Miele Duoflex HX1 Cat & Dog Review
A well-built cordless stick that's easy to convert to handheld mode
Verdict
Well made and light, the Miele DuoFlex HX1 Cat & Dog has some neat features, including a handy integrated cleaning brush, a smart filter cleaning system, and automatic power mode control. Dust collection with the floor head is excellent on all surfaces, and this vacuum is easy to use. It’s a little expensive, and you can’t easily swap batteries if you want to extend runtime.
Pros
- Excellent build quality
- Automatic power control
- Easy to remove wand
Cons
- Can’t remove the bin
- Battery fiddly to remove
Key Features
- TypeThis is a cordless stick vacuum cleaner.
- Battery lifeUp to 55-minutes on the lowest power setting withou the floor head; with the motorised floor head on carpet, expect closer to 17-minutes of runtime.
Introduction
The Miele Duoflex HX1 Cat & Dog is part of the new Duoflex HX1 range, where the main differences are the accessories included.
What’s common between all models is a lightweight body, SpeedLock system for quickly converting between stick and handheld modes, and a clever filter cleaning system that doesn’t require water.
I’ve got the Miele Duoflex HX1 Cat & Dog on review, which includes the Electro Compact motorised brush. There’s also the standard HX1, which skips the motorised tool. The HX1 Extra adds in a Universal brush for scratch-free cleaning.
There’s the HX1 CarCare, which has an extendable, flexible crevice tool. Finally, there’s an HX1 TotalCare set, which gives you everything. Prices range between £369 and £499. Aside from the colours and accessories for the sets, the vacuum cleaners have the same physical controls, power and battery.
Design and features
- Fiddly to replace the battery
- Clever filter cleaner and integrated brush
- Light and well made
Coming in at just 3.1kg, the Miele Duoflex HX1 Cat & Dog is a very light cordless stick vacuum cleaner. The version that I have is finished in a nice dappled pattern, although the various versions available are all in different colours. Build quality is as good as you’d expect from Miele: this vacuum cleaner feels robust and extremely well-made.
I found that the balance was perfect for this vacuum cleaner. In stick mode, the ElectroBrush floor holds itself nicely to the floor and the handheld unit doesn’t feel too heavy.
To convert to handheld mode, there’s the SpeedLock system: slide the ring on the wand down and the handheld unit comes off quickly. That may sound no different to other cordless cleaners, but SpeedLock does make a difference. With other cleaners, there’s usually a fiddly button to hold down while trying to slide the wand off; here, you just slide down on the ring and pull the wand away. In handheld mode, the vacuum cleaner is very well balanced, and doesn’t pull on your hand.
Attachments can be used with the Miele Duoflex HX1 Cat & Dog in handheld mode or connected to the bottom of the wand if you need reach, such as for cleaning around the tops of your walls where they meet the ceiling.
In the box Miele provides a brush and crevice tool, an Electro Compact motorised brush, and a wide upholstery nozzle.
There’s a handy wand clip in the box, letting you carry two of the most-used accessories around with you, which is a useful addition.
An integrated battery can be charged by plugging the power adapter straight in, but there’s also a wall-mount, which has a clip to hold the charger. Just drop the vacuum cleaner into the dock and it will start charging, which is convenient.
The battery can be removed and replaced, although this does require a bit of work, as the battery doesn’t just unclip and slide out, as with most other vacuum cleaners. Being able to replace a dead battery is still useful, but a slide-out option is better, as it makes the job quicker and gives the option to buy a second battery to have on hand for longer run times.
Controls are super simple on the Miele Duoflex HX1 Cat & Dog. There’s a single button to turn the cleaner on and off, with it defaulting to its standard power mode. Hit the boost button, and the vacuum goes into its high-power mode.
This model does not have a screen, and the only battery indicator is at the back: three LEDs that extinguish one at a time to give a rough idea of how much power is left.
The ElectroBrush floor head has built-in floor-sensing technology, and it will automatically adjust its spin speed based on the floor type.
Dirt is sucked up into the 0.3-litre bin. This can’t be removed from the vacuum cleaner’s body. Instead, there’s a button that opens the flap for ejecting dirt into a bin, and the central filter inside can be unplugged and cleaned.
To help with this, the vacuum cleaner has an integrated brush on the side that slides out and can be used to clean the vacuum cleaner.
There’s also a filter at the rear. This shouldn’t be washed. Instead, there’s a handle at the back that turns a plastic insert that agitates and flicks the filter, releasing dirt. I like that a lot: if the vacuum starts to lose suction, it’s quick to clean up the filter; with most vacuum cleaners, the filter has to be washed and then left to dry for at least a day.
Performance
- Mid-range levels of power
- Decent boost
- Excellent cleaning performance
I tested the Miele Duoflex HX1 Cat & Dog’s suction power at the handle, recording the results in AirWatts (AW). Starting with the vacuum cleaner in its standard power mode, I recorded 58AW, which is a moderate level of power that should be suitable for most jobs. With Boost, the suction power jumped to 121AW, which gives more power for larger jobs.
It’s a way off the highest levels of suction on some vacuum cleaners, such as the Dyson Gen5detect. The main difference in suction power is in how long it takes to do some jobs. As a demonstration, I line up a row of rice grains on a table and measure how far from the crevice tool the vacuum cleaner can clean.
With the Miele Duoflex HX1 Cat & Dog, I found that it could pick up grains from 2.4cm away, which isn’t bad, but the best vacuum cleaners can manage a range of 3cm or more. This means that, for using the handheld tools to clean up debris, the HX1 needs to be placed closer to the mess, so could take a bit more time to clean up with.
Moving onto the real-world tests, I sprinkled 20g of flour onto the test carpet, and then ran the Miele Duoflex HX1 Cat & Dog backwards and forwards on its standard setting. As you can see from the image, there’s a clean strip through the mess, with just a bit of dirt to the side.
After cleaning the carpet thoroughly so that there were no visible signs of dirt, I measured the bin and found that the Miele Duoflex HX1 Cat & Dog had collected an impressive 96.35% of the mess. While this vacuum cleaner doesn’t have the highest suction levels, the quality floor head agitating dirt makes up for this.
Next, I sprinkled 10g of flour right to the edge of the skirting board. Running the Miele Duoflex HX1 Cat & Dog down the skirting, I found that it collected most of the mess, with just a few trace elements left that were quick to grab with the crevice tool. Overall, the vacuum cleaner managed to collect 90.8% of the mess, which is a high result for any vacuum cleaner. The remaining mess could be deep in the carpet, in the wand or in the tools.
Moving onto the hard floor test, I sprinkled 20g of rice onto the floor. I found that the normal mode was enough to collect everything, and the Miele Duoflex HX1 Cat & Dog managed 100% collection without dropping any rice grains back onto the floor.
I combed cat hair into the carpet, and then used the standard floor head to pick it up. Again, the result was perfect, and all traces of hair had been removed.
Finally, I added human hair to the carpet and then used the floor head to pick it up. While the hair was removed from the carpet, turning the head over showed several strands caught around the brush bar. These would have to be cut away. If you don’t fancy the idea of doing this, then a vacuum cleaner with an anti-tangle head, such as the Shark Stratos IZ420UKT might make more sense.
I tested battery life with the motorised floor head connected, and placed onto carpet. As connecting the floor head engages the automatic mode, and there’s no way of overriding this, battery life came in at 16m 42s. Without the floor head attached, the vacuum cleaner can run for up to 55 minutes on its lowest power setting. Upping to maximum power mode, battery life dropped to a decent 11m 23s.
I found that the standard power mode was good enough for most jobs, and there’s enough power to tackle a floor or so of a regular home, before having to recharge. If you want to clean a larger space then a vacuum cleaner with swappable batteries may make more sense.
This vacuum cleaner is quiet: just 67.4dB on its lowest setting and only increasing to 68.3dB on its maximum power mode.
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Should you buy it?
You want a lightweight cleaner that’s easy to handle
This cordless cleaner is light and well-balanced, and its SpeedLock system makes it easy to convert to handheld mode, making it a good choice for the less dextrous.
You want longer battery life or more power
If you’ve got a larger space to clean, a vacuum with swappable batteries would be good; those that have tougher messes may need a cleaner with more power.
Final Thoughts
Light and comfortable to hold, the Miele DuoFlex HX1 Cat & Dog is also easy to convert into handheld mode thanks to its SpeedLock system. With its automatic mode ensuring the right power level is used for the right floor surface, this is a competent and powerful cordless cleaner.
It’s a little expensive, and it’s a shame that the battery can’t be swapped more easily. Find some alternatives in my guide to the best cordless vacuum cleaners.
How we test
We test every vacuum cleaner we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use industry standard tests to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find. We never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy.
Used as our main vacuum cleaner for the review period
Tested for at least a week
Tested using tools to measure actual suction performance
Tested with real-world dirt in real-world situations for fair comparisons with other vacuum cleaners
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FAQs
Yes, but the battery doesn’t just slide out; you have to open the compartment and remove it that way. That’s good if you need to replace an old battery, but you can’t swap mid-job to extend runtime.
Full specs
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
