When it comes to choosing a canister vacuum, you’ll hear the name Miele recommended over and over again, and for good reason: they make the best on the market. They’re our tool of choice when tackling hardwood floors on professional jobs, but they can also do more-than-adequate jobs on carpet when properly equipped. Having recently reviewed the Compact C1 Onyx and Pure Suction canisters, today we’ll review and compare the Compact C2 Onyx and Compact C2 Quartz to determine which is the better all-around vacuum for families with hardwood and carpeted flooring. If you’re pressed for time, we recommend the Compact C2 Onyx, and you can buy it here.

Pros, Cons, and Key Features of the Miele Compact C2 Onyx Canister Vacuum, Obsidian Black – Corded (SDAE0) 

The Compact C2 Onyx distinguished itself straight out of the box with the inclusion of two dedicated brush heads to tackle the two environments most home owners are likely to encounter: smooth flooring (cleaned with the SBB 300-3 Parquet Twister head) and carpeted flooring (cleaned with the STB 205-3 Turbo Comfort Turbo Brush). Why is this important?

It’s important because the default combination head that ships with the Compact C1 and C2 lines, the SBD 285-3, does a good job on hardwood floors but struggles mightily when it comes to any kind of rug or carpeting, no matter how low the pile. This, in fact, is the most significant drawback to the Compact C2 Quartz. In contrast, with the Compact C2 Onyx, the Turbo Brush head easily powered through low-pile carpeting and did a fine job with medium-pile carpeting as well. We tried it briefly with high-pile carpeting and stopped after the vacuum began to struggle; this made sense since it’s not recommended for high-pile carpeting. We just had to try it for ourselves.

Aside from the newfound capabilities on low- and medium-pile carpeting thanks to the Turbo Brush head, the Parquet head is also an improvement over the standard combination head on hardwood flooring because it sucks up dirt and dust more effectively. One of the most common complaints we hear from people who vacuum hardwood floors is the tendency of their vacuums to simply blow dirt and dust everywhere due to the vacuum’s air stream. The Parquet minimizes wasted time and flying allergens while also offering 180 degrees of rotational flexibility. We found that helpful when squeezing behind furniture we didn’t want to take the trouble to move (e.g., pianos, television stands, and very, very large book cases).

Besides these features, the standard rotary dial power selector is present, allowing you to choose between 6 levels of power, with delicate curtains at one end and carpets at the other. A reduced noise mode is also present, and we can confirm its quietness; we were able to vacuum with a sleeping baby one floor above and trust us when we tell you that his parents were very, very appreciative. A standard AirClean filter is included, although you can upgrade to a HEPA filter later. The hose attached to the telescopic wand is extended, increasing your operating radius from under 30 feet in the C1 series to right around 33 feet by our measurements. The cleaning system is now sealed, unlike in the C1 series, which means fewer allergens and dirt escape from the vacuum during the cleaning process. Overall, we were thrilled with the Compact C2 Onyx and easily feel it’s the best canister under $500.

Pros, Cons, and Key Features of the Miele Compact C2 Quartz Canister Vacuum, Lotus White – Corded

From the outside, the Compact C2 Quartz looks more or less identical to the Onyx besides the color difference. If you look more closely, you’ll also notice the Onyx is named “Onyx” and the Quartz has, as you can imagine, “Quartz” stamped on the front of the canister. However, the real differences emerge when you take a look at the brush heads connected to the (stainless steel, of course) telescopic wand. As noted above, the inclusion of two dedicated brush heads on the Onyx made it more capable on both hardwood floors and low-to medium-pile carpeting. It wasn’t that the Quartz performed badly on hardwood and smooth flooring; to the contrary, it did very well. We just noticed that it had more of a tendency to blow some of the things we were vacuuming about than did the Onyx with the Parquet head, which meant we needed to spend a few more minutes covering the same areas in a given room with the Quartz than we did with the Onyx. Beyond that, the Quartz was not a happy machine on carpeting; it was able to handle low-pile carpeting but it wasn’t nearly as effortless of an experience there as it was when cleaning solid floors. We tried it on medium-pile carpeting and promptly decided against it, as the vacuum clearly struggled. Returning to low-pile carpeting and (even better) tile or hardwood flooring made the Quartz far more functional.

Besides this difference, virtually every other feature on the two vacuums is identical, whether in the button cord retract or in the 1,200 watt motor or in the the featherweight 14 pound canister and head combination. We were able to move the vacuum from one room to the next with a minimal amount of effort and enjoyed the vacuuming experience equally with both machines as long as each was used in an appropriate environment. Both vacuums come with a 7-year warranty for the motor and 1 year of warranty coverage for non-motor parts, which is an upgrade over the 5-year warranty in the C1 series.

Is the Compact C2 Onyx Worth it Over the Compact C2 Quartz?

In a word, yes. While both vacuums were extraordinarily capable at cleaning hard wood floors, the Onyx pulled far, far ahead when it came to tackling both low-pile and medium-pile carpeting and rugs. The Quartz is an excellent vacuum for smooth flooring, but if your home features more than the occasional rug, or features outright carpet, you’ll have a much more pleasant time using the Onyx to clean both than you will with the Quartz. If you don’t have carpeting and will use the machine nearly exclusively on smooth flooring, we happily recommend either machine.

You can buy the Miele Compact C2 Onyx here on Amazon. You can buy the Miele Compact C2 Quartz here on Amazon.

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