The Miele Triflex HX2 Pro/Cat & Dog is a cordless vacuum. It's the follow-up to the Miele Triflex HX1 and carries over the same reconfigurable design. You can change the position of its motor unit, wand, and handle, allowing you to use it as an upright, stick, or handheld vacuum. However, it improves on its predecessor in a couple of useful ways, with a more powerful suction motor, a considerably longer battery life, and a redesigned filter system that allows you to dislodge any stuck-on debris without removing it from the dirt compartment.
Our Verdict
The Miele Triflex HX2 is decent for bare floors. It easily clears away pet hair and small debris on this surface type, though it can have some trouble dealing with large piles of bulky debris. It's well-built and quite maneuverable, too, with a unique three-in-one design that you can configure to suit different cleaning tasks. That said, it can be difficult to maneuver under tables and couches when the vacuum is configured as an upright, with the bulky motor unit placed low to the ground. It's also equipped with a tiny dirt compartment that you frequently need to empty.
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Sturdy build quality.
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Great battery performance.
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Small dirt compartment.
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Floorhead struggles with large piles of bulky debris.
The Miele Triflex HX2 is decently effective on low-pile carpets. Its surface detection system allows it to automatically increase suction power on carpeted floors, where it's pretty effective at dealing with large and medium-sized debris, not to mention pet hair. It feels quite well-built, especially for a cordless stick vacuum, incurs very few recurring costs, and is fairly easy to maintain, with handy quality-of-life features like its 'ComfortClean' filter cleaning dial. Unfortunately, its small dirt compartment needs to be emptied often.
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Good overall solid debris pickup performance.
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Sturdy build quality.
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Great battery performance.
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Small dirt compartment.
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Struggles with finer debris on carpets.
The Miele Triflex HX2 is an okay option for cleaning high-pile carpets. It's passable at clearing away larger solid debris but really struggles with finer material pressed into carpet fibers. On the upside, its battery performance is also quite good for a cordless stick vacuum. Better yet, the Pro variant of the HX2 comes with a second battery, which is great for longer cleaning jobs requiring more power. It also has a lightweight, highly configurable design with a surface detection system that allows it to change its brushroll speed when cleaning carpeted floors. Unfortunately, it has a small dirt compartment, and it can get stuck on super-plush shag-pile carpets and rugs.
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Good overall solid debris pickup performance.
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Sturdy build quality.
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Great battery performance.
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Small dirt compartment.
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Struggles with finer debris on carpets.
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Can get stuck on thicker rugs.
The Miele Triflex HX2 is an alright choice for pet owners. While a small amount of pet hair can get stuck in its wand, it still has little trouble dealing with hair on carpets and bare surfaces like hardwood or vinyl. It's also equipped with a HEPA-rated filtration system that's very effective in sealing in fine allergens like pet dander. That said, the dirt compartment's small capacity means you'll need to empty it out pretty often, so you'll expose yourself to a fair amount of fine dust and grit when shaking it out. The HX2's upholstery nozzle isn't the best attachment on the market for dealing with short strands of hair, though thankfully, a mini turbo brush tool is available separately. This attachment is also bundled with the HX2 Cat & Dog variant.
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Clears pet hair on all surfaces.
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HEPA filter system.
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Upholstery nozzle struggles with short strands of pet hair on fabric.
The Miele Triflex HX2 is great for cleaning stairs. It isn't the lightest cordless stick vacuum on the market, but it feels well-built. Besides, in the grand scheme of things, it's still pretty portable, and you won't have too much trouble carrying it up and down flights of stairs. It can be fitted with a wand-mounted tool clip, so you can quickly swap attachments while you're on the move.
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Highly configurable design.
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Good overall solid debris pickup performance.
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Sturdy build quality.
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Great battery performance.
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Small dirt compartment.
The Miele Triflex HX2 is very good for cleaning the inside of your car. Its cordless design ensures you don't need to stay close to an outlet to deal with messes in your car. You can quickly reconfigure it into a compact handheld to clean small areas, and it comes with a few handy accessories. These include a crevice cleaner to tackle debris in hard-to-reach corners, an upholstery cleaner to help clear debris from car seat fabric, and a dusting brush for dealing with dust on easily scratched plastics.
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Highly configurable design.
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Sturdy build quality.
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Small dirt compartment.
The Miele Triflex HX2 isn't really designed for workshop cleaning. While it doesn't have any trouble dealing with household debris, it'll be damaged if you use it to clean heavy-duty debris like wood or metal shavings, and it can't suck up liquids.
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Good overall solid debris pickup performance.
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Great battery performance.
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Small dirt compartment.
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Not meant for liquid spills.
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Floorhead struggles with large piles of bulky debris.
- 7.4 Bare Floor
- 7.0 Low-Pile Carpet
- 6.5 High-Pile Carpet
- 6.8 Pets
- 8.4 Stairs
- 7.9 Cars
- 5.9 Workshop
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Updated Nov 15, 2024:
Added the Miele Duoflex HX1 as an alternative that's better built in the Build Quality section.
- Updated Aug 26, 2024: We've updated the scores in the Hard Floor Pick-Up, High-Pile Carpet Pick-Up, Low-Pile Carpet Pick-Up, and Pet-Hair Pick-Up tests to align with a broader data set. For more information about the reasoning for this update, you can look at our forum post.
- Updated Jul 16, 2024: We've added text to this review for the new tests added in Test Bench 1.3.
- Updated Jun 25, 2024: We've converted this review to Test Bench 1.3. We've overhauled our floor performance tests and added new 'Hard Floor Pick-Up,' 'High-Pile Carpet Pick-Up,' 'Low-Pile Carpet Pick-Up,' and 'Pet-Hair Pick-Up' tests. You can see the full changelog here.
- Updated Mar 06, 2024: Review published.
- Updated Mar 01, 2024: Early access published.
- Updated Feb 21, 2024: Our testers have started testing this product.
- Updated Feb 05, 2024: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
- Updated Jan 29, 2024: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.
- Updated Nov 08, 2023: The product has won our suggestion poll, so we'll buy and test it soon.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
There are three variants of the Miele Triflex HX2. We tested the Pro variant, and you can see its label here.
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Model Name |
Included Accessories | Available Colors | Notes |
| Triflex HX2 | Multi Floor XXL SEB 430 Electrobrush, Multi-surface bristled brushroll, Upholstery cleaner, dusting brush, crevice cleaner | Lotus White | |
| Triflex HX2 Cat & Dog | Multi Floor XXL SEB 435 Electrobrush with BrilliantLight, Multi-surface bristled brushroll, Upholstery cleaner, dusting brush, crevice cleaner, Electro Compact SEB 430 turbo brush | Obsidian Black | |
| Triflex HX2 Pro | Multi Floor XXL SEB 435 Electrobrush with BrilliantLight, Soft nylon brushroll, Multi-surface bristled brushroll, Upholstery cleaner, dusting brush, crevice cleaner | Infinity Grey | Also includes a battery charging cradle with a replacement battery |
Let us know in the comments if you encounter another variant of this vacuum.
Compared To Other Vacuums
The Miele Triflex HX2 is a premium cordless vacuum. It represents a sizeable upgrade over the older Miele Triflex HX1, with a more efficient motor, considerably longer runtime, and a redesigned filtration system. It makes for a compelling alternative to other high-end cordless stick vacuums, especially if you want something that feels sturdier than the norm, but note that you'll have to contend with a tiny dustbin and a fairly limited attachment set.
If you're looking for alternatives, check out our recommendations for the best cordless stick vacuums, the best lightweight vacuums, and the best cordless vacuums.
The Dyson V15 Detect and Miele Triflex HX2 Pro/Cat & Dog each have their own advantages. The Miele feels like a more premium product, with better build quality and fewer parts that need periodic cleaning. Meanwhile, the Dyson has the advantage in terms of raw performance. It also has a much bigger dustbin than the Miele.
The Dyson V12 Detect Slim and the Miele Triflex HX2 Pro/Cat & Dog are fairly evenly matched cordless stick vacuums. The Dyson is lighter and easier to maneuver around obstacles and comes with a broader assortment of tools. Conversely, the Miele feels far more robust and has a slightly bigger dirt compartment. It also makes less noise while running.
The Miele Triflex HX2 Pro/Cat & Dog is a pretty comprehensive upgrade over the Miele Triflex HX1. The HX2 features a more efficient motor and significantly better battery life. It also has a handy 'ComfortClean' filter cleaning system, allowing you to dislodge any debris stuck in the filter system without getting your hands dirty. That said, the HX1 has a marginally higher-capacity dustbin, and its lower-powered motor makes it easier to maneuver on thick carpeting.
The Miele Duoflex HX1 and the Miele Triflex HX2 Pro/Cat & Dog represent the full gamut of Miele's cordless vacuum offerings. Despite being the smaller sibling, the Duoflex is actually the better choice overall. It features superior build quality thanks to the use of more premium-feeling plastic on the power unit and a metal wand that increases rigidity. It's also more versatile; some variants include an extension hose and a flexible, extendable crevice tool for cleaning hard-to-reach places. Finally, performance is better on every surface type, and pet-hair pick-up is a breeze. The Triflex does have a couple of extra features, though, like a light on its floorhead for illuminating tough-to-see areas and a second, hot-swappable battery to extend cleaning time.
Test Results
The Miele Triflex HX2 is a sturdily-built cordless vacuum. It's similar in quality to its predecessor, with a body made of thick, high-grade plastic, which doesn't creak when it's moved around. It doesn't really differ much in overall appearance either, with only slightly more pronounced gold accents, a dustbin made of darker, more opaque plastic, and a redesigned filter system, which also features an eye-catching gold finish. The vacuum's color depends on the trim you select: the basic HX2 is made of glossy white plastic, the mid-range Cat & Dog has a glossy black finish, and the flagship Pro has a matte grey body. Like its predecessor, the handle does feel somewhat cheap and hollow. If you value build quality above all else, consider the Miele Duoflex HX1, which uses more premium materials.
All parts clip together and come apart fairly intuitively, though its handle takes a bit of force to remove, and you'll need to make sure the dustbin is precisely seated in its slot when reinstalling it.
This Miele Triflex HX2 is quite easy to maintain, as the few parts that require regular servicing are readily accessible.
- Dirt compartment: You need to twist the dirt compartment's lid counterclockwise to unlock it. Turning the lid further releases the compartment's bottom door, allowing you to empty any debris over a garbage can. You must empty it when it gets full and occasionally clean it with water and dish soap, but remove the pre-filter first.
- Pre-filter: You need to completely rotate the dirt compartment's lid counterclockwise until it releases and can be lifted out. The HX2 also features a 'ComfortClean' feature; turning a dial on top of the dustbin lid in a counterclockwise direction rotates a plastic lattice inside the pre-filter system to dislodge any stuck-on debris. You can see that feature in action here. The user manual recommends giving the dial ten 180-degree rotations regularly to ensure there's no significant debris buildup. You should also take the filter completely out of the vacuum to give it a thorough clean every three months.
- Fine dust filter: The fine dust filter is a bit of a hassle to remove. You need to remove the dustbin from the body, release the pre-filter system, and rotate the 'ComfortClean' dial in a clockwise direction, lifting the fine dust filter out of the pre-filter assembly. In practice, it can take quite a bit of force to spin the dial in this direction. Once you remove it, tap it against the edge of a trash can to dislodge any embedded dirt or dust, but don't rinse it under water. You should clean it every three months.
- Multi-floor XXL floorhead: You can flip the vacuum head over to cut out any hair wraps with scissors. You can remove the brushroll by lifting the brushroll cover on the left side of the floorhead and then simply pulling the roller out. This Pro variant of the HX2 comes with two interchangeable brushrolls, one with bristles for cleaning carpets and the other being a soft nylon roller intended for hard floors. You can cut out any tangled hair in the bristled roller by cutting along the embossed grooved on the roller. You can do the same for the soft roller, too.
Any part you can wash under water should completely dry before reinstallation.
This vacuum has very few recurring costs.
- Fine dust filter: Even though Miele advertises this filter under the name of 'HEPA Lifetime filter,' it doesn't actually last the lifetime of the vacuum; you should replace it after three years of use. You can buy a new one here.
The Miele Triflex HX2 is impressively easy to store. It doesn't take up too much space and has a rack station with designated storage slots for the three included tools and accessories.
The Miele Triflex HX2 has a fairly small dirt compartment. Not only is it just under half the capacity of that of alternatives like the Dyson Gen5detect/Gen5detect Absolute, but it's also actually a little smaller than that of the older Miele Triflex HX1, which has a marginally higher max fill line. At the very least, the dustbin is easy to release and empty.
- Miele Triflex HX2 stick vacuum
- Power Unit
- Dirt compartment
- Wand
- Handle
- Pre-filter (inside dirt compartment)
- Fine dust filter
- 2x Batteries
- Vacuum User Guide
- Various tools and brushes
- Multi Floor XXL Electrobrush head
- Multi-Floor XXL brushroll
- Hardfloor Care Soft Roller
- Crevice tool
- Dusting brush with flexible swivel brush
- Upholstery Nozzle XL
- Wand clip
- Charging station
- Vacuum wall dock
- Vacuum wall dock cable cover
- Tool holder for wall dock
- Wall mounting bracket
- Battery charger
- Power cable
Since it's a cordless vacuum, the Miele Triflex HX2's range is limited only by the remaining battery life and room left in its dirt compartment.
The Miele Triflex HX2 is very portable. While it's a little heavier than alternatives like the Dyson Gen5detect, it's by a slim margin. Using it in its upright configuration, with the motor unit placed low to the ground, puts very little weight in your hand, minimizing fatigue. However, using it in its stick configuration, with the motor unit sandwiched between the handle and wand, does increase the weight in hand to 4.89 lbs (2.22 kg).
Battery performance is great. The flagship Pro variant of the HX2 comes with a pair of batteries, so you can swap in a freshly-charged pack if you run out. A single fully-charged battery yields a maximum runtime of over an hour when you use the vacuum in its 'Min' mode with only its crevice tool attached. Using the HX2 in its high-power 'Max' mode with the floorhead attached can run a single battery dry in about 15 minutes. In both respects, these figures are similar to market standouts like the Dyson Gen5detect. It also handily outperforms the older Miele Triflex HX1 in this regard. The vacuum also features a trio of battery indicator lights, which gradually turn off as the charge level drops.
The Miele Triflex HX2 has a couple of quality-of-life features. Three power settings are available, aside from '0', which is the off setting. In increasing order of suction power, there's the low-power 'Min,' the default 'Eco,' and the high-power 'Max.' You can switch this setting via a slider on its handle. Like its predecessor, the HX2 has a floor detection system, which allows it to automatically adjust the brushroll speed and suction power depending on the surface you're cleaning; this feature works regardless of the power setting you have the vacuum set to. It's worth noting that this vacuum's Cat & Dog and Pro variants come with a floorhead with a headlight to illuminate darker corners. The standard HX2 has a simpler floorhead with no headlight.
The Pro variant of the Miele Triflex HX2 has a couple of tools and accessories. It comes with an upholstery cleaner to remove debris from fabric-lined furniture, a soft-bristle dusting brush, and a crevice tool to tackle messes in tight corners. There's also a pair of interchangeable brushrolls for its floorhead, one with bristles for cleaning carpets and the other being a soft nylon roller to clean delicate surfaces like hardwood without creating any scratches.
This vacuum is all but identical to the older Miele Triflex HX1 regarding configurability. You can use it as a traditional stick vacuum by moving the main power unit between the wand and handle or remove the wand entirely to use it as a compact handheld.
This vacuum's hard floor performance is only passable when used with its soft roller. While it's very effective in clearing away finer debris, its floorhead sits very low to the ground, causing it to push around large amounts of bulkier debris like cereal. Any remaining large debris that does make its way into the floorhead can also jam the brushroll, as seen here.
This vacuum does a poor job of handling debris on high-pile carpets when used with its multi-surface roller. It leaves behind a small amount of larger debris along walls and in corners, but it has a really hard time with finer debris embedded within deeper carpet fibers.
This vacuum's performance on low-pile carpets is sub-par. It can clear away the majority of large and medium-sized debris within a pass or two, but you'll need to spend a fair bit of extra time dealing with any finer debris that's been pressed into lower-pile carpet fibers.
This vacuum does a good job of clearing away pet hair on low-pile carpets. It'll clear away the majority of hair within a single pass, but you'll probably need to go over the same area more than once to fully clear away any shorter remaining strands that are pressed a little more deeply into carpet fibers.
This vacuum has decent real-world suction performance. It can't compete with standouts like the Dyson Gen5detect in this respect, though its upgraded Digital Efficiency motor yields significant performance gains over the older Miele Triflex HX1. While it isn't the most powerful cordless vacuum on the market, it won't have too much trouble lifting away lightweight debris embedded in carpet fibers or trapped in crevices.
This vacuum has decent airflow performance. While it might lag behind alternatives regarding suction performance, its raw airflow isn't far off of other premium models like the Dyson V15 Detect, indicating that its filtration system isn't all that restrictive.
This vacuum isn't too loud. There's little difference in overall volume if used with either its soft roller or multi-surface bristled roller. It's unlikely to be too disruptive if you use it in a partially enclosed room.
The Miele Triflex HX2 has great maneuverability. Using the vacuum in its upright configuration keeps weight low to the ground, making it very easy to maneuver. However, cleaning under low-lying furniture like couches and tables with the vacuum set up this way can be tricky. Its self-adjusting brush speed makes it easy to transition from cleaning bare floors to carpets. While it feels easy to use for the most part, it's worth noting that its floorhead is noticeably bulkier than that of a comparable Dyson, like the Dyson V15 Detect. It also gets bogged down on thicker carpets more easily than the older, less powerful Miele Triflex HX1.
This vacuum's pet hair-cleaning performance on fabric furniture is okay. It'll take a few passes to clear away most pet hair with its upholstery tool, and even then, some shorter strands may be left behind. If you have a pet, it might be worth going for the Miele Triflex HX2 Cat & Dog variant, which comes bundled with a mini turbo brush tool. The vacuum's side-exit exhaust can also blow hair away when cleaning furniture, which is annoying.
This vacuum does a great job of sealing in fine particles. The Milele HX2 features an onboard HEPA filter to seal in airborne allergens.
This vacuum does a great job of handling debris in cracks and crevices on hard floors when used with its soft roller and set to its default 'Eco' mode. It's worth noting that its performance didn't increase by a noticeable amount when cleaning cracks in its high-power 'Max' mode, as seen here.
