Miele Blizzard CX1 Cat&Dog PowerLine review

Considering the Miele Blizzard CX1 Cat&Dog PowerLine to keep your home clean? Our review is for you. I tested a wide selection of vacuum cleaners on carpet, parquet, tiles, stairs and upholstery, and challenged them with mud, fluff, light debris and pet hair to give you the lowdown on how efficiently they’ll do the job, how easy they are to use, and how much space they’ll take up in your cupboard. 

Find out how the Miele Blizzard CX1 Cat&Dog PowerLine fared in our quest to find the best vacuum cleaner.

Miele Blizzard CX1 Cat&Dog PowerLine at a glance

• Type: cylinder 
• Bag or bagless: bagless with an easy-to-empty container 
• Suction: powerful 
• Noise: you won’t need to sing really loudly to compete 
• Easy storage: not the smallest, but neat enough

Miele Blizzard CX1 specifications

• Maximum power: 890W
• Cable length: 7.5m
• Dimensions: 515mm long x 310mm high
• Weight: 8.71kg
• Noise: 76dB
• Energy rating: pr says: The EU energy label on vacuum cleaners was revoked back in January, so there are currently no energy ratings available for that model.
• Container capacity: 2 litres

Who will the Miele Blizzard CX1 suit?

Pet owners who can’t believe how many surfaces hair and fur finds a home on.

What is the Miele Blizzard CX1 like to use?

Sleek and eye-catching (I tested the Mango Red version), the Miele Blizzard CX1 Cat&Dog PowerLine is a good looker as well as a hard worker.

Using the Miele Blizzard CX1 on hard flooring, carpet and stairs

The Miele Blizzard CX1 Cat&Dog PowerLine was a winner on tiled and parquet floors, and carpet. Changing from one type of surface to another just needed a flip of the foot control to adjust the brushes of the floorhead. They should be protruding for hard flooring, and retracted for carpet and rugs. When it came to my effort levels, hard flooring was a breeze as the vac moved easily across it without missing any of the dirt and debris. Carpet took a bit more work on my part. I had to reduce the suction below the indicated setting to avoid more of a workout than vacuuming should be. Adjusting suction via the dial was easy, though.

The floorhead’s size meant it wasn’t ideal for my staircase, which isn’t of the grand or sweeping variety, and it was a bit tricky to manoeuvre on there.

Miele Blizzard CX1 attachments

The vac came with a crevice tool and upholstery nozzle. Handily, they’re on board, so there was no rummaging around or time wasted to swap jobs. There’s also a dusting brush integrated into the handle, which is practical, if (just say) you spotted some crumbs on your keyboard.

Miele Blizzard CX1 power and debris removal

The Miele Blizzard CX1 Cat&Dog PowerLine dealt with everything thrown at it with power and thoroughness. Dried mud posed no problems on any type of flooring, and it got rid of pet hair with ease. Suction was effective right to the edges of the floorhead, making it speedy in sorting out a mud-strewn area. The machine tended to blow the lightest of debris in front of it, however, so the need to lift the head on to this made these areas a tad less quick to deal with.

Miele Blizzard CX1 container emptying

Taking the container out of the machine was a piece of cake: it lifts out easily. Once over the bin, there was no fiddling about with the catch. It pops open to let out the dust. The size of the container opening might mean you have to size up your bin, though, to avoid the debris overshooting. 

Miele Blizzard CX1 handy features

The mains cable retracts via a switch you operate with your foot, which is a handy back-saver. For asthmatics (hands up here), the lifetime HEPA AirClean filter approved by Allergy UK is reassuring. The vacuum has a self-cleaning function that can also be manually activated if you’ve tackled a storm of dust.

Storing the Miele Blizzard CX1

Sitting the vac upright is the most space-efficient way of storing it, and there’s a place to hook the floorhead into the machine to keep things tidy, and so it’s a single unit when you come to get it out of the cupboard. The curve of the sizeable suction hose means it does take up space widthways, though, so although it’s not too bulky overall, it does demand storage room. 

Miele Blizzard CX1 manoeuvrability

Moving around was no hassle at all as the vac moved easily on its castors on all surfaces. The telescopic tube was also a benefit – you can adjust it so you’re moving the floorhead without having to bend uncomfortably. On the downside, I noticed the weight going up and down the stairs, because it isn’t the lightest to carry.

How does the Miele Blizzard CX1 rate online?

Miele’s own site gives the Miele Blizzard CX1 Cat&Dog PowerLine a 4.8 stars average overall. Just two of the 132 reviewers plumped for one star. Pet owners (some of whom share photos of their fur-shedding companions) laud it for coping successfully with the stuff. Weight and manoeuvrability and a single fault were the complaints.

At Amazon, 79% give it five stars, and just 2% one star. Suction power, ease of use, and durability were all rated highly. The most negative reviews mentioned the weight, and commented that suction was over powerful.

How does the Miele Blizzard CX1 rate against similar vacuum cleaners?

There’s lots of choice of both bagless and bagged cylinder cleaners in a similar price range to the Miele Blizzard CX1 Cat&Dog PowerLine, but its powerful performance, all-round effectiveness and ease of use make it stand out from the crowd.

• Check out our review of the Miele Complete C3 Total Solution PowerLine

About our review – and our reviewer

Sarah Warwick has specialised in homes and interiors for over 20 years. She was Executive Editor of Ideal Home magazine, and has written for nationals, magazines and websites including Real Homes, Homebuilding & Renovating, Grand Designs, Homes & Gardens, Houzz, The Guardian, House Beautiful and Country Homes & Interiors. She put the vacuums through their paces all round the house, on all sorts of dirt and debris, and a variety of flooring and surfaces. 

@SMWarwick