Miele Triflex HX2 Cat & Dog vacuum review

Coming from a brand like Miele, you can expect this to be well-built and designed to last. The fact it also has a removable battery and easily detachable parts, which can be easily replaced if they go wrong, make this a vacuum built for the longer term, helping to justify that price. But the suction performance helps here too – more on that below.

When we review vacuum cleaners, we do so across a range of scenarios and testing types. That includes rigorous and specific tests in our lab, before testing in real-world situations at home over a longer period.

Vacuums are tested across a range of flooring types to assess how performance varies in different situations, from hard floors and carpets to stairs, cars and more.

Battery life is also an important testing point when it comes to cordless stick vacuums. Run times are measured across rooms, floors and entire properties. We also measure how a single charge lasts and how long it takes to recharge. 

Suction is an important metric. Vacuums are tested using coarse and fine materials, including sand, dust, hair. How it picks these up across various surfaces, from crevices, around edges, and coming from various angles, are all taken into testing consideration. 

Bin capacity is another area we look at. In the case of stick vacuums, that means how much they can store in an onboard bin and how far you can get before you have to empty it.

The Miele Triflex HX2 Cat & Dog is a lighter-than-its-predecessor 3.6kg, which is not heavy yet it’s not totally lightweight either. This is where that transformational ability comes into its own.

All the parts pop and clip reassuringly in and out, and allow you to have this set up as a handheld, a stick vacuum with the main unit at the top, or as an upright with the bulk of the unit weight at the bottom. 

While that does mean some rearranging, it ensures you get maximum comfort and well-placed weight – balanced for moving between floors, curtains, sofas, cars and any other position you might find yourself in.

Crucially, this makes that weight far less important as it can be spread just right. Of course, the handheld mode is the heaviest but, again, this is balanced so you can rest most of that in the vacuum head anyway.

The build quality is high, despite being mostly plastic in appearance. It feels very thick and strong, and the colour accents and vent designs give it a modern aesthetic that is subtle and attractive.

The handle is designed for large and small hands alike, with a push and lock power slider that means you won’t need to worry about a trigger, as some models require. This is placed helpfully for thumb control while in hand.

The dust bin capacity is a fairly standard 0.5 litres, which is enough for an average three-bedroom home with carpets and hard floors – even with pet hair.

That means you should only need to empty this once on a house-wide clean. Although, when you do it’s not the most straightforward, thanks to the transformational system – more on that in the performance section.

This model comes with a HEPA filter, something the HX1 generation didn’t have. This is a lifetime filter – meaning it can be used again and again so you won’t need to buy more – making this more environmentally sustainable, as well as helpful in cleaning your home of allergens.

There is a removable battery that can be charged directly or when the vacuum is docked, allowing you to store away from power sources if needed.

As this is a very long vacuum at over 1.2 metres (nearly 4 foot), storage space is worth thinking about if you don’t want to dismantle it after every use. In upright mode this will also stand up on its own, allowing you to place it in many potential storage spots.

The Miele Triflex HX2 Cat & Dog is quite straightforward to get set up from the well-laid-out packaging. Although this process does continue through use as you switch between the three modes as needed. It’s worth using the manual the first time so you know what you’re doing for future changes between modes.

Changing from stick to upright, for example, requires removing the handle and the main stick, with an unlock twist of the central compartment. It’s quite a few parts, but once you’ve done it a few times it only takes seconds.

Once up and running, the weight is well balanced and the long downtube does make for excellent reach and a nice low angle for easy glide as you clean.

The LED light on the head is also very helpful in pet homes as it does a great job of highlighting hair, even during the day and in open space, where you might otherwise have not seen it. 

While switching between modes does require a bit of effort, the clipping in and out is reassuringly solid and doesn’t demand much strength at all. There is a carpet head roller included, but this is more challenging to change out.

That said, the main head uses a roller and can adapt to floor type – changing the speed to suit – which means you can go from hard floor to carpet without doing anything. This model will have you set up in the ideal suction and spin combination for maximum uptake.

Emptying the waste could be easier as it requires twisting to unlock, removal of the stem if in upright mode, and a good shake to make sure everything slides out of the tight compartment.

As mentioned above, it gets easier after you’ve done it a few times. This appears to be the price you need to pay for this three-in-one transformer of a vacuum.

The Miele Triflex HX2 Cat & Dog is all about pet hair, so it’s worth starting out by talking about how this vacuum performs in that area. While suction is powerful and any hair is picked up, where it ends up is less impressive.

Most of the hair, around 40% in our wool-based labs testing, ended up around the brush itself. You’ll have to unlock the brush from a side access point, slide this off and remove it manually. So pretty poor for a pet-specific vacuum.

There is that motorised head for pet beds, but this tool also collected plenty of hair in the brush, making it another clear-out job – something you might not expect to be an issue on a model at this price.

In our lab testing there was a noticeable, if slight, difference in the upright mode (suction unit near the floor) and the stick mode (main unit near the handle). In upright mode there was a 95% suction rate on hard floors and an amazing 100% on carpets, but in stick mode this was 93% for hard floors.

Whatever mode you use, you can expect some excellent pick-up, although this did require a few passes on the hard floors as some debris was knocked forward initially. That said, in the ground coffee tests – smaller debris – nearly all was picked up on first pass, even around edges and in crevices between tiles. 

The upright mode offers some very impressive suction performance and places the weight low, which makes it a very light and easy-to-use vacuum. The stick mode places more weight at the wrist, which could be too much for some, so it’s nice to have the option to change between the two – stick for steps and under low-clearance areas, but upright for the bulk of floor cleaning.

Changing between these is fine but that bin emptying is a little more complicated than perhaps one might expect or want.

When it comes to battery performance, the Miele Triflex HX2 Cat & Dog does not live up to the company’s claims, by a long way. In fact, using this in the middle setting of Eco mode means you’re likely to run out of power in as little as 15 minutes.

A far cry from the full hour Miele claims this can offer – perhaps in the most minimal power mode, and on one floor type, half of that would be achievable.

On the plus side, you can opt to buy a second battery and charger. Although this is what the Pro model offers, minus the pet-specific head. But since that head isn’t great anyway, it may be a better move to go for the extra battery and pay a little more for the Pro version instead.

The Miele Triflex HX2 Cat & Dog is priced at £699, at time of publishing. This is pretty high-end and makes it quite a bit more than the model below at £549, which loses you the pet motorised tool (although there is another motorised tool included) and that LED lightbar. Or go for the Pro model (mentioned above), losing the pet brush but gaining another battery and charger, and you’ll pay £749.

Being Miele, you do get a generous two-year guarantee, meaning you have total peace of mind for that period. It also, likely, means this is built to a standard where you shouldn’t need to use this guarantee, since everything is solid.

Despite having a plastic build, it does feel like a powerful vacuum that will withstand even rough daily use, for years, although we’re not sure it’s the best cordless vacuum on the market right now.

This vacuum is not the cheapest, although there are few others that offer the ability to change between upright and stick vacuum mode – although most do jump between stick and handheld easily enough.

That upright option makes this great for taking the strain off your arm and wrist, while also ensuring maximum suction. But the lack of pet hair detangling is poor, so looking at alternatives for this might be helpful.

Go for a premium option in the Shark Stratos if you want top-end features and pet-hair specific vacuuming. The anti-wrap tech keeps the hair in the dustbin rather than on the heads, unlike the Miele Triflex HX2 Cat & Dog. This also offers an air freshener feature to make your home smell better.

While the Miele offers lightweight use through balance, if you want a far lighter model that’s very easy to use and saves you on price, the Hoover HF500 is worth considering.

It lacks a little on suction but offers removable batteries, packs down to fit in a standard kitchen cupboard and also doesn’t require ongoing costs as it empties without bags. 

There is also the Henry or Hetty Quick, which is far more affordable, yet offers plenty of suction power and minimal pet-hair tangle, and also lets you empty using bags so all dust, dander and allergens are kept out of your home.

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The Miele Triflex HX2 Cat & Dog is from a reliable brand and is well made. It has a strong feel, while offering the unique three-in-one design that helps to balance weight for best suction and comfort. Suction is fantastic, although that does mean the battery life suffers, so you may need to think about spending more on a second battery.

The fact this is worded as designed for pets feels more like a standard model with the addition of a small motorised head when in reality neither that nor the main head offer detangling, so you will have work to get that hair out fairly regularly. 

You get an excellent two-year guarantee from Miele, and plenty of attachments for nearly all possible jobs, and suction power to back that up. If you don’t mind detangling hair and can either finish the job in 15 minutes, or buy an extra battery, then this is a very versatile and capable vacuum option.

We were loaned the Miele Triflex HX2 Cat & Dog by Currys