Are cylinder vacuums having a comeback? Miele’s newest release has me questioning why they even left in the first place

As Ideal Home’s vacuum cleaner expert, it’s my job to test all of the latest innovations within the vacuum world. The latest model to land on my desk... or floors? The Miele Guard M1 Cat & Dog. Released in March 2025, I wanted to see whether this hot-off-the-press model has what it takes to be crowned one of the best vacuum cleaners.

More importantly, I wanted to see how it fared compared to the models I’ve crowned the best pet hair vacuums. And I have to say that while I was a die-hard stick vacuum fan before, I’ve had no choice but to carve a special place in my heart for this new cylinder vacuum - especially as the paw-rent of a shedding dog.

In a nutshell

Miele has always been highly respected as a manufacturer of bagged cylinder vacuums, and while the brand has branched out into stick vacuums over the years - including some of the best cordless vacuums - its latest release has taken it back to its roots. However, as someone who has been a die-hard fan of stick vacuums for the entirety of my adult life (in fact, I’ve never willingly purchased one outside of testing them), I didn’t expect to be won over by this new model.

Nevertheless, I can’t deny the explosion of power that the Miele Guard M1 Cat & Dog cylinder vacuum possesses. Thanks to the four different cleaning modes, this suction power can then be adjusted to suit whatever you’re cleaning - whether that be cut-pile carpets and rugs, loop-pile carpets, hard floors, or curtains and textiles. It even comes with a Turbobrush floorhead for ingrained pet hair and dirt.

And while some may say that the bagged, corded nature of the Miele Guard M1 Cat & Dog would be a downside, the brand has certainly done everything in its power to make it as practical as possible. The bags are easy to remove and dispose of (and offer impressive technology to keep everything you’ve sucked up inside), and the combination of 3-point manoeuvravility with the 7.5m cord make it easy to move around the home without having to stop and start.

Overall, it’s an impressive and powerful vacuum cleaner that will leave those who already love cylinder vacuums enamored. And if you’ve been sceptical of cylinder vacuums in the past, I do think this could be the one to change your mind. Just be warned that this vacuum is very different to a cordless stick vacuum and even an upright vacuum, so make sure you’re ready to make that jump first.

Miele Guard M1 Cat & Dog product specs

• Weight: 7.3kg
• Cord length: 7.5m (with 11m operating radius)
• Bin volume: 4.5L
• Modes: 4 (curtains and textiles, cut-pile carpets and rugs, loop-pile carpets, hard floors)
• Noise level: 77dB
• In the box: AllTeQ universal floorhead, Turbobrush STB 305-3 floorhead, upholstery nozzle, crevice nozzle, extra-long, flexible crevice nozzle, dusting brush with synthetic bristles
• RRP: £349

How we tested

Lauren Bradbury

Lauren is Ideal Home's Content Editor for the House Manual section and Certified Expert in Training for Vacuums. It's her job to test the latest vacuum cleaners on the market, as well as old models that need re-testing to prove they're still worthy of their stars.

As the proud paw-rent 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 tested this pet vacuum for three weeks to see how it would fare in her home and to determine which type of vacuum cleaner you should buy.

Unboxing, setting up and first impressions

As stick vacuums make up 90% of my testing quota, I’m used to receiving tall, thin boxes that are relatively easy to lift over the threshold of my home. However, the Miele Guard M1 Cat & Dog arrived in a short, squat box that was quite awkward to carry into my house.

It was also quite heavy, but this was something I expected, as the weight of this particular cylinder vacuum comes in at 7.3kg - still much lighter than the 10kg Henry XL Plus, but still significantly more than the Dyson V12 Detect Slim Absolute which remains the lightest vacuum I’ve ever tested at just 2.2kg.

And while it took a little shuffling, I managed to carry the box into my home reasonably quickly. Still, I think the box's size and weight should be addressed for those with limited mobility or elderly customers who might not have the strength to carry it themselves.

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In terms of packaging, the Miele Guard M1 Cat & Dog was delivered in the typical box-within-a-box capacity that I’ve come to know Miele for - consisting of a brown outer box that encases the ‘official’ product box inside. And I’ll say what I said about the last Miele vacuum I tested (the Miele Duoflex HX1 Cat & Dog): this extra box seems a little unnecessary. But at least it’s recyclable.

The components within the box - the main vacuum cylinder, AllTeQ universal floorhead, Turbobrush floorhead, upholstery nozzle, crevice nozzle, extra-long, flexible crevice nozzle, dusting brush with synthetic bristles and instructions - were all then encased in a cardboard shell. The main vacuum cylinder was then wrapped in plastic, which is recyclable. So, it won me over on the eco-friendly front.

One thing I did find myself missing was an extra dust bag or two. As these bags come at an additional cost, I appreciate it when vacuum brands offer at least one spare so I don’t have to buy new ones immediately - and in the case of the Halo Capsule X bagged stick vacuum, the brand actually gave me ten free bags. However, Miele did include a voucher for a free dust bag in the box, and you can claim this by scanning the QR code.

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With all of the individual components of the Miele Guard M1 laid out on the floor, I could finally get a glimpse of what the cylinder vacuum really had to offer. The main canister is sleek and sophisticated in the ‘Black Obsidian’ colourway, and it didn't feel as weighty as I thought it would, thanks to the addition of the canister wheels on the bottom for easy manoeuvrability.

The hose, two different floorheads, and crevice nozzle also felt extremely well-made. A nice touch that also made me much happier than it probably should have was that the specific cleaning tools - the upholstery nozzle, crevice nozzle and dusting brush - have their own hidden compartment within the cylinder itself. All I had to do was push on the indented button on the top to reveal the tools inside.

And although the dust bag was already installed, I looked at the dust compartment anyway - mainly to see how I could get in there to change the bag later. To open this, you pull up the lever next to the convenient eco-comfort carry handle. This is where the Miele Exhaust Filter is also housed, which was handy to know for future cleaning.

Then, all I had to do was connect one end of the hose to the main cylinder and the other to the telescopic tube, pull out the plug and cord from its little home at the back of the vacuum and get cracking! In fact, the overall assembly took just 30 seconds.

Using the Miele M1 Guard Cat & Dog

A perk of testing a corded vacuum meant that I didn’t have to wait for the battery to charge before I could get cleaning, so I simply plugged the vacuum in and gave myself a little bit of slack with the cord before getting started.

Of course, it’s probably helpful if I tell you a little bit about my house first. I live in a three-bedroom Victorian terrace, and the downstairs consists entirely of hard flooring - laminate, kitchen tiles, and bathroom tiles. I also have a cut-pile rug taking up a lot of space in my dining room and a thicker, fluffier rug in my living room. The entirety of the upstairs of my house is loop-pile carpet.

I intended to clean my downstairs' hard flooring first, but I instantly made the terrible mistake of not checking which mode I had the adjustable floorhead on before turning the vacuum on. And as the floorhead in carpet mode doesn’t have any brushes to protect the hard floor from the head itself, the vacuum instantly sucked itself to the floor.

At that moment, I realised the Miele Guard M1 Cat & Dog was powerful. The suction power was so impressive that I struggled to pull the floorhead away from the floor.

Of course, I’ve always known that mains-powered vacuum cleaners generally offer more suction power than cordless offerings, but I don’t think I’ve ever experienced power quite like that before. That’s why I decided to skip general cleaning (for now) and go straight to my vacuum cleaner tests. After all, we have strict criteria to follow when testing vacuums.

To conduct these tests, I sprinkled various debris on the floor, including a mixture of flour and sugar to determine how well the Miele Guard M1 tackles small, grain-like debris, giant cous cous to see how it coped with larger debris, and ground coffee to see how it fared against odours.

As I expected, the cylinder vacuum had no trouble sucking up all of the debris in one to two passes. It picked up the larger debris in one pass, but it took an extra pass to pick up the smaller grains. This surprised me, as I’m used to stick and upright vacuums doing the opposite. Nevertheless, the power was more than enough for anything that came its way.

There was also no lingering coffee odour afterwards, which is a testament to Miele’s Active AirCalean filter, which neutralises odours while cleaning.

As this particular model is designed with people with pets in mind, I also had to take into account how we test pet vacuum cleaners at Ideal Home. So, I sprinkled my dog’s hair onto the floor to see how it picked that up, too. And as you can see from the video, it was a resounding success, with the suction power pulling the pet hair towards the floorhead before it even touched it.

With these tests concluded, I continued using the Miele Guard M1 consistently over the next couple of weeks, using it on a mixture of all flooring types. I must admit that this cylinder vacuum cleaner is perfect for those with different floor types in their home.

In fact, it was the different modes that made me so excited to test this particular model, as the Miele Guard M1 Cat & Dog will adjust its suction to four different scenarios: cut-pile carpets and rugs, loop-pile carpets and rugs, hard floors, and curtains and fabric.

Switching between these modes is easy enough, with most of the controls foot-powered - a nice touch if you struggle with your mobility. And while the main floorhead and these modes were enough to keep my carpets and rugs pet-hair free during all of my testing, Miele generously provides you with a dedicated Turbohead, too. This cleaning head is more for stubborn dirt and animal hair, and it got the job done much quicker.

Of course, the elephant in the room is the cord, and as someone who typically leans towards cordless models, this did take some getting used to.

I did find myself having to adjust the main cylinder a lot so it wasn’t in the way of my cleaning exploits, but I will admit that Miele has made this incredibly easy thanks to the castor wheels that swivel in the direction you need them to. And even though I live in a long, narrow house, the cord almost made it from one end of my house to the other without me having to unplug it and plug it in elsewhere.

I didn’t struggle too much on my narrow Victorian stairs, either. The cylinder was small enough to come up each step with me, and the cord length wasn’t an issue.

In fact, the more I used it, the more I got to grips with the corded nature of the vacuum, so I could definitely sacrifice a little freedom of movement for the power that comes with a cylinder vacuum like this.

Using the attachments

I always say that a pet vacuum is only as good as the tools and attachments provided, as you often need extra reinforcements to remove ingrained pet hair and dander from your home - especially on furniture. So, I also tested the three attachments that come with the Miele Guard M1 Cat & Dog.

First up was the upholstery nozzle, which I tested on my home office's green velvet sofa bed. As this is where my dog sleeps while I’m working, it’s constantly dirty - but as it’s velvet, it’s also a nightmare to clean.

However, the upholstery nozzle had no problems clearing up all of the debris, and it even left some very satisfying vacuum cleaner lines on it. The only thing I will say is that the nozzle was covered in some of the dust and dirt by the time I’d finished, so I did have to wipe it down with a wet cloth to clean it.

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Next was the dusting brush, which I used to dust the plantation shutters in each room of my house. I’ve struggled to clean these in the past and find that the whole process takes way longer than I’d like, but the dusting brush was a nice alternative I’d certainly use again.

The extra long hose of the Miele Guard M1 Cat & Dog also meant that I could easily reach the tops of my doorframes to dust them as well. These are areas that don’t get the TLC they probably deserve, so this will come in handy in the long run.

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Last on my testing list was the crevice nozzle, which I typically use to clean the nooks and crannies of my sofa. Again, it did the job as it should. This one wasn’t remarkable, but I’ve yet to come across a crevice nozzle that’s blown me away - so this isn’t unusual.

And while I know I’ve already mentioned it, I just want to take another minute to shout about the onboard accessory compartment because I loved it so much during testing.

There have been so many occasions where I’ve lost the accessories to my vacuums purely because I don’t have anywhere to store them, or I’ve had to stop what I was doing and head to the other side of the house to grab the one I need. So, this accessory storage is a game-changer.

Cleaning and maintenance

In the bagged vs bagless vacuum cleaner debate, bagged vacuums like this new Miele cylinder vacuum always tend to win thanks to the mess-free emptying - and I must admit that this whole process couldn’t have been easier. This is largely thanks to Miele’s new ComfortFit bag system.

This not only means that the filter captures 99.99% of dust and airborne particles, but it also means that the bags are completely secure, so none of that dust escapes while you’re emptying it. Plus, the whole process is easy and offers a hands-off approach for those who may struggle with allergies to dust mites, pet dander, or pollen.

This new model also comes with a handy dust bag indicator on the top of the appliance, just above where the hose connects to the main cylinder. So, you'll always know when the dust bag is reaching capacity and will need to be replaced.

It’s worth noting that during my three weeks of testing and using the vacuum regularly, this light didn’t come on. But I wanted to change the bag anyway, so I removed it ahead of schedule. To do this, all I had to do was lift up the dust compartment and pull on the red toggle of the vacuum bag to remove it and plonk it in the bin.

As it’s no secret that dust goes everywhere when you empty a stick vacuum cleaner, I was pleasantly surprised by the ease of emptying this vacuum. Putting the new bag in was just as easy, but just following those above steps in reverse.

Again, I didn’t have to do this, but you should also be aware that you’ll need to replace the Miele Exhaust Filter. Miele states that each filter should last for approximately 50 operating hours (which should equate to around a year's worth of use), and the timestrip filter change indicator will let you know when that time comes by gradually turning red.

My only niggles where the cleaning and maintenance were concerned was the fact that the black colourway is a nightmare for fingerprints.

And while I appreciate that this isn’t the end of the world if your vacuum isn’t on show, you’ll still need to wipe the exterior down with a clean cloth every now and then if you want to keep these fingerprints at bay. This should be part of your general vacuum cleaning maintenance, anyway.

Alongside this, the nozzle can be quite difficult to store as it has a mind of its own and does require a fair amount of space in the cupboard. But the retractable cord, on-board accessory storage and the fact that it can be stored either upright or flat on the ground does kind of make up for it.

How does it rate online?

At the time of writing, the new Miele Guard M1 Cat & Dog is available to buy directly from Miele, John Lewis & Partners, Currys and Argos. However, as it’s only just been released, there isn’t a single review of the model on any of those websites.

This is to be expected as it’s only just been released, but it is something that I will be updating as the months go by as I do always think it’s worth reading reviews when you can.

How does it compare to similar models?

When comparing this particular model, I think it's best to look at the Miele brand to compare it. Previously, we tested the 4-star-rated Miele Complete C3 Cat & Dog, which looks almost identical to the Guard M1 Cat & Dog - and for good reason. In fact, it’s been confirmed by Miele that the Guard M1 will eventually replace the much older Complete C3.

Recently, I also tested the cordless and bagless Miele Duoflex HX1 Cat & Dog, which I also gave a 4.5-star review and crowned the ‘best overall’ vacuum for pet hair in our guide. And the difference here lies in what you want from a vacuum, as they have both wowed me with their pet hair pick-up.

If you want unrivaled power and don’t mind sacrificing the ease of a cordless stick vacuum in favour of a bagged, corded cylinder vacuum, the Guard M1 Cat & Dog is the obvious winner. It’s also £100 cheaper, which is a nice cherry on top of the cake.

If you’re willing to sacrifice a little bit of power (although admittedly not a lot) for the ease of being untethered, then the Miele Duoflex will suit you better. It’s also worth mentioning that I’d say the cylinder vacuum would suit those in flats and bungalows, while the stick vacuum would suit those in houses.

Should you buy the Miele Guard M1 Cat & Dog?

If you’re in the market for a powerful, high-quality cylinder vacuum, I really do think the Miele Guard M1 Cat & Dog delivers - especially if you live in a home with pets. The suction power it offers is unlike anything I’ve experienced before, and the two floorheads combined with the different modes and the addition of the attachments means that no corner of your home will go untouched.

The bagged aspect is also ideal if you suffer from allergies, and it takes weeks to fill it up before you need to touch it. Then, emptying it and replacing it with a new bag couldn’t be easier. But it’s the manoeuvrability of this corded cylinder vacuum that impressed me the most.

Sure, those who don’t want to be restricted by a cord and the lack of handheld capabilities won’t like this vacuum cleaner, but I do think Miele has upgraded this cylinder vacuum to be as free-flowing as possible. The cord is exceptionally long, the cylinder section can be stored and moved either upright or horizontally, there are wheels for constant movement (and even a brake if you want to keep it still), and the foot controls don’t require any crouching.

All in all, I liked it far more than I thought I would - and if a die-hard stick vacuum fan like myself can be converted to the cylinder vacuum world, then there’s a high chance that you will be too.