battery quicker.

The batteries are only used when the machine is sucking up dirt, dust and other debris - you have to pull the trigger to engage the battery. I think that this is important because the machine won’t be wasting energy as you prep for your next vacuum job. You know how you might need to adjust the seats in your car to get in those little crevices. No battery power will be wasted when you need to do that.

So on full charge, you will have 20 or so minutes of actual suction, not 20 minutes from the time you turn the machine on.

​Steering

You should always consider steering when looking for a vacuum. Both of these machines have the patented Dyson V-ball technology. This allows you to recline the machine and reach all the way under furniture while the head stays flat on the floor.

​Debris Bin

The debris bin isn’t very large on either of these machines. Perhaps two cups, maybe less than that. The frequency with which you have to empty it will depend on how much dirt and debris you vacuum. Some have said that they don’t have to empty but once every few days. The debris collector is see-through so you will be able to see what was sucked in and when you will need to empty it. And emptying the bin is very easy, you simply press a button to release the debris from the bottom.

​Brush

The brushes are identical for both vacuums - a belt is not a part of the vacuum assembly. Because of this, the nylon bristles run the entire length of the brush. This is important because it makes the jobs more efficient. It will also help you get closer to the walls and corners.

All brush heads will get clogged with hair at some point. But with wither of these machines, the brush-bar is easily removed for cleaning.

Is it safe on all kinds of flooring…? The last thing you want is clean but scratched-up wood floor. According to Dyson, these machines are both safe to use on your wood floor and any other floor.

Handheld Mode

The aluminum shaft is removable for handheld mode. This allows you to focus your cleaning efforts on those hard-to-reach places like your vehicle, stairs and other obscure locations.

Mini-Motorized Tool

Both the Animal and the MotorHead come with a mini-motorized tool for helping you toremove pet hair and other debris from your carpet, couch, etc.

MotorHead

The only difference between the animal and Motorhead is a big one. The DC59 Motorhead has a motor that is located in the brush-bar itself as well as one located at the base. On the other hand, the animal has just one motor located in the base. This additional motor provides you with a ton of additional suction power.

Definitely go for the motor head. There are customers that say that it is worth whatever premium there may be when you buy it. You will get much better performance with the DC59 Motorhead. In fact, the DC59 Motorhead is said to produce 75% more powerful suction than the Animal.

Filter

Both of these machines come with a filter system. There are some very allergy sensitive folks out there that claim they use these vacuums regularly without getting allergy symptoms. The filter is washable.

Attachments

Both vacuums come with the following attachments: mini-motorized floor tool, crevice tool, and combination tool. All are designed to help you get the most out of your cleaning efforts.

Warranty

Both of these machines come with a 2-year warranty that covers parts and labor.

Side-by-side Comparison

​Summary

After considering both of the versatile cordless vacuums compared in the Dyson DC59 Animal vs Motorhead comparison, I think that the best decision would be to go with the Motorhead. It does everything that the animal does but, with the addition of the motor in the head of the unit, it’s a much more powerful machine.