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This quiet and long-lasting suction-only vacuum is great for bare floors and flat rugs. You can easily upgrade to a different cleaning head if you eventually buy low- or medium-pile rugs.

This nimble vacuum for hardwood floors and low-pile carpeting includes tools designed to do the job right. It has given one Wirecutter editor a decade of excellent, trouble-free cleaning.

RTINGS

Check out the Miele Classic C1 PowerLine Pure Suction if you're looking for a mid-range corded vacuum. It's a lot cheaper than the Miele Complete C3 Alize PowerLine and delivers similar overall debris pickup performance. However, it isn't as sturdily built and lacks the latter's onboard tool storage compartment. Still, it's highly maneuverable, thanks to its relatively compact size. User maintenance is also remarkably simple and hygienic, with easily-accessible self-sealing dirtbags.

However, this variant of the C1 only comes with a straight-suction floorhead and is best suited for bare floors and low-pile carpets, so you'll want to upgrade to a pricier variant with a powerhead if you have dense carpeting in your home. If you prefer using a stick vacuum, the Shark APEX UpLight is another good corded option that takes up less room while not in use, though it's more demanding in terms of maintenance and doesn't feel as sturdy.

The Miele Classic C1 PowerLine Pure Suction is a great option if you're looking to spend a little less on a bagged vacuum. This canister vacuum isn't as sturdily-built as the pricier Miele Complete C3 Alize PowerLine, but it still feels better built than a cheaper vacuum like the Kenmore Intuition Bagged. There's no onboard storage compartment, but you can mount some of its tools on the VarioClip accessory that sits at the base of its hose. This variant doesn't come with a HEPA post motor filter, but you can easily swap it out for a Miele HEPA filter if you want to further improve its air filtration performance, though this does come at an extra cost. Maneuverability is great thanks to the trio of caster-mounted wheels, and it's small enough to be stored upright in most closets.

This vacuum also offers strong performance and features six levels of suction power adjustment to adapt to many surface types. It performs exceptionally well on bare floors and does a good job of dealing with debris on carpeting, even with a basic straight-suction floorhead. You might want to upgrade to a pricier variant with a turbo brush or an electrobrush like the C1 Turbo Team or C1 Cat & Dog if you find yourself cleaning large amounts of dense carpeting, however.

The Miele Classic C1 PowerLine Pure Suction is the best mid-range canister vacuum we've tested. It's less sturdily built than the substantially pricier Miele Complete C3 Alize PowerLine and doesn't have an onboard tool storage compartment, but it's still a versatile canister vacuum equipped with the same powerful 1200 W suction motor. It easily clears away debris on bare floors and does a very good job on carpets, even with a relatively simple pure suction floorhead. It features six levels of suction power adjustment, so you can tweak its suction power to clean everything from carpeting to curtains. While it doesn't come with a HEPA filter included in the box, its GN AirClean 3D filter bags help limit the spread of fine particles as you clean.

This vacuum also has a simple design that's remarkably easy to maintain, though it incurs high ownership costs since you'll need to swap out its dirtbags and filters periodically. If you want a similarly-priced canister vacuum that uses larger dirtbags, the NaceCare HVR 200 Henry is worth a look, though it doesn't perform as well on carpeted surfaces.

The Miele Classic C1 PowerLine Pure Suction is a great option if you want a mid-priced vacuum with strong suction power. It uses the same 1200W suction motor as the pricier Miele Complete C3 Alize PowerLine, resulting in a similarly strong performance. However, the lower sticker price reflects in the lack of an onboard tool storage compartment and slightly less robust build quality. It offers six levels of power adjustment, enabling you to quickly adapt to a wide variety of surface types. Unlike the Dyson Ball Animal 3, this variant of the C1 only comes with a pure suction floorhead and is best suited for bare floors and low-pile carpeting. You'll want to upgrade to a pricier variant like the C1 Cat & Dog if you have denser carpeting and require a floorhead with a motorized brushroll.

This vacuum is also exceptionally easy to maintain. Unfortunately, it uses 2.5L dirtbags that are on the smaller side of things, and you'll have to swap in a new one periodically, along with its pre and post-motor filters. The similarly powerful Airsign HEPA Vacuum is a great alternative if you're worried about that, as you can buy it with a subscription package that ships a four-pack of dustbags and a new filter to your door every six months. Its default dirtbags are biodegradable, which is great if you're worried about the environmental impact of throwing them out. It feels less well-built than the Miele and has a shorter overall range.

Searching for a corded vacuum at a slightly more affordable price point? The Miele Classic C1 PowerLine Pure Suction is worth looking at. It's less sturdily built than the Miele Complete C3 Alize PowerLine and isn't as portable or as easy to deploy as a comparably-priced corded stick model like the Shark APEX UpLight. However, it's still a highly versatile vacuum with strong performance and a fairly dense feature set. It easily clears debris on bare floors and carpets, even with a simple pure suction floorhead. It features six levels of suction power adjustment, enabling you to adapt to different surfaces with the twist of a dial.

This vacuum is remarkably easy to maintain, though, like the C3, it incurs high recurring costs over time since you need to replace its filters and dirtbag periodically. Thankfully, its relatively compact size makes it easy to maneuver in tight spots. It doesn't make much noise, so you won't disturb people in nearby rooms while cleaning.

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