Homes and Gardens rated the Guard L1 Cat & Dog five stars after testing it in its test center, a pet shelter and a home, measuring 33.1 mph airflow at max suction against 23 mph for the Dyson V15 Detect. Reviewed called carpet performance exceptional and praised the foot-tap controls and 15-pound canister. Both flagged real costs: hair wraps around the brushroll, the floor heads swivel only about 45 degrees, and the US price is $899. It suits pet owners who want the strongest cleaning and will pay for it.
Full review
Suction that topped every test
Homes and Gardens tested the US Guard L1 Cat & Dog in its test center, in a Bristol cat and dog shelter and in the reviewer's home, and rated it five stars, calling it the most effective of the 86 vacuums it had tested. Using an anemometer it measured 17, 23.9, 28.1 and 33.1 mph across the four suction levels; for comparison, its previous best-on-test, the Dyson V15 Detect, reaches 23 mph.
Reviewed's editor in chief David Kender reached a similar conclusion on carpet: running the 1200-watt motor with the TurboTeQ turbobrush at full power pulled long-forgotten grit out of his rug, and the cleaning power surpassed his 11-year-old Miele. Reviewed lists it as its best canister vacuum upgrade.
Design and controls
Reviewed singled out the four large foot buttons on the canister (power, more suction, less suction, cord rewind), the dust brush built into the handle, and a furniture tool that rotates from crevice tool to upholstery brush and folds into a pocket in the canister. Homes and Gardens also praised the onboard attachment storage and the ability to dock the floorhead to the canister.
Homes and Gardens weighs it at 15 pounds and lists a 24-foot cord with 36 feet of total reach. Reviewed found the Active AirClean filter well suited to neutralizing pet odors.
What the reviewers did not like
Homes and Gardens found hair wraps around the brushroll and has to be cut free. Reviewed found neither included floor head swivels far enough (about 45 degrees, against 90 on the Classic C1), so getting into corners means switching tools more often; Miele sells the Parquet Twister head separately to fix that. Reviewed's telescoping wand also came loose from the handle several times, and the upholstery tool was startlingly loud at full power.
Homes and Gardens' first sample was faulty; Miele replaced it within two days. Bags and a filter cost $28.99 for a pack of four bags plus one filter at Miele USA, according to Homes and Gardens.
Price
Both outlets list $899 at Miele USA. Homes and Gardens notes the same machine costs £399 in the UK and suggests US buyers wait for a sale.
Strengths
- +Homes and Gardens measured 33.1 mph airflow at max suction, the strongest of the vacuums it has tested
- +Reviewed found carpet cleaning with the TurboTeQ head exceptional, stronger than the reviewer's old Miele
- +Foot-tap controls for power, suction and cord rewind on top of the canister (Reviewed)
- +Attachments store in the canister, including an integrated dust brush and a fold-away 2-in-1 upholstery tool (Homes and Gardens, Reviewed)
Watch-outs
- −Hair wraps around the brushroll (Homes and Gardens)
- −Neither included floor head swivels far enough, about 45 degrees, per Reviewed
- −Reviewed's telescoping wand separated from the handle several times during testing
- −Expensive in the US: $899 at Miele USA versus £399 in the UK, per Homes and Gardens
How it compares
Reviewed's David Kender, a long-time Classic C1 owner, found the Guard L1 produced noticeably stronger suction than the Classic C1, with a lighter canister and longer cord, but its floor heads swivel about 45 degrees against the Classic C1's full 90. Homes and Gardens rated it above the bagless Blizzard CX1 Cat & Dog, which it found less powerful.
Rating sources
Counts as 4.91/5 in our score — this publisher's 25 scores on the site average 4.28, so its scores are adjusted down to compare fairly with other publishers.
Counts as 4.41/5 in our score — this publisher's 4 scores on the site average 4.38, so its scores are adjusted down to compare fairly with other publishers.
Our 4.7 score is the average of these published ratings, each adjusted for how strictly its publisher scores. More about methodology.
