- Table of Contents
- Intro
- Updates
- Comparison
- Best Vacuums
- Lineup
- Conclusion
- Discussions
Miele is a German manufacturer specializing in high-end household appliances, including everything from refrigerators to washing machines, not to mention cooktop ranges and coffee machines. Their lineup of vacuum cleaners is well-renowned for their premium build quality, strong performance on a wide variety of surfaces, and general ease of maintenance.
Updates
- 12/22/2020 Miele Triflex HX1 reviewed
- 09/11/2020 Miele Complete C3 Alize PowerLine reviewed
- 09/09/2020 Miele Dynamic U1 PowerLine reviewed
- 07/24/2020 Miele Classic C1 reviewed
Best Miele Vacuums
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Best Corded Miele Vacuum
Vacuum TypeCanisterBaglessNoCordlessNoAnti-Allergy Filter (HEPA)YesThe best Miele vacuum with a corded design that we've tested is the Miele Complete C3 Alize PowerLine. This premium canister vacuum feels amazingly well-built, with a dense plastic body, a stainless steel telescopic wand, and a floorhead with an aluminum bottom plate. It's also outstandingly easy to maintain, as the few parts of the vacuum that require regular maintenance are readily accessible. Performance is exceptional on bare floors, and despite this variant lacking a floorhead with a motorized turbo brush, it still does a great job cleaning debris on carpets. Its seven-level suction power adjustment feature enables you to adjust to varying surface types on the fly, and the vacuum has a HEPA filter to help improve its filtration performance. There are other useful quality-of-life features, too, including an automatically retractable power cable, a handle-mounted LED light to help you see in dark corners, and onboard storage for its dusting brush, crevice tool, and upholstery tool. It's also compact and has rubber-like wheels that enable it to roll smoothly on a wide variety of surfaces, allowing you to maneuver even in cluttered rooms without too much difficulty.
Unfortunately, this vacuum does incur somewhat high recurring costs, though its dirtbag's large capacity ensures that it shouldn't need replacing very often. It's also a little heavy, but it does have a carrying handle that makes it easier to bring up and down flights of stairs. Its hose is a little short, which can make it hard to clean areas like high-placed shelves.
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Best Cordless Miele Vacuum
Vacuum TypeStick/HandheldBaglessYesCordlessYesAnti-Allergy Filter (HEPA)NoThe best Miele vacuum with a cordless design that we've tested is the Miele Triflex HX1. This well-built vacuum has a unique design that allows you to configure it as a stick, upright, or handheld, depending on your exact needs. It does a fantastic job clearing debris on bare floors and delivers impressive overall performance on low and high-pile carpet, though it can struggle slightly with sucking up fine material. While its fine dust filter doesn't have a HEPA designation, it's still advertised to trap 99.98% of fine particulate matter, which should be handy if you suffer from severe allergies. Also, since this filter has an expected service life of three to four years, the vacuum incurs remarkably low recurring costs. It also features a surface detection feature that enables it to automatically adjust the power of its motorized brushroll to suit the floor type that you're on, or even stop the brushroll's rotation if something's stuck in it. Its lightweight construction and rotating floorhead make it easy to maneuver, even in cluttered areas. Battery performance is good overall, as you can expect roughly anywhere between 20 to 30 minutes of runtime on a single charge. Its removable battery can be charged separately on its docking station, allowing you to extend your runtime if you purchase an additional battery.
Unfortunately, its dirt compartment is a little small and consequently needs regular emptying. This variant of the vacuum also doesn't come with a turbo brush to more easily clean upholstered surfaces when the vacuum is used in a handheld configuration, thought the pricier 'Cat and Dog' variant does. Also, while it feels well-built for the most part, its handle feels a little cheap and hollow.
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Best Budget Miele Vacuum
Vacuum TypeCanisterBaglessNoCordlessNoAnti-Allergy Filter (HEPA)NoThe best budget Miele vacuum we've tested is the Miele Classic C1 Pure Suction PowerLine. While this canister vacuum is still notably pricier than many other canister vacuums from other brands, it's considerably more affordable than other Miele models yet feels just as well-built. It's outstandingly easy to maintain and has a compact body that makes it easy to maneuver in tight spots. Its power cable retracts at the press of a button, and there's onboard storage for its crevice and upholstery tools and its soft-bristle dusting brush. It has a six-level suction power adjustment feature that you can use for different surface types, from curtains to carpets, and its primary floorhead has bristles that can be retracted or extended depending on your needs. It performs outstandingly well on bare floors and does a great job sucking up debris on carpets, especially pet hair, though you may need to make another pass to fully clean very fine debris.
Unfortunately, it has a very short power cord and hose, so you may need to swap outlets when vacuuming larger areas. This variant of the vacuum doesn't come with a HEPA filter for superior filtration performance. Recurring costs are also high since its primary and pre-motor filter need to be replaced periodically, as does its dirtbag, though its relatively large capacity ensures that it doesn't fill up too quickly.
Compared to other brands
- Excellent build quality. Most Miele vacuums are made of high-end materials that make them feel far more durable than many of their peers.
- Good overall performance. Miele vacuums offer strong and consistent cleaning performance on a wide variety of surface types, including hardwood floors as well as low and high-pile carpet.
- Easy to maintain. Miele vacuums tend to have fewer parts that require regular maintenance than many other alternatives, which are also easy to access or replace.
- Thoughtful quality of life features. Even basic Miele vacuums have features that help simplify vacuuming, like multi-level suction power adjustment, automatic power cord retraction, and onboard storage for tools and accessories.
- Small number of attachments on some models. While you can purchase a wide variety of extra attachments and floorheads from the manufacturer, many Miele vacuums come with very few attachments in the box.
- Expensive. As befitting their premium status, Miele vacuums tend to be fairly pricey.
- High recurring costs for some models. Many Miele vacuums use bagged designs. They have dirtbags and filters that need regular replacing, usually at a higher cost than those of other bagged vacuums.
Miele offers a wide range of vacuum cleaners, though their canister lineup is the broadest. Their vacuums are usually easier to maintain and have far more quality-of-life features than most Shark or BISSELL vacuums. They also deliver similarly strong performance on a variety of surfaces compared to alternatives from other high-end brands like Dyson and feel much better-built, but their selection of included attachments tends to be a lot smaller.
Lineup
Miele has a diverse lineup of vacuums, and their naming convention can sometimes be a little confusing.
Canister Models
- Miele Classic C1 lineup: Entry to mid-level bagged canister vacuums.
- Miele Compact C1 Lineup: Smaller entry to mid-level bagged canister vacuums.
- Miele Blizzard CX1 Lineup: Mid to high-end bagless canister vacuums
- Miele Complete C3 Lineup: High-end bagged canister vacuums.
Cordless Stick Models
- Triflex HX1 lineup: Cordless vacuums that you can configure as a handheld, upright, or stick vacuum.
Robot Models
- Scout RX2: Premium robot vacuum cleaner.
Common Trim/Equipment levels
- Pure Suction: Vacuums with floorheads that use straight suction to suck up debris, rather than air or motor-driven brushrolls, mainly for use on bare floors.
- Turbo Team: Vacuums with air-driven brushroll floorheads for use on carpets.
- HomeCare: Mid-level vacuum variants, usually bundled with both a straight suction floorhead and a floorhead with an air-driven brushroll. They usually come with an electrobrush socket that allows for a motorized floorhead if you purchase one and a couple of additional handheld brushes.
- Cat & Dog: Mid-level vacuum variants usually bundled with a handheld turbo brush for dealing with pet hair and an 'Active Air' filter.
Some of these trims are only available on some models or have slightly differing accessories bundled in the box, while others have specific designations that aren't noted here.
Conclusion
Miele specializes in manufacturing a wide range of high-end household appliances. Their range of vacuum cleaners is mainly focused on canister models of both the bagged and bagless variety, but they've recently branched out into building cordless stick and robot vacuums. As a general rule, Miele vacuums are pricier than alternatives but offer a wide range of thoughtful quality-of-life features, strong cleaning performance, and premium build quality.