Vacuum Cleaners Discussions

I've been coveting a Miele C3 Kona or Marin now for about a year. I discovered them through the Wirecutter reviews. I have a vacuum today that... gets the job done... but it's a budget upright. I would love to have a quality canister vac instead. My question revolves around the electrobrush models. My gut tells me that, if I am to invest in a Miele, I really ought to just get a powered hose model, and a SEB 228 or 236 at that. Otherwise, it would just be an uncomfortably expensive vacuum cleaner with none of the high-power performance. Is the electric beater bar really "make-or-break" in that way, as far as Mieles are concerned? The jump to even the cheapest model to include the 228 is a good couple hundred dollars. And my beloved C3 Marin is over $1,000... I received a $500 Amazon gift card, and am considering putting it all towards this. I would love to be OK with an entry-level C1 model with a non-electric brush, but something is telling me that's a bad idea. Can anyone who has experience with both comment on how vital it is? Thanks!

Time has passed with my Miele C3 Alize. I've continued to research vacuums and the technology behind them. Both airflow and suction are important... airflow more important for vacuuming carpets and suction more important if using 'above ground' tools or vacuuming a lot of hard floors. Over the last 7 months I've been using my Airteq suction head and air powered Turbo brush. While I think my house has been kept clean I was just itching out of curiosity more than anything else to upgrade my until to a powered head... so sprung for the powered hose/wand and SEB 236 head with LED lights. So now I have A LOT invested in my cleaning system, but it is pretty darn complete for most any situation in my house. I use the non-powered components for my hard floors and also have the larger adjustable dusting brush that can connect directly to the hose. Dusting with that brush is awesome... all dust is collected vs. stirred up and I swear when dusted with the vacuum items stay dust-free longer. Because it is being used with the non-powered hose without the wand it is also very light and manageable... but put on the wand, adjust the brush and I can vacuum the tops of my ceiling fans. I recently had a situation where I sawed my very old beat up very large sofa in the basement in half to get it out. After sweeping by hand the larger wood chunks and insulation off the carpet I took the powerhead to the carpet. It absolutely made quick work of what looked like a cleaning disaster. In summary, I think the Marin with SEB 236 would be awesome, but the Alize combined with powered hose/wand and floor head as well as all the light non-powered pieces truly is the ultimate combo. There is a lot more to vacuum than the physical removal of debris... need to factor in functionality, sound, weight, durability, warranty, etc... for more complete usability and all those things have potential value. The best upright that can't clean under a bed, or clean the stairs easily or can't get gobs of dust off a ceiling fan is, to me, not quite as valuable as a unit that can. Kirby's are fantastic if you live in a ranch house with wall to wall carpet, for sure. Each home is different, with different needs for different vacuums.

I recently had an opportunity to pick up a very lightly used Miele Compact C2 that came with the SEB228 power nozzle. Only $20 at a thrift store, who could resist? It cleaned up to as-new condition. I measured both suction and airflow at the hose end. Airflow was very high, registering a tiny smidge below the 9 line on my BAIRD meter. That is about what a new Kirby would show if you made the sales person test it at the hose end instead right at the hole in the fan housing. Suction didn't get much past 64 inches of water lift and that seems to be due to a suction release built into the bag indicator. I have seen this with other new Mieles. Attachments are tiny, especially the cupcake sized dusting brush. They are almost useless and that dusting brush especially so. Perching them on the canister end of the hose often causes them to foul the hose and tip the whole vacuum over on it's side. The hose material is nicer than that on my older S558 Silver Moon but it's still a short six foot long hose compared to the eight footers a high end Kenmore has or the 12 footer you can buy for a Tristar. Sound level of the canister is low average but the SEB228 makes some unpleasant noises on dense carpets. The motor struggles to spin the brush on the back stroke on some dense carpets in my home. The height setting seems critical, too low and the overload protection engages. None of my Panasonic or Kenmore power nozzles, or old Hoover Quadraflex power nozzles have any problems with the same carpets. The Hoover and older Panasonic Jet Flo power nozzles don't have height adjustment and it doesn't seem to matter. So I remain unimpressed with Miele vacuums. My trusty old Panasonics and Kenmores with their longer cords and hoses and superior power nozzles are a lot less work to use. Oh yeah, the Miele dust bag is both too small and ridiculously over priced. Figure using a $5 bag every week, maybe more often. They are almost the poster child for why so many buyers choose a bagless machine.