I’m a single mom with a toddler and a dog in the house — keeping things clean is a full-time job, and that’s before I sit down to write about fitness for Tom’s Guide. Recently, I swapped my cordless Dyson V8 for the corded Miele Guard M1 Cat and Dog Flex cleaner, and I’m never going back.

The Dyson V8 is a cordless vacuum, which is often on sale for $589 in the US, but you can often find it on offer for a lot less. The Miele Guard M1 is a bagged canister vacuum, which is around the same price in the US. I put the two head-to-head over a month of testing

5 reasons I’m not going back to my Dyson after testing the Miele Guard M1:

It’s so much more powerful

While the Dyson V8 is fantastic for nipping around the house and giving it a quick clean, it has always struggled with the excessive amount of pet hair on the floor. The suction power of the Dyson V8 is 150 Air Watts (AW) in the Power mode, and I found I had to use the vacuum in Max mode to pick up all of the hair, especially on carpet.

When I compare this to the Miele Guard M1, there’s a clear difference. The Miele Guard M1 has a suction power of 1,200 AW, and I noticed the difference immediately. I tested the Cat and Dog version, which comes with an extra air-driven turbo brush that works well on both hard floors and carpet. The M1 has four different suction levels, which can easily be adjusted using the buttons on the front of the vacuum.

I don’t have to worry about it running out of charge

Dyson says the Dyson V8 has a maximum run time of 60 minutes, but when you have to keep switching to Max mode, it definitely doesn’t last even half as long. In fact, if you only use the vacuum in Max, it lasts seven minutes. I’d struggle to deep clean my relatively small two-bed house with my Dyson, especially if I wanted to vacuum the skirting boards and stairs. The vacuum charges from empty to full in four hours, but if it dies mid-clean, this can be frustrating.

Without stating the obvious, the cordless design of the Miele Guard M1 removes this race against the clock when it comes to a deep clean. It’s a no-brainer if you have a larger house or pet hair to fight against.

It’ll last me longer

Lithium-ion batteries, like the one in the Dyson V8, degrade over time, and a common complaint is that within five years, the battery life will noticeably drop. The Miele Guard M1 doesn’t have this issue. My mom has the same machine and has been using hers for 20 years without any issue. The German motor inside the Miele Guard M1 is built to last.

I actually find it more comfortable to use

The reason I originally opted for a cordless design when buying a vacuum a couple of years ago was that I thought it would be lighter and more comfortable to use. While the Dyson V8 wasn’t uncomfortable, I did find it heavier than expected, especially as, by design, the weight is entirely in your hand/wrist. I also wished the vacuum had a button to keep it turned on, as during a longer clean, holding it down made the handle dig into my hand.

By contrast, the weight distribution of the Miele Guard M1 was mostly on the floor, making it more comfortable to vacuum for longer periods. Even when vacuuming the stairs, I didn’t find the Miele Guard M1 particularly heavy to manoeuvre around. Oh, and that cord I was dreading is 7.5 meters long, with an 11-meter operating radius, so I never had to stop to move it to a different plug socket, as I was able to reach every room in my house with ease.

It’s great for the car

The Miele Guard M1 comes with three different attachments, which are stowed in the front of the machine. I found these extremely useful for vacuuming small spaces and tackling the pet hair and crumbs that inevitably build up in the car. The constant high wattage helped remove embedded dust and pet hair that the Dyson couldn’t touch.

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Jane McGuire is Tom's Guide's Fitness Managing Editor, which means she looks after everything fitness-related - from running gear to yoga mats. An avid runner, Jane has tested and reviewed fitness products for the past ten years, so knows what to look for when finding a good running watch or a pair of shorts with pockets big enough for your smartphone.