Vacuum Cleaners Discussions

Everyone recommends a different vacuum--I thought I narrowed it down to a Miele canister (for my mix of hardwood and area rugs), but doing further research I found out about Simplicity and Sebo.  So what to buy?  The sales guy at my local shop suggested a Miele Polaris (S4 series).  I'm not thrilled about spending $400, but I want to get something that is effective (my husband and daughter have dust allergies), easy to use (I'm not a great housekeeper) and will last--my husband doesn't want to buy another vacuum cleaner (haha).  After reading their brochure, I called about the Miele Olympus (S2 series), which is $100 cheaper.  I'm not convinced the Polaris is worth the extra $100--any thoughts?  Can I add the carpet attachments to the Olympus if I need to down the road?  Is it worth looking into the Sebo or Simplicity?  I would have to drive an hour to a shop that sells either of those.  And then there's the Panasonic--cheaper, but worth it?  I appreciate any feedback I can get.

pereztr wrote:
Hi Pereztr
I'm in the UK so what I'm about to tell you will differ with the model numbers/names as Miele don't use names here to differentiate each model in the U.K but I'll try and explain things a bit clearer.

Miele vacuums last for years but they have to be treated gently over a course of time to keep their shine. I've had many Miele vacs over the years and only one last year (S4) that broke when wet grit had been picked up mistakenly on our front door mat in the hall way. I've had another S4 which is 5 years old and still goes very well although it is fairly scratched on the body, the motor is still super quiet and still super strong when needed.  The basic premise of any Miele canister is that it can use any tool (non-electrical part) right across the range and filter options. So if you do buy the S2 Olympus, you can also buy the extra floor head (turbo brush) that comes with the S4 Polaris. If you have an area rug turbo brushes are probably your best bet for dealing with threads and dust whilst hard floor tools deal effectively with hard floors quite well - even if Miele's "castle" style Parquet brush sometimes clogs with the dust and doesn't suck it in properly.

If you have allergies, the best filter around is either the Active Air Clean or HEPA. U.S sellers are forever "fast tracking" vacuums with different filters and hyping up the price - you don't have to do that - you can buy the filters separately and fit them to the entire range of the vacuums. Both these filters are ideal for allergy sufferers with the AAC type being cheaper at cost and fit for supplying fresh air. The HEPA is the filter of choice if you own a pet.

If you buy from EBAY online you can pick up cheaper costs of the same genuine tools singularly and custom build your Miele to your needs. The same applies to SEBO. The Sebo C series is a good vacuum - alternative to the OLD Miele S500 on weight but has a larger dust bag (can be cheaper since they are the same bags as the SEBO/Windsor X/Sensor uprights) and a heavy machine suitable for robustness and will stand up to good wear and tear. The new D series is very expensive in the U.S and is worth considering if you have a large home and require tons of power cord. The K series is far smaller, has a good dust capacity and is an excellent design for all small homes, comparable to the Miele S2 and S4 on size and power. SEBO's K series in the U.S do come with different tools - but even buying the basic "K (the blue one) means you can upgrade for the turbo brush attachment. The K series (Hunter) in green has both turbo brush and a parquet added - it also has a longer hose for extended reach which is reflected in the different prices. Compared to Miele, the SEBO filters last longer, you get 8 bags per box and the filter system on board is hospital grade standard right across the range.

SEBO vacuums are better built - they position the suction motor away from the dust bag - but the downside is availability of bags and filters and usually involves more online purchasing than store purchase.

The Miele S2 is a good budget buy - the difference between that and the S4 is that the S4 is better made, smaller body and easier to store. The S2 has a bigger dirt capacity (one of its many features) than the S4 but the floor head it comes with as standard is fairly cheap and not very well made. Other cost cutting design features is more evident when you open the bin door and witness the suction dial bending inwards - the S4 is much better built in this respect even though the two machines have the same SHORT mains power cord length. This is where the SEBO K2 Hunter is a better bet (9696AM).

Thank you so much for your detailed feedback!  I do like the SEBOs, but $400 for the Polaris is pushing it, and the K Series SEBO is $489.  I don't see the C Series on the website.  Maybe they don't sell it in the USA...I think I'll go with the Miele S4--Polaris.  I had no idea I could get this excited- or confused- about purchasing a vacuum! 

pereztr wrote:
No worries - glad you found the info helps you. The SEBO C2/C3/C4 was on sale in the U.S (the new D series is the successor) under the model names of C1.1, C2.1 and C3.1 for many years.

http://www.sebo-vacuums.com/Products/canisters.htm

Also check Amazon.com and add the SEBO name and model number in the product search bars. If I had the choice over the Miele S4, Id pick the bigger bagged C series - longer hose, cord and tools store inside the vacuum. You may get it cheaper too since its older.

I did find the C Series.  I originally just looked on the Sebo website.  What is the main difference between the C and the K?  I'm going to call now to see if they can give me any insight.  Something you said about the Miele made me think--we're moving to the beach in a month--would sand and grit be a problem with either the Miele or the Sebo?  Thanks again!!

pereztr wrote:
pereztr;

The main difference between the C series and the K series is the size/weight.  The C series has a larger bag, plus the bags are much easier to find, since they use the same bags as the X series uprights.  There are also generic versions of this bag type available.  The K series bags are smaller and expensive, though the filtration quality is better.  The three attachments store in the C, while two store on and in the K.  The dusting brush stores on a clip, on the wand.  Sometimes the dusting brush can pop  off, if hit just right.  It could be worse, you could have all three stored on the wand.  I do not care for the three attachment clip all that much, because it makes it difficult to get in between things.

If possible, why not look at your vacuum cleaner purchase as an investment and not something you HAVE TO purchase or DON'T WANT TO purchase.  I am sure you could find things your husband WANTS TO purchase and does.  You want something that works for you and one that you are going to use.

If I were to choose between the Miele and the SEBO, I would choose the Miele.  Parts and supplies are easier to find and there are more choices available for those supplies like bags and filters.  You can get generic if you have to(after the warranty expires, of course). 

I would not leave out the Simplicity brand, or its sister brand Riccar.  They have some very good canisters, with good warranties.  I like that their bags and filters are cheaper than the Miele and SEBO.  Plus, you will find that they are more readily available.  Because these two brands are owned by the same company, Tacony Corp., Simplicity bags and filters will fit in your Riccar and Vice Versa. 

I have to ask what kind of carpeting you have?  Do you have any animals?  I ask these thing, because it help determine what kind of vacuum you need.  I do not think suction-only machines clean carpeting all that well.  They pick up some debris, but also leave some.  Animal/human hair is harder to pick up compared to a revolving brushroll.  Over time, using suction-only canisters can make carpeting look less than perfect.  You need a good revolving brushroll to comb and lift the fibers, plus get up the carpet destroying debris, like sand.  Think of it another way, running the palm of your hand over you hair is not going to do as well as running your fingers through your hair.  Just like running your fingers through your hair is not going to be as good as using a brush.  If you have indoor/outdoor carpeting or even berber, these issues are not as bad.  Using a power nozzle is going to be easier than pushing a suction-only rug attachment.

Do not fret over your purchase, because you will get a good vacuum cleaner no matter what.  You just have to decide what features you want/like.  You may not find everything you want in one vacuum cleaner, but concentrate on what is important to you.  If you are still  using your present vacuum, take  your time in deciding.  Test drive some and get a feel for them and their features.

Everything is relative.  Have a Rainbow demo or other door to door brand demoed.  Compared to the $2500 or so that the Rainbow would cost, your husband will think that $400+ is a bargain.

Mike_W wrote:

If there's sand and grit the SEBO is better made than Miele even though SEBO's paper bags site away from the motor, stone and hard dust pick up will not do any damage (a fact for the very reason that the same bags are used in the commercial X series/Windsor upright)  Miele dust bins after the bag is taken out usually have signs of dust, sand and grit that can pierce the motor filter. That's why the C, K and D series are far better. In so far as the fact that you've provided info already that you have area rugs, an air driven turbo brush will be sufficient but as I reiterated, you could buy an additional turbo brush later at cheaper cost off EBAY or even Amazon.

SEBO in Europe have just brought out new material bags that have the same filtration level as the SEBO K. Of course those will appear in the U.S in time, but in the meantime as I reiterated previously and as Mike_W, the C series takes the same paper bags as the Windsor Sensor/SEBO uprights. Those are 3 layer built in filtration. You also get 7 bags or 10 bags in a box compared to Miele's 4 in a box - therefore the Miele is more expensive in bag upkeep.

Returning to the older idea with the S4 though - it's a great vacuum in a small home but for larger homes, the small 3.5 litre capacity can last up to a month to a month and a half. At worst 3 weeks depending on the traffic dirt your home gets and since sand is quite a heavy article, it also takes up a lot of air once it has landed in a bag, making the mechanical dust bag indicator on the Miele give false readings. With SEBO you always get a more reliable LED indicator. The small amount of cord on the Miele S4 gets around two to three rooms, although if you have a big apartment the S4 will suffer - unless you are prepared to plug swap every couple of rooms. This is where the bigger SEBO C will suffice offering 8 to 10 metres of cord whilst the K model also has 7 to 8 metres of cord compared to Miele's 5.5 metre cord on both S2 and S4 but a much smaller bag capacity ("K" refers to the word "Kompact," in German for obvious reasons) to the "C" and newer "D" series.

If you need a power brush, the price will rise dramatically. Personally I'd keep it simple ; area rugs are hardly deep plush carpet and are made to withstand loads of different types of cleaning. Air driven turbo brushes would work best on this.

vacmanuk wrote:
If sand and grit is getting through the Miele and SEBO bags, we have a problem.  I guess we could tell the two companies, then they could improve the bags more and raise the bag prices for its customers again.  I cannot see sand getting through these vacuum bags.  If they did, there is a filter to help stop it.  There have been bags that burst, in the past, but the motor is saved by the filter.  The SEBO's bag holder can actually malfunction; causing the bag to not move up and lock into place. This creates a gap where debris escapes the bag.  Believe me, I have seen it.

I am not sure you are familiar w/carpeting in the USA.  We have all kinds of area/roomsize rugs.  It can be flat sisal, indoor/outdoor and all the way to thick plush.  I was at a friend's house the other day; who has area rugs throughout his house.  I remember seeing very thick rugs down his hall.  The invention of the brushroll has improved carpet cleaning quit a bit.  At the tijme revolving brushrolls were invented, not everyone had thick carpeting.  but people purchased them anyway.  The got rugs cleaner.

It is true that a power nozzle will cost more, but it can be worth it.  You offer up a air-driven turbo brush.  That may be okay, but I do not know what type of carpeting the OP has.  We do not know how much there is also.  If there is as much as my friend has, and the type of rugs my friend has and what he has to pick up, then I still would suggest a power nozzle. 

Mike_W wrote:
Sorry Mike but if you had read the first post that our consumer friend has put, price has a lot to do with it and I'm trying to get around the more economical situation here by offering a cheaper and versatile option. Obviously if money was no object, a power nozzle on the Miele would be the best solution, but our consumer here needs a vacuum both for hard floor and area rugs at most. I'm aware of what kind of textures area rugs in the U.S are made of though - our town in Scotland was resident to a U.S naval base from 1960 to 1990 where the military families had their own furnishings, own appliances and own vacuums - one part of the town also had a large American launderette ... A lot of my American friends had sisal rugs, early Berber styles and a lot of short compacted velvet shag pile which was a total pain to clean felt or thread from since it wraps around the pile and only a revolving brush roll can get them off. Some residents who have stayed on have more modern American rugs, thicker pile, synthetic types, much better quality than the UK stuff.

In terms of the bag - Miele's paper bags were liable to burst in motors fitted with 1800 (U.S 1200 watts?) watts or more. I guess this will be different in the U.S of which certain Miele vacuums with lower wattages will be applicable. The material dust bags in the current Miele vacuums do not burst - however when they are taken out, at the base of the bin, Which UK found that some dust was left behind - this is more evident on the top of the bin lid when you open the Miele canisters and can see dust on the top below the hose/dust channel meets the bag. Miele have improved this design over the years by fitting a rubber squeegee around the perimeter of the bin area so that dust does not escape - however the user manual does point out that SAND and DIY work will decrease the suction and fill up the bag more, therefore causing dust leakage and problems to the filter on board IF the consumer ignores it. Also the filter is hardly a fail safe to protect dust and hard dirt from not entering the motor. Hoover in the UK fitted a plastic PVC coating on the backs of their motor protection filters to stop this from happening if it ever did - Miele's actual honeycomb cage that holds the motor filter in is a good obstructive design to stop nails or glass etc from invading the thin filter, but it isn't effective enough.

For the fact that the consumer here states that her daughter has allergies, I have pointed out the extra cost optional carbon based Active Air Clean filter or HEPA filter which is geared more towards pet owners. In both cases as you may know, Miele warn against pick up of sand and DIY work as they can damage both filters compared to the pleated microfilter "Super Air Clean."

I know of the SEBO design problem on the K & C series - it doesn't always happen, but down to owners who don't fit the bags properly or wait to hear the "click" when the bags are inserted. Yours truly did this when I first bought a SEBO K1 and was lucky that the holder did not break. However this is as not as costly to replace as a damaged motor on a Miele - and it can be hard for repair personnel to even touch the motor if it gets damaged - I have first hand experience of this circa Christmas 2010!

Of course at the end of the day U.S Miele canisters are available with the S4 rechargeable motorized "power nozzle" but I'm not convinced that it does a supreme effort when a mains power corded type that supplies continuous power would be better. Sadly for the S4, as far as I'm aware, there is only this option of the rechargeable battery packs OR the air driven full size turbo brush.

Since I have no clue about Simplicity - since they don't sell in the U.K - others I'm sure can add to this discussion, especially in light of the fact that OP here has specifically wondered about either SEBO or Simplicity as well as Miele as a future purchase.

So does the Sebo Felix have any bag issues?  I noticed that the Sebo Felix is on www.costco.com.  Given that you can trade the power nozzle out for a wood floor brush, it seems like a nice option for this kind of household.