If you're shopping for a cordless vacuum, you may have read our Dyson V8 review and liked the sound of this "lightweight but heavy-duty" dust-buster. However, if you're on a third-party retailer site, and you've spotted separate listings for the V8 Animal and the V8 Absolute, you might also be getting a bit confused.

Dyson is known for making some of the best cordless vacuums around. The V8 line launched in 2016, so it's a little older now, but it's still very capable. (If you're wondering whether it's worth upgrading to a newer option, see how it compares to the models up in our Dyson V8 vs V10 and Dyson V8 vs V11 articles.)

At first glance these two models seem identical. So what are the differences between the V8 Absolute and Animal, and which is the best Dyson vacuum for you? This article answers that question in detail.

The first thing to note is that the V8 Animal is no longer part of the current lineup – it has been discontinued by Dyson . That said, there are still loads of them out there in warehouses, waiting to be sold by retailers. And so it's not a bad idea to buy one, especially if you can get one for a good price.