Hi.  I finally broke down and got a Sebo FELIX.  Reason was outdoor carpet and car really needed something better than the Hoover Flair and Walmart Hand vac.  There was an earlier topic here on Felix but seemed outdated (one poster's no longer here).
 
Some impressions:
 
After Bag motor design; powerbrush and suction motor.  Plastics quite nice (some minor flashing but less than other Sebo products), steers/manuevers as well as the BALL minus the Ball's weight. Variable speed; not too loud at full power but has annoying whine at lowest speed.  Good suction.  Once friend offers me his Baird gauge I'll measure airflow (which is less than Miele I also use).  Unusual layout allows vac body to be carried as portable using short hose and attachments for above floor work.
 
Nicest powerbrush Sebo has made yet.  Runs quietly (ET-H by comparison's a rattle fest), switch on body lets foot turn brush on and off.  Swivels in neck make brush easy to steer.  Brush is very easy to remove (unlock swivel cover, slide brush roll out).  Sleeve bearing on outer brush bearing's a touch of cheapness.  Small trap door on bottom makes clearing brush airway easy.
 
Uses Sebo 3 ply paper bags (enh...had to bite the bullet on that one), one motor filter, one huge "superclean - type" filter wrapping the upper body under a plaid cover.  There is supposedly a HEPA kit for this model, but the dealer did not have one.
 
Main Motor has an air bypass, so that if suction is blocked, the motor can still get some air.  Also has thermal cutouts.
 
On the exterior carpet, FELIX yanked up 3 times as much dirt as the Flair ever got, even with the latter's customized filter  (I had wrapped Flair filter in a Miele bag to let the Flair run for longer than about 10 seconds before clogging up - the stock Flair filter is a joke).  On the interior rug, Felix groomed it well, was easy to manuever.  Working as portable ok, but handle and accessory mount occasionally got in the way.
 
What do others think of this vac?  And can we chat without turning this into a Dyson .vs. Everybody else flame fest?  

Hi VacOMatic,
 
Thanks for trhe details.  I've been curious to hear more about the Felix on the actual use side.  However, I wouldn't think that Hoover's Flair would be much of a match for it.  Felix is made for regular duty and the Flair is basically a stick vac for light work.
 
Also, I'd add that with a triple layer bag and the generous wrap-around filter, a HEPA probably isn't necessary.  Is there also a pre-motor filter?
 
Enjoy the new vacuum.
 
Regards,
 
Venson

There is a motor protection filter (with lift out foldaway handle) just in case the bags burst, located near the bottom of the main chamber.  Once that is removed you can clearly see the aluminum motor fan and housing.
 
The sebo german site had an exploded parts diagram and suggests an easy way to make the machine quieter once it's time to replace the outer filter.
 
Bags and filters seem identical to what we have in the USA.  Incidently, the instruction manual coming with "my" Felix listed Sebo UK as the supplier.  Yet USA warranty cards (english and spanish) were also enclosed.
 
Should note the manual has a major omission;  It does not explain you have to move a latch on the upper front left of the vacuum in order to adjust handle heigth.

A bit more info:
 
Wrt Powerbrush  (ET-1 based on label):  Sebo has wire spanners across the powerbrush opening.  I assume this helps keep carpet/rugs from being sucked into the brush.  The bad news is the wires actually bisect some of the brush tuffs while the brush is rotating  (wear point).  The powerbrush footswitch is very quiet - only a faint ping tells you it is switching.  
 
The powerbrush does not have the "floating" feature the ETH powerbrush does, but is adjustable for heigth via one center wheel under the brush (like Sebo's other vacs).  It has the motor speed circuit that tells you if the brush setting is wrong, but not the magnetic clutch found in some Sebo uprights.
 
Also there are two small microswitches that turn the power brush off if either the hose nozzle is removed from the case (nice touch), or if the machine is put in its most upright position.

...and one more update before this topic sinks into oblivion:  
Have noticed Felix is not particularly eager to get over transitional floor strips  (the metal strips used to "tie down" carpet just before a tiled floor, doorway to uncarpeted room, etc.).
  
I suspect this is because, like other Sebo Uprights, Felix is tri-wheeled, with the front-center wheel well back of the brushbar opening.  So there are no wheels at front of machine to help ease it over these transitions.  By comparisons, the Miele powerbrushes with wheels at front  (217, etc.)  pretty much roll over these minor obstacles.
 
As a side note, the center wheel tends to make Felix ride on the carpet backing rather than on top of the pile.
 
Also, the powerbrush is very quiet (first upright vacuum I have used where this is true - earlier Sebo ETH's were loud by comparison).  Dyson could learn something from the Sebo folks there.  
 
Anyone else out there tried one of these?  If so what do you think?