I Tested the Miele Guard M1 Parquet XL Brilliant – It's a Dream on Hard Floors, With an Extra-Wide Floorhead and Strong Suction

I have grown to love Miele vacuums during my time as Homes & Gardens' resident vacuum tester. These premium, robust appliances boast some of the strongest suction and durability on the market, and there are so many models that pretty much every floorcare need can be dealt with.

The Miele Guard M1 Parquet XL Brilliant is a canister vacuum that is only designed for hard floor cleaning. There are no spinning brushrolls to clean carpets; use soft, padded floorheads that pick up debris using their large surface area and powerful suction.

I tested the Miele Guard M1 Parquet XL Brilliant in our dedicated test center and a local cat and dog shelter to find out if it could be the next best Miele vacuum for hard floors.

My One-Minute Summary

The Miele Guard M1 Parquet XL Brilliant is great for vacuuming hard floors, particularly delicate surfaces such as hardwood and tile. There are no spinning brushrolls that can leave marks; instead using padded floorheads and super-strong suction to pick up large amounts of debris at once.

But there are some drawbacks, notably that it's expensive for what it is. There are cheaper vacuums out there that can vacuum hard floors just as well, like the Dreame R20, which is also able to tackle rugs and carpets (unlike the Miele).

Miele Guard M1 Parquet XL Brilliant: Specifications

Miele Guard M1 Parquet XL Brilliant: Design and Features

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The Miele Guard M1 Parquet XL Brilliant is designed specifically as a vacuum for hard floors, so neither of the two floorheads (pictured above) has a motorized brushroll. A brushroll can be important for carpet vacuums as the spinning bristles agitate carpet fibers and dislodge debris and hair, but bare floors don't trap dirt, so flat floorheads can do the trick if the suction is strong enough.

And the Parquet XL's suction power is strong. Reaching a maximum of 41.1mph, it generates more airflow than almost all of the 92 best vacuums we've tested at Homes & Gardens. For comparison, the Miele Guard L1 Cat & Dog, one of our all-time best-on-test vacuums, reaches 31.1mph (but has other features that make it such an effective cleaner).

The Parquet Twister XL floorhead has a design I hadn't yet seen in a vacuum. It's 16 inches wide, with small, soft pads around the edge to guide dust and debris inside. The other standard floorhead is included in most Miele vacuums, and has two grip settings to help it glide across different surfaces.

There are four suction modes, but as the Guard M1 Parquet XL Brilliant doesn't have a brushroll to help pick up dirt, the best performance will always be on the maximum setting. The others can be useful when using the attachments – say, if you're vacuuming curtains or a mattress and the strongest suction would create too much resistance.

The Miele Guard M1 Parquet XL Brilliant uses vacuum bags. So, no emptying the dustbin – instead, you simply dispose of the vacuum bag once it's full. It helps avoid exposure to allergens, but it also results in recurring costs and more of an impact on landfill, even though Miele's bags are made of 80% recycled material. A four-pack of Guard M1 vacuum bags cost $28.99 at Miele USA and £13.99 at Miele UK.

What Is the Miele Guard M1 Parquet XL Brilliant Like to Use?

The Parquet Twister XL is so good. It easily maneuvers and swivels as a mop pad does, making it easier to cover more ground at once. It glides smoothly, too.

This also means it is safe on delicate surfaces, like when cleaning hardwood or tile, which appears to be the main USP here. It's designed for 'large hard floors' and gentle cleaning, and after having tested it out, Miele nailed it.

I wanted to see whether these floorheads could still be used on rugs and carpets, so that homes with some soft flooring could still make use of this high-powered vacuum. I delve more deeply into the results below, but although it's hard to push the floorhead across soft flooring – it is as if you're scrubbing with a brush – it was still surprisingly effective.

I like that Miele make button a foot button, as it avoids you having to reach down to the canister every time you need to turn it off or change a setting. It also isn't a given – the Dyson Big Ball Turbinehead has flimsier buttons that could break if kicked too hard (or over time).

The noise levels range from 59.6 to 73.6 decibels, which is a tad quieter than other vacuums but still relatively standard (likely owed to the lack of a spinning brushroll).

Miele Guard M1 Parquet XL Brilliant: Vacuum Tests

I tested the Miele Guard M1 Parquet XL Brilliant on hard floors using our standardized vacuum tests on a half cup of flour and sugar (to test for dust and fine debris) and a cup of cereal and lentils (pantry test for medium-large debris).

Great performance on the flour and sugar test. Nothing was left behind after one pass with the regular floorhead. Then, using the Parquet Twister XL, the brushes pushed a little around, but there are gaps between them, so it just involved going over the patch again to make sure everything was picked up.

I ended up running the pantry test twice, because in my first attempt, the floorhead pushed the cereal forward rather than sucking it up. I expected this as the floorhead's opening is narrow and there's no roller to crush down the food pieces, so I removed the floorhead. Then, the suction was powerful enough to vacuum everything up – pieces were being collected from 1-2 inches away.

My testing unit didn't come with the attachments, but I've used all three – the upholstery nozzle, crevice tool, and dusting brush – in four other Miele vacuums, and found them to work really well. As Miele vacuums have such strong suction (the Guard M1 Parquet XL Brilliant included), these small cleaning tasks are made quick.

Miele Guard M1 Parquet XL Brilliant: Pet Hair Tests

I tested the Miele Guard M1 Parquet XL Brilliant at a local cat and dog shelter, Bristol ARC. This is how we gather proven results on real fur to hunt down the best vacuums for pet hair, while also seeing how the vacuum can handle a busy, messy environment with high foot (and paw) traffic.

Super satisfying performance. Everything was picked up instantly, and when using the Parquet Twister XL it felt as if I was simply moving a cushioned pad across the floor.

I also tried using the Guard M1 Parquet XL Brilliant on carpet, just to see if it does anything, and with my expectations managed as it is designed as a hard floor vacuum.

Movement was limited, I was mostly only able to slowly pull it backwards, but with enough force I pushed it back and forth and achieved a pretty decent clean by doing so. Every patch I vacuumed had no hair or debris left behind, but I wouldn't quite recommend it as one of the best carpet vacuums, as mess was caught in the floorhead pads:

Miele Guard M1 Parquet XL Brilliant: Setup and Maintenance

While paying for Miele HyClean Air CO vacuum bags is an extra step compared to bagless vacuum cleaners, it means that there's very little to do in terms of setting up and maintaining the vacuum.

There's no dustbin to empty, and as the bag is self-contained, some of the internal parts aren't being worn as much as they would be in a bagless vacuum. All that'll be required is to keep the floorheads clean, or remove canister blockages with a quarter if you ever need to.

The only setup involved is to attach the hose, handle, and floorhead together; then it's ready to use.

How Does the Miele Guard M1 Parquet XL Brilliant Compare?

The Miele Guard M1 Parquet XL Brilliant costs $599 at Miele USA and £349 at Miele UK. For a hard floor vacuum, that's pretty expensive – which is my biggest criticism of this model. It vacuums hard floors well, undoubtedly, but you can find other vacuums for a lot less that achieve a similar clean.

The Bissell Hard Floor Expert, costing $239.99 at Bissell, is the closest competitor we've tested. Like the Miele, it's a canister vacuum that's easy to use, has a large dust capacity, and vacuums hard floors well, but it's bagless and doesn't come with those recurring costs.

Alternatively, budget cordless sticks are great options for hard floors. They're lightweight and more convenient, while taking up less space, and without having your cleaning sessions restricted by a power cord.

The Dreame R20, often on offer for around $147.99 at Dreame, is a strong choice, with more powerful suction than other vacuums at that price point. Plus, it has a soft roller that helps to more effectively capture super-fine particles such as dust and allergens.

How I Tested the Miele Guard M1 Parquet XL Brilliant

I tested the Miele Guard M1 Parquet XL Brilliant using our usual vacuum testing methodology, consisting of standardized tests across flour and sugar, cereal and lentils, and pet hair.

But as this is a hard floor vacuum, I only ran the tests on hard floors (wood and linoleum), but I tested the suitability for carpet at the pet shelter.

I also assess the usability of all the features, and compare the price to similar models we've tested.

For more floorcare inspiration, see our tested guides of the best Dyson alternatives and the best robot vacuums.