We purchased a Miele two years ago to vacuum hardwood, rugs and cat hair. This thinks SUCKS -- in a good way! We love it, best vacuum we've ever owned. i thought my wife was crazy for spending $900 or so on it, but it has been great.

There are lots of Miele cannister fans on this site and I'm one of them. We have hardwood, carpet and a cat. Mine Miele is called Bahama Blue, but I'm not sure if they are offering that particular model (combination) anymore. Miele's product lineup is a little confusing, so do some research on the web sites, and try to visit a local dealer if possible. You won't be disappointed.

We bought a Miele canister vac for our new house, after having a central vac system in our former house & upright before that. My last experience with a canister was a really cheap one when we first married. What a difference! The Miele blows them all away! Of course, for the price it should, and it does.

We got a new Miele canister (the red case) about 2 months ago. SUCKS great and love it so far! We have carpet and tile floors.

Bought from a local vacuum shop and Miele dealer who has been in neighborhood for years. Cost $689 (no CA tax if you paid by check). They even threw in an extra couple of paks of bags. As I recall, the price it was about $20 less than online.

I especially like the low height of the power head and the floor brush that allow you to go under furniture much better than most heads of other models and brands.

I have had a Miele canister for the past 11 years and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it. I have never had a moment's trouble with it and it has not lost an ounce of performance. It's the Platinum model, I believe it's classified as a "midsize". I don't know if it's made anymore, but it was about $900 back then and has been worth every cent. Besides the power, I really like that it tracks so well behind me as I move around, it stands up solidly when I need to reach up, and the tools are nicely positioned inside. It's a VERY well designed machine. Once my son knocked the lid off the tool compartment by bending it too far back. I was sure he'd broken it, but it just snapped back on. As I said, nice design. I also have the more powerful powerhead for carpets, which is equally terrific. I would not hesitate to buy another Miele vac should this one ever die. Oh my gosh, I can't believe I just went all gushy about a vacuum cleaner...

I have a basic blue Miele (Plus, I think). I paid $400 for it waaaay back in 2001. I haven't had any problems with it. It vacuums very well, and is very quiet. My Dad, who is an old-school "American-built" kind of guy, has been very impressed with it over the years. When the 'rents come to visit, they end up using it a lot :-)

Oh, I also have three cats. It picks up a lot of hair from the carpet, although most of my flooring is hardwood.

-Neil

I have had 2 Kenmore Progressive vacuums and they each lasted about 2-3 years. I recently bought an upright Sebo and I love it! Vacuum place told me they never have to fix them---they last for years!!

Ok, I guess I will be the different one. I have the new Kenmore canister and I love it. I have tile carpet and wood floors, a hairy cat and a golden retriever. This is my second kenmore. The first one lasted 12 years. And that was thru the last 6 years of DIY construction. As a matter of fact, that one is still working.The hoses are starting to go. The new one cleans so well it looks like I brough new area rugs. And yes, it sure does suck. I don't mind vacuuming anymore. I even take it out to do the kitchen instead of sweeping after dinner. Remember you can buy a kenmore and return it if you dont like it.
Lynn

Another endorsement for Miele here. I don't about the Kenmore, but Miele machines come with HEPA filters which greatly reduce the amount of dust that gets recirculated into the air. We've had the Miele for about 10 years, and are very satisfied. They're costly but worth it.

We now have a Miele and love it as I stated above.

BUT, we did NOT like the Eureka canister we got from Costco for about $300. It wouldn't roll well on carpet, the plastic connections at the power head broke, and two months ago the motor started smelling like wire burning. It didn't last but two years. However, our first Eureka canister was great - it lasted 20+ years. Eureka vacuums were made better years ago...at least our old one was.

Love our MIELE vaccuum! It's 12 years old & runs perfectly. Carpet & hardwood floors. And lots of cat fur.

Miele appliances are built to last 20 years. The cost averages out over their life span.

A good choice for the environment too, since you don't have to buy a new vaccuum every few years.

They have the HEPA filter which is very important.

Check out the Miele website for info. They have local demonstration centers where you can try out the different models "live".

Miele has a trusted reputation for excellent build quality & outstanding customer service.

Kenmore canisters are good, but not great and not built for the long haul. We went through 3 Kenmore canisters, each lasting 3 - 5 years, before biting the bullet and buying a Miele. I will never regret the expense. It is an incredible vacuum and the Kenmore just doesn't come close. I have the Aluminium with the basic head and the powerhead as well. I have tile, carpet, linoleum, 2 cats, a dog and kids. I love my Miele!!!

Thanks for the great advice-Wow-sounds like the Miele is the way to go- now which model- they have some that are $400-500- are these going to be as good and reliable or do you have to buy the $900 one to get these great results? nodirthere (reference that I don't garden-I have lots of dirt here!)

The $500 Miele Plus is 3 generations old but a well liked machine. It has an exposed wire that must be taken off to put on the floor brush. The Newer 5000 series, $779+ are direct connect and have a superior SEALED Hepa filtration System.

Buying an expensive vacuum vs a cheaper one: With the cheaper one you get something NOW that you can afford, nothing wrong with that. If you HAVE the disposable income, you get a better machine that lasts longer, can be repaired easily and is healthier for your home and family.

MYTH BUSTER: Vac shops do not make all their money by selling vacuum bags..LOL.

I have a Miele Red Velvet, which I think is discontinued. It has a HEPA filter, good electric power head, floor brush, adjustable suction, and a sealed system. The sealed system is important so the only air coming out of your vac's exhaust is filtered air; otherwise, you get unfiltered dusty air "leaking." I paid $1200.00 or something like that.

On the other hand, I had a Eureka Europa canister vac before this one with ALL the same features--paid maybe $500.00 for it (ten years ago?) and the Miele cleans no better than the Eureka did, which is to say they both clean(ed) very well. The Eureka, unfortunately, broke down regularly, both within the warranty period and afterwards and was not easily repaired. I think if the Miele lasts like it is supposed to, the money spent will be worth it.

On the other hand, if you shop carefully and buy a less expensive machine, you can still find the same features and get the same level of cleaning. Do your research on line. For allergy reduction, supposedly a sealed system is best.

I am sort of on the fence about recommending Miele vacuums. I have the Zephyr model(exclusive to Williams Sonoma but it's the same model that is sold elsewhere just a different name)which seems to do better on hardwoods than on carpet. I would like it to have stronger suction and I always use it on "high."

On the other hand, I do feel that it is well made and I like that it is relatively lightweight and quiet.

I was able to buy it for 10% at Williams Sonoma because I had a gift registry and they sent me a coupon for 10% off anything left in my registry. With free shipping it was the best deal I could find. However, recently I have seen Miele canisters on sale at PC Richard and a couple other stores and I was thinking they are getting ready to introduce new models.

I wish that I had a Kenmore Progressive to compare it to.

Here is a link that might be useful: W-S Zephyr

Most of the lower cost Miele vacuums are currently made in China although designed/engineered in Germany. The more expensive ones are made in Germany.

The Zephyr seems to be a combination of several of the Galaxy Series pieces at a higher price range. It's a Galaxy Body with the Base Carina Combo Tool, the Mid-Range Antares Turbo Brush, the Luna Deluxe handle and a HEPA Filter. Using a coupon (which they are NOT SUPPOSED to do) you got a pretty good deal although I prefer the SBB 300 floor brush over the Combo Tool.

If you have more than 3-4 Area rugs or more than 2 Small rooms of wall to wall...you bought the WRONG vacuum for your home. The turbo brush is under powered for a home with lots of carpet..but I'm sure the sales person explained that to you before you purchased it.

The Progressive would probably have better cleaning ability vs. the Galaxy if used on lots of carpeting but would generally last in the 3-4 year range, the mile would last much longer.

"Most of the lower cost Miele vacuums are currently made in China although designed/engineered in Germany. The more expensive ones are made in Germany."

False. only the S514 ELECTRO-DIRECT (based on the older 500 series) is made in China.

Our new house will have only one room (the master bedroom and its closet) with carpet, plus the stairs. The rest will be hardwood, stone, or tile, some rooms with rugs. We have a pair of yellow Dysons (had Miele canisters previously; I'm not sure why we didn't get them again) but could be convinced to get something new. Recommendations?

I guess I'm going to be in the minority here, but I have no problem at all with our Kenmore cannister. It's still going strong after 12 years, two dogs and three growing boys.

It has been banged, dragged and dropped and continues to function properly.

It's in semi-retirement now because our present home has central vac. But it still does a great job of cleaning the cars!!

Enjoy the journey.

eal51 in western CT

I had a very expensive Kenmore, with the stair thingie. Worked great the first 5 times, then broke. I bought a new power stair thingie. . .it broke too. The vacuum itself had problems over the 3 years I bought it and I vowed never, ever to go with a Kenmore again.

Since we are in the process of building and we're renting our current house, I went with a cheaper vacuum. The Hooever Wind Tunnel canister isn't expensive and does a really good job on carpet and hard wood. One draw back is the bare floor attachment doesn't clip on right, and emptying the thing (it's bagless) means dust will fly everywhere. Good in that it shows the vacuum is picking up, bad when it just recirculates the dust into the air.

Oh, and we have a Golden Retriever.

Just to add--we have the larger size electric powerbrush with ours, as opposed to the smaller sized and lesser powered one that they also sell. When the workmen came to tear out our 20 + year old carpet, they commented on the lack of fine dust imbedded in the carpeting. I am not a picky housekeeper, but I was glad to hear that the Miele did such a thorough job on that sad old carpeting. I can't speculate whether we'd have been as happy with the smaller carpet brush.

cj

Hi all,

My story might help too. I know the cost of a Miele can be high, but here is how I look at it after just paying about $500 for a Miele Antares (good model for wood floors and area rugs, not wall to all carpeting).

We have had 6 vacuums in the past 8 years. Hoover, Dirt Devil, Eureka, Shark and on and on. Most died in a year or so. Even when they did run, they were lousy at truly cleaning the floors, storage was a pain, bag or canister changing was messy and more... Paying from $100 to $250 each for 8 vacuums, well do the math. I am way behind already had I bought ONE Miele in the first place. The Miele will last for years (maybe 10 - 15) and my God does this thing clean. There is no comparison, plus it is very light, ergonomic (never realized you could vacuum without hunching over) and it is unbelievable quiet. Honestly, it almost makes vacuuming fun. Our house is noticeably cleaner in every way including rugs, wood floors, stairs, under and around furniture, and even in our hot water radiators (old house).

Just a FYI, you really don't need to spend $1000 on a Miele. There are different model ranges and within each you pay more for more options (which are nice, but not essential).

Here is a nice site that breaks down the models by what types of floors you have in your house: http://www.allergybuyersclub.com/vacoverview.html

Unless you have deep pile carpeting, you do not need a machine with a motorized head. The Turbohead will take care of low pile carpeting and the Parquet head will take care of wood floors. You don't want the switchable head - it is not as good as using the two separate heads.

One last thing - nobody discounts these, so use the Miele site (www.miele.com) and find a dealer in your area. Why not support a local business?

Thanks,

Deke

I've always wanted a Miele because of their reputation but never bought one because of their price and the fact that they refuse to allow sales or discounting. What's wrong with that? I find it irksome. According to the sales man the model that would work best for my home is over $1200.00. I just couldn't justify that.

I have a Kenmore Progressive canister that has worked perfectly for 4 years in my home and another Progressive that is now 8 years old in our vacation home. I have no complaints with either of them. They work well on my floors - hardwood, ceramic and marble and my carpets- wall to wall, Persians and area rugs. And I have 3 large, hairy, continuously shedding dogs.

Might I be happier with a Miele? Could be. Maybe the test would be to borrow one and compare.

I will jump in here too. I have a Kenmore progressive that I have had for probably 10 years now - a large house with both carpeting and tile, and 2 verysheddydogs as well as messy Dh and DD's.... it really is a good vac. Maybe the newer ones are not as good? But I really find it works great. I also have an Oreck upright, which is fair at best.

I wouldn't even compare the too. I have Miele and I do love it. They are lightweight too, or mine is.

oops TWO

" "Most of the lower cost Miele vacuums are currently made China although designed/engineered in Germany. The more expensive ones are made in Germany." "

"False. only the S514 ELECTRO-DIRECT (based on the older 500 series) is made in China."

Well, I just took possession of a new S251i Plus yesterday and was distraught at seeing the "Assembled in China from components made in China and Germany" label on the unit. (The powerbrush, however, says "Made in Germany") If $500 is a lower-cost Miele vacuum, then I guess the original statement is correct. Despite the chipping-away-of-my-soul feeling that I experience every time I see yet another venerable brand move its manufacturing to [migrant laborers in] China, the unit so far looks very solid and substantially better than the $50 Shark (bought from Sears; made you-know-where) we had used for the past 4 years.

Thanks tpol for the update on the 'made in China' Mieles. My girlfriend asked me to go with her to help select a new Miele and the sales man mentioned that they were all made in Germany. Hmmm - I think I'll tell her to check more carefully before she purchases.

i absolutely adore my miele blue moon and powerbrush. it is super quiet, powerful and well built. i can feel/smell the air being fresher and cleaner after vacuuming with my blue moon. it purifies the air while picking up dust off the floor. simply amazing.

only downside is heavy weight of the very durable metal handle.