They should both last long. The Miele S1 Guard has the new bag dock which should prevent the bag from leaking in the compartment from misalignment. The S1 doesn't have any of the drawbacks of the Miele L1 like the downgraded pre-motor filter and the compromised combo tools.
As long as you learn to re-seat the bag on the C1 I would say it is equal in cleaning to the S1 Guard so choose whichever has the better sale. Australia got a lot more motor options than the U.S. so also check which model is coming with bigger motor.
We don't get the S1 Guard in the U.S. yet but I was surprised to learn the S1 Guard Junior has a 2 piece metal wand while the S1 Guard has a telescoping metal wand. So that may be a deciding feature for you.
The suction only Mieles are great for hard floors. You can always add a turbo brush later if you get low pile carpets or rugs but turbos aren't good for high pile, plush, and shag carpets.
I'm not familiar with Australian stores but I found this [Miele C3 Total Care](https://www.thegoodguys.com.au/miele-complete-c3-total-care-bagged-vacuum-bronze-pearl-12396520) $294 AUD at The Good Guys. It looks like an in-store only but I would buy it over the S1 Guard Junior. The C3 has the same bag re-seating issue but once you learn that the C3 has a longer cord, a tool storage compartment, and this model comes with the turbo floor brush and the mini turbo brush.
If you only have tile a suction-only canister vacuum will work well. You don’t need a carpet powerhead since you don’t have carpets, but if you find a good deal on a vacuum with a carpet powerhead you can just leave the powerhead on the side. I’d look for a Miele C1, Miele C3, Sebo K2, Sebo E1, Sebo D1, or Henry 160. They’re all very good canister vacuums.
I like Sebos more than Mieles because they are a little more durable. You have to be more careful that a used Miele wasn’t abused by running it without a bag or using generic bags that let dust wear down the motor.
There are a number or commercial canister vacuums that are also good at hard floors like the Nilfisk GD930. If you find a good enough deal can be attractive.
Electrolux canister vacuums are pretty solid, the old brick looking ones. I’m not the biggest fan of them as they don’t roll as well as newer canisters.
Avoid Kirbys, they’re made for carpets and avoid Rainbow vacuums as the water creates more work and weight.
Hope that helps.
Miele's bagged canister vacuums are good but their cordless and bagless vacuums aren't as good. I recommend looking at the Henry Quick Cordless. It's one of the few cordless vacuums that uses pods/bags so you don't have messy emptying or filters to wash. They have removable and replaceable batteries and they hot swap so if you buy a second battery you can change it anytime.
My Miele pearl is at least 15 years old, still a beast. I don't use it that much any more because I have a Roomba now and it cleans every day wonderfully and I only break out the canister occasionally now for corners and cobwebs and such.
We just got the Miele c3 complete care and it’s great. It doesn’t have a power head but we wouldnt use that on our area rugs anyways (it has an air powered spinning brush head if you wanted to use that)…the suction is really powerful, and picks up dog hair super easy.
Personally I'm not usually a fan of turbo heads but as far as they go, the turboteq that miele has is definitely my favorite.
Is there any chance there's a vacuum store near you where you could go try one out?
If you can find a used Miele canister, I have had mine coming up on 20 years and it's still amazing. They're pricy, but it's a buy once, cry once kind of thing.
Everyone I know who has ripped through cheap vacs and finally settled on a Miele wishes they had just bought the Miele to begin with. I have had mine for 20 years and love it as much now as I did when I bought it.
I get not wanting to spend big bucks on something that you might not use for its intended lifetime (not saying you're old, but the Miele could last 4 decades) but, since you mentioned a grandson, you must have a son or daughter you could hand it down to :)
SumGai7
