Miele Complete C2 Hard Floor Vacuum
- Details
Avg. consumer rating = 93/100
If you have smooth flooring - like hardwood, linoleum, stone, tile, etc., then the “Tech Blue” Miele Complete C2 Hard Floor canister vacuum is a great choice. This vacuum is getting mostly stellar reviews and ratings from owners and it comes with two cleaner heads. In addition, tools store on-board the vacuum for easy access and you get a retractable power cord and variable suction (6 power settings). This unit also has a fully sealed system which ensures high quality air filtration. However, the C2 Hard Floor is not the best choice if you have lots of carpet in your home. It is designed for smooth surfaces and some very low pile carpet and/or area rugs.
Quick Specs | |
Type | Canister |
Bagged/Bagless | Bagged |
Best for... | Hard Floors & Very Low Pile Carpet |
Pet Hair Features | No |
Approx. Weight | 8.8 lbs (canister only) |
HEPA Level Filtration | No |
Power Cord Length | 21 feet |
Motor Driven Brushroll | No |
Warranty | 1 Year P&L, 7 Years motor/housing |
We found C2 Hard Floor owner ratings from a few popular online retail outlets - see table below. These were used to calculate an average owner rating of 92.6 out of 100. This is referred to as the vacuum score and 92.6 is very good. You can compare it to the score of other Miele vacuums here: Miele Vacuum Ratings or you can view all vacuum scores in our Vacuum Cleaner Finder application.
Source | Consumer Rating | # Ratings |
Amazon | 4.6 stars out of 5 | 155 |
Overstock | 4.9 stars out of 5 | 18 |
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- Strong suction
- Variable suction
- Canister glides well on smooth surfaces
- Rubber wheels do not scratch flooring
- Includes two floorheads
- Parquet floorhead works very well on bare floors
- Retractable power cord
- Quality air filtering system
- Quiet operation
- Long hose
- Bags are easy to change
- Not good on carpet
- Fairly expensive vacuum
- No power ON/OFF control on handle
- Power cord is a bit short
The most frequent comment about this vacuum is that it generates very powerful suction. Almost every owner agrees that the C2 Hard Floor will pull up almost whatever debris you throw at it. Also, folks like the ability to dial down that suction when necessary using the variable suction dial on the canister body.
You can read more C2 Hard Floor owner comments on Amazon.
The Miele Complete C2 Hard Floor canister vacuum cleaner has a stainless steel telescopic wand with adjustable height. This makes it easy to do high ceiling cleaning, it provides a long reach, and it is helpful for creating a comfortable vacuuming position depending on our stature.
The vacuum has what Miele describes as a 33 foot cleaning radius. This can be a little annoying as most vacuums give you information on the length of the power cord. Miele doesn’t do this and prefers to provide an “overall reach” figure. I suppose it sounds better given the figure is larger. It appears that the Complete C2 Hard Floor has a power cord that is approximately 20-21 feet, and this has some owners complaining that it is too short. The 33 foot cleaning radius presumably includes the power cord, hose and wand.


Some vacuum cleaners claim to have variable suction but they simply have a slider on the handle that you can open to bleed off suction (sometimes called an air inlet valve). While this works it is not as precise or as energy efficient as the variable suction system provided by Miele (we should note here that the C2 Hard Floor also has an air inlet valve on the handle for quick access). The C2 Hard Floor has a rotary dial on the canister body that allows you to choose between 6 suction settings. Each of the 6 suction settings actually changes the speed of the vacuum motor and thereby adjusts overall suction.

- Upholstery and cushions
- Deep pile carpet and rugs
- Energy saving mode (also very quiet)
- Low pile carpet and rugs
- Bare floors and heavily soiled carpet/rugs
The unit comes with two floorheads:
- Parquet Twister XL Floorhead (model SBB 400-3)
- AllTeQ Combination Floorhead (model SBD 285-3)


The vacuum includes three tools (this is the case with many Miele canister vacuums), but unlike some models the tools all store inside a storage compartment built into the vacuum. This is handy as you have the tools with you at all times and you won’t find yourself heading back to the closet to find the right tool for the job. The tools include:
- Upholstery tool
- Crevice tool

The floorheads, tools, and wand all lock together (click into place). When attached these are “locked” and will not fall off or apart. To detach them you simply press a button. Some vacuums (often less expensive machines) use something called “compression fit”. With compression fit you push sections and tools together and then pull them apart. They do not click and lock together. Compression fit does work but it can also be annoying as tools/sections can come apart while you are vacuuming, and it can also be difficult to separate tools/sections (sometimes you may have pushed them together too hard).

The C2 Hard Floor has a pre-motor filter, a post motor filter, and sealed system construction (SSC). The post motor filter is called an AirClean filter and needs to be replaced about once per year (no washing and reusing filters here). Miele states that filtration combined with the sealed system will remove 99.9% of all fine particles. A sealed system simply means that all air entering the vacuum is forced through the filter(s) before being exhausted from the machine. The system is “sealed”. Some vacuums (often less expensive machines) do not have a sealed system and air can bypass the filter or sometimes leak out from poor seals or cracks even before reaching the filter.
- Active AirClean 50 filter (has an active charcoal layer to absorb odors - good for households with pets)
- HEPA AirClean 50 filter (will filter out very fine particles and even allergens).
The pre-motor filter is sometimes referred to as the motor protection filter. It should be changed every time you start a new pack of filterbags (typically 4 bags in a pack).
The Miele C2 Hard Floor uses AirClean 3D Efficiency GN dustbags. These have a fairly large 4.5 liter capacity as well as a self sealing opening which activates when you remove the bag. Large bags are nice as they don’t have to be replaced too frequently. The self sealing feature ensures no dust is released when changing a bag out. This is an advantage over many other bagged units and a significant advantage over most, if not all, bagless machines. The Miele bags are also very tough and are made of a 9-ply material. The vacuum also includes a bag change indicator which will tell you when a bag change is needed.
Many people ask if this vacuum cleaner is made in Germany or made in China. It appears that the Complete C2 Hard Floor is, in a way, both. It is assembled by Miele in China from some components made in Germany and other components made in China.
The Hard Floor is fairly lightweight with the canister itself only weighing in at 8.8 lbs. In addition, should you need to move the vacuum from room to room or even up and down a set of stairs, it does come with a built-in carry handle.
Other Features
The canister has a rubber strip around the perimeter to ensure that there is no scuffing or scraping of walls or furniture. In addition, the unit has a thermal switch which activates and shuts off the vacuum motor should it start to overheat. This may happen if, for example, a blockage in the airflow occurs. The thermal switch is designed to ensure the motor is not damaged.
The Miele Complete C2 Hard Floor carries a 1-year manufacturer’s parts and labor warranty plus a 7-year warranty on the motor and casing.
This is a 29 page manual (English only) that covers such things as finding the right filterbags and filters, when and how to change the filterbags and filters, how to upgrade the exhaust filter, vacuum cleaning and care, FAQ, contact information, optional accessories, and warranty information. Also a diagram of the vacuum is provided with a description of all relevant parts and features. In addition, you will see details about attaching the suction hose, adjusting the telescopic wand, adjusting the AllTeQ floorhead, using the accessories, using the power cord, opening the air inlet valve, regulating the variable suction, etc. You can see a copy of the manual here: Miele Complete C2 Hard Floor Manual