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Miele C1 vs. C2 vs. C3 Canister Vacuums

As a general rule, canister vacs are easier to maneuver, and they are great for use on hard-to-vacuum areas like stairs. Miele makes three series of canister vacuums, all of which are full of high-end features. Among these vacuum cleaners, the Miele Classic C1 Turbo Team, the Miele Compact C2 Electro+ and the Miele Complete C3 Marin offer a ton of value for your money.

Miele C1 vs. C2 vs. C3 Canister Vacuums


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If you’re looking for a lightweight canister vacuum that can handle hard floors and low-pile carpet, you’ll want to get the Miele Classic C1 Turbo Team. This canister vac offers variable-speed suction and two-floor nozzles. Plus, it comes with three attachments and an on-board clip for accessory storage.

The Miele Compact C2 Electro+ PowerLine is another lightweight model. This canister vac is ideal for use on carpets of all pile heights. With this vacuum cleaner, you get the benefit of multiple attachments and HEPA filtration.

Finally, there is the Miele Complete C3 Marin. This ultra-versatile canister vac has all the bells and whistles, including foot-pedal suction adjustment and an automatic cord rewind feature. It comes with two-floor heads and three accessories, and it boasts conveniences like an on-board storage caddy and a large dirt capacity.

Miele: The Brand

Established in 1899, the first product of Miele’s to hit the market was a cream separator, which was followed by several washing machine models. A little over 30 years after the inception of Miele’s cream separator, the company introduced its first canister vacuum to consumers. From there, Miele grew exponentially, going from a one-warehouse operation in Germany to a global brand name rooted in 47 countries. Today, Miele enjoys a reputation for making well-crafted household appliances.

Adjustable Suction

Miele integrated its proprietary Vortex motor into the Miele C1 Turbo Team, C2 Electro+ and C3 Marin. Each canister vacuum’s 1,200-watt motor offers six suction speeds, which you can adjust as needed. With the C1 and the C2, you can change the suction speed via a dial knob on the canister itself while the C3’s suction controls are provided in the form of foot pedals.

Among these six speed settings is the automated-suction mode, which changes suction speed according to the floor you’re vacuuming. The other five settings are draperies, upholstery, low-pile carpet, high-pile carpet and medium-pile carpet. The suction is also quiet thanks to a sound-optimized chamber that encloses the motor. If any of these vacuums become clogged, the temperature limiter shuts down power to the canister vacs to prevent motor burnout.

Dual Floor Heads

All three canister vacs come with two nozzles to give you plenty of floor-type versatility. With the C1 Turbo Team, you can switch between the Turbo Comfort floor head and the Parquet Twister nozzle. The Turbo Comfort is equipped with a brush roll and designed for low-pile and medium-pile carpet, and the swiveling Parquet Twister is meant for hard-floor care.

Like the C1, the Miele Compact C2 Electro+ and the C3 Marin also have a natural-bristled Parquet Twister floor nozzle. Instead of the Turbo Comfort, the C2 and the C3 have an extra-wide, five-height adjustable floorhead, which can handle plush carpeting. Between these two floor heads, you can clean any floor in your home.

Telescopic Above-Floor Reach

In order to clean your home from top to bottom, you need the ability to reach all the way to the top. With these three canister vacs, you can vacuum ceiling fans, cobwebs, mantles and more. Each model comes with a stretchable yet durable hose and a telescopic wand.

The wand consists of two tubes that connect to one another. To change the length of the wand, simply push the release button and slide or push one of the tubes. Since it’s made of stainless steel, you never have to worry about the pole becoming dented.

Regardless of the canister vacuum you choose, you get the same three great accessories. There is a dusting brush that’s affixed with soft, natural bristles and an upholstery tool that will keep your furniture spic and span. With the crevice nozzle, you can suck up all of those cracker crumbs in between your couch cushions. To ensure the suction remains strong, you can close the vacuums’ air inlet to direct the airflow through the hose.

You’ll never be far from any of these attachments because all three vacuum cleaners offer accessory storage. With the C1 and C2, you get a VarioClip, which secures to the base of the vacuums’ hose. This clip can hold three attachments at once. As opposed to a VarioClip, the C3 has an on-board caddy with a hinged lid.

Miele also made sure that you could store its canister vacuums neatly without them taking up a lot of space. Whether it’s the rear, like on the C1, or the sides like the C2 and C3, you can hook the wand and floor head to the canister.

Wide Vacuuming Radius

The fewer times you have to switch electrical outlets while vacuuming, the less time it will take you to finish your chores. To enhance usability and convenience, Miele added a lengthy power cord to these canister vacs. Between the power cord, the telescopic wand and the stretchable hose, the C1 Turbo Team offers a cleaning radius of 29.5 feet. If you want a little more playroom, the C2 and the C3 provide a 33-foot and a 36-foot cleaning radius, respectively.

Miele eliminated a hassle that most people don’t consider when shopping for a vacuum cleaner. The longer a power cord, the more time it takes to wind it. However, all three vacuum cleaners are equipped with an automatic cord-rewind feature. To retract the power cord, push the oversized rewind button on the canister. To stop the cord from rewinding, press the button again.

Portable and Agile

There’s no risk of straining a muscle with these canister vacs. Each model is incredibly light with the C1 weighing 12.9 pounds, the C2 weighing 14.3 pounds and the C3 weighing 15 pounds. To make lifting them almost effortlessly, Miele added a looped, semi-circle handle to each model. They’re more than just easily portable canisters; these vacuum cleaners are also stunners, coming in shades such as obsidian black and marine blue.

How does it roll? Quite smooth actually. Instead of four wheels that don’t allow for tight turns, each canister vac has a pair of wheels and a pair of casters. Due to the rubberized texture of the wheels and the 360-degree rotating ability of the casters, your floors will stay mark-free, and the vacuums are easy to pull.

Between the C1, C2, and C3, there are two handle configurations. On the C1 Turbo Team, the handle is angled for wrist comfort. On the C2 and C3, the handle juts out over the wand connector, providing superior comfort. Both types of handles are resistant to static discharge thanks to the metal strip inserted inside of them. Plus, on models like the C2 Electro+ PowerLine, the power rocker switch is within a fingertip’s reach.

A Sealed Filtration System

When you think of canister vacuum cleaner bags, the thought may conjure visions of dirty hands and huge headaches, but the Miele C1, C2, and C3 are different. The bags that Miele designed for these canister vacs boast an Auto-Seal opening that instantly closes when the bags are inserted or removed, preventing dirt from covering your hands or escaping into the air.

Their bags also hold a large amount of debris, ranging from 3.5 liters with the C1 and C2 to 4.5 liters with the C3. Since every bag consists of nine protective layers, leaks are unlikely to occur. When a bag becomes full, each canister vac’s airflow indicator light will glow red.

For fine-particle control, Miele included a total of three filters. A motor-protection filter keeps large, clog-causing particles from infiltrating the vacuums’ path of suction, and an exhaust filter acts as the last stronghold between the vacuums and the air around them. However, the hardest working filter is the AirClean HEPA filter, which captures 99.9 percent of allergens. On average, these filters have a 50-hour lifespan. When the filters must be replaced, another indicator light will alert you.

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 • Miele C1 vs C2 vs C3

When Only the Best Will Do

If versatility and high-performance are what you’re after, the C1 Turbo Team, the C2 Electro+ PowerLine, and the C3 Marin have these qualities in spades. Their strong, quiet motor produces a whopping six suction speeds, including an automated mode, and the C3 puts the suction adjustment controls within the reach of your feet, so you don’t have to bend your back.

No matter the Miele canister vacuum you prefer, you get a choice of two-floor nozzles – one for hard floors and one for carpet. There are also three attachments and a telescopic wand for an extended, comprehensive reach. You even get a place to store the attachments, and you’ll never have to worry about weak hose suction thanks to the vacuum cleaners’ airflow control valve.

The additions of three filters and a sealed bag help you maintain a healthy air quality in your home, and one filter is HEPA-rated, trapping 99.9 percent of particles. Indicator lights take the guesswork out of deciding when to change the filters and the bag.

Maneuvering the canister vacs is a user-friendly endeavor. Weighing 15 pounds or less, none of the vacuums are too heavy to move comfortably. The handle on top of the canister makes lifting a breeze, and the ergonomic design of the wand’s handle reduces hand fatigue.

In addition, the smooth-rolling wheels and full-turning casters make these canister vacs move like a dream, and the cord automatically retracts with a button push, so you don’t have to worry about the cord falling off a set of hooks. Experience a better way to vacuum with the lightweight Miele C1 Turbo Team, the all-purpose Miele C2 Electro+ or the feature-loaded Miele C3 Marin canister vacuum.

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About the author

Hi I’m Alex, founder of HouseholdMe.com and I’d like to say thank you for dropping by. Like most of you, the first thing I look at before buying something online is reviews or buying guides. By reading what other people say will help me gauge whether or not a product is good or not.  I am trying to help people find answers, solve problems, and get inspired.

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