Duoflex HX1

I just bought the Miele and it's great but only had it for a bit so can't speak to its longevity

I bought the duoflex HX1 it was 150$ off

You're absolutely right, the best vacuum in the world does absolutely nothing if it just sits in a closet. A terrible vacuum used daily will keep yout home cleaner than a fantastic one used monthly etc. Definitely a point a lot of people miss. Most cordlesses in that price range will struggle to really lift embedded dirt from carpets. Usually I advocate for having a corded vac as the once-in-a-while deep cleaner, or as a standby if the cordless has issues. But having two vacs can be difficult space and price wise, I get it. You've done a good job summarizing the drawbacks of having only a cordless, and since you've made peace with that, here's what I'll say about your options. I'd still avoid the shark. Cordlesses in general aren't that reliable but sharks seem uniquely prone to really silly problems over time, from circuit board failures to joints and catches wearing out very quickly. And they require very regular filter cleaning to keep the suction strong, 3 filters in total on the stratos. These are issues Vacuumwars method of testing do not capture, and their performance figures are based on a brand new vac, not one which has been used for months/years. I'd recommend looking at the miele duoflex. It's about 499 CAD, a little over budget, but it's far better constructed than the sharks. It has one filter only, with a filter cleaning mechanism built in which helps knock dust off the filter. Generally fewer filters and parts which need cleaning. Plus the miele has a very substantial brush roller, it cleans carpets really deeply. Better than shark with it's rubber fin things. And you can attach the motorhead to the handheld for stairs. Main downsides are it's not the lightest cordless in the world (on par with the shark though) and the bin capacity is a little on the small side. The duoflex is one of the few cordlesses I think cleans carpets about as well as many corded models, if you're looking for the "lesser of two evils", it's a good choice.

Well ultimately if your wife has final sign off and she wants a dyson...well you know the rest. V15 is probably the model I'd suggest in that case, they seem to have fewer failures than other dyson models based on my anecdotal experience. That being said, cordlesses as a category don't appear to be awfully high quality. But there are options which at least inspire more confidence build-wise. The bosch unlimited 10 might be worth looking at. It's made in Europe and includes a 10 year motor warranty. Includes a lot of nice-to-have features including a flexible tube for cleaning under furniture without bending over (the unlimited 9 lacks this, if you'd prefer to avoid the added complexity), a battery time readout on the display, long runtime with rapid recharge time, dust sensor, quick release floorhead without needing to bend down, a dust compressor slider in the bin which helps it hold more fluffy debris like hair between emptying plus helps wipe off the mesh screen inside. It resists hair tangles and vacuums debris when pushed into or pulled backwards over the debris. Plus various small tools. It has a lot going for it, and probably the most fully featured European stick vac contender. The only downside I'd say is the lack of multicyclonic filtration, meaning dust will accumulate on the filter more quickly. Though it has a twist flick mechanism to dislodge dust from the filter, which then falls out of the bin when emptied. So, manual through cleaning of the filter shouldn't be required frequently. Just a few twists of the filter cleaning knob. Other notable options include the miele triflex or duoflex ranges. The triflex is made in Germany, it benefits from a unique design which allows you to configure it as a sort of mini-upright vacuum. It's really nice for floor cleaning in this configuration, it stands up on It's own and the weight isn't resting entirely in your hand like many stick vacs. Downside is, it takes more time to then switch it around for handheld use in that configuration. The triflex also lacks the runtime screen and other niceties from the bosch. The miele duoflex is another good choice. It's a solid feeling machine, though made in china. Good performance all around, just a bit less fancy than the bosch. It's advantage is good carpet performance, I'd consider it the best of the 3 on medium to thicker carpets though the triflex and bosch are solid as well. Honorable mentions would be the LG cord zero models and samsung bespoke jet (the only one on this list with a self empty station). I wouldn't say these are quite as well built as the bosch and miele options but they are still credible competitors and would be more budget concious choices.

If you're willing to do the staircases in batches, I'd consider a dyson car+boat as a handheld-only option. I don't often recommend dysons but for stairs, this would be a decent choice. Should perform well and filter better than most of the other cordless dustbusters out there. When used on normal setting you should be able to get through a staircase at a time or maybe one and a half. A more expensive but better choice would be the miele duoflex. It's more solidly built and has the bonus of being a stick vac. If used with It's main brush head, you can cover the stairs more quickly and it'll do a really good job. The brush roller is really substantial. You could also get the total care model if you would prefer to have a smaller brush head accessory. I had another look and there really aren't any corded options I can emphatically recommend. Not for carpeted stairs anyway. There are some decent mini canister style machines which can be carried with a shoulder strap, but I find them cumbersome as well.

Skip the dual purpose mop/vacuum machines. They are a messy pain to maintain and don't adequately vacuum rugs or carpets. I'd consider a Miele duoflex or Bosch unlimited 9. Both are solid qualtiy with a variety of small tools for detailed cleaning and have good filtration standards. Both perform very well across hard floors and carpets. The miele is a bit less expensive and lacks the dust sensor and battery readout screen on the Bosch. The Bosch resists hair tangles and the miele has a very easy to remove roller for quick cleaning. Also have a suggestion for an experiment when you do select a stick vac, let the roomba run and then vacuum the carpet with the stick vac right after. You might be surprised how much dust gets pulled up.

Sebo or miele if you want something high quality which will actually last 15+ years and be repairable should a part wear out. They have high performance and filtration standards. The shark is fine for 3 to 5 years with decent performance. The dyson, being cordless, you should only expect 2-4 years. And it won't have the performance of the others unless used on it's highest but shortest runtime mode. Kinda comparing apples to oranges here. If you need something immediately the shark is probably ok, but if you want something to last definitley go check out miele and sebo.

Just want to say that I recently picked up the Miele Duoflex HX1 ("extra" variant) at Costco for $449 CAD. First impressions are that this is a pretty serious machine, although it does have a fairly small dust bin. Like OP I wanted something I would actually use, because sometimes having to plug something in would totally make the difference between doing a quick vacuum, and not. I should also mention we have a bagged Canister vac for when we need some serious cleaning done. It's just a pain to lug around and is not stair friendly.

The duoflex is a good economic option. But what I like about the Triflex is that you can assemble the powerhead in a low position which takes most of the weight off the handle. I tried both and now only use it in this configuration.

I agree, the best vacuum for you is the vacuum you like to use. I really like the build quality of Mieles but their cordless vacuums only have a single cyclone which means the filter will get dirty faster and need more frequent cleaning. In addition to the Miele Duoflex I'd say to keep an eye out for the Miele Triflex. The Triflex is a little heavier but you can put the motor and weight on the bottom and then it can stand up on its own. There are several Triflex around the same price as the Duoflex so always look for the best deals. My usual recommended cordless vacuums the LG CordZero and Samsung Jet are way more expensive in Canada, really pricing them over the competition. I'd check out the Dreame Z20 $229 CAD. I like that Dreame's vacuums have removable batteries, multi-cyclonic separation, and led headlights on both powerheads. It isn't as well built as the Mieles but they're much cheaper and have 2 filters, 1 washable and 1 pleated filter. While they say you can wash the pleated filter I wouldn't. Most fine dust and hepa filters are degraded by water. There's also a Dreame Z20 Station which has a self-emptying base.