Bought ours from ABT Electronics online - they're a solid company, family owned, and have a huge presence in the midwest. I think most repair shops should be able to fix them - but mine has never needed to be repaired so I can't honestly tell you one way or another.

Thanks, kev for your suggestion. I have a Callisto in my cart at Abt but just can't seem to click to buy it! Which Miele vac do you have? I'm not sure if I need the electric hose. I have a combination of tile, hardwood, and low to medium pile area rugs. Any advise would be appreciated. Thanks!

I have the larger powerhead, house being mostly carpet. You might want to consider the smaller power head for area rugs. It's pretty easy to switch to the non powered head, but I wouldn't necessarily try to use it on carpet.

I'd call your local vac shop and ask if they can service a Miele. Then you'll know.

In 13 years, mine has never needed servicing. I did replace the little drive belt on the power head after about 8 years--they had included an extra one with the unit when we bought it. It was an easy fix and didn't require the services of a professional. :-) I wouldn't hesitate to buy another one if this one died--but it doesn't show any signs of slowing down any time soon!

Cj

Thank you everyone for the help! I just wish I could try one out before I buy it.

Love our Miele vacuums in all the family homes...we have total of 5 amongst us and some are 10 yrs old. No servicing ever. Quiet, and great suction, and easy on the oriental carpets too.

Thanks bicoastal. I've decided to get a Miele, but there are so many models that I really need help now deciding on which one. I have four cats and a combination of hardwood, tile, and medium pile area rugs. Do I need the electric power brush? I would also like to know if there is anything special about the parquet twister attachment. I'm drawn to the Callisto but I'm not sure. DD says to get the one I want ( yes he knows how expensive they are).
HELP!! Thanks

I have Miele vacuums in both my primary residence and in a second home. One is 14 years old, the other is going on 16 years. Never any problems.

I bought the model with the electric brush head for my second home because I have more carpeting there. Turned out to be a mistake.

In my primary home I have flooring that sounds similar to yours. Hardwood, rugs and tile. I have the air-driven turbo brush there. I like it much better than the motorized brush head. The turbo mechanism driving the brush is very strong. I've never encountered a situation that would stop the brush rotating.

The big advantage to the air-driven turbo brush is that it's so easy to remove and replace with a hardwood-floor or tile brush. Just snap it off and snap on the new attachment. No fuss, no muss.

With the electric motor driven brush you have to disconnect the electric connection, then undo clips that holds the power wire to the extension wands. It's a pain, and the electric brush doesn't clean any better than the air-driven turbo brush. I eventually bought a second air-driven brush for the second home vac, so now, the electric brush head just languishes in the closet.

My vacuums are old models, but look as though they'd be equivalent to the S4 mid-sized models. I think I have what would be considered the equivalent of the parquet twister attachment, but I seldom use it. The two floor attachments I use most are the turbo brush head (for rugs and carpets) and the smooth floor attachment (for tile and hardwood). I've never had any problem with it scratching floors, but it seems more effective at picking up debris from the floor (like pine needles or stuff the dog tracks in) than the parquet brush.

Hope this helps.

Thank you wa8b! I really appreciate your help. It sounds like I probably don't need a deluxe model like the Callisto.

I have the electric powerbrush with my Miele Platinum, it's a midsize model in the 300 series. I have been very, very impressed with the powerbrush--when we replaced the nasty old carpeting that had come with the house (after 10 additional years!) the guys who took it out commented on the lack of fine dust and dirt in the padding. Usually it's just packed underneath, and ours was clean as a whistle. Believe me, it's not due to my overpicky housekeeping, either!! I don't have a wire, or clips, the wires are built into the wand and are not exposed, there's just a built in plug that automatically slides into place when you put the powerbrush on. For removal, I push the release button on the end with my foot and it slides right off. It's really simple, and not a pain at all. I know that different models work differently, so this would be something you should look for. Personally, I thought that the larger powerbrush was worth it and did a terrific job. Just my opinion...
Cj

luvscritters - we have the antares. It is a smaller type I think. We have a long-haired cat and it has never ever had a problem with cat hair (unlike some other vacuums). We don't have the motorized head and thought that I wanted one until reading these posts, actually. We just have the air-forced attachment and it works well on area rugs.

The bag is a bit small and fills up quickly but it doesnt' really bother me - the air quality in the house is markedly better and it has no problems pulling anything into the vacuum that is anywhere near the attachment.

We do live in a smaller home - so that should be a consideration...the attachments, machine, and bag are all geared towards a smaller home. The larger models would probably be a better choice for a 2100+ sq/ft home

I've had my Miele Red Velvet for maybe 3 or 4 years. Absolutely no repairs needed so far, knock wood. It has the electric powerbrush but the wiring is in the hose so it just snaps on as cj47 describes.

Wow-thank you all for the help. I'm still undecided though!

Sounds like Miele has solved the pesky electrical connection situation on more recent models. That would be a huge improvement.

That being said, there's one other advantage to the air-powered turbo brush that I forgot to mention above. If any of your area rugs have fringe on the ends, you'll have to be very careful when using an electric brush head. If you accidentally suck up the fringe with an electric brush, you risk damaging the fringe unless you switch off the power instantly. With the air-powered turbo brush, that isn't such a worry. The one thing that will stop the air-powered brush spinning is fringe at the ends of rugs. The air turbine isn't strong enough keep pulling so that it damages the fringe.

luvscritters;

If you are in need of a repair for a Miele, under warranty, the work will have to be done by an authorized Miele servicer. You would most likely send it back to the place of purchase, if they also service Miele. Or, you would call Miele and they would suggest a facility.

You should have a power nozzle on your canister vacuum cleaner if you have have carpeting that can get crushed or flattened as it is walked on. You want a power nozzle that will lift up and groom the carpeting. A power nozzle will help with more dirt removal than suction alone.

There is a Miele canister that would be good for you. It is the new S2 Titen. It has alot of power, power nozzle, floor brush,larger dirt capacity than the S4 series, and direct connect except at the vacuum end. That really is not important, because most people do not disconnect the hose from the vacuum when they are finished vacuuming.

If you had thicker carpeting, you could even upgrade to the better, more aggressive power nozzle.

The S2 Titan is offered for about $599.

You will have to read through all the features of each model and choose which features are important to you, since you are the one that will be using the vacuum cleaner.

I agree that you need the Powerhead as the turbo could possibly bog down after substantial use. (I am VERY surprised that the earlier posters Turbo has worked so well after so many years! Well done.

Note the Titan, though packaged with a HEPA filter it is NOT a SEALED SYSTEM like the S5 Callisto or S4 Series machines if that matters..

Do any of the Miele models have suction control? I have quite a few Persian rugs and when I use my Hoover canister I just raise the power head a little and slide open the small ring on the handle- that reduces the strength of the suction. It's very quick and easy. The last time I looked at Miele none of them had it.

mcmann;

What you are referring to is cheaper way of reducing the suction in a vacuum cleaner. Many higher priced vacuum cleaners, including Miele, use a suction reducing dial or switch to lower the motor speed(creating less suction).

Luvscritters...I went through the which Miele vacuum on-line shopping agony too and finally went to a dealer.

We now have a Callisto vacuum for our three cats, area rugs, hardwood and tile floors. It works fine on all surfaces. The power brush is switched on and off from the handle, so it can be used for carpets or hard floor surfaces. I like to remove cat hair buildup on upholstery using one of the small non-powered attachments. We run it on the quiet setting almost all the time. I bought ours at the closest Miele dealer (3 hour drive) and ended up with a better deal than the on-line dealers. I have not had to return it for service in the two years we have owned it. The power brush head can accumulate a lot of hair on the roller so I have had to remove the roller a few times to extract all the long hairs that get bound to it. It is not hard to do.

Let us know which model you ended up with and how you like it.

Hi benbow--I found a vacuum dealer locally that sold Miele and was so excited to go and buy a Callisto. Well,(hanging my head sheepishly) I didn't really like it! I tried a Simplicity vacuum side by side withe the Miele and the Simplicity was just so much more user-friendly. For the same price as the Callisto the Simplicity 36 seemed more powerful and it came with every attachment you could ever want. I love it. I feel like I let all the people who helped me down! I really do appreciate all the help. GW is the BEST. Amy

Amy...If you are happy that is all that matters. In that price range you got a good quality vacuum and a local dealer to take care of any problems.

If only those darn cats were not constantly leaving their fur on everything or tracking cat litter where it does not belong. A nice vac helps alot.

luvcritters, which Simplicity model did you end up with? I am going back and forth between Miele and Simplicity and need to see them in person. I am glad you are happy.

Luvcritters, sorry, I noticed you bought the S36 which I love from reading the specs but it is about $400 more than the Miele Callisto per online pricing that I can see. Which dealer did you buy this vacuum from and do they ship to NJ if I end up liking this vacuum better since I first have to try them out in the store.

lynn2006,

Those online prices are MSRP. You will find that most dealers will sell it for less, when you enter their store. The Simplicity S36/S38 are very good deluxe vacuum cleaners. They are a larger canister vacuum that was more comparable to Miele's older full size Blue Moon. Tacony owns the Simplicity brand as well as the Riccar brand. If anyone is having trouble finding a Simplicity dealer in your area, they can just look for a Riccar dealer. The Simplicity S36's sister is the Riccar 1700. The Simplicity S38 is also the Riccar 1800.

The S36 is going to be heavier than the Miele Callisto. Tacony decided to come out with comparable Mid-sized vacuum cleaners, so they came out with the Riccar Pristine, Charisma and Starbright, plus their sisters the Simplicity Verve, Cinch and Jessie.

When purchasing Riccar or Simplicity supplies, you will find that their bags are priced cheaper, as well as their filters and attachments.

Mieles are going to be slightly quieter, but the S36/S38 and 1700/1800 are just slightly louder.

Here is a link that might be useful: Riccar canisters

geguymw-thanks for your great explanation. Yes, the Simplicity 36 is a little heavier and louder, but it is also so much easier to push on carpet and when connected to to full sized power head it can stand up on it's own. With the Miele, you have to find a groove in the side of the canister and slide the head into it to stand up which I found very annoying. I paid $929 including tax and a box of 6 bags. The Miele was tagged at $849.

lynn, I would be glad find out for you if the store would ship to you. The store is a locally owned business called Davco VacnSew in Evansville, IN. They do have a website with contact info. One thing to consider with the price is that the Simplicity comes with a lot of attachments that you would have to buy separately with the Miele. Amy

I have a Miele Vaccum. I think it is going on 10 years. I needed to replace the plastic part that attaches the "hose" to the canister. It broke over time. I just ordered one on-line and replaced it at home. Quite simple. The bags and HEPA filters are expensive. I order them on-line, free shipping and free tax, which makes it slightly cheaper.

You CAN see that there is NO dust that escapes the vaccum when you are vccuming on a sunny day!

geguymw, thank you so much for the information and for the link. I love that so many of the models have the rubber wheels on the hardwood floor cleaning accessory that I want. I have hardwood floors downstairs and carpets upstairs.

Now I have three vacuum brands to look at and I found three stores close to me that have the Riccar vacuums and maybe have the other two brands.

Luvscritters, thank you for the information. I am going to find the price locally including extra bags and if the Northern NJ stores are too much money, I will ask you again for the information on your store and if they will shop to NJ. Everything is so much money will I live but maybe I will luck out and there will be sales.

I am blessed to have this forum to teach me things. I love the carbon filter and the sealed HEP filtration since I have allergies.

lynn, You will love the hardwood floor tool that comes with the Simplicity. The brush is kind of soft and really sweeps down into all the nooks and crannies. My hardwood floors actually shine when I'm done. It also cleans edges better than any vacuum I've used.

luvscritters, thank you so much for the information! The Simplicity sounds like a great vacuum. I can't wait to try it out. Thanks for letting me know about this vacuum.

Sorry for all the errors in sentence structure in my above post but I slept poorly all night due to a problem with cleaning my floors using the Bona Floor Refresher that came with my Bona kit. I spent all day getting the residue off of the floors so they are fixed now but it was scary since I had thought I had ruined my newly installed Brazilian Cherry floors.

I can peacefully go to sleep knowing that my floors are OK and now I really need a vacuum to clean my floors since that is a safe way to clean floors. I will also be careful what products I use on my floor. The Bona Wood Floor Cleaner works well once all the dust is off of the floor but the Refresher was awful.

Love my vacuum, but the interior plastic shell of my SEB 236 powerhead has a nice crack in it despite not being abused at all.

As I don't really want to spend $240 on a new one, I guess I'll live with it and the strange noises it causes until it dies altogether. :(

Kucharsk, I am so sorry about your SEB 236 Powerhead. How long have you owned the vacuum? I appreciated you for sharing this with us.

did not read every post, but with a slow skim didn't see anyone saying where they buy their Miele vacuum bags. As the owner of a 1 yr old wool wall-to-wall carpet, I've been through WAY too many vacuum bags (GN for Capricorn cannister vac. that I otherwise love). They aren't cheap - a box of 4 costs about $18; a "lot" order of 4 boxes is about $75!

Where do you all buy your bags? Hoping to get to the best price including shipping.

Thanks!

I ordered some through the Bed Bath and Beyond website. Don't recall the cost, sorry. If you're going through them too fast because of the fluff buildup, you can cheat an pull it out through the bag opening, and reuse the bag. Heresy, I know, but there it is.