The Dyson v11 animal is an excellent vacuum cleaner. But it’s expensive. What if I told you that you could get an animal vacuum for less? Well, the Dyson V10 does have similar features. It has almost the same attachments, and it costs a lot less money.
So, let’s test it and find out if this can really be a budget Dyson v11. We’re going to put them up head-to-head to compare suction airflow, battery life, head design, and effectiveness on different surfaces to find out if the less expensive Dyson V10 is really a discount V11.
The key difference between the Dyson V10 animal and v11 is that the V11 has a large battery. Dyson also claims the V11 provides up to twenty percent more suction than the V10. Additionally, the V11 includes an LCD screen that shows power mode, any blockage, any filter maintenance reminder, and the time remaining on each individual mode. On the other hand, the V10 does not have a screen.
Dyson V10 and V11 Comparison
| Feature | Dyson V10 animal | Dyson V11 |
|---|---|---|
| Suction Power | Up to 151 Air Watts | Up to 185 AW |
| Run Time | Up to 60 minutes | Up to 60 minutes |
| Battery Optimization | No | Yes – Intelligent power management |
| Weight | 5.9 lb | 6.61 lb |
| Weight | 40.6 lbs (without water) | 39 lbs (without water) |
| Torque Drive Head | Not included | Included – auto adjusts suction based on floor type |
| LCD Display | No | Yes – Real-time performance info |
| Charge time | 3.5 hrs | 4.5 hrs |
| Price | $499.99 | $569.99 |
The V11 has a redesigned head. It has stiffer nylon red bristles and soft carbon fiber filaments for hard tile. What separates it from the V10 is that it has an anti-tangle comb, and the v11 has a new pet hair tool with an updated design. It is supposed to be anti-tangle.
Performance and Suction Power
We tested suction and airflow for both vacuums. I’m doing most of my vacuuming on the medium and low settings. So, we tested both vacuums on low, medium, and high settings.
The Dyson V10 had a wind speed rating from 16.3 meters per second on low to 37.3 on high. We found the V11 had anywhere from 18% stronger wind speed on low to 11% higher on high.
We also tested both vacs at the head with a sealed box. The V10 and V11 were closer this time, but the V11 still edged out the V10, being anywhere from 3 to 10% higher. So, the Dyson’s claim of 20% more suction is almost true at the low setting but definitely is not true at the highest setting. But nevertheless, the Dyson V11 wins this round.
We also tested the suction and found the V11 to be 13 to 18 percent stronger across the board, depending on the setting. At the lowest settings, the V11 showed more difference, which means you can vacuum for longer at the lowest setting than you can with the V10.
Dyson V11 vs V10 Weight
The weight is actually a pretty big consideration when picking a vacuum. The V10 weighs 5.7 pounds, and the V11 weighs 6.6 pounds. The reason for this is the bigger battery and motor in the Dyson V11. When you’re vacuuming for a short session of 10 to 15 minutes, the weight isn’t really much of a big deal. But on longer sessions, you will begin to notice.
The V10 is actually one of the lightest vacuums you can buy, and I think that makes it more likely you’re just going to vacuum more frequently.
It’s like the old adage: what’s the best camera? Well, it’s the one that you’re going to use the most, which is the one in your pocket—your cell phone, because it’s light and always ready to go.
Dyson V10 and V11 Run Time
Dyson says that both the V10 and the V11 will go up to 60 minutes without a motorized attachment. Now, realistically speaking, your run time is going to depend on what you’re vacuuming. Is it a hard surface? Is it carpet? Is it shag? Are you vacuuming up dust or just pet hair?
We tested the real-world battery life with no attachment, and we found that on the highest setting, the V10 went just a little over four minutes, whereas the V11 went 8 minutes and 40 seconds.
In the medium setting, which you’re going to use the most, the V10 went for 27 minutes while the V11 went for 38 minutes. The V10 definitely has a smaller battery, and Dyson claims that the V11 will go 20 percent longer. Which we found to be true.
V10 vs V11: Dust Pickup From Carpet
We found that both vacuums are actually highly effective on hard surfaces. However, on carpet, the story is a little bit different. Here, the V11 actually edges out the V10 yet again. The V10 picked up 36 out of our 40 grams, giving it an effectiveness of 90%.
However, the V11 picked up 43 grams, which means it not only picked up the 40 grams I dumped on the carpet for it, but it also picked up the leftover material that the V10 left behind. And I tried really hard with the V10. I tried with multiple passes to get the sand out, so that’s the best the V10 is going to do. Yet another point for the V11.
Pet Hair Pickup
We tested the anti-tangle capability with Rave hair, starting with the V10. Now, with very long hair, it’s actually very difficult for any vacuum to pass our test. Our party hair was 13 inches long, and the hair got stuck in the V10. Just like it did with every other vacuum we’ve tested. We even let the vacuum run for a while to see if the hair would clear, but it didn’t.
On the V11, we had almost the same result. We even let the head run for a while and moved it back and forth. Then we tried the V11 with a mix of both longer and shorter strands. Even though it tangled up at first, when we let it run for a moment and let the combs do their magic, there was almost no hair left on the roller.
Next, we tested both vacuums with cat and dog hair. Both the V10 and V11 had no tangles at all with dog or cat hair on hardwood.
So, we mixed both dog hair and cat hair together and tried to stamp it into the carpet with my super stylish sandals and red socks. Both the V10 and V11 performed flawlessly, picking up all the hair without any tangles.
Related: Best Dyson Vacuums For Pet Hair
Dustbin and Capacity
Now, both vacuums have the same canister, which means they have the same 0.2-gallon capacity.
They’re both pretty easy to empty out with a trigger, although sometimes you need to pull the canister off to fully get pet hair out of it.
V10 vs V11: Vacuuming Performance
In our performance test, both vacuums performed very well, picking up larger bits of dirt.
You can adjust the front of the head, allowing bigger bits of dirt to get in. This is a great feature that some less expensive vacuums just don’t have.
Although these vacuums are both effective, they do require quite a bit of effort to move on shag carpet. So, if you have a lot of deep pile or shag carpet in your house, you might consider getting a corded vacuum.
I’m going to call this round a tie.
The motorbar head on the V10 and V11 has mostly replaced the fluffy head Dyson used on some earlier models. It does a great job of picking up dirt and hair from both hard surfaces and carpets without needing to swap heads.
Attachments, Filtration and Maintenance
Now, both vacuums come with the same basic attachments. These include a crevice tool for use on edges and furniture, a dusting tool, and this dual-purpose tool. However, the V11 also came with this angled snap-in, which attaches to the wand and makes it easier to get under beds without having to bend your knees.
Since Dyson sometimes changes the tools included with their vacuums, you should definitely check before purchasing to make sure you’re getting the tools you want. You can also purchase many of the tools and attachments separately.
Both the V10 and V11 tools are fully interchangeable. Both vacuums also include a handy charging dock—just note that the dock for the V11 won’t fit the V10, as it’s larger.
Good filtration is really important if you’ve got pets or allergies. Both of these vacuums have whole-machine filtration, which keeps dust sealed inside the container. They both trap dirt and allergens down to 0.3 microns.
Technically, the V11 performed slightly better in our tests. However, both did an excellent job of trapping the small particles, like smoke, inside the canister without letting any of it leak out.
About once a month, you should wash the filter. If you don’t, suction can degrade over time, and some dust might start getting into the motor. This could negatively affect the vacuum’s performance.
Final Verdict: Which One Wins?
I’ve owned both these vacuums for quite a while now. The V10 is an excellent overall vacuum, and if you’ve got a lot of hard surfaces, it is perfect for quick pickups. I love that it’s so light, and it’s just easy to vacuum up some pet hair and be done with it in a couple of minutes.
The price has come down significantly over the last couple of years. That makes getting into a Dyson product fairly affordable now. And for the record, I’ve had absolutely no issues with this vacuum whatsoever. While testing, I thought the V10 would be really close in all the categories to the V11, but in every objective test, the V11 is clearly a better performer. Yes, it’s about a pound heavier, but in every other measurable way, it is actually just a superior vacuum to the V10.
And yes, Dyson keeps putting out newer models, and every time they are just a little bit more expensive. But if you’ve got a mix of hard surfaces and carpets like I do, the V11 is a better pick.
The v10 is $70 cheaper compared to the V11. However, I still recommend getting V11, considering its performance and LCD screen. That extra cost gets you better suction power, performance monitoring on LCD, and a better cleaning experience overall. You can also check our list of vacuum cleaners.