Miele Triflex HX2 Pro vacuum cleaner review

One-minute review

We were introduced to the Miele Triflex HX2 Pro in June 2022, and since the Triflex HX1 was such a hit, we were looking forward to putting the brand's newest vacuum cleaner to the test. This is Miele's most powerful vacuum cleaner yet, promising to be 60% more powerful than its predecessor. It goes up against some of the best cordless vacuums on the market, including Dyson.

Founded in 1899, Miele is one of the world's leading manufacturers of premium domestic appliances including cookers and ovens, refrigeration products, coffee makers, dishwashers and laundry and floor-care products. The brand launched its first ever cordless vacuum cleaner in February 2020, which set the benchmark for the Triflex HX2 range that has followed. Aside from the increase in power, there's a 0.4kg weight difference - the Triflex HX2 being the lighter of the two - and variations in the attachments that come with the two Miele vacuum cleaner ranges. 

Miele attributes improved cleaning performance to its new Digital Efficiency Motor. It works in combination with Miele’s Vortex Technology and Multi-Floor XXL Electrobrush with BrilliantLight (LEDs) to help you see the area you're cleaning more clearly. The rotating beater / brushbar is linked with its intelligent detection of floor coverings, reducing the rotational speed on hard floors – which, Miele says, will save energy and prolong battery life.  

There are three power settings to choose from and, Miele say, that you can expect to achieve a runtime of up to 60 minutes between charges. The Triflex HX2 Pro comes with an additional battery, which could extend runtime to 120 minutes, so long as you stick to the lowest setting. Those opting for the Triflex HX2 or Triflex Cat & Dog models will have to pay for an additional battery unit.

The 3-in-1 patented design enables you to use the Triflex HX2 as an upright, handheld stick or handheld vacuum cleaner. Although this may not appear to be anything new, it really is. The design allows flexible positioning of the PowerUnit, moving it to the top or bottom of the stick vacuum, which makes it possible to access hard-to-reach areas – under furniture, for example – and even stand the vacuum upright unaided.

There are three different models to choose from in the Triflex HX2 range, but with prices starting at £499 / $AU 899 , it doesn't come cheap. We reviewed the Triflex HX2 Pro to find out if it's worth the money, and if that improved power makes light work of cleaning a three-bed family home.

Miele Triflex HX2 Pro price and availability

• List price: from £499 / $AU 899
• Available in the UK and Australia

The Miele Triflex HX2 Pro is the flagship vacuum cleaner in the Triflex range. The entry-level Triflex HX2 costs £499 / $AU 899, with the Triflex HX2 Cat & Dog coming in at £549 / $AU 999 and the Triflex HX2 Pro an eye-watering £749 / $AU 1299. The Cat & Dog model comes with the Multi-Floor XXL Electrobrush with BrilliantLight (LEDs), plus a handheld brush, while the Triflex HX2 Pro includes the Multi-Floor XXL Electrobrush with BrilliantLight (LEDs) and an additional battery.

In Australia the Miele Triflex HX2 range also includes the Triflex HX2 Performance, Triflex HX2 Racer and Triflex HX2 Cat & Dog Plus.

Miele tests all of its appliances to the equivalent of 20 years' use. As such, look after this model and you can expect it to last and earn back the initial outlay. In the UK, it's available to buy direct from Miele Experience Centres, miele.co.uk , or from resellers such as Harrods, John Lewis, Amazon and other selected premium retail partners. If you're in Australia, you'll find the Triflex HX2 range direct with miele.com.au and resellers such as Godfreys and The Good Guys. The Miele Triflex HX2 is not yet available in the US.

Value score: 4 / 5

Miele Triflex HX2 Pro design

• Patented 3-in-1 design for versatility
• Additional soft roller brush for hard floors
• Disappointingly small 0.5-litre dust canister

To look at, the Miele Triflex HX2 Pro is a rather beautiful vacuum cleaner. Its patented 3-in-1 design means that it can be configured as a cordless stick, cordless hand-held, and cordless upright vacuum cleaner. Switching between these various modes is simple, with conversion simply a matter of repositioning the main power unit (home to the motor, rechargeable battery and dust box). In stick mode the power unit sits closer to the handle, while in upright mode it's closer to the floorhead.

Miele’s Triflex range also features a removable battery, which means you can swap it out for a fully charged spare. However, it's only the flagship Triflex HX2 Pro that comes with two batteries included, offering up to 120 minutes of continuous power. If you have the entry-level Triflex HX2 or Triflex HX2 Cat & Dog, you'll need to buy a battery separately for £160 / $AU 249 from Miele. That said, with only a 0.5-litre dust canister, you may find that you have to regularly pause cleaning (as we did) to empty it. Emptying of the dust canister proved fiddly; our advice would be to do so outdoors if you can, to avoid becoming engulfed in a dust cloud.

The floor cleaner here is similar to those seen on Dyson cleaners, in that it automatically detects the floor type and reduces rotational speed on hard floors to save energy and prolong battery life. However, in the Trfle HX2 Pro, this feature is only available on the Eco and Max power settings with the Multi-Floor XXL Electrobrush is fitted. In the box, you'll also find a crevice nozzle, dusting brush, upholstery nozzle.

At 3.6kg, this vacuum is much lighter than its predecessor, the Triflex HX1, and is easy to manoeuvre around the house. What we found particularly useful is the onboard storage for the crevice tool and dusting brush – although space to store the  upholstery tool would also have been welcome. Storing these accessories didn't make a noticeable difference to the overall weight of the vacuum, so we'd recommend keeping them on board for convenience. 

Miele Triflex HX2 Pro performance

• Impressive suction power
• Easy to transform into a handstick, upright or handheld
• Small dust canister is tricky to empty

According to Miele, the Triflex HX2 Pro is 60% more powerful than its predecessor, the Triflex HX1 – a model that had already impressed for its power in our review. This improvement comes by way of the new Digital Efficiency Motor, which works in combination with Miele’s Vortex technology (mono-cyclone design) and Multi-Floor XXL Electrobrush to deliver exceptional cleaning power. The rotating beater (or brush bar) links with intelligent detection of floor type to reduce the rotational speed on hard floors. This, Miele says, saves energy and prolongs battery life; but we found that it also goes some way towards protecting soft wooden flooring.  The feature also automatically determines the speed setting required, depending on the type of flooring.  

Miele's tech made the Trifle HX2 Pro a dream to use when transitioning from carpets to hard floors, with the level of suction remaining consistent. Manually switching between the speed settings was just as easy. We preferred the Eco and Max settings, since we have long-pile wool carpet in our home; the Min setting just didn't cut it for us. However, when switching settings, it took a second or so for the vacuum cleaner to power up or change gears – enough time to be noticeable – so this vacuum isn't as responsive as some other vacuum cleaners we've tested.

For vacuuming up dust and debris, the Triflex HX2 Pro excelled. Even on its lowest setting, dust, flour, fine biscuit crumbs and cereal proved no problem at all. And in many instances it wasn't necessary to go back over spots we'd just vacuumed ; a single pass was sufficient to clear the mess. This is helped by the Trflex HX2 Pro's extra-wide floorhead, at 28cm wide, which enables the vacuum to cover more floor space with each pass.

The floorhead also features a light strip along its front edge, which we found super-useful for lighting up areas under furniture, or revealing finer dirt on the hard floor in lower lit areas of the house. Note that this is only present on the Triflex HX2 Pro and Triflex HX2 Cat & Dog models. Miele also includes a separate Hardfloor Care soft roller for use on hard floors and a Carpet Care roller brush for more delicate carpets and rugs. It does mean that you'll need to stop vacuuming to remove and swap out the bristle roller brush, but they're a good option for those who are particularly concerned about protecting their floors.

Unfortunately, the Multi-Floor XXL Electrobrush is prone to having hair becoming tangled around it. This is a nuisance to free – and since we're now aware that there are vacuum cleaners with tech to tackle such issues – Shark's Anti Hair Wrap, for example – it feels like a bigger deal than it probably is.

Switching between upright, handheld and handstick modes is simple enough, with all sections of the cleaner easy to pull apart and reconnect. We found the upright was best used to vacuum floors; the handheld was more suited to cleaning crevices, skirting and upholstery; and the handstick was ideal for reaching up high into the corners of ceilings and under furniture.

In upright mode, the vacuum worked best with the PowerUnit close to the floor. This shifted the centre of gravity lower, making it easy to manoeuvre around the floor. This setup also makes it possible for the Triflex HX2 to stand upright unsupported – making storage mega convenient.

The Triflex HX2 Pro arrives with a good selection of attachments including an upholstery nozzle, crevice nozzle and dusting brush – although in our household, we find the crevice tool of most use. Nevertheless, the array of tools will prove ideal for cleaning upholstery, sucking up dirt between folds of a pair of curtains, and vacuum skirting boards, too. For storage, the Miele includes an accessory holder on the suction tube, as well as on the wall bracket.

Note that the vacuum's 0.5-litre dust container is small. Our upstairs wool carpets are relatively new, so we found that we were having to empty the container at least once between vacuuming that floor and the stairs and ground floor. The dust container also proved a little fiddly to empty; you need to remove the dust canister from the main unit and then twist open the lid to remove the filter and dirt.

Through testing, the Triflex HX2 Pro measured in between 54dB – 58dB for noise, as we slid through the power settings using the floorhead. This is noticeably quieter than the level recorded when using the accessories, which we measuredat between 5dB – 63dB. The expected noise level for a vacuum cleaner is around 70dB, so the Miele Triflex HX2 Pro is less likely to irritate, if noise is important to you.

Performance score: 4 / 5

Triflex HX2 Pro battery life

• Battery life ranges from 11 minutes to 28 minutes, depending on the power setting
• The battery takes 4 hours to fully recharge
• Extra battery is included

Miele claims that the Triflex HX2 Pro offers up to 120 minutes of continuous power – achieved using both batteries. On the lower setting using just one battery, the HX2 Pro lasted just 27 minutes 14 seconds,  whereas on the Max power setting runtime was only 11 minutes 23 seconds. Our preference was to switch between Eco and Max power settings in our household, which saw the battery last around 19 minutes.

The power doesn't deplete when in use, but you will notice the battery indicator light blinking for a minute-or-so before it cuts out. This is useful because it gives you just enough time to run down the stairs to find that spare battery, which you will need when vacuuming a three-bed house from top to bottom.

An extra battery is included in the box with the Triflex HX2 Pro, plus a separate charging dock. The key is to ensure this second unit is always charged  and ready to go, so you can clean without interruption. Note that a second battery isn't available as standard with the Triflex HX2 and Triflex Cat & Dog models; for additional runtime, you can purchase a second unit for £160.69 / $AU 249 from Miele. It takes 4 hours to recharge each battery to full.

Battery life score: 3.5 / 5

Miele Triflex HX2 Pro score card

Should I buy?

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• First reviewed: October 2022