Dyson Ball Multi Floor 2 Review

Avg. consumer rating = 90/100 

This vacuum is the smaller brother of the Dyson Ball Animal 2. Does that mean it is not as good? No – not necessarily. While the Dyson Ball Multi-Floor 2 has less suction than its big brother, it is also lighter, less expensive, and there is still more than enough suction for most cleaning jobs. In our opinion the Dyson Ball Multi Floor 2 packs a punch and is actually a very good fit for some households. Consumers are pleased with the vacuum’s maneuverablity, capability on different surfaces, and easy maintenance. However, there are some issues, one of them being the machine’s difficulty in moving on some deep pile carpet. We see this on both the Multi-Floor and the Animal.

Quick Specs
Type	Upright
Bagged/Bagless	Bagless
Best for...	Hard Floors & Low Carpet
Pet Hair Features	No
Approx. Weight	15.6 lbs
HEPA Level Filtration	Yes
Power Cord Length	31 feet
Motor Driven Brushbar	Yes
Warranty	5 Years

  

Consumer Ratings

Close to 1000 owner ratings were found for the Dyson Ball Multi Floor 2 and they can be seen in the table below.  When averaged these ratings generate an overall score of 90 out of 100 (or 4.5 stars out of 5).  This is a very good score and you can compare it to the score of other upright vacuums in our upright vacuum ratings table, or you can compare it to all other vacuums on our site in the vacuum cleaner finder application.  The average score for an upright on Vacuum Cleaner Advisor is in the low 80’s. 

Source	Consumer Rating	# Ratings
Amazon	4.0 stars out of 5	269
Bed Bath & Beyond	4.7 stars out of 5	204
Walmart	4.8 stars out of 5	153
Best Buy	4.6 stars out of 5	354
Sylvane	4.7 stars out of 5	9

 

What Are Owners Saying About the Multi Floor?

A thorough review of owner comments, along with insights from our own testing and analysis, has provided the pros and cons below:

PROS
- Not as heavy as some Dyson uprights
- Plenty of suction
- Very effective at pulling up dust, dirt and hair
- Fairly maneuverable
- Good on bare surfaces and low/medium pile carpet
- Easy to maintain

CONS
- Can be difficult to move on some deep pile carpet
- No suction release valve
- Sometimes have to “dig out” debris from canister
- Low cleaner head struggles with larger debris
- Not much detail in manual

As the score of 90/100 attests, most Multi-Floor owners are pleased with their machine but there are grumblings.  The most common complaint is that the machine sometimes struggles on deep pile carpet.  The cleaner head has a perimeter that lowers and raises depending on the flooring, and while it successfully focuses suction on the area beneath the cleaner head (which it is designed to do) it can also pull itself down and cause the machine to have difficulty moving.  This is especially problematic in deeper pile carpet.  Folks with low pile carpet don’t appear to have this issue – we didn’t.   A suction release valve would likely have helped alleviate this problem but the vacuum does not come with one.  Also, there are no height controls so you cannot set the height of the cleaner head - ie you cannot lift the cleaner head higher to avoid the problem. 

The above issue also extends to some area rugs. A few owners have indicated that area rugs sometimes pull up off the floor which can be annoying.

There is also some grumbling about it being difficult to remove all the debris from the dust canister.  Folks report having to reach into the canister with their hands in order to pull out stuck dirt, hair etc.  As expected this is not popular.  We have seen this kind of thing on many bagless uprights and the Multi-Floor is not alone with respect to this issue.  The dust canister on the Multi-Floor is rather narrow however and this may exacerbate the problem.

There are complaints that the unit doesn’t pick up large debris like cheerios.  We did a test with fruit loops on low pile carpet and on tile.  The vacuum picked up all the fruit loops on the carpet but it did tend to plow some of them around on the tile.  The self adjusting cleaner head seems to set itself quite low thereby not allowing larger debris to easily get under it.

Also, like all Dyson Ball machines, the ball mechanism does not create a low profile.  Therefore it is difficult to get the vacuum under very low furniture.  It should be said however that the ball mechanism is great for maneuverability and the machine turns well.  It may take a little getting used to but it does do the job.

Folks seem pleased that their Multi-Floor is not as big or heavy as the Dyson Ball Animal 2.  It would appear that many owners studied both machines before they made their Multi-Floor purchase.  They opted for the lighter, less expensive unit.  Most feel that the Multi-Floor still offers powerful suction and top-notch pickup of dust, dirt and hair.  The strong suction and pickup are probably the most common positive comments made about the Multi-Floor – no small things given we are talking about a vacuum.  Some people also report that the carpet looks great after a cleaning session.

See More Dyson Ball Multi Floor 2 Reviews on Amazon

Dyson Ball Multi-Floor 2 vs Dyson Ball Animal 2

The first thing many people ask is “What is the difference between the Ball Animal 2 and the Ball Multi-Floor 2?”  We tabulated the main differences below:

	Dyson Ball Multi-Floor 2	Dyson Ball Animal 2
Weight	15.6 lbs	17.35 lbs
Suction	245 Air Watts	270 Air Watts
Dust Canister	0.42 gallons	0.55 gallons
Power Cord	31 feet	35 feet
Max Reach	40 feet	50 feet
Tools	Combo Tool, Stair Tool	Combo Tool, Stair Tool, Tangle-Free Turbine Tool
Dimensions	41.9 x 15.6 x 13.4 inches	42.1 x 15.4 x 13.4 inches

 

As the table shows, the Multi-Floor is generally smaller, lighter and less powerful.  However the suction is still very good (on par with the late Dyson DC65 Animal which was considered to be very powerful at the time) and the vacuum is less expensive than the Animal (by about $100USD).  The MSRP is $399USD in the USA and $499CAD in Canada.  There are obvious trade off’s either way and the best vacuum to buy is really a function of your home, your needs and your budget.

One small note.  We measured the length of the Multi-Floor hose with the wand extended at about 12.5 feet.  So, to us, this vacuum has a reach of 31 feet (power cord) + 12.5 feet = 43.5 feet.  We’re not sure how they came up with a 40 foot reach.  We find the length of the hose and wand quite generous compared to many other uprights.

What's In The Box?

• Dyson Ball Multi Floor 2 Vacuum Cleaner
• Stair tool
• Combination crevice/brush tool
• Quick start guide
• Product registration card
• Owner's Manual

*note that we got 3 additional tools with our vacuum

Self Adjusting Cleaner Head

The bottom of the cleaner head has a plate on it that lowers and raises to accommodate all manner of flooring.  It is great when moving from carpet to bare floors or vice versa as you never have to adjust height.  Also, it limits suction loss around the perimeter of the cleaner head and as a result the suction is stronger underneath and near the brushroll.  This all works well but there are some limitations which are discussed in the "Cleaning Performance" section of this review.  The self adjusting cleaner head, or what is sometimes referred to as the active base plate, is a little hard to visualize so we've provided a short video below.

Active Base Plate

Brushroll

The brushroll on the vacuum is motorized and it can be turned ON or OFF via an easily accessible button just below the handle.  One generally wants the brushroll ON when vacuuming carpet and OFF when vacuuming bare surfaces.  Some vacuums do not allow the brushroll to turn OFF.

Cleaning Path Width

The cleaning path width of this vacuum is stated as 13.4 inches.  It turns out that the width of the cleaner head is exactly 13.4 inches. 

We sometimes like to measure the suction gap on the bottom of the cleaner head to give a better idea of cleaning path width (although it could be argued either way).  The brushroll opening on the bottom side of the cleaner head is closer to 12 and ¾ inches.  In either case this is a fairly wide cleaning path and that has its pros and cons.  It’s nice because you cover a large area with each pass but it is not so great if you want to get the cleaner head into tight/cramped areas.

Cleaning Performance

CARPET – LOW PILE
We found the Mutli Floor cleaning performance on carpet to be quite close to that of the Ball Animal 2 which is not surprising given the machines are similar.  The cleaner head is pretty much the same and the suction on both machines is very strong (although the suction on the Ball Animal 2 is slightly higher).  The video below shows the cleaning performance on low pile carpet, which is quite good.

Low Pile Carpet

BARE FLOOR
We also tested the vacuum on tile flooring (with the same debris as the low pile carpet test above).  We had the brushroll off and the vacuum therefore depends on suction to pull up debris.  The active base plate shines here ON SMALL TO MEDIUM DEBRIS and it does a great job of focusing suction under the cleaner head.  There is an issue however. While the active base plate drops down to limit suction loss around the head perimeter, the low profile inadvertently stops some large debris from getting under the head.  You can see this below with the fruit loops on the tile surface:

Bare Floor

We would ike to say however, that we usually don't have a lot of very large debris on our floor, so for the most part we appreciate the active base plate and its ability to create powerful focused suction, despite it's limitations with larger items. Others may have a different opinion.

PET HAIR
Pick up of pet hair on medium pile carpet is quite good.  It is on par with that of the Ball Animal 2.  Not all of the hair we tested ended up on the dust canister however and some of it had to be removed from the brushroll.  This is something we see on most vacuums so it is not uncommon.

Pet Hair

It would be nice if the Multi Floor came with some kind of specialized pet hair tool but it does not.  The Ball Animal 2 does however and it is called the Tangle Free Turbine Tool which is designed to pick up pet hair with no tangling.  You can see this tool work in a video we are borrowing from our YouTube Dyson Ball Animal 2 review.  In the video we compare the Tangle Free Turbine Tool to a more traditional pet hair tool:

Tangle-Free Turbine Tool

EDGE CLEANING
We tested the ability of the Ball Multi Floor 2 to clean up tight against the baseboard on carpet.  It does an excellent job.  We used crushed chilli pepper (as it is highly visible) where the carpet meets the wall and ran the vacuum along the wall.  The Multi Floor picked up everything.  In the following video we start with the Dyson V7 Motorhead and finish up with the Multi Floor:

Edge Cleaning

Mobility

The mobility and maneuverabiity of the vacuum is very good, slightly better than the Dyson Ball Animal 2, in our opinion, due to the reduced weight.  The ball mechanism work fairly well and it is easy to turn the vacuum.  The ball is on the large side however and can limit the extent to which you can get under low furniture.  There have also been complaints about the difficulty of moving the vacuum on deep pile carpet, so we bought some deep pile carpet (very deep 1.96 inch pile) and ran both the Shark APEX AX952 and Dyson Ball Multi Floor 2 on it with the brushrolls turned on - see video below.

Mobility On Deep Pile Carpet

We were able to move both vacuums - although it was difficult.  Some people have reported that they were unable to move the Dyson at all while others indicated that it was simply difficult.  The brushroll on the Dyson feels very powerful however and it seemed to us that it may not be a good idea to use it on very deep pile carpet - at least not too frequently (but that is just an opinion - we have not tested this).

Dust Canister

The dust canister has a volume of 0.42 gallons which is not large but not too small either.  It is rather narrow however and some folks report having to reach in or use a stick or something to get all the debris out.  The dust canister is easy to remove from the vacuum and to empty. It has “one-touch” emptying and you simply depress a button and the bottom falls open (you close the bottom manually).  When you’ve finished emptying it is simple to reattach the unit to the vacuum.

Filtration

Like the Ball Animal 2 the Multi-Floor has two filters.  1 pre-motor filter and 1 post-motor filter (they both come with the vacuum).  Both are washable which is nice as it decreases consumables.  The pre-motor filter is located in the center of the cyclones and is very easy to remove and reattach.  The post motor filter is HEPA grade and is located inside the ball mechanism.  It is a little more of a pain to access the HEPA filter as you have to take off one side of the ball but Dyson has strived to make this easier.  Having a HEPA filter is important to asthma or allergy sufferers.  A HEPA filter will remove the likes of pet dander, tobacco smoke, dust mites, pollen, mold spores, etc.  The Dyson Ball Multi-Floor 2 is also certified asthma & allergy friendly by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.

In addition, the Multi-Floor uses radial root cyclone technology (the cyclones are the futuristic looking gold-colored tubes on top of the dust canister).  Dyson claims that its radial root cyclone technology is capable of capturing more microscopic dust than any other cyclone technology on the market.  In theory this should keep your filters cleaner longer.  Less filter cleaning equals less hassle and less vacuum down time.

Tools

Two tools are typically provided with the Multi-Floor.  A combination crevice/brush tool and a stair tool.  The tools are fine and do what they are supposed to do.  It would have been nice to have some kind of tool designed for pet hair pickup, but that appears to be the domain of the “Animal” uprights.  We do like that the crevice tool is not short (it is with some vacuums).  The crevice tool provides a full 12 inches of additional reach.

Hose & Wand

The wand and hose of a Dyson upright is always a little odd/awkward to detach and reattach, but once you’ve done it a few time then it’s fine.  The Dysons do seem to a have a longer reach than most uprights we review.  For example we were only able to get about 7 feet of reach to the end of the wand with the new Shark APEX DuoClean upright.  In contrast, we stretched out the flex hose on the Multi-Floor and got 12.5 feet of reach to the end of the wand.  That’s a big difference.

The tools “click fit” onto the end of the hose or the end of the wand.  We like this as it offers a nice secure fit and it requires the press of a button to detach.  Some vacuums come with tools that use “compression fit” meaning that just push on and pull off.  Those work ok but if they are not put on tightly they can fall off, and if they are put on too tight they can be hard to remove or even worse, crack.

Warranty

This vacuum has the usual Dyson upright warranty: 5-year limited parts and labor when used for normal domestic purposes.

Dyson Multi Floor Manual

This is a Dyson manual so that means it is very picture driven.  Some people have indicated that they would prefer much more written detail but others seem ok with it.  It provides most of the essentials like assembly, emptying the dust canister, clearing blockages, carpet and hard floor settings, attaching tools, washing filters, basic operations, troubleshooting, etc.  You can view a copy of the manual here: Dyson Ball Multi Floor 2 Manual

See Dyson Ball Multi Floor 2 Pricing on Amazon