Dyson Small Ball Allergy Review

Dyson Small Ball Allergy: Power and design

The Dyson Small Ball Allergy is a corded vacuum cleaner that was awarded a Which? Best Buy in April 2020. With a direct-drive motor in the brush bar that creates extremely strong suction power, the Small Ball Allergy provides a powerful clean across both carpets and hard floors. Strong bristles from the brush bar drive deep into carpets and hard floor crevices, to suck up the dust that you can’t see. And with Radial Root Cyclone technology, there’s no loss of suction from start to finish.

The 90aw Dyson Small Ball Allergy also has an impressive three powerful suction modes. You simply adjust the force as needed for different tasks and it works effectively on carpets, hard floors, laminate, upholstery and stairs.

The Small Ball Allergy is easy to manoeuvre around your home thanks to its lightweight frame and Dyson’s intuitive ball technology, that allows you to steer the vacuum around any furniture or obstacles with ease. This clever ball technology is also used in the likes of the Dyson Big Ball Multi Floor 2. Weighing in at just 6.9kg, the Dyson Small Ball Allergy is lightweight for a corded vacuum. This makes it straightforward to carry upstairs and move around the home.

Another plus point for the Dyson Small Ball Allergy is its noise output, which is some 40% quieter than its predecessor the Dyson DC40. You can enjoy a peaceful and quiet clean without worrying about annoying your neighbours.

Dyson Small Ball Allergy: Capacity and filter

The Dyson Small Ball Allergy is a bagless vacuum cleaner with a large capacity. The fact this vacuum cleaner is bagless is a definite plus point as you won’t need to worry about purchasing bags like you do with some other vacuum cleaners. With a 1.2l bin capacity, this isn’t a vacuum cleaner where you’ll need to stop and empty the bin too regularly, either. Having said that, you do get a bigger capacity with the Dyson Ball Animal 2, but that vacuum will set you back more in terms of your wallet.

When you do need to empty the Small Ball Allergy, it’s not quite as straightforward as Dyson seems to claim. There is a hygienic one-click empty button, but it’s a little stiff and needs quite a lot of pressure applied to ensure all the dust and dirt drops out of the bin.

As this model is called the Small Ball Allergy, it should come as no surprise that this is a certified asthma and allergy friendly vacuum cleaner (as per the Allergy Standard Limited). This makes the Dyson Small Ball Allergy a great option for pet owners and allergy sufferers, as this vacuum offers excellent whole machine filtration. Thanks to a HEPA filter that traps small particles and pet dander with great efficiency, the Small Ball Allergy is a very attractive option for allergy sufferers.

Dyson Small Ball Allergy: Reach

A weakness of corded vacuums is that you have to unplug them as you move around your home – unlike the likes of the Dyson V11 or Dyson V10 – but the Small Ball Allergy compensates for this well thanks to its impressive reach. A substantial 9.4m power cord means that you won’t need to worry about being held back when you’re in the middle of cleaning your home. This should easily allow you to use one power socket without having to stop and move the power cable around your house.

For those hard to reach jobs, the high reach wand with quick release is perfect for vacuuming up dust and cobwebs. The hose and wand release in one action for easy tool changes. There’s a huge 13.8m maximum reach, thanks to the use of aluminium telescopic extension tubes, so there’s plenty to work with.

Dyson Small Ball Allergy: Accessories

The Dyson Small Ball Allergy comes with a range of useful tools to give you a great whole home clean. Firstly, there is a combination tool. This is a handy little brush-and-crevice tool in one which cleans surfaces, edges and right into narrow gaps. Perfect for sucking dust, crumbs and pet hair up in one swift movement. To compliment the combination tool is a soft dusting brush that is excellent at picking up dust from small areas. The soft bristles are great for gentle dusting on delicate surfaces.

There’s a useful stair tool that works a treat on stairs as the velour strips pick up hair and dirt with ease. And finally there’s a unique mattress cleaning tool that picks up dust from mattresses and upholstery. With all of these tools the Dyson Small Ball Allergy has a tool for almost every imaginable job.

Dyson Small Ball Allergy: Verdict

For allergy sufferers on the lookout for a new vacuum cleaner, the Dyson Small Ball Allergy looks a really good option. Specifically designed to keep allergens out of the air, the Small Ball Allergy is certified asthma and allergy-friendly, so is perfect for allergy sufferers and people who have pets in their home. Having said that, this vacuum is perfectly suitable for those who don’t suffer with allergies too.

Whilst Dyson is generally concentrating on cordless vacuums moving forwards, they’ve still come up with a strong corded option in the Small Ball Allergy. Easy to manoeuvre thanks to innovative ball technology and a lightweight frame, the negative of having to plug in the vacuum is compensated by a large power cable and extra-long reach.

With three power modes and strong suction power, the Small Ball Allergy will provide a great clean on both carpets and hard floors, as well as other surfaces and upholstery. It’s not the easiest to empty, but with a large 1.2l capacity and no bags required, you won’t be emptying it very often.

If you’re in the market for a corded upright vacuum, then you can do a lot worse than the Dyson Small Ball Allergy. If you suffer from allergies then this vacuum is even more appealing, but either way the Small Ball Allergy is a great upright corded option and one that won’t let you down.