The Miele DuoFlex HX1 is a cordless stick vacuum. It's the entry-level model in Miele's stick vacuum line-up, but it shares many features with the higher-end models. It uses the same ComfortClean system to dislodge stuck-on debris from the air filter without having to remove the filter from the dirt compartment and also shares the floor detection system with automatic power adjustment. It's also easily reconfigurable as a handheld vacuum and comes with numerous accessories.
There are several variants that come with different accessories, and some are region-specific. See the available options in the Differences Between Variants section.
Our Verdict
The Miele DuoFlex HX1 Total Care is good for bare floors. It clears small and bulky debris quite well on this surface type, although it lacks a soft brushroll on its floorhead, so some debris tends to get trapped. Despite this, it's highly maneuverable and features a variety of attachments and configurations to help with hard-to-reach places. Recurring costs are low as there's only one filter that needs periodic replacement, but there are a few different maintenance tasks required. Unfortunately, its dirt compartment is quite small, so you'll have to empty it frequently.
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Good overall solid debris pickup performance.
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Robust build quality.
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Easy to maintain.
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Small dirt compartment.
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Poor suction.
The Miele DuoFlex HX1 does a good job cleaning low-pile carpets. It excels at removing pet hair and is fairly effective with large and medium-sized debris. By contrast, it's not able to clean fine debris like sand from carpet fibers. Its rigid construction and numerous configurations make it easy to use and maneuver. Recurring costs are low, but there are a few different maintenance tasks required. Unfortunately, the dirt compartment is small, so you'll have to empty it frequently.
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Good overall solid debris pickup performance.
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Excels at pet hair pickup.
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Robust build quality.
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Easy to maintain.
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Small dirt compartment.
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Struggles with fine debris on carpets.
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Gets stuck on tassels.
The Miele DuoFlex HX1 does a decent job cleaning high-pile carpets, if you're willing to make a few passes. Right off the bat, know that this vacuum's suction is poor, so you'll struggle to remove fine debris logged in the carpet fibers. Similarly, you'll want to steer clear of rug tassels as they immediately get tangled in the floorhead, but larger debris is fine. While its dirt compartment isn't particularly large, this vacuum is well-built and easy to keep running at its best, as maintenance tasks are straightforward to accomplish. Recurring costs are also low, as there's only one filter that needs to be replaced infrequently.
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Good overall solid debris pickup performance.
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Excels at pet hair pickup.
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Robust build quality.
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Easy to maintain.
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Small dirt compartment.
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Poor suction.
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Struggles with fine debris on carpets.
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Gets stuck on tassels.
The Miele DuoFlex HX1 Total Care is good for pet owners. It excels at pet hair pickup on low-pile carpets and does a good job removing pet hair from fabric furniture as well. Moreover, it comes with numerous attachments and works in a few different configurations to help clean pet hair. Removing hair from the removable brushroll is also a breeze. Just know that you can't use it to clean liquid spills or remove dried-on stains, as it lacks mopping capabilities.
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Excels at pet hair pickup.
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Robust build quality.
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Easy to maintain.
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Small dirt compartment.
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Poor suction.
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Can't handle liquid spills.
The Miele DuoFlex HX1 performs great on stairs. Despite being on the heavier side for stick vacuums, it's still eminently maneuverable thanks to its cordless design and rotating floorhead. You can also add a clip to the wand to store an additional attachment, making it convenient to switch on the fly. It performs decently on hard surfaces but will struggle a little more on carpeted stairs.
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Highly configurable design
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Good overall solid debris pickup performance.
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Robust build quality.
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Easy to maintain.
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Small dirt compartment.
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Poor suction.
The Miele DuoFlex HX1 Total Care is a good choice for cleaning cars. It's easy to carry around, and you can reconfigure it as a handheld vacuum with a compact powered brushroll or with its extendable hose and a crevice attachment to get into hard-to-reach nooks and crannies. Also, due to its cordless design, you won't need to worry about extension cords or finding an outlet.
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Highly configurable design
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Good overall solid debris pickup performance.
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Robust build quality.
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Easy to maintain.
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Small dirt compartment.
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Poor suction.
The Miele DuoFlex HX1 isn't 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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Robust build quality.
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Great battery performance.
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Easy to maintain.
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Small dirt compartment.
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Poor suction.
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Can't handle liquid spills.
- 7.5 Bare Floor
- 7.5 Low-Pile Carpet
- 6.9 High-Pile Carpet
- 7.5 Pets
- 8.3 Stairs
- 7.5 Cars
- 4.8 Workshop
- Updated Nov 15, 2024: Review published.
- Updated Oct 04, 2024: Early access published.
- Updated Oct 01, 2024: Our testers have started testing this product.
- Updated Sep 25, 2024: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
- Updated Sep 12, 2024: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
There are five variants of the Miele DuoFlex HX1 and some are region-specific. We tested the top-of-the-line Total Care variant.
| Model Name | Included Accessories | Available Colors | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| DuoFlex HX1 | MultiFloor electrobrush, Dust brush, Upholstery nozzle, Crevice nozzle | Terra Red; Nordic Blue | Terra Red is a Canadian colorway. |
| DuoFlex HX1 Extra | MultiFloor electrobrush, Dust brush, Upholstery nozzle, Crevice nozzle, SpeedLock wall bracket | Brilliant White; Space Gray | |
| DuoFlex HX1 CarCare | MultiFloor electrobrush, Dust brush, Upholstery nozzle, Crevice nozzle, Flexible crevice nozzle XL, Flexible suction hose, SpeedLock wall bracket | Casa Gray | |
| DuoFlex HX1 Cat & Dog | MultiFloor electrobrush, Electro Compact brush, Dust brush, Upholstery nozzle, Crevice nozzle, SpeedLock wall bracket | Obsidian Black | Canadian variant |
| DuoFlex HX1 Total Care | MultiFloor electrobrush, Electro Compact brush, Dust brush, Upholstery nozzle, Crevice nozzle, Flexible crevice nozzle XL, Flexible suction hose, SpeedLock wall bracket | Obsidian Black; Rose Gold |
Let us know in the comments if you come across another variant. See our unit's label.
Compared To Other Vacuums
The Miele DuoFlex HX1 is a premium cordless stick vacuum. Despite being the entry-level model in Miele's cordless vacuum line-up, it actually offers superior build quality to the higher-end models. It's exceptionally rigid thanks to its metal wand, and the plastic body feels more premium as well. It's also eminently portable and offers many configurations to help with your cleaning tasks. You do lose the second battery that comes with the Miele Triflex HX2 Pro/Cat & Dog, though. While it excels at pet hair pickup, the suction is quite poor, so it's not a good choice if you have old floorboards with many cracks or crevices, and it can't quite compete with other premium models like the Dyson V15 Detect.
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 is a better cordless vacuum overall than the Miele Duoflex HX1. Its raw performance outpaces the Miele on every surface type, and its battery lasts longer while using its low-power setting. Its dirt compartment is also significantly bigger than the Miele, and there are no recurring costs. That said, the Miele does offer a much more premium-feeling package, as it feels better built, uses nicer materials (like a metal wand), and can be the more versatile option owing to its extension hose (depending on the variant).
The Miele Duoflex HX1 and the Dyson V8 are cordless vacuums that trade blows. The Miele is the better choice if you prioritize versatility. It feels much better built, is more maneuverable, and has a longer battery life. It also offers a wider range of configurations, including an extension hose for some variants. Though the Miele offers better pet hair pick-up, the Dyson has the edge performance-wise. Thanks to its superior suction, it provides superior carpet cleaning and removes more debris from cracks and crevices.
The Miele Duoflex HX1 and the Dyson V11 have different strengths. The Dyson offers superior performance on every surface type and has a larger dust container, so you'll have to empty it less frequently. Unlike the Miele, there are also no recurring costs. That said, the Miele is much better built, offers superior battery life, and depending on the variant, can be more versatile thanks to the inclusion of an extension hose and extendable, flexible crevice tool.
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 DuoFlex HX1 Total Care feels very well-built. It's sturdy and uses higher-quality-feeling plastic compared to other stick vacuums from the manufacturer, like the Miele Triflex HX2 Pro/Cat & Dog. Moreover, this model trades in the plastic wand for a metal one, adding more rigidity to the construction and providing a more premium feel and finish. Other accessories, like the XL crevice nozzle and extension hose, feature a rubberized finish. The general design is also great. It's straightforward to remove the internal parts, like the pre-filter assembly, for cleaning, and a sliding switch makes it simple to detach different parts and accessories.
It's not perfect, however. The dustbin can't be removed from the rest of the PowerUnit, making it slightly annoying to deep clean. Similarly, the battery is more difficult to remove on this model than on the Triflex series models, as you need to use a flathead screwdriver. Finally, you lose the convenience of attaching the PowerUnit to the bottom vacuum like on the Triflex models, resulting in a top-heavy configuration.
The Miele Duoflex HX1 is quite easy to maintain, as the few parts that require regular servicing are readily accessible. There are a few quirks, however. The dustbin isn't removable, so you must use the included brush to clean it. Also, since the dustbin empties via a door on the bottom, it tends to create a dust cloud; this can be annoying for people with allergies or dust sensitivities. As you can't wash any of the filters with water, it can be a bit tricky to get rid of fine dust.
Otherwise, taking out hair from the brushroll is easy, as it's removable and includes an embossed groove for scissors. The pre-filter and fine dust filter assemblies are both removable, making them easy to clean.
For more information about maintenance tasks and the manufacturer-recommended maintenance schedule, see the User Manual on Miele's website.
The only part that incurs recurring costs is the fine dust filter, which you must replace every three years. Though it's unavailable for purchase from Miele's website in the US as of November 2024, you can contact the manufacturer directly for a replacement. It's also available from Miele's UK website.
This vacuum comes with a wall-mounted docking station called the SpeedLock system. It allows you to easily remove the vacuum in two configurations: pull up to remove the vacuum without the wand or pull forward to remove the vacuum with the wand. You can see it in action; note that we didn't install the wall bracket properly, so the movement is not expected behavior if you follow the manufacturer's instructions.
The Miele Duoflex HX1 has a relatively small dirt compartment. Though slightly larger than the Miele Triflex HX2 Pro/Cat & Dog, it's smaller than most other models from Dyson and Samsung. It needs to be emptied frequently if you vacuum a lot or need to clean large quantities of debris, but since it's made of clear plastic and has a max fill line, you can see when it needs to be emptied.
Miele DuoFlex HX1 stick vacuum
- Power unit/Dirt compartment
- Suction wand
- Pre-filter
- Fine dust filter with ComfortClean
- Vacuum user guide
Various tools and brushes
- MultiFloor electrobrush
- Electrocompact brush
- Universal brush
- Crevice tool
- Extendable flexible XL crevice nozzle
- Upholstery nozzle
- Dust brush
- Accessory clip
Charging station
- SpeedLock wall bracket
- Tool holder for wall dock
- Wall mounting bracket
- Power cable
Since this is a cordless vacuum, the remaining battery life dictates the range. When using the vacuum's extension wand and crevice tool, the maximum wand length increases to 4.92 ft (1.5 m).
The Miele DuoFlex HX1 Total Care is quite portable. While not too heavy overall, it is heavier than most other premium vacuums while in use, putting more weight in your hand. Still, this isn't enough to make the experience overly fatiguing.
The minimum battery life figure used the High power setting with the MultiFloor electrobrush attached, while the maximum battery life figure used the Low power setting without an attachment. The vacuum uses three LEDs to indicate the remaining battery life, gradually turning them off as the charge drops.
You can toggle between two power settings, Low and High, using the lower button on the handle, and can easily turn the vacuum On or Off using the top button on the handle. The MultiFloor electrobrush also features a floor detection system that automatically adjusts the brushroll speed. Unlike the Miele Triflex HX2 Pro/Cat & Dog, there are no headlights on the floorhead to illuminate dark corners while cleaning.
The Total Care variant of the Miele DuoFlex HX1 comes with a fleet of accessories and tools. A couple of interesting additions are the XL flexible crevice nozzle to tackle hard-to-reach places and a small brush for cleaning the pre-filter and dust bin that sits in the vacuum's body.
You can use this vacuum as a handheld with a powered tool by removing the wand and floorhead, or you can use it as a handheld with an extension hose and a non-powered tool for cleaning hard-to-reach places.
This vacuum does a decent job on hard floors. Since its MultiFloor electrobrush uses bristles instead of a soft roller, a small amount of debris tends to get caught at the back of the floorhead instead of being swept up. Large debris tends to be no problem, but medium and finer debris requires multiple passes to clean.
This vacuum's performance on high-pile carpets is unremarkable. After a couple of passes, it can clear away most of the larger solid debris, but it isn't very effective for finer debris like sand.
This vacuum's performance is okay on low-pile carpeting. It's fairly effective in dealing with most large and medium-sized debris, like cereal and rice, but it struggles with finer debris, like sand, that's thoroughly embedded within the carpet fibers.
This vacuum offers outstanding pet hair pickup performance. Using the MultiFloor electrobrush can thoroughly agitate carpet fibers and lift away long and short strands of hair in a single pass.
Its floorhead is somewhat large, so it disperses suction over a wider area rather than concentrating it. It's not as powerful as a comparable flagship Dyson model, like the Dyson V15, as the max hose suction is also relatively low.
This vacuum has decent airflow performance. It performs similarly using its included extension hose, with a maximum airflow of 58 CFM (1.6 m³/min). It won't have trouble dealing with most solid debris. However, it lags behind premium models like the Dyson V15 Detect.
This vacuum isn't too loud and offers similar noise levels when using the High suction setting on bare floors, peaking at 71 dBA, or when using the Low suction setting on carpet, peaking at 71.1 dBA. It's unlikely to be a disturbance, provided you aren't vacuuming right next to people in conversation.
The Miele DuoFlex HX1 Total Care offers excellent maneuverability. Cleaning under low-lying furniture like couches and tables is a breeze, although you'll need to crouch to do so, and the sheer number of accessories and configurations makes it easy to find an ergonomic solution for hard-to-reach spots in your home and specific tasks like cleaning your couch. The standard electrobrush pushes around obstacles like power cords, and you can still easily lift the vacuum over them as well. There are a couple of minor inconveniences, though. Changing the accessories can be clumsy, and with so many to choose from, you'll need to plan to avoid clutter. Like most stick vacuums, you can expect rugs with tassels to present some challenges, as they immediately get stuck in the brushroll.
This vacuum is good at cleaning pet hair on fabric furniture. It offers high suction using the Electro Compact brush and is easy to maneuver in this configuration. That said, the exhaust tends to displace some hair while you're cleaning, and you'll have to do a few passes to pick up the hair that gets left behind. Alternatively, you can use the included extension hose and upholstery tool. The performance is similar overall, albeit with a much-improved user experience; you can keep the motor further away, thereby preventing hair from being blown around while cleaning.
This vacuum does a great job of sealing in fine particles. Although it doesn't use a HEPA-rated filter, the manufacturer advertises its onboard filter works to trap 99.9% of fine particles.
The Miele Duoflex HX1 adequately cleans debris in cracks and crevices using the default Low suction mode with the Electrobrush attachment. It can suck up fine debris from shallower cracks but struggles with deeper ones. Performance improves when using the High suction setting.
