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Dyson DC44 Animal Digital Slim Vs V6 Cordless Vacuum: Ultimate Comparison

by  Lawrence -  Last updated on March 8, 2022

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If you’ve decided to look into getting a new vacuum, then without doubt you’ll have noticed that Dyson seems to dominate the market.

They have a huge range of vacuums that seem to cover absolutely everything, but it can be hard to know what all the different names mean, and which one you should go for.

That’s where we come in. We’ve done the research so that you don’t have to. As technology progresses, most people are leaving the old-style of vacuums behind. By this, we mean vacuums that need to be plugged in while you go around.

The obvious limitation of the vacuums that plug in at the wall, is that you are very limited when it comes to the distance that you can travel for cleaning. You constantly have to check where the best plug socket will be to reach the most areas, and it can be so infuriating to not quite be able to reach the last corner or section.

But cordless vacuum cleaners escape that problem. Although, they bring forward a new set of problems. The weight of the vacuum becomes more important, as does the size of the dustbin, not to mention the essential detail of the runtime.

In this article, we will be comparing the Dyson DC44 with the Dyson V6. You’ll have probably noticed that the V range is very popular, but although it might feel hard to tell them apart, it’s actually very simple.

The V range is all cordless, and the number signals the different ranges, that are mostly upgrades from the last number (although the V7 range was actually released after the V8 range, as a mid-way vacuum between the V8 and the Dyson V6). In contrast, the DC range stands for “Dual cylinder”.

Again, the different numbers signify the different ranges that have been upgraded, and they are also cordless.

The Dyson DC44 and the Dyson V6 are both super popular vacuum choices that sit in the mid-price bracket of cord free vacuum cleaners. So what’s the difference?

We’ll go through that now, so that you know what to look for when you’re purchasing a vacuum, and which is the right vacuum model for you.

Dyson DC44 vs V6 at a Glance

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If you don’t have time to read the full article, then we’ve got a quick summary for you here. But if you want to be sure of which vacuum is the best choice for you, then we recommend that you take a look at more of the details in the article below.

Dyson DC44 Advantages:

  • Cheaper
  • Two-in-one brush head
  • 8 minutes on MAX mode

Dyson DC44 Disadvantages:

  • Bigger
  • Longer charge time
  • Less powerful on MAX mode

Dyson V6 Advantages:

  • Smaller
  • Bigger dustbin
  • More suction power on MAX mode
  • More accessories available
  • Shorter charge time

Dyson V6 Disadvantages:

  • More expensive
  • Less time on MAX mode
  • Change brush heads for different floors

Winner: Don’t want to read the full article? The editor’s choice is the Dyson V6.

What’s the Difference Between Them?

Now that we’ve been through the overview, let’s take a look at the details of how these two vacuums compare. There are various models within each range, so to try to keep it as fair as possible, we’ll review the Dyson DC44 Animal digital slim MK2 and the Dyson V6 Animal cordless stick vacuum cleaner.

Design

These cord free vacuum cleaners have fairly similar designs. They are both made of three parts; the direct driver cleaning head, the vacuum body, and the extension wand. The extension wand is simply the part that links the vacuum body to the brush heads.

The dusting brush head is the part that cleans the floor, and we’ll take a look at the different versions below, in the features section. In terms of vacuum body, this is the part with the digital motor, battery, on/off trigger and the cyclone system. It is the cyclone system which makes the Dyson vacuum cleaners stand out.

The Dyson DC44 Animal has a dual layer system of cyclones, while the Dyson V6 vacuum has a system of 14 cyclones. These cyclones spin the dust, pet hair and dirt around the HEPA filters, in order to keep the primary HEPA filter clear, so that the vacuum can continue to clean efficiently, regardless of how full it is with the help of advanced HEPA filtration system.

Another unique aspect of the Dyson vacuum designs is the on/off trigger. This trigger is a button that needs to be pressed down in order for the vacuum model to work. It is actually quite a polemic feature of the vacuums. Some people complain that their finger gets tired from having to press it down continuously.

However, if you are going to get a cord free vacuum then this is an excellent feature as it really helps to save battery. It also means that you don’t have to lean down, so it can make it a better vacuum option for people with bad backs.

That’s not the only way that this vacuum is well-designed. The weight of the vacuum, for both ranges, is up by the hand, in the vacuum body. This means that the weight is much easier to maneuver than if it were on the floor, so it doesn’t feel as heavy.

The two vacuums are pretty similar in weights, both weighing around 5.1 lbs, although the Dyson DC44 is slightly lighter. However, the Dyson DC44 is also quite a lot bigger. The DC44 measures 9.8 x 8.7 x 46.4 inches, compared with the Dyson V6 which measures 11.8 x 5.7 x 28.4 inches.

Verdict:
The two vacuum cleaners have very similar designs, however, the Dyson V6 has a more ergonomic design, and although it weighs very slightly more, it has a smaller design which makes it easier to maneuver.

Features

As we mentioned above, both of these vacuum ranges are cord free. This means that they don’t need to be plugged in to work, however, it also means that the charging is a more important aspect. Both vacuums come with a docking station to help facilitate the charging.

Plus, the docking station of each also has two smaller pockets, to hang additional cleaning tools. Top tip: It’s best to install the docking station near a plug socket, for obvious reasons. However, the Dyson V6 has a charge time of 3 hours 30 minutes, which is much quicker than the Dyson DC44, which takes 5 hours 30 minutes.

However, if you always put it in the docking station after use then it shouldn’t matter too much that it takes so much longer to charge.

The main difference in terms of the features of these two vacuums lies in the dusting brush heads. The both come with a direct drive cleaner head, but they are somewhat different. The Dyson V6 has a stiff brush roll, which makes it really suitable for dislodging dirt and pet hair in carpets, but it means that it is less suitable for hardwood floors or large debris.

In contrast, the Dyson DC44 Animal direct drive cleaning head has two brush rolls built-in. One is stiff, which helps it to dig into carpets, and the other is a soft brush roll, which is better for hard floors.

However, the Dyson V6 has a more efficient brush head, which gives it 75% more brush bar power. Furthermore, it does come with an additional soft-roller head, which is more suitable for hard floors.

Verdict:
It’s a tough call, but although the Dyson V6 has the wherewithal to perform a more thorough clean, we prefer the simple two-in-one design of the Dyson DC44. However, the faster charging time means that the V6 is the better choice for us.

Power

Power is a really important feature when it comes to vacuums. It doesn’t matter what accessories it has, or how easy it is to maneuver, if you can’t actually clean anything. The amount of power that a vacuum cleaner has is one of the key aspects that determines whether or not it will actually be able to clean your home.

Each of these two vacuums has two different power settings. They can either be on regular/normal mode, or they can be on MAX mode. When it is on regular mode, the Dyson V6 provides 28 W of power, and the Dyson DC44 is similar. However, the big difference comes when they are compared on the MAX (advanced) mode.

When working at full suction power, the Dyson DC44 works at 65 W, compared with the Dyson V6 which works at a whopping 100 W. If we think of the fact that the Dyson V6 also has a more efficient dusting brush head for power too, we can see that the Dyson DC44 provides far less power than the Dyson V6, which can make a big difference if you need your vacuum cleaner to efficiently pick up dirt, dust, pet hair and debris.

Verdict:
There is no contest when it comes to this feature. The Dyson V6 is far more powerful than the Dyson DC44 on MAX mode, plus it has a more power efficient brush head.

Runtime

If you are looking into cordless vacuums, then you have no doubt realised that the big change from vacuums that plug into the wall sockets, aside from the greater freedom for where you can vacuum cleaner, is that there is a limit on the amount of time they can be used for.

Given that they also need to be light, so that they can be used for hard-to-reach places, long battery life is the part that is taking longer to improve. However, given that these two vacuums only run when your finger is on the on/off trigger, they last longer than you might think.

Both the Dyson DC44 and the Dyson V6 have 20 minute battery life when used on regular mode. This is then reduced to 6 minutes on MAX mode for the Dyson V6, and 8 minutes for the Dyson DC44. Of course, the Dyson V6 is pumping around 50% more power on MAX mode than the Dyson DC44, but it does only last for 75% of the time.

It is worth remembering that if a vacuum cleaner is more powerful, then it will probably be more efficient at cleaning, so it would need a shorter run-time than a less powerful competitor.

Verdict:
If we are looking at run-time, the Dyson DC44 is the better option, as it lasts for the same amount of time on regular mode, but an extra two minutes on MAX, an advanced mode.

Dustbin

Dustbins might not be something that you think about very often in life, but they are a key feature of vacuums, and they are particularly important in cordless vacuums. The size of the dustbin determines how often you will need to empty it. For the Dyson DC44, it has a fairly small dustbin of 0.3L.

The Dyson V6 has a third more capacity at 0.4 L. Both of these vacuums have the same dustbin design, in which it is released just below the on/off trigger. The dustbins form a bit of a design flaw, as it can be quite messy to empty them, and they need to be pointing the right way to empty successfully into the trash can.

This is a design aspect that has been upgraded for more recent models of the vacuums, such as the V8.

Verdict:
Both vacuums have similar dustbin designs, however, the Dyson DC44 has a dustbin that is 75% of the size of the Dyson V6, so the V6 is the better option for this feature.

Price

Both of these vacuums sit in the middle price bracket. They have both been out for a few years now, and although they both remain wildly popular options, there are several upgrades out for each one. This means that the price is lower than some of the newer ranges, while the features aren’t that different.

However, if you are looking for the cheaper option, then the DC44 is definitely the better choice. The prices of the two vacuums tend to vary, but the Dyson DC44 is around two thirds of the price of the Dyson V6, which is a pretty substantial saving.

Verdict:
There is no doubt about it, if you are looking for the more affordable vacuum cleaner then the DC44 is the best option for you.

Conclusion

So, let’s round-up what we’ve been through in our Dyson DC44 vs V6 comparison guide. The Dyson V6 and DC44 both run for twenty minutes on regular mode, but the DC44 runs for an extra two minutes on MAX, an advanced mode. However, the Dyson V6 is more powerful, so it is more efficient at cleaning and would therefore need less time to complete the same cleaning.

The DC44 has a two-in-one brush head, so you don’t need to change for different floors, but it is less effective than the Dyson V6 brushes. The Dyson V6 has a larger dustbin, and is also much quicker at charging. So, if you are looking for the most efficient and effective cleaning, the Dyson V6 is the better option for you. See our comparison guide here to explore the popular models of Dyson V6 vacuum cleaners.

However, if you are looking for a cheaper option that can still do most of the same things, the DC44 would still make a good option for you. Which one do you think will suit you best?

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