I tested the Miele Duoflex HX1 Cat & Dog vacuum in my pet hair-covered home — its powerful pick-up has left it cleaner than ever

As someone who tests vacuum cleaners for a living but also knows the daily struggle of living with a dog, it takes a lot for pet vacuum cleaners to impress me.

But after taking the Miele Duoflex HX1 Cat & Dog for a spin over the course of three weeks, I can safely say that it’s now one of the best vacuums for pet hair on the market today. In fact, dare I say it, it might be the best.

In a nutshell

Known for its impressive German engineering, Miele has built up a reputation for manufacturing some of the best vacuum cleaners out there - and the brand has certainly tried to replicate this success with the Miele Duoflex HX1 Cat & Dog. Offering a slimline design, high suction power, and an array of pet-specific vacuum accessories, it has everything a pet owner could need.

In fact, the Miele Duoflex HX1 Cat & Dog impressed me as soon as I unboxed it. Sleek in its black colourway and carbon-fibre-esque details, I could instantly see the appeal - especially as many pet vacuums are typically big, clunky, and offer more function over form.

The plus points kept coming during the testing process, too. With unrivalled suction power (I don’t think my house has been so free from pet hair and dander), no task was too big or difficult for this model - especially with the extra tools and attachments.

It also tackled everyday messes with ease, making it accessible for non-pet owners, too. But the one downside? The small dust bin. At just 0.3L, it’s the smallest dustbin I’ve encountered in my testing career so far. And, while I thought this would be enough to put me off, the Miele Duoflex HX1 Cat & Dog surprised me by still winning me over completely.

Miele Duoflex HX1 Cat & Dog review

Specifications

• Weight: 3.1kg
• Max. run time: 55 minutes
• Bin volume: 0.3L
• Charge time: 3.5 hours
• Modes: 2
• Noise level: 79dB
• In the box: MultiFloor electrobrush, dusting brush, upholstery nozzle, crevice nozzle, Electro Compact brush
• RRP: £449.00

Unboxing, setting up and first impressions

The Miele Duoflex HX1 Cat & Dog vacuum was delivered in a relatively unassuming brown box, only distinguishable by the Miele logo on the front. And while I already knew the vacuum was fairly light at 3.1kg, I was still pleasantly surprised by how lightweight the box actually was - and it was easy enough to carry over home's threshold and into my dining room.

However, as I’ve learned from countless vacuum reviews over the years, an unassuming black delivery box normally means that I’m about to play a game of Russian dolls. So, I wasn’t surprised when I opened up the brown box to find another box inside - this time a more ‘official’ box complete with the name of the pet vacuum, a picture of it, and some general info.

While I understand the outer box adds an extra layer of protection during delivery, sometimes I do wonder whether it’s really necessary.

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Upon opening the box, I was greeted by a very neatly packed selection of goodies - including the main vacuum components (the floor head, hose, and handheld dust canister), as well as the instruction manual, a smaller quick start guide, wall docking kit, charger, the MultiFloor electrobrush, dusting brush, upholstery nozzle, crevice nozzle and Electro Compact brush.

The majority of it was encased in a recyclable cardboard shell - but I was a little disappointed to see that some of the smaller components were encased in plastic. Upon closer inspection, though, I could see that it was 04 LDPE plastic, which is widely recycled (dependent on your local council’s rules).

I also noticed an official piece of paper sitting on top of it all, outlining that there was a mistake in the instruction manual regarding the wall bracket and the charging cable. This immediately impressed me, as it showed that Miele cares about a safe user experience.

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As I took all of the components out of the box, I could start to get a feel for what the Miele Duoflex HX1 Cat & Dog had to offer and I instantly loved the design. The so-called ‘Black Obsidian’ colourway is extremely sleek, and I particularly loved the diamond-like ridges on the outside of the dust bin.

Not only that, but all of the components felt extremely sturdy. Although they weren’t light (which is always a red flag), they were heavy enough to prove they were made of hardworking, hardwearing materials. Even the attachments - which I often find are made from much cheaper plastic - seemed high-quality. I particularly like the accessory holder, which allows you to clip your vacuum tools onto the vacuum itself, so they’re always readily available when you need them.

My only concern when looking at the Miele Duoflex HX1 Cat & Dog in all of its glory was the size of the dust canister. With a bin capacity of just 0.3L, this cordless vacuum is small. In fact, it now takes the crown as the vacuum with the smallest dust bin I’ve ever tested - even beating the Dyson V12 Detect Slim Absolute, which has a bin capacity of 0.35L. And during my Dyson V12 review, the small dustbin was the feature that lost its crucial final mark.

Because of this, I was dubious. While I don’t necessarily mind emptying a smaller vacuum more regularly if the power and the capabilities are worth it, I was curious to see whether the Miele Duoflex HX1 Cat & Dog could impress me enough that the small dustbin wouldn’t be an issue.

Using the Miele Duoflex HX1 Cat & Dog

To preface this next portion of the review, I should tell you a little bit about my house and living situation. I live in a three-bedroom Victorian terrace with another human and a very fluffy cocker spaniel that sheds. The whole of my downstairs consists of hard flooring, including laminate flooring in my dining room and living room (with a large rug in each room), and tiles in both the kitchen and the bathroom.

The stairs and the whole of my upstairs are carpeted, and I have a deep-pile carpet that was a poor choice on our part as it captures the hair and dander from my pooch and makes it incredibly hard to vacuum pet hair.

To start with, I vacuumed the downstairs of my house, and one pass was all that was needed to pick up the general bits of dust and debris that come inside during the winter months- particularly lots of dried mud that comes off my dog and my dog walking shoes. This was no trouble for the vacuum, though, and I even felt the suction auto-adjust when I transitioned onto the thicker rugs that are a bit tougher to vacuum.

For general cleaning, it was everything that I needed for a quick whip-around and felt like my floors were visibly much cleaner afterwards. And while the Miele Duoflex HX1 doesn’t advertise that it has impressive edge cleaning, I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised with how well it cleaned right up to the edge of my skirting boards.

However, as part of our rigorous testing process, I also wanted to put the Miele pet vacuum through tougher tests before heading upstairs. First up, the flour test.

For this test, I put a small amount of flour and sugar onto the floor to see how it would suck up smaller debris. While some less-powerful vacuum cleaners have struggled to suck up this kind of debris - or simply pushed the flour and sugar around - the Miele had no trouble doing so. All it took was one pass to clean it all up.

Next up, I put some larger chunks of my dog’s hair on the floor, which we saved from the last time we groomed him (yes, I do some strange things in the name of vacuum research) and did the same thing. Once again, the suction power was excellent, and it had no problem picking it all up in seconds. In fact, you can visibly see in the video that the hair is being sucked up by the vacuum before the floorhead even passes over it.

However, I also know that the best pet vacuums would be nothing without the attachments that come with them. So, I tested them next.

Using the attachments

I always think a vacuum is only as good as the attachments it comes with, and I think it should be a prerequisite of all pet vacuums to come with extra tools. And, luckily, the Miele Duoflex HX1 came with quite a few. So, I tried them out in various areas of the house.

Dusting brush

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Miele claims that the dusting brush should be used for ‘vacuuming skirting boards, carved furniture or ornaments,’ and these are all worthy areas to clean. And while I found it to be extremely successful in cleaning these areas, I decided to go one step further and clean my computer keyboard and my plantation shutters with the dusting brush, too.

As I’ve made no secret of the fact that I struggle to clean these blinds, I was over the moon to discover that the brush was small enough to get in between the shutters and suck up all of the excess dust. So far, no other vacuum I’ve tested has been able to do that.

Upholstery nozzle

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As the name suggests, the upholstery nozzle is designed for cleaning upholstery, like sofas, mattresses, cushions - and dog beds, in my case. However, the main thing I always test when reviewing the best vacuums for pet hair is how well the upholstery nozzle fares on my velvet sofa bed, which is my dog’s lounging spot when I’m working from home.

This area always gets very dirty with dog hair, dander, and general dirt, but the upholstery nozzle had no problems picking up every last speck of dirt and there weren’t any lingering pet hairs left over when I’d finished. So, I then used it on my dog’s actual bed to see whether it would be just as impressive, and it was.

I also used the nozzle to vacuum my mattress, but it wasn’t quite as easy to see the cleaning transformation as it didn't really look dirty in the first place. But I’m sure it picked up lots of dead skin cells, dust, and other nasties that like to live on there.

Crevice nozzle

It can sometimes be hard to know what vacuum tool is right for which job, but the crevice tool is pretty self-explanatory, too. I like to use this crevice tool down the cushions of my sofa and in the corners where my flooring meets my skirting board.

As far as crevice tools go, the Miele Duoflex HX1 offering was basically identical to every other crevice tool I’ve tested in the past. And while I wish I could rave about it and say that it was the best thing since sliced bread, there wasn’t anything remarkable about it. It got the job done, and impressive suction power picked up everything it needed to.

Electro Compact brush

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Many vacuum brands are now including these types of attachments. From my experience, I’ve found that accessories like the Electro Compact Brush are best used on my stairs, which, like many Victorian homes, are incredibly shallow and require more of a handheld touch.

Once again, the attachment did exactly what it needed to and picked up every speck of dirt or hair and left my stairs looking cleaner than they have in a while. I also used this tool on my sofa footstool, which often accumulates a lot of dirt after dog walks. In one pass, it was completely dirt-free.

After testing all of these things individually, I then used the Miele Duoflex HX1 for the next three weeks as my home’s main vacuum cleaner. I found the running time of 55 minutes to be true (although I must admit that I rarely used it for longer than 30 minutes at a time), and during this time, I didn’t notice any changes in suction power.

In fact, I was continually impressed with the model’s ability to clear up everything from everyday debris to pet hair - as well as its ability to pick up deep-rooted hair and dust from my loop-pile carpet upstairs. The only real negative of the model is the size of the dustbin.

Cleaning and maintenance

Emptying the dustbin is easy enough, although I must admit that I did have to do it more often than I’d like - especially as Miele suggests you don’t go above the ‘MAX’ line on the side. However, I found that I accidentally went past this line on multiple occasions and ultimately had to remove the pre-filter every time I wanted to empty it, as both human and dog hair would get stuck around it.

But I do appreciate the (largely) hands-free emptying process for this cordless vacuum. All you have to do is hover the dustbin above a bin - or just a bin bag - and press the silver button on the back of the dust canister. The door immediately opens and dumps the contents into the receptacle beneath it.

As per Miele’s instructions, I also ran the interim cleaning function for the fine dust filter before I emptied it every time. This is relatively easy to do, and all you have to do is turn the screw cap on the top of the vacuum three times by about 180°. It’s also advised to do this every time you feel as though the suction power starts to drop, but over the course of my three-week testing process, I didn't notice this at all.

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One thing I do really appreciate is that Miele always sets you up for any eventuality and provides you with a little brush to clean the pre-filter inside the dustbin, too. This is slotted in the side of the vacuum, near the handle, and a handy little addition that meant I once again didn’t have to get my hands dirty to clean it.

Charging was also easy. The Miele Duoflex HX1 Cat & Dog took just 3.5 hours from empty to fully charged, which is about average for a cordless vacuum of this size. You also have the option to use the wall docking kit, which is a nice addition if you struggle to store a vacuum cleaner.

How does it rate online?

As it’s a relatively new addition to the vacuum world, the Miele Duoflex HX1 Cat & Dog doesn’t have too many reviews just yet. At the time of writing, there are just 11 reviews on the website - with an overall 4.6-star rating.

Customers praise the impressive pick-up power of this model and find it to be extremely powerful when used for pet-specific cleaning problems and general cleaning. Because of this, they believe that it’s well worth the price tag associated with it.

Like me, however, customers believe that the main downfall is the dustbin capacity. For homes with pets (where dust bins typically fill up quicker than homes without pets), it’s a shame that Miele hasn’t designed this model with a larger bin size. But many see the upside of the bin filling up so quickly and find that this is another indicator of the vacuum’s impressive suction power.

How does it compare to similar models?

Pet vacuums are often hard to compare, as they come in so many shapes and sizes - from the 4.5-star rated Numatic Henry PET200, which offers a hefty 9-litre dust bin capacity, specific pet-hair-cleaning tools and a sub-£200 price point, all the way to the Halo Capsule X which looks incredibly similar in style and design but offers the efficiency of a bagged vacuum with the practicality of a cordless.

In terms of price, the Miele Duoflex HX1 is on the pricier side when compared to other pet vacuum models - but that’s not completely unexpected from the Miele brand, as they tend to be a little more expensive. So, if you’re looking for a more affordable pet vacuum, it might be worth opting for the HOOVER Ultralight HF2 Cordless Stick Pet Vacuum Cleaner instead. This retails at £239 when it’s not on sale for less, which is extremely affordable for a pet-specific vacuum.

Alternatively, you could opt for the cheaper Miele C3 Cat & Dog, a canister vacuum that’s been praised for its suction power. This will still cost you in the £300s, but is a cheaper Miele if you’re after high-quality German engineering.

Should you buy the Miele Duoflex HX1?

The small dust bin size of the Miele Duoflex HX1 is incredibly hard to ignore, as it’s arguably one of the smallest on the market today. But as someone who tests vacuum cleaners for a living and lives in a home with a shedding dog, I still believe that the Miele Duoflex is a game-changer for homes with pets.

The suction power for pet hair is unlike anything I’ve tested before, and I genuinely think my home has never been cleaner - especially in those corners where pet hair and dander like to linger. And, while I appreciate that some people may not want to empty their vacuum cleaner multiple times during a cleaning session, I do think this is a small price to pay for impressive performance.

After all, you can change how often you empty a vacuum cleaner, but you can’t change or improve a vacuum’s suction power. So, I think if you’re willing to put in a bit of extra work (and allow this vacuum to put in even more), you’ll be very happy with it.

About this review, and the reviewer

Lauren Bradbury

Lauren is Ideal Home's Content Editor for the House Manual section, and it's her job to test the latest vacuum cleaners on the market.

As the proud dog mum of Barney the cocker spaniel, she knows exactly how irritating it can be to have pet hair and dander strewn around the home. So, she takes a particular interest in the best vacuum for pet hair.

You can find more information on how we review products at Ideal Home here, alongside a more detailed guide on how we test vacuums for pet hair. However, for this review, the Miele Duoflex HX1 Cat & Dog was tested by Lauren, House Manual Content Editor and Ideal Home’s Certified Expert in Training for Vacuums. Lauren tested this model in her Victorian terrace in Kent, where she lives with her husband and very fluffy cocker spaniel.

To understand the ins and outs of this pet vacuum cleaner, Lauren swapped her usual vacuum cleaner (a Dyson V8 Absolute) for the Miele Duoflex over the course of three weeks. During this time, she used it for everyday cleaning, as well as pet-vacuum-specific tests that could assess the suction power, overall performance, design, and accessories.

With this information in tow, she could then determine whether the Miele Duoflex was worth the price tag - either for pet owners or those who just want the power of a pet vacuum in everyday homes. It’s also worth noting that while Miele sent Lauren this particular vacuum to review, this in no way impacted her fair and impartial review of the model.