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Miele Compact C1 Turbo Review

Excellent cleaning carpet performance, but if you're seeking a vacuum to tackle hard floors, look somewhere else
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Miele Compact C1 Turbo Review
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Price:  $579 List
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Manufacturer:   Miele
By Ruth Bruckbauer and Jessica Riconscente  ⋅  Aug 22, 2024
63
OVERALL
SCORE


RANKED
#4 of 7
  • Carpet Cleaning - 35% 7.4
  • Ease of Use - 25% 5.9
  • Handling - 20% 5.4
  • Hard Surface - 10% 6.0
  • Pet Hair - 10% 6.0

Our Verdict

If you are on the hunt for a canister-style vacuum, the Miele Compact C1 Turbo is an excellent, albeit very pricey, choice. This model performed respectably across the board, particularly when cleaning carpets and collecting pet hair. This is a great bet if you are a fan of canister vacuums. The Miele Compact C1 has a reputation for being extremely reliable and having a long lifespan. That said, this model is indeed an investment, and you will also need to factor in the cost of purchasing bags for the canister. If your carpets are in dire need of some TLC, this is your vacuum. But, if you're looking for a hard surface vacuum that can handle large messes, we recommend browsing other top canister vacuums in our test lineup.
REASONS TO BUY
Great carpet cleaning
Easily suctions small debris
REASONS TO AVOID
Expensive
Plowing on hard surfaces

Compare to Similar Products

 
Awards Top Pick Award
Best Carpet Cleaning Performance
Editors' Choice Award
Best Overall
   
Price $579 List
$579.00 at Amazon
$80 List
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$400 List
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$80 List
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Bottom Line This model is great at cleaning the carpeting but doesn't deliver as well with hard flooringThe perfect solution for those who want a good vacuum for very little moneyWe think this canister vacuum is one of the best options if you are shopping on a slim budgetThough it has great handling and multiple adjustable features, this expensive vacuum doesn't work as well as we'd hopedThis inexpensive and lightweight vacuum can handle small messes but easily gets overwhelmed
Rating Categories Miele Compact C1 Turbo Eureka WhirlWind Eureka Mighty Mite Kenmore Elite Pet F... Bissell Zing Bagles...
Carpet Cleaning (35%)
7.4
6.7
6.8
4.7
5.1
Ease of Use (25%)
5.9
6.3
5.8
6.7
6.3
Handling (20%)
5.4
7.5
7.0
6.8
5.9
Hard Surface (10%)
6.0
7.3
7.3
3.5
5.5
Pet Hair (10%)
6.0
4.0
4.0
9.0
4.0
Specs Miele Compact C1 Turbo Eureka WhirlWind Eureka Mighty Mite Kenmore Elite Pet F... Bissell Zing Bagles...
Measured Weight 14.2 lbs 11.0 lbs 9.3 lbs 24.5 lbs 9.2 lbs
Measured Maximum Reach 30' 26' 10" 31' 10" 37' 4" 26' 6"
Manufacturer Capacity 4.1 L 3.0 L 2.8 L 2.1 L 2.0 L
Measured Noise Level 67 dBA 68 dBA 72 dBA 72 dBA 72 dBA
Measured Head Width 10.75'' 10.5'' 10.5'' 14.75'' 10.0"
Measured Hose Suction Power 72'' 60'' 90'' 74'' 64''
Measured Power Cord Length 18' 16' 6" 19' 6" 26' 16' 6"
Model Number SCAE0 NEN110B 3670G 81714 2156A
Dirt Collection Bag Bagless Bag Bag Bagless
HEPA Filter Yes Yes Yes Yes No
Measured Brush Width 10'' N/A N/A 14'' N/A
Variable Suction Control Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Brush On/Off Switch Adjusts N/A N/A Yes N/A
Automatic Cord Rewind Yes Yes No Yes Yes

Our Analysis and Test Results

The Miele Compact C1 Turbo stood out by being an overall exceptional vacuum. It handled our test messes easily, delivering noteworthy performances at cleaning carpets while being easy to use. This model is also on the lighter side, so it's easy to move and particularly adept at cleaning cluttered areas.

Performance Comparison


miele compact c1 turbo
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

Carpet Cleaning


This metric accounts for 35% of the final score for each vacuum. To evaluate the performance of each product in cleaning carpets, we used four different debris types on both low and medium-pile carpets, comparing the amount of material collected. The Miele Compact C1 Turbo did very well compared to others in our lineup of canister vacuums.


The Miele Compact C1 Turbo did very well at collecting rice on flat carpet, only taking two passes to collect all of the whole and partial grains, with an additional third pass to get the remaining dust and small pieces. This model does its best work on low-pile carpeting.

miele compact c1 turbo - the miele did well at cleaning carpets, landing in a respectable...
The Miele did well at cleaning carpets, landing in a respectable position in our lineup.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

This vacuum did an exceptional job in our flour collection test. The Miele Compact C1 Turbo was among our better contenders for this finer debris on both low and medium-pile carpets.

miele compact c1 turbo - the miele did quite well at collecting flour from flat carpet.
The Miele did quite well at collecting flour from flat carpet.
Credit: Austin Palmer

The oatmeal collection test was next, and again we saw a great performance. The Miele Compact C1 vacuum collected all of the debris laid out, taking just three passes to do so. Oatmeal is one of the more challenging debris to clean up since it breaks into little pieces and creates dust. So, we were impressed with its oatmeal performance.

miele compact c1 turbo - the miele collected the vast majority of the oats on the flat carpet.
The Miele collected the vast majority of the oats on the flat carpet.
Credit: Austin Palmer

When vacuuming Cheerios, this model did OK on the flat carpet, occasionally crushing the cereal instead of collecting it, but we found that angling the head over the debris helped with this. The Miele Compact C1 Turbo didn't do as well on the medium-pile carpet, grabbing only one or two of the Cheerios at a time, which meant making many more passes.

miele compact c1 turbo - leaving debris behind was a hallmark of this vacuum in our tests.
Leaving debris behind was a hallmark of this vacuum in our tests.
Credit: Austin Palmer

Ease of Use


This metric — accounting for 25% of the overall score for each vacuum — consisted of evaluating the ease of swapping between different types of flooring, how well each model could clean close to edges and under furniture, as well as assessing the maximum reach of each model.


The Miele Compact C1 Turbo requires a little bit of work to switch between hard and soft flooring types, as you have to manually switch out the brush heads between the hard floors and the carpets. You use the brush in the head for the carpeting, but then you'll need to take it out for the hard floors. We found this to be quite the inconvenience, especially for such an expensive vacuum. When we got to the edging test, the Miele Compact C1 did well above average, leaving some rice behind, but not much.

miele compact c1 turbo - the miele cleans in close to the edges of a room, leaving almost no...
The Miele cleans in close to the edges of a room, leaving almost no rice behind.
Credit: Austin Palmer

The Miele Compact C1 did a fantastic job of vacuuming under furniture. It managed to clean the entire area underneath our simulated sofa. Its maximum reach from an outlet is about 30 feet — a respectable length in line with some of our top-performing models. Having a vacuum cleaner that can reach all the way under your furniture and clean effectively may be well worth the money for some.

The Miele spanned a range of decibel levels regarding its measured noise. With regular use, it was one of the quietest models in the group, both in the opinions of our rating panel and the levels that we recorded with an SPL meter. It measured just 70 dBA (decibels) with normal use but reached up to 81 dBa with the suction reducer fully open.

Handling


This metric made up 20% of the final score for each vacuum, encompassing a series of tests that included the required effort to push and pull, overall maneuverability, and how easy it was to clean a flight of stairs.


The Miele Compact C1 Turbo handles decently and is great at getting into tight spaces. However, several other models were a little more agile and less prone to becoming entangled or tipping over. At 14.2 pounds, the Miele lands right about in the middle of the pack — pretty light, but nowhere near the lightest of our tested models.

miele compact c1 turbo - the miele handles well, cleaning a flight of stairs was relatively...
The Miele handles well, cleaning a flight of stairs was relatively easy.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

The Miele C1 Turbo has a great reach for cleaning stairs, effectively cleaning almost eight steps before relocating the plug. We also enjoyed pushing and pulling this vacuum on hard surfaces, as it easily glides along the surface.

Hard Surface Cleaning


Accounting for 10% of the final score, this metric is one where the Miele Compact C1 Turbo did not shine. Four tests were given in this metric: flour, oatmeal, rice, and cereal collection from a hardwood floor.


The Miele Compact C1 has a less-than-stellar performance on hard floors. We found that the Miele often plows debris, only picking up a little at a time as the grains or oats pass through the notches in its bristle head. Not all is completely lost with this product on smoother surfaces, though. We enjoyed the suction power, feeling confident in its ability to tackle dust that lingers deep in crevices since it did exceptionally well in our flour test.

miele compact c1 turbo - here, you can see the bristles at the front of the vacuum head. they...
Here, you can see the bristles at the front of the vacuum head. They act like a brigade to Cheerios and rice, fighting in opposition to pass through to the suction. The cutout helps, but still makes it difficult when facing bigger debris sizes.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

Pet Hair


The Miele Compact C1 Turbo finished out our tests with a very good performance in pet hair collection. For this test, we weighed pet hair out to exactly 50 grams. Then, we placed it on the medium-pile carpet. We then vacuumed, emptied the cup or the bag, and weighed how much of the pet hair was picked up. The Miele picked up 86.80% after just four passes — a satisfactory result.


Should you buy the Miele Compact C1 Turbo?


To us, value is measured by how well a product performs in addition to its price. The Miele Compact C1 Turbo will have value for some, but not all. We highly recommend this vacuum if you have loads of carpeting to clean and a lot of pet hair. But, if your home is full of hard surfaces, we recommend saving your money and looking for other models, or possibly other vacuum types, to solve this concern.

What Other Canister Vacuum Should You Consider?


The Miele Compact C1 Turbo is a good bagged canister vacuum. While it's expensive and other models in our lineup performed better, for those who prefer this style of vacuum, this is a trustworthy brand and a model that will no doubt last for a long time. We've tested other canister vacuums in the past, and this one remains one of our favorite canister vacuums. All told, it is indeed an investment, and you will also need to factor in the additional cost of bags. For those who wish to save money while still maintaining high performance, we recommend the Eureka WhirlWind or the Eureka Mighty Mite.

Ruth Bruckbauer and Jessica Riconscente