Miele Duoflex HX1 Review: Quality Comes at a Price

While Dyson vacuums are well-known, there’s another brand that makes equally effective high-end vacuums. Miele’s floor cleaners may not have the same instant recognition, but they’re some of the best we’ve tested, with sleek, modern designs and understated colors that could prove appealing, especially to people who need to keep their vacuum in plain sight.

In this review, we take a look at Miele’s new cordless model, the Duoflex HX1. This is a more budget-friendly model than the brand’s flagship cordless model, the Miele Triflex, so there are some compromises to be made when it comes to features, but its design and performance are top-notch.

Design and construction

• Two power settings
• Maximum battery life of 55 minutes
• Basic battery life indicator

There are several different versions of the Duoflex HX1: the CarCare, the Total Care, and the Cat & Dog. The price and accessories vary depending on which device you purchase.

We’re testing the HX1 Cat & Dog, which comes with a specialist attachment for removing pet hair from upholstery and car seats.

In the box, you’ll receive the vacuum cleaner body, which can also be used as a handheld vacuum, a metal wand, and cleaning accessories. These include the MultiFloor Main Power Brush (the main motorized cleaning head), which will automatically detect and adapt to the floor type, a dusting brush, an upholstery nozzle, a crevice nozzle, and the Compact Power Brush (the motorized pet hair attachment).

Emma Rowley / Foundry

Emma Rowley / Foundry

Emma Rowley / Foundry

The wand is metallic grey and the cleaning accessories all have a matte black finish. Everything is well designed and all the pieces fit together and come apart perfectly.

The body of the vacuum cleaner also has a matte finish, with a textured pattern under the handle. The transparent, easy-open dust bin has a capacity of 0.3 litres. Compared to its competitors, this is really tiny. For example, Dyson’s flagship model, the Gen5detect, has a bin that’s twice as big, at 0.77 litres.

This means you’ll need to empty it often. At the very least, this is easy to do, thanks to the quick-release button at the base of the bin. However, as with all smaller bins, if you vacuum up a lot of pet hair, you’ll likely need to remove the hairballs manually.

The vacuum’s controls are simple. There are two buttons on the top of the vacuum’s handle, within reach of your thumb. One is the power button, and the other switches from low to high suction power. Most of the time, I found that low power was enough to get the job done.

Emma Rowley / Foundry

Emma Rowley / Foundry

Emma Rowley / Foundry

The HX1 doesn’t have a display, which I missed during my testing. While a digital display may seem like unnecessary technology on a vacuum, battery life meters are really useful on cordless vacuums.

The HX1 has a three-light battery indicator, so you can tell if your battery is full, has two-thirds of its life left, or has one-third of its life left. More details would be welcome, but on the plus side, the HX1 has a maximum runtime of 55 minutes, even if that’s on the lowest setting, without a motorized brush head attached.

Emma Rowley / Foundry

Emma Rowley / Foundry

Emma Rowley / Foundry

However, according to Miele, if you’re using a motorized attachment, you’ll only get 12 minutes of runtime in high suction mode. Most of the time, you’ll probably get about a half-hour of runtime from the battery, but it’s hard to be precise.

The biggest shame is that the HX1’s lithium-ion battery is not replaceable, meaning there’s no option to buy a spare and double the runtime. This means you have to keep an eye on the not-so-accurate battery indicator as it can go from a third of full to empty in just a few minutes.

The vacuum also comes with a docking station that you attach to the wall using two supplied screws, although you can charge the vacuum without using it, simply by plugging it in.

Performance and features

• Weight 3.1 kg
• Effective tool for pet hair
• Powerful suction

The HX1 weighs 3.1kg, which is lighter than the Gen5detect’s 3.5kg, but not as light as the Halo Capsule X’s 2.6kg. (The Capsule X also has a massive 2-litre bin and several other great features.)

It’s lightweight when vacuuming on the floor, but I found it heavy on the wrist in handheld mode when using it overhead to clean blinds.

The main motor ised cleaning head (the Multifloor Power Brush) is effective on both carpets and hard floors, with a few caveats. If you want to deep clean carpets, you’ll need to use the high setting, which will only give you 12 minutes of vacuuming time before you need to recharge the battery.

Its performance on hard floors is excellent, but I found that it can scatter larger debris, so if you’re picking up cat litter, you’ll have to go over the area several times.

I also found that long hair tends to get tangled around the rotating brush and has to be removed by hand. This isn’t too much of a problem though as the rotating brush opens up for easy cleaning.

Among other cleaning tools, there are attachments for every task, although we missed the articulating tool that the high-end Dyson and Samsung vacuums have, which lets you create a 90° angle to clean high shelves and hard-to-reach places.

The motorized pet hair removal tool is one of my favorite parts of this vacuum. It’s very effective at removing dust and pet hair from upholstery and can also be used to vacuum your mattress. This tool does add to the price of the Dog & Cat model, but if you have pets, I think it’s worth it.

If you want the Duoflex but aren’t convinced you need the motorized pet hair attachment, the Duoflex HX1 or HX1 Extra are cheaper options. You can check out all the models at Miele.

Emma Rowley / Foundry

Emma Rowley / Foundry

Emma Rowley / Foundry

Pricing and Availability

At this point, the Duoflex is not available in the US. If you want a cordless Miele, check out our review of the Miele Triflex , the brand’s flagship cordless model, which you can buy in the US and the UK.

In the UK, you can pick up the Duoflex from John Lewis, Currys, Marks Electrical or direct from Miele, for £449. That puts the vacuum firmly in the mid-range price bracket. It’s not as expensive as Dyson’s top-of-the-range models, such as the flagship Gen5detect (£750+) or the V15 Detect, both of which outshine it in terms of specs and features.

The problem is that it’s more expensive than similarly specced models, like the excellent Halo Capsule X (£399.99) or the budget-friendly Shark Detect Pro (£229). Ultimately, it’s not that the Duoflex isn’t a good vacuum, it’s just that in today’s crowded market there are so many alternative options out there that it’s hard to find a compelling reason to spend a little extra on one.

Should you buy the Miele Duoflex HX1 Cat & Dog?

The Duoflex HX1 Cat & Dog is a sturdy, well-built vacuum, and that’s what you’re buying it for. But it’s still expensive, and you’ll have to compromise on the size of the dust bin, battery life, and the inaccurate battery indicator. Ultimately, it’ll work best as a second vacuum or a quick fix to keep in the kitchen.

If this isn’t the vacuum for you, take a look at our top recommendations in our roundup of the best vacuums we’ve tested.