There are many perks to owning a pet – but pet hair isn’t one of them. Hair finds its way into places you never could imagine; places your pet never roams. Keeping a tidy home can become a challenge, but the right vacuum – one designed for pets – can help you keep your sanity and your home clean, too.
Finding a pet vacuum isn’t the hard part. Finding a vacuum that’s lightweight and won’t break your back when cleaning the stairs is.
We’ve rounded up the two best light pet vacuums money can buy: the Dyson V8 and the Shark Rocket TruePet.
Let’s take a closer look at each model – and share our pick – so you can find the right vacuum for your needs.
The Shark TruePet
The Shark TruePet has a lot going for it. For starters, it’s made by one of the most respected brands in the industry. It’s also exceptionally lightweight at under nine pounds.
The light weight and quality construction of this vacuum alone make it worth a consideration. But the TruePet offers even more features that make cleaning your home a breeze.
The Dust-Away hard flooring attachment allows you to switch between carpeting and hard flooring with ease (tiling, hardwood and everything in between). And when you’re ready to clean the stairs or reach up high to get those pesky corners of the room, the TruePet converts to a hand vac.
The Dust-Away attachment uses a microfiber pad to pick up fine dust and debris – something a regular vacuum misses even when on hard floor mode.
The TruePet also has a motorized brush for handheld cleaning in strategic spots, like on the couch cushions or stairs.
Because pets leave behind more dirt, dander and hair, the large-capacity dust cup (2x the size of a regular dust cup) allows you to clean for longer without having to empty out the canister.
The TruePet has two power speeds for high-pile carpeting and hard flooring, so you can choose the right setting for your needs. It also has LED lights, so you can see when you’re vacuuming in low-light conditions.
Pros
- Lightweight (8.6 pounds)
- Long 30-foot cord allows you to clean larger areas at one time
- Hard floor attachment allows you to clean all surfaces of your home
- Mini pet motorized brush makes it easy to pick up pet hair from most surfaces
- Wall mount hook allows for easy storage of the vacuum
- Comes with multiple accessories to clean most surfaces with ease
Cons
- Not cordless
The only complaint with the TruePet is that it’s not a cordless model. On the bright side, the vacuum has a 30-foot cord, so you can clean larger areas without having to change outlets often.
The Dyson Animal
The Dyson Animal truly is an animal of its own. This model is cord-free and offers Dyson’s famous suction power. And if you’re worried about the vacuum dying after just a few minutes of cleaning, don’t be.
This vacuum gives you 40 minutes of cleaning power before needing to be recharged. If you have areas of your home that are far from outlets, you’ll appreciate the cordless design.
The Animal has a whole-machine HEPA filter, so it captures more allergens and pollutants from the air. The power brush also comes with stiff nylon brushes that dig down deep into carpeting to remove more dirt, hair and debris.
Like with the TruePet, the Animals converts to a handheld vacuum, so you can clean every surface of your home with ease. If you need to clean up pet food near the bowl or a patch of hair on the couch, you don’t have to lug out the entire machine. Just convert to the handheld vac, and you’re ready to go.
You can also detach the brush bar to reach high corners of the room and curtains. There are other accessories, too, like a soft brush for dusting. Dyson makes it easy to clean your home from top to bottom with the Animal.
The Animal has two tiers of cyclones, with 15 in total. These cyclones capture fine dirt and debris to leave your home cleaner.
There are also two power settings. The Power mode gives you up to seven minutes of high-power suction for really tough jobs.
The dirt ejector also ensures that all contents of the canister are dumped right into the trash, so you never have to touch the dirt.
Pros
- Cordless for complete freedom when cleaning
- Power mode gives you extra suction power
- Can easily clean high places
- Whole-machine HEPA filter
- Converts to a hand vac for convenience
- Dirt ejector makes emptying the canister a breeze
- Comes with a charging dock
Cons
- Cordless design limits your cleaning time
The upside to a cordless machine is that you can clean anywhere without tripping over cords, The downside is that you’re limited on how much time you have to clean before needing to recharge.
With that said, the Dyson Animal is a powerful machine that can remove pet hair from nearly every crevice of your home.
Which Vacuum is the Right Choice?
Which vacuum is the right choice for you: Animal or TruePet?
Based on sheer cleaning power and intuitive features, the Dyson Animal is our preferred pick. It’s just as light as the TruePet, and it converts to a handheld vac for convenience. But it also has Dyson’s fade-free suction design, and a whole-machine HEPA filter.
The Shark TruePet has no HEPA filter as far as we can tell.
We also prefer the cordless design. There are no cords to ravel, unwind or trip over with the Animal. Just pick up the machine and start cleaning whenever and wherever you want.
If you’re looking for a simple, light pet vacuum and you don’t mind a corded model, the TruePet may be the better fit for you.
The larger dust cap also makes this model a great choice if your pet sheds a lot. With a larger dust cap, you won’t have to empty as often and can clean uninterrupted for longer.
