German-built and styled, the Miele Blizzard CX1 cat and dog vacuum is a premium bagless vacuum cleaner, built with the user and performance in mind.
The added features of the Blizzard CX1 will help you to maximize the cleanliness of your home and is built to last the test of time.
With its premium materials and stylish Euro styling, it’s hard not to love the looks and feel of this premium Miele vacuum cleaner.
Now with the introduction of the Boost CX1 Cat & Dog vacuum, we hope it doesn’t spell the end of the German-made Blizzard CX1.
Quick Review
Looking for a new vacuum is a daunting task and let’s face it, a bit on the boring side. It seems that the current trend of cordless and bagless vacuums has caused a lack of innovation in the old corded vacuum realm.
Cordless and bagless vacuums are a breakthrough in technology, but have their place. Although battery life and charge times are improving, they’re not quite a perfect replacement for corded vacuums in certain situations.
Miele however continues to produce corded vacuums that are innovative and user friendly.
With endless power and the unrelenting suction of the Miele Blizzard CX1 cat and dog means you decide what and how you want to clean, meaning no waiting for batteries to charge and having the ability to do deep cleans.
Miele advertises the Blizzard CX1 as having ‘Vortex technology’ and ‘ComfortClean’.
- Vortex technology: Essentially Vortex technology ensures fine and course particles are collected and separated efficiently and effectively.
Coarse particles get forced into the clear dust collection bin whereas fine particles are forced into a separate filtered container.
- ComfortClean: this feature automatically senses the cleanliness of the fine particle filter and self cleans when required by switching off for around 20 seconds.
You can also manually override this function and have it clean itself when you wish. This makes sure that your vacuum is running at its optimum at all times.
The Blizzard CX1 cat and dog PowerLine – SKCR3 comes with these attachments:
- SBD 365-3 AllTeQ Vacuum Floorhead: Suitable for both hard floors and carpets, it has bristles for hard floors that retract into into the head, and a smooth metal plate for glideing on carpet
- Turbobrush STB 305-3 TurboTeQ: suited to short pile carpets it makes light work of pet hair stuck in the fibres of your carpet.
- Crevice nozzle: Great for cleaning the nooks and crannies of couches or even in-between car seats. The crevice nozzle stows in the vacuum itself, right next to the dust bin.
- Upholstery nozzle: The upholstery nozzle makes cleaning things such as couches and curtains easy. The upholstery nozzle is also stowed at the back of the vacuum on the opposite side of the crevice nozzle.
- Integrated dusting brush: The dusting brush is integrated into the handle, you simply detach the telescopic tube and engage the brush by pulling it down, it then pushes back up when not in use.
Miele is known for being a premium brand and its price tag does reflect that, although not being the most expensive corded, bagless vacuum on the market.
Although within the Miele range of vacuums it is one of the most expensive, up there with the Complete C3 Cat & Dog Bagged Vacuum Cleaner.
Miele Blizzard CX1 Cat & Dog Vacuum price and availability
- Three Blizzard CX1 models available in Aus
- Four Blizzard CX1 models available in USA
- Three Blizzard CX1 models available in UK
There are multiple Blizzard models available but depending where you are in the world, determines which models are available to you.
When it comes to the cat & dog models, they will have at a minimum the turbo brush head and HEPA AirClean lifetime filter.
If you don’t have a cat or dog, there’s CX1 models available without things like the turbo brush head or HEPA AirClean lifetime filter and are slightly cheaper.
In Australia there’s three models available;
- Blizzard CX1 PowerLine – SKRR3 Graphite grey AU$699
- Blizzard CX1 Excellence PowerLine – SKCR3 Lotus white AU$749
- Blizzard CX1 Cat & Dog PowerLine – SKCR3 Mango red AU$849.
To shop or check the latest information in Australia, you can visit the Miele Australia Shop Website.
In the USA the four models are;
- Blizzard CX1 PureSuction PowerLine – SKRE0 Graphite grey $599
- Blizzard CX1 TurboTeam PowerLine – SKCE0 Tech blue $649
- Blizzard CX1 Lightning PowerLine – SKCE0 Obsidian black $849
- Blizzard CX1 Cat & Dog PowerLine – SKCE0 Lotus white $949.
To shop or check the latest information in America, you can visit the Miele USA Shop Website.
In the UK the three models are;
- Blizzard CX1 Blue PowerLine – SKRF3 Tech blue £339
- Blizzard CX1 Total Solution PowerLine – SKCF3 Lotus white £439
- Blizzard CX1 C&D Flex – SKCF5 Graphite Grey £459.
To shop or learn more about the latest information in the UK, you can visit the Miele UK Shop Website.
Prices are from the Miele websites and their respective regions.
Miele Blizzard CX1 Cat & Dog PowerLine - SKCR3 Design and Build
- Sleek and stylish
- 2L dust bin
- Excellent manoeuvrability
Who would have thought that a vacuum could look cool, the Miele Blizzard CX1 cat and dog PowerLine – SKCR3 vacuum cleaner definitely does, especially with its bright mango red colour.
German designed and made, this vacuum has a European styling about it, looking almost like a premium sports car or some sort of spaceship.
The build is top notch, with everything feeling of a certain premium. The plastics don’t feel cheap or toy like giving the vacuum a solid feel.
Along with the vacuum itself the attachments also feel like they can withstand the pressures of frequent use.
Everything clicks together with a satisfying click and feels tight without any leaks. When it comes to pulling things apart, things are tight but you don’t need super human strength to get things apart again.
At 18.87 lbs (8.56kg), it’s a little on the heavy side, but this definitely doesn’t effect its manoeuvrability, having four castor wheels means it’s far more nimble than much smaller vacuums and you don’t have to worry about it toppling over.
The little castor wheels do somehow manage to roll over the power cable with a little extra encouragement.
The cable length is 24.6ft (7.5m) giving you an operating radius of 36ft (11m), the cord is retracted simply with a tap of the cable rewind button, which retracts it at lightening speed.
Parking the Blizzard is easy, having a stow point on the side of the vacuum for the floorhead. This way you can park it while you’re in the middle of vacuuming.
When it comes to storage you can store the vacuum vertically thanks to the stowing point on the underside of the vacuum, reducing the floorspace required for storage.
Controls are straight forward with just the basics; with a large on/off button, cable retract button and comfort clean button.
Suction is controlled with a rotary dial with settings from minimum to maximum.
Nothing complex here, so the kids or even the most technologically challenged have no reason to avoid using this one.
Being a bagless vacuum, the savings made by not having to purchase replacement bags over the years can be fairly substantial, not to mention a time saver.
Having a dustbin volume of 2L (0.07 cu. ft.) means you can really get to work without continuously needing to empty the dustbin every 5 minutes compared to some smaller bagless vacuums.
The handle fits comfortably in your hand and keeps the tube out of the way while you push the head back and forth.
There’s a good amount of adjustment in the telescopic tube so it’s able to suit short and tall users easily.
Because there isn’t a motor on the handle (not to mention pesky power triggers), you don’t get the arm fatigue you get with the cordless style vacuums, making full house cleans not such an ordeal.
For use on both hard floors and carpets, the SBD 365-3 floorhead is gentle to use on wood or tile flooring and once the hard bristles are retracted you can use it on carpets and rugs. This is basically the ‘go to’ floorhead in most cases.
Deep cleaning carpets can be done by using the Turbobrush STB 305-3 with its stiff bristles, powered by the suction of the vacuum itself.
Although the turbo brush doesn’t easily pull apart for cleaning, it has a groove that runs the length of the rolling brush so you can cut any coiled up hair or fur with scissors and dispose of it easily.
Once you unclip the telescopic tube, the handle can then be easily used with the upholstery and crevice tools for a deep couch or car clean.
Along with these and other tools you can get into all the nooks and crannies of pretty much anywhere or anything, for a thorough clean.
Keeping in mind the weight of the machine, it could make it difficult for some users to clean on top of curtain pelmets or tall kitchen cupboards. A change of technique might be required, where you use a duster and clean up with the vacuum after or find someone with the muscle who loves vacuuming!
With ComfortClean it ensures the fine dust HEPA filter is performing optimally, Miele does recommended cleaning it thoroughly once or twice a year. Despite this the Blizzard CX1 is relatively maintenance free.
Miele Blizzard CX1 Cat & Dog Vacuum performance
- Uninterrupted suction
- 4 suction/power levels
- Easy to pull back head on carpet
- No static shocks
During testing of the Blizzard CX1 Cat & Dog, we used the highest setting the whole time for carpets, rugs and tiled floors.
This isn’t a problem for this corded vacuum with its uninterrupted supply of power.
Not having to buy extra battery packs or having to buy replacement packs once those eventually fade and die, feels like a win in our book.
On any thicker rugs or handmade ones we opted to use the regular floor head instead of the turbo brush. Unfortunately on the Blizzard CX1 PowerLine – SKRR3, you don’t have the ability to reduce the suction or power at the handle which probably is the only issue we have with our model. You can however, reduce the suction on the turbo brush head and the power level on the vacuum.
The turbo brush easily pulls pet fur and human hair easily from deep within the carpet, leaving it noticeably clean.
When using the turbo head set on the maximum power setting the Blizzard CX1 Cat & Dog is surprisingly quiet, not going over 75dB* when the turbohead is down on the carpet. Importantly there’s no high pitched whistles or strange loud noises from either the motor or power head.
*dB measurement was taken with an Apple Watch series 7 while using the Turbobrush and within close proximity (under 3ft away) on a carpeted surface. When lifting the Turbobrush off the carpet we measured close to 84dB.
Pushing the turbo head on carpet is very easy, the brush almost pulls itself forward yet it’s still easy to pull back.
Even with the regular floorhead it pushes smoothly across carpet and when you pull it back it doesn’t bounce or stick.
Another bonus is that when vacuuming carpets you don’t get the static build up and eventual static shock from the metal telescopic tube if you touch it, unlike other vacuum cleaners.
For cleaning couches or pet beds using the upholstery tool makes things easy, although being a cat and dog vacuum it would have been nice if the wider tool was included or even the turbo mini turbobrush.
On the topic of the upholstery tool, we found ourselves occasionally knocking the tool from its holder when in use. It’s not a big deal, more of an inconvenience.
Having a long suction hose and telescopic tube means that your overall reach is around 9.5 ft (2.9m), making it easy for getting cobwebs and dust off things like light fittings and ceiling fans.
The retractable handle brush is good for cleaning around flatscreen tvs and entertainment systems.
Emptying dust bins can be a real pain on some vacuums, mostly due to poor design where the lid doesn’t open fully or it has spots where rubbish gets stuck when emptying.
With the Blizzard CX1, the fine dust particles are trapped by the HEPA filter so it doesn’t get into your face when emptying, also the lid opens fully and is made smooth so rubbish comes out easily.
Should I buy the Miele Blizzard CX1 Cat & Dog Vacuum
Buy it if you
- Have a large home: running out of battery and then having to wait to charge it is a pain. With the Blizzard CX1 Cat & Dog, there’s no need to wait. The large dust bin also lets you get some actual vacuuming done before having to empty it again, which saves you time.
- Have pets that constantly shed their fur: fur can sink deep into carpet pile and becomes a pain to remove. The turbohead brush gets right in there and removes the fur and hair embedded in the carpet.
- Need a vacuum cleaner with less noise: scaredy cats or dogs absolutely hate vacuums, but the quieter they are the more likely you’re not going to freak your furry friend out. As mentioned, the Blizzard CX1 is quiet for its power in fact so quiet you could easily vacuum in one room and have someone sleeping in another.
Don’t buy it if you
- Have a small home with tight areas throughout: if you’re in a one or two bedroom apartment then this vacuum probably is a bit of an overkill for you. With substantially smaller areas a cordless vacuum such as the Triflex HX1 is ideal.
- You’re deadset against cords: obviously if cords are a deal breaker, this isn’t for you. Just remember there’s always a trade off even with the most expensive cordless vacuums.
- You’re on a tight budget: The Miele Blizzard CX1 Cat & Dog definitely isn’t the cheapest vacuum on the market but, it is well priced for the quality. Saying that, there are other vacuums in the Miele range that can still do an excellent job for your home. Consider the Boost CX1 Cat & Dog or other models within the series which are considerably cheaper.
