Skilled’s Ranking
Execs
- Park system for pauses
- 4 cleansing modes
- On-board equipment
- Peak-adjustable deal with
Cons
- Not straightforward to adapt to completely different flooring
- Solely is available in black
- Requires substitute baggage
Our Verdict
Miele vacuum cleaners have earned a repute as being among the many greatest and the Guard L1 Cat & Canine isn’t any exception, combining considerate options with an intensive clear. However in giving it a eager value level, a number of compromises have been made: its deal with is much from cozy for extended use and also you’ll want to recollect to have interaction or disengage brushes or swap heads for the perfect outcomes. Exterior of that although, it’s straightforward to make use of, well-equipped, and superbly quiet (rated 75dB by its makers) on the decrease energy ranges.
Value When Reviewed
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Greatest Pricing At this time
Value When Reviewed
Not but obtainable within the US
For these not updated on their cleansing information, Guard is Miele’s newest corded vacuum cleaner vary. It includes completely different measurement merchandise, small to giant, that are break up into fashions for various functions, resembling these appropriate for allergy symptoms or these tailor-made to exhausting flooring. You’ll be able to see how they examine to our high suggestions in our round-up of the perfect vacuum cleaners.
The Guard L1 Cat & Canine is one such mannequin, kitted out for the hairiest of households with a pet TurboBrush, charcoal filter and XL versatile crevice nozzle, in addition to a 3.5L mud bag capability in a light-weight physique and 12m radius – so you may go from room to room blitzing mud and dander with out skipping a beat.
Design and Construct
- Light-weight
- Lengthy cable that mechanically retracts
- Equipment saved on vacuum
Cylinder vacuums may be lumpen issues, awkward to pull round and weighty. Miele’s Guard L1 Cat & Canine is much from this, with options that make utilizing it simpler. These embrace 4 swivelling castors beneath, a neat ‘park’ system, which lets you slot the ground head into the canister so it doesn’t fall over when you transfer furnishings or pause cleansing, and general, it’s light-weight: at 6.6kg, it’s lower than the medium-sized M1 mannequin (6.7kg).
There are different intelligent options galore
The canister isn’t particularly large for storage both, at simply H38 x W59 x D32cm. Its 12m vary is equally spectacular: a 8.5m cable leads to much less frequent unplugging as you vacuum. That is retracted with a fast faucet of a button.

Rachel Ogden / Foundry
As you’d hope, there are different intelligent options galore. These embrace a telescopic tube that extends to completely different heights, so there’s no excuse for everybody within the family to not vacuum, a dusting brush that shops on the tube, and a foldable, 2-in-1 crevice & upholstery nozzle that shops inside the canister. As well as, it has a protracted, versatile crevice nozzle for entering into awkward spots and a pet TurboBrush head along with the usual one.

Rachel Ogden / Foundry
The management panel is pleasingly easy, with a plus and minus for choosing energy ranges (helpfully illustrated as curtains, an armchair, a rug/carpet and exhausting flooring reasonably than numbers), and alerts to let you understand when to vary the filter and empty the three.5L bag. Sadly, whereas the Guard vary is available in thrilling colors, resembling Terra Crimson and Nordic Blue, that is model-specific. Pet homeowners seem to have drawn the brief straw with the marginally much less thrilling black.
Efficiency and Options
- Telescopic wand
- Activates at last-used setting
- Weak at vacuuming edges
The Miele Guard L1 Cat & Canine vacuum cleaner is provided with a ‘Consolation deal with’. Presumably, this refers back to the tube’s telescopic skills, which we discovered extremely handy, giving good attain overhead and adapting to the peak of the consumer, and never the deal with itself.
Plasticky, with small indentations, presumably to assist with grip, I discovered the deal with tended to slide round until held tightly, and was uncomfortable to make use of for longer cleansing classes.
Small points apart, there’s heaps to understand. I favored that the Miele Guard L1 Cat & Canine vacuum cleaner turned on on the final energy degree used – reasonably defaulting to auto or eco – and that not even its most energy was loud. It’s nonetheless not possible to have a dialog over most energy, nevertheless it’s removed from deafening.
In distinction, it’s potential to speak loudly over degree 3, and have regular dialog over degree 2. Stage 1 is definitely talked over and should even help you have a fast clear with out waking the family. We additionally thought that the vary of equipment was glorious – though when you’ve got a 3D printer and want to complement your mannequin, Miele affords 3D4U at no cost printable extras.
I discovered the deal with tended to slide round until held tightly, and was uncomfortable to make use of for longer cleansing classes
Because the Guard L1 Cat & Canine comes with two brush heads, we examined each on exhausting and comfortable flooring, utilizing flour to symbolize nice mud and oats as bigger particles. Each brush heads require that the airflow or brushes be altered on the top itself while you change flooring varieties – it’s not automated – which might sluggish you down when shifting from exhausting to comfortable or again once more.
Total, choose up wasn’t nice at flooring edges, and I discovered that the usual flooring head may turn into caught on flooring on the upper energy ranges if I forgot to lift its brushes. I additionally famous that the pet TurboBrush head was susceptible to hair wrap – though this was lengthy human hair reasonably than pet.
On a tough flooring utilizing the usual brush head, I discovered that flour didn’t choose up on degree 1, however required degree 2. Oats have been largely picked up on one however not completely, that means that once more, we needed to up it to degree 2 then 3. The ground head had a bent to push bigger particles forward of it because it doesn’t have a curler – its straight brushes are higher at sweeping a tough flooring reasonably than lifting giant particles.
The pet TurboBrush head however, does have a curler: it picked up flour simply on degree 1, though degree 3 was required for oats to stop them from being flicked round.
For the comfortable flooring – a mid-pile carpet – the usual brush head largely picked up flour on 1, however wanted 2 to select all of it up, whereas oats have been largely picked up on 1 however wanted 3 to suck up the rest. The pet TurboBrush head demonstrated good flour choose up on 1, with 2 for a extra thorough clear. Many of the oats have been picked up on 1 however 2 and three gave a greater choose up.
We additionally tried the 2-in-1 crevice & upholstery nozzle on a velvet couch. Its pet hair removing was good, even on the bottom energy setting and when engaged on looser materials. I additionally favored that it was at all times handy, simply slotting away once more after.

Rachel Ogden / Foundry
Value and Availability
The Miele Guard L1 Cat & Canine is just not but obtainable within the US, nevertheless it’s extensively obtainable within the UK. It has an RRP of £399, however you may at present purchase it from Currys, Argos or direct from Miele for £329. Miele merchandise are sturdy and that is very nicely priced for a robust, dependable equipment that’ll final you a very long time. We’d advocate it when you’ve got issues with pet hair on furnishings or flooring.
If this isn’t the precise mannequin for you, see our high suggestions in our round-up of the perfect vacuum cleaners we’ve examined. We’ve additionally obtained recommendation on the perfect moist and dry vacuums you should purchase.
Do you have to purchase the Miele Guard L1 Cat & Canine?
Whether or not you’re in search of an all-rounder vacuum, one thing with extra energy than a lacklustre cordless or a product that’ll deal with pet hair, the MieleGuard L1 Cat & Canine ought to match the invoice. Its raft of equipment provides it some severe flexibility whereas there’s enough suction energy for many messes.
But whereas its design is predominantly nicely thought-out, there’s room for enchancment: a extra comfy deal with could be welcome as would a better swap between flooring varieties. Nonetheless, its environment friendly cleansing efficiency – and lack of annoying noise – could make you forgive the little issues way more simply.