We’ve been in the cleaning business for most of our adult lives (and through looser child labor laws, long before then), and we’ve been at this long enough to definitively say that Miele makes better canister vacuums than uprights. It’s not that their uprights are bad; it’s just that they clearly spend more time developing their canisters. We appreciate that, since we depend on them for our income as full time cleaners. With that said, Miele still makes a number of uprights worth talking about, and we’re going to review two today: the Miele Dynamic U1 Twist and the Miele S7210 Twist to figure out two things. First, is there actually a difference between the two vacuums, and second, if there is, which does a better job cleaning hardwood floors and carpeting? If you’re in a hurry and ready to buy, here’s the spoiler: there’s no functional difference between the two, but the S7210 is usually cheaper, and you can buy it here.

What’s the difference between the Miele Dynamic U1 Twist and Miele S7210 Twist?

We’re going to save you some time here: there’s absolutely no meaningful difference between the Dynamic U1 Twist and the S7210 Twist; the Dynamic U1 Twist is simply Miele’s update to and rebranding of the S7210 Twist. We opened both machines up to compare them in addition to putting them through a range of cleaning tasks involving hardwood floors, low-pile, medium-pile, and high-pile carpets, and the end results were the same: both vacuums have the same strengths and weaknesses. The only significant difference between them that we were able to find is that the S7210 Twist typically costs less than the Dynamic U1 Twist. From speaking with Miele and our contacts around the United States and Germany, we’re pretty sure this is because Miele has scaled back production of the Dynamic U1 Twist (and all their uprights, in fact) in order to focus on their more profitable canister lines. It’s possible this might change in the future, but for the time being, you’ll save more money by buying the old version of the Dynamic U1 Twist instead of the current version. With that out of the way, Let’s take a closer look at the pros, cons, and key features of both vacuums.

Pros, Cons, and Key Features of the Dynamic U1 Twist and S7210 Twist

Both Twists feature the same 1,200 watt Vortex motor Miele inserts in all of their upright and canister vacuums, as well as the 2 motor system to control whether or not the electrobrush (an essential tool for medium- and high-pile carpeting) is activated. Both feature a 54 foot cleaning radius (essentially the length of the power cord and vacuum hose added together) and 3 integrated accessories (the dusting brush, the crevice tool, and the upholstery tool). The actual power cord length is 39 feet while the hose is 12 feet long. Both, as noted earlier, are capable of tackling smooth flooring, low-pile, medium-pile, and high-pile carpets.

In this respect, the Miele uprights continue to be a better value for families interested in all-in-one vacuum cleaners than their canisters, as you need to spend well into the $500 to find Miele canisters (e.g., the Compact C2 Electro+) capable of handling high-pile carpeting. Weight was manageable at just over 20 pounds; it was far more than comparable Miele canisters (e.g., the Miele Classic C1 Delphi clocks in at a featherlight 13 pounds while also including an electrobrush), but it didn’t stop us from climbing stairs with the Twist.

Overall, we found the Twist a sleek and capable vacuum for tackling a variety of household environments. It did particularly well in cleaning up after households with dogs, cats, and children. We enjoyed the ergonomic touches found throughout, such as the smoothly coated handle (which made it easier to push the vacuum back and forth for several minutes at a time) and the vacuum release pedal, which barely took any effort to release. Cleaning power is greater than what we’ve found from any Dyson yet, for people interested in comparing the two, and we were happy with the HEPA filtration.

Cons and Comparisons of the Twist to the Electro+ and Delphi – Long Term Reliability

The Miele canisters tend to last several months under our regime (the equivalent of several years in the average home) before we notice the first signs of wear. In contrast, we started noticing loose connections on the Twist (e.g., the HEPA filter started popping open and wouldn’t stay connected; the hose kept wanting to disconnect itself) after a couple of months of heavy use. This suggests the average family might start dealing with these issues within a couple of years of weekly use, which makes us reluctant to recommend the Twist for families interested in a “buy-it-for-life” vacuum. For such families, the Compact C2 Electro+ or Classic C1 Delphi would likely be better choices. As an aside, they’re both significantly lighter and offer just as much cleaning power in a compact package.

You can buy the Miele Dynamic U1 Twist here on Amazon. You can buy the Miele S7210 Twist here on Amazon. You can buy the Compact C2 Electro+ here and buy the Classic C1 Delphi here.

Canadians can buy the Electro+ here; unfortunately, the Twists and Delphi are no longer available.

If you find our research on PMC helpful, you can follow our efforts to keep maniacally reviewing home cleaning tools by shopping through our links above. We promise to keep fighting the good fight against every horror children, animals, and grown, yet messy humans can inflict upon a clean home.