Tseg

Sebos are excellent and will last well more than a decade (or decades) if properly maintained. They are also relatively quiet and are very good at filtering the air. The G1 is a no-nonsense vacuum with easy to use manual carpet height adjustment (which many prefer to auto-adjusting heads - or those machines with no adjustment at all). It really is made for commercial use, which adds credibility to its durability. The super-long power cord is much appreciated. Probably the biggest 'opportunity' for this vacuum is there is no beater-bar on/off switch like Sebo's higher-end models so it always runs... not good for hard flooring. If your house is mostly carpet, it is ideal. If you have pets the Sebo has a button to open the side-plate and you can easily extract the roller bar for hair removal and put it back easily. This function also allows for easy beater-bar replacement when the original gets worn 7-10 years out, and replacements are not all that expensive. It is made in Germany. Bissell is Chinese plastastic that will probably survive 1-3 years. The Sebo does have a dust bag and pre-motor and post motor filter. For taking dust out of the air of your home, much preferred. With these higher end machines, ALWAYS stick with the OEM bag replacements, even if they cost a couple bucks more. I have no love for bagless vacuums as they generally degrade quickly and are disgusting to clean. If using the Sebo OEM bag and change before it overflows, the inside of the bag compartment should remain spotless for years. Not sure if the Bissell you are eying is bagless?

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 will add: - Any vacuum can excel at 1 thing, but being a balanced cleaning solution is more difficult... a typical home has a variety of cleaning needs - Having a variety of tools to extend reach and clean different surfaces enables more comprehensive cleaning - adjustable suction provides even greater flexibility around different surfaces - Lighter equipment is generally preferred to heavy equipment - Quieter motors are generally preferred to louder motors - Durability/warranty is important to me but some may prefer a 'disposable' approach... my life lesson is 'disposable' ends up costing more over time How much is enough? Just like one does not need a 600hp car to get them up to 55 mph on a highway there are vacuum extremes touted by vacuum manufacturers that may not be needed: - Generally don't need enough suction to suspend a bowling ball unless you own a bowling lane - I've seen homes vacuumed with a 2200W vacuum and those cleaned by a 1200W vacuum and they both seem equally clean... I think as a vacuum approaches 700W it does become challenged to do its job - Does air cleanliness between 97.0% and 97.7% really make a big difference when breathing? - Etc.. I recently switched from an upright to a cannister. The biggest obvious benefit I experienced was the longer hose and great accessories has allowed me to clean easily in long neglected areas (under beds and sofas, behind desks, etc...). - While different vacuums can have a variety of benefits, for most, having a clean house is the #1 objective Ultimately, a vacuum can only clean when it is being used... so loving one's vacuum and/or enjoying the vacuuming experience will achieve the #1 objective better as such a vacuum tends to be used more.

Any good European vacuum with a parquet floor brush should do the trick. Miele makes an excellent one and they have both a regular and XL parquet floor brush available. My C3 Alize also has Dynamic Drive wheels, so air-filled and with suspension, so when pulled across tiled grout-lines it pulls very smoothly and quietly.

I've been wondering the same thing... and have been trying to watch web videos that demonstrate the difference. I recently got a C3 Alize and ordered a Turbo brush along with it. My turbo brush has not yet arrived but the Alize' AirTeQ suction tool does excellent with hard floors and seems to do a very good job with my short pile carpets & area rugs, if one learns the technique and accepts a suction nozzle pushed on carpet will not be as pleasing an experience as a turbo/electric brush tool with wheels that will roll more smoothly on carpet. Miele is very clear a turbo brush is only for short to medium pile carpet. Aligning on "short pile" definition may be an issue. My thickest rug is a persian carpet, to put in perspective - I would consider that medium pile. I feel the AirTeQ tool does an adequate to good job with it and I'm hopeful the turbo brush does an even better job... but I probably would not want a powered brush beating on the wool and silk fabric. I think if one would have a carpet thicker than a quality persian rug one should consider a powered beater brush tool, based on my experience. My main desire in the turbo brush is more related to a smoother back and forth action, with less effort, rather than the belief I will make my carpets clearly cleaner than what the AirTeQ suction tool can deliver. It is human nature to want that last inch of "better" if it is available. Miele offers a range of models with powered heads in the US. Interestingly, they don't in the UK... suction and turbo heads seem to be the extent. There are a plethora of turbo head reviews in both the US and in the UK. In the US the ratings are very good, but not spectacular. Those that rate it lowly claim it does not work effectively on high pile carpets (no kidding) and long pet/human hair need cleaned off the roller with some frequency (no kidding). There are hundreds of UK reviews of this same turbo brush and nearly all give it a top rating (5 stars), with few 4 and 3 star reviews and no ratings at all below 3 starts. Either the UK have much more accepting people, no carpets and short hair, or not having to consider a powered brush allows them to make a more fair and honest assessment of the actual result. I'm thinking the latter. The one observation from the UK reviews is that many people are buying a replacement because this turbo tool seems to have a proven life expectancy of 7-10 years (which means the Miele cannister is functioning just fine beyond 7-10 years). With all the above said, based on my homework there are downsides to a powered brush. The first frequent claim is the weight of the electro hose/nozzle/head combo is very significant. I can tell you the weight of the non-electro counterpart is quite light, which is great both during actual use and during transport up and down stairs. Overall, vs. other brands, Miele ranks among the top in durability, but it seems there are a relatively significant amount of reviews of the electrical connection breaking in either the hose, wand or powered head within the first 3 years... a complete non-issue for a non-powered head. My conclusions: If one truly has a lot of hard floors and (exclusively) low pile carpeting (luckily I have, ex. the persian rug), it is a better bet sticking with a vacuum with a non-powered head. The AirTeQ suction only tool is quite quirky but works great at cleaning, and the 'Auto' suction feature on the Alize is a great compliment, else frequent adjustments to suction power may be required... I suspect the need to make frequent power changes with the turbo head would likely be less. If one's home is primarily wall-to-wall carpet with anything beyond berber/closed loop short pile rugs one may feel better about making the decision in buying a powered head, but that is not to say the turbo head would not do a very good to excellent job on all but thick lush carpeting. My 2 cents. BTW, I used a bagless Dyson for the past 7 years... going back to a bagged vacuum (with HEPA filter) has been great. I likely will spend $20 a year or less on bags (quarterly change) but the unit stays soooo clean. At least once every time I vacuumed with a Dyson I would have to do the dust-dump into the trashcan with its resulting mushroom cloud... and periodically had to do a deep clean, dismantling completely, and that was absolutely nasty work. One last tidbit you may want to follow-up on is I believe the C1 has the loud motor and is assembled in China. I think it is the C2 and C3 that have the super-quiet motor, which truly is outstanding.