With this in thoughts, when Miele confirmed me its new HX3 and HX3 Plus Aqua, I used to be skeptical it might be greater than an incremental leap, however after spending a while utilizing it on the Miele Expertise Middle in Manhattan previous to the IFA 2026 present in Berlin, I got here away impressed by a number of of the adjustments.
Miele is called probably the most respected manufacturers for dwelling home equipment and cleansing, however once we lab examined the Miele HX2 cordless vacuum final 12 months, we have been a bit let down by it — it carried out poorly in sand assessments for low and midpile carpet, and the design was a bit finicky to make use of in comparison with light-weight competitors from Dyson and Shark. It additionally value $1,100 at full worth, making it a tough promote.
To start out with, whereas there hasn’t been an entire redesign, one of many huge adjustments is rebalancing the burden distribution in order that extra of it’s on the backside, lowering the pressure up prime if you’re vacuuming. You too can change out the place the motor and waste bin are, relying on the way you connect the nozzles, so it’s as much as you the way you need the burden to fall.
A Miele consultant confirmed me an instance of how you may want it extra top-heavy if you’re utilizing it to scrub the corners of ceilings and higher-up spots. You too can convert it pretty simply again into the self-standing vacuum mode, a conventional stick vac or a handheld.
There are additionally different quality-of-life tweaks, like push-button controls, simpler dustbin emptying, finer particle seize, automated flooring-type detection and the flexibility to face upright. It affords 70 minutes of operating time, which Miele says needs to be ok to scrub 1,700 sq. toes in a single cost, and a few fashions have an prolonged battery included for much more juice. All key issues that I worth when vacuuming.
MieleThe massive enhancements are available efficiency. The HX3 has notably higher pickup on each carpet and arduous flooring. The Miele representatives even helpfully supplied me with some condiments to mimic sand and pet hair to attempt to suction up from the carpet. Whereas it wasn’t fairly the identical as CNET’s rigorous lab testing, the result of my vacuuming session supplied strong outcomes. The HX3 was in a position to take away most or all the pet hair with a single back-and-forth movement, whereas the imitation sand was no problem in any respect on hardwood (although that’s true of most vacuums and robotic vacuums we take a look at).
Total, the HX3 appeared to do an amazing job of choosing up grime and particles from totally different flooring sorts. There’s additionally a strong Increase mode that can provide you further suction past even the very best setting, but it surely drains the battery the quickest, so it’s restricted to simply 10 seconds.
The HX3 Plus Aqua is principally the identical because the common HX3; it simply comes with Miele’s first mopping attachment, the Aqua Tornado Floorhead. It consists of twin spinning mop pads which might be machine cleanable, a 300-milliliter water tank and a 360-degree gentle. I additionally took the mopping attachment for a spin, making an attempt out its totally different modes on arduous flooring to scrub stains and grime. Once more, the outcomes have been spectacular, with the quantity of water being allotted absolutely adjustable, permitting you to sort out greater messes and spills. When the mopping head is hooked up, Increase mode additionally dispenses extra water for 30 seconds, so it’s good to see the function has been built-in into each cleansing heads.
MieleWhereas there are two distinct fashions, the HX3 and HX3 Plus Aqua, there’s a considerably extra consumer-friendly worth unfold: The bottom HX3 begins at $849, whereas the top-tier HX3 Aqua Plus, with all of the equipment, together with the mopping head, runs $1,249. There are a variety of fashions in between, every with its personal worth and array of attachments, so I’m simply going to put them out in a listing beneath, pulled from the specs sheet.
- Triflex HX3 ($849)
- Included: MultiFloor XXL (SEB430), Accent Set (dusting brush, upholstery software, crevice nozzle, mounting clip), 1 Lithium-Ion Battery by Varta, Wall Mount with accent storage
- Triflex HX3 Hardfloor (Amazon unique) ($949)
- Included: MultiFloor XXL (SEB430), Accent Set (dusting brush, upholstery software, crevice nozzle, mounting clip), Hardfloor Curler (HX-HC10), 1 Lithium-Ion Battery by Varta, Wall Mount with accent storage
- Triflex HX3 Cat & Canine ($999)
- Included: MultiFloor XXL with headlight (SEB430), Accent Set (dusting brush, upholstery software, crevice nozzle, mounting clip), Electro Compact (HX-EC10), 1 Lithium-Ion Battery by Varta, Wall Mount with accent storage
- Triflex HX3 Plus ($1,099)
- Included: MultiFloor XXL with headlight (SEB430), Accent Set (dusting brush, upholstery software, crevice nozzle, mounting clip), Hardfloor Curler (HX-HC10), 2 Lithium-Ion Batteries by Varta, Wall Mount with accent storage
- Triflex HX3 Aqua ($1,049)
- Included: MultiFloor XXL with headlight (SEB430), Accent Set (dusting brush, upholstery software, crevice nozzle, mounting clip), AquaTwister Professional with 360 Gentle, Drip Mat, 2 Washable pads, FloorClean (17 fl.oz. bottle), 1 Lithium-Ion Battery by Varta, Wall Mount with accent storage
- Triflex HX3 Aqua Plus ($1,249)
- Included: MultiFloor XXL with headlight (SEB430), Accent Set (dusting brush, upholstery software, crevice nozzle, mounting clip), Harfloor Curler (HX-HC10), AquaTwister Professional with 360 Gentle, Drip Mat, 2 Washable pads, FloorClean (17 fl.oz. bottle), 2 Lithium-Ion Batteries by Varta, Wall Mount with accent storage
Miele additionally identified to me that the bottom specs and capabilities of every mannequin are the identical, so even in the event you purchase probably the most primary mannequin, you may choose up different attachments individually over time to construct the vacuum you need. I’m trying ahead to testing these on the CNET Lab, and we have already got the Aqua Plus in hand for our subsequent batch of assessments. Anticipate to see outcomes quickly.
Editors’ observe: Ajay Kumar’s journey prices for the IFA convention have been lined by Roborock. The judgments and opinions of CNET are our personal.
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