Hi: I'm looking at Mieles. My 1st post - apologies for the length. I've read conflicting info and am confused about the options. I had a vintage electrolux canister for years-no electric head-same brush for floor and rugs. Have a cat: some but not major. (would sometimes get build up in old head that easily pulled out.). Rug cleaning was a little workout, but it okay. 1,200 sq ft dusty city apt,parquet floors, a few very thin pile oriental and Persian (old/not hand knotted) rugs with very short fringe, plus a kilim. Rugs get tracked mostly w/dirt, litter - some, but not huge amts of hair. Floors: typical dust, dirt, some hair.
I've read that non-electric miele is fine with pets - others say no. Air-Turbo head is good for oriental rugs - others say no and say not good for pets. Some say electric head for rugs, others say no if any fringe. In the store, I first looked at an S4 Galaxy with hepa installed, turbo head, parquet twist, and ergo handle. Seemed perfect & on sale for $499 (recently discontinued store exclusive). But then salesman said he recommends low end S5 models over high end S4 -says S5 has more suck power and overall is made better. It did seem stronger when I tested both-wondering why if motors are all the same? He showed an Airel (combo 450head, elec-upgradeable) and Pisces(ergo, turbo head, parquet twist, hepa, elec-upgradeable). I sampled the 450-head, he said it can be used on parquet whereas 250-s combo that comes w/some S4s can scratch. When I said "cat" he said pet hair could clog the turbo and i'd likely need to bring it in for unclogging and repair. ugh. But it seems like turbo got the test dirt up better than the 450 head and is easier to push. He said with pet I should consider powerhead...I don't know if I need electric for 3-5 rugs, plus the wand seems heavier and a little more bulky and slightly harder to maneuver-at least compared to the other. My mother's home is filled with a dozen+ rugs like mine and a Maine Coon cat-she has Kenmore, but never uses the electric head that comes with machine-prefers the standard-but maybe Kenmore is different for rugs/hair, and she cleans more often than I do.). My friend w/2 cats one sm rug and wood loves her Polaris, but she cleans frequently and has very small apt.
-- Does anyone with oriental rug/wood floor plus pet use and like the non-electric? Which model and head(s)? Is the Turbo head a mistake for my situation? Anyone with a pet use this? I like the ergo handle (I have bad joints), hepa, parquet twist looks nice for wood and getting into tight places. I like not having to switch heads, but could get used to it if necessary. I'm not sure any one machine has the combo I might end up wanting, so I may need to supplement. -- Should i get the S4 on sale for $499 with lower suck; and add an 450-s to complete the package? Is it strong enough? -- Or go with non-elec S5 and add heads/ergo handle? Is the S5 a better investment? How is it better/different? -- Or go electric? - which I'm not really feeling right now pricewise, and because it seems like overkill for my situation and like i might park the head and not use it, but will keep an open mind (I don't want the s2) [PS. right now my floors aren't sealed and the dirt gets stuck between wood strips so need suck power, but this will change sometime and before sealing I'll likely rent a commercial vac to super clean.
Most grateful for your advice and experience.
Many thanks.
Maddy
This message was modified Dec 12, 2010 by maddy4
