Miele Vacuum...So Not Worth It (Capricorn Canister) RANT

[passatdoc]

Miele canister (S500) and upright (S7) owner here

In 2002, a (wealthy) relative bought me a Monte Verde canister from the S5 series (uses FJM bags). This came with an SEB-217 powerhead (no headlight, no adjustability, their BOL powerhead), a hard floor brush, upholstery tool, dusting tool, crevice tool, and electric wand, for about $900 at that time. I was recovering from cancer surgery at the time and--in her opinion--using my Hoover upright was too strenuous, so she did what she thought might help: buy a quality canister (she simply went out and bought it and brought it home to me). It was not TOL, the TOL had a suction control on the handle. I have the model where you vary suction by tapping a + or - button with your foot, but you do not have to bend up to adjust a rotary dial. The current model with this feature set runs $900-1000 today.

The canister has given ten years of excellent service. House is half carpet, half tile, and carpet is low cut pile (which the 217 can handle fairly well). Over the years, I built up my attachments collection:

1. Micro cleaning set: two small crevice tools and a combination crevice tool/brush. Great for car detailing, cleaning computers (desktops, keyboards) and other tight spaces. I have a salt water aquarium and use the mini crevice tools to help tidy up the inevitable "salt creep".

2. Wide dusting brush: has the extra width that the OEM duster lacks. Swivel neck. Great for reaching under cabinets, ceiling fan blades, tops of bookcases, shelves, etc (with the wand, you can configure the brush to be at a 90--or less if needed-- degree angle relative to the wand)

3. Mini turbo brush: great for stairs, pets (dog loves being groomed with it), car upholstery).

4. More recently, added a wide upholstery brush (twice the width of the OEM) and what they bill as a "mattress attachment": a four inch wide hard plastic nozzle that looks like the nozzles on the vacuums at car washes. Really intensifies the suction, good for mattresses, car seats, etc. Also recently bought their flexible long crevice tool to clean under appliances, under lint filter in dryer, etc.

Only two things have broken on this vacuum. A few years ago, I pushed too hard on the attachments door when the tools were not properly seated and broke the hinge. $30 repair. More recently, I accidently backed into the vacuum (with the wand docked on the vacuum) while removing a bike from a rafter rack, knocking the vacuum over and breaking the tip of the electric wand. This was my fault and I don't blame Miele for the breakage. $110 part, but that's $900 + $30 + $110 or $1040 over TEN years, i.e. cost to own has been $100/year. I know people who buy Costco vacuums every two years and over time spend more than I spend. Properly maintained, a Miele should run 20+ years. I take my canister in for maintenance (I think they clean and lube the motor) every three years or so, costs about $40 at my local dealer.

I am thinking of upgrading my carpet to a low Berber type, and I don't think the 217 powerhead would perform that well. One option would be to upgrade to a SEB-236, but they cost $250. Yikes. After looking at options, I decided to buy the BOL Miele S7 upright (the blue one without a headlight or HEPA filter) for $429. It's solid as a tank, but HEAVY so I would not recommend it in a multi-story house, unless it stays on one floor all the time (example: as an upstairs vacuum where there is carpet upstairs and hard floors downstairs). It has a nice carrying handle on the back, but I wouldn't want to lug it up and down the stairs every day. The filter can be upgraded to HEPA for $40 later on.

All of the S7's use the same motor, the difference in price is in the attachments. Since I already own most of the attachments, the basic model was fine, and I don't vacuum in the dark so I don't need a headlight. The hose on the upright is non-electric, and can accept all non-electric attachments. For added reach, you can add a wand (electric or non-) and use any non-electric attachment. As a carpet vacuum it is the most powerful vacuum I have ever used, absolutely amazing. It even performs well as a hard floor vac in terms of suction, and its swivel feature makes it WAY more maneuverable than a regular upright, though not quite as nimble as a wand/hard floor brush. Suction control is via rotary dial, located on the handle and easy to use. The powerbrush can be turned on-off with a handle button (separate from the on-off power switch).

For $179 more than the cost of an SEB-236 power head, I have about the best carpet vac sold, plus a back up to the canister should it be in the shop, plus a potential replacement to the canister should it die (spending $1000 would be a LOT to pay). The downside is that the S7 is heavy...I have a one-story house so that is not an issue, but if I had a multistory home I'd want a canister. However, for those on a single story, the S7 does just about everything a canister can do (and better on carpet), plus allows one to use one's existing Miele attachments, for $429. If you don't want to push it around on hard floors, you could use the hose plus wand plus hard floor brush. The swivel feature makes it each to get around furniture on carpet, but might not afford the precision people want on hard floors.

I bought my parents an Electrolux cannister for their tiled downstairs. It's the green one from Lowes, I think it was $300. Nice tools and nice suction for 9 amps. The carpet head is air powered and doesn't do a good job on their Berber carpeted areas. However, their housekeeper has some sort of heavy duty upright, plus they have an old Hoover upright as a stand-by. Lowes sells a more expensive canister, about $500, with electric powerhead for carpet and I think a 12 amp motor. Never having used it, I can't evaluate how good a job it does on carpet. It would appear to be viable alternative to a $1000 Miele canister.

 

[passatdoc]

note:

I've read on-line reviews where veteran Miele owners had a canister that died and they bought TWO S7 uprights, one for each floor of the house. If you buy the BOL for $429, you get the same motor as the $800-900 model, just no headlight, HEPA, or attachments (but these people already owned all the attachments), two uprights for the cost of the TOL model and less than a replacement canister.

 

[lotsosudz]

Give me an old electrolux tank!

For bare floor and carpet cleaning, I think there is nothing more dependable, than an old Lux tank! They are almost virtually indestructible. Although a little cumbersome, reliable, and fairly easy, and cheap to maintain. Can't argue about suction strength, if properly maintained.
Hugs,
David

 

[aquacycle]

First, the electrical cord is extremely way too short.

Could be a European thing - maybe Miele should make the cords longer on the US models for bigger US homes?

Second, the on board attachments are too tiny (dusting brush, crevice tool, upholstery tool). The upholstery tool doesn't even have horse hair, they use a felt type material. The dusting brush is ridiculously too small.

The material is velour. It's used on most upholstery tools in Europe. Horse hair is expensive to get hold of and just think of the poor horse it came from. Velour does the job just as well, is cheaper and kinder on the animals. 

Third, you can't park the SEB-236 on the vacuum (on the two side slots or the rear on/off parking slot).

This powerhead locks in the upright position, so you shouldn't need to park it on the machine to keep it upright anyway

Forth, wheels on the SEB-236 are too small, no matter what setting you use for carpet thickness, the SEB-236 is hard to push on thick carpet (half inch thick carpet). The beater bar doesn't even pull the power head along, you have to push it with force.

 

Never a problem I've experienced - cannot comment either way, though I imagine this would be a common problem with most powerheads.

Fifth, the wheels on bottom of the vacuum itself are too small, on floors they are great but on carpet they are not large enough and you have to drag the vacuum behind you. This makes the canister flip over all the time.

Again, never a problem I had with mine. Maybe you should run the lawn mower over you carpet?

Sixth, the hose is too short, the canister is right there on you heals. The plastic material is too springy and bumps into things when you vacuum like walls, TV, furniture etc.

Just be thankful it's bouncing off and not taking chunks of paint off the walls

Seventh, one of the c-clips that hold the wheels on the SEB-236 came off on first use. I did find it and put it back on but it wasn't easy, it kept slipping off.

Again, not had any experience with this so I can't comment. 

Eighth, mini turbo brush is air powered (air flowing through the nozzel makes brush spin) not powered by it's own motor, not very effective and stops very easily.

Aren't ALL mini turbo brushes air powered? I've never seen one that's motorised. Plus, a motorised mini power brush would be very heavy and awkward to use, which I imagine would be listed on your initial post if it were. 

 

No offence intended and I'm certainly not saying Miele are perfect, but isn't this all stuff you should've checked out before spending that kind of money?

 

[passatdoc]

Agree with AquaCycle. I don't have the SEB-236 but rather the SEB-217 (top of the line at the time I purchased my Miele). Performance is pretty good on medium pile carpet. Not as a good as an upright, but I felt it better to spend $420 on the S7 upright than $250 on the SEB-236, since my canister has ten years of use on it.

The 217 powerhead does dock on the canister....if the SEB-236 doesn't dock, perhaps that is the design intent (to be able to park it on the floor rather than hang on the canister. All hand held turbobrushes are air-powered. They do a great job on pets (the Chesapeake Bay Retriever loves the "massage"), upholstery, stairs, small rugs, etc.

My only point is that if you are this disappointed with your canister, you might have been happier with one of the S7 uprights. Suction is the same and hose accepts all Miele non-electric attachments and even wands (you can use an electric wand to connect a non-electric attachment, but there is no power in the S7 hose and thus no electrical connection to an electric wand.

Re: upholstery tool, velour is the standard material on nearly all makes now. The onboard tool is a bit narrow, but I bought a wide track upholstery brush for $25 or so from a Miele store. (If you've had a canister for a decade and now know which attachments work or don't work for you, an extra $25 is nothing).

Re: dusting brush...agree that the provided brush is too small for large areas: tops of bookcares/wardrobes, ceiling fan blades, etc. Miele makes a wider brush (about 8" long) with a double-swivel neck to reach any angle, and it's great for when you can't see the surface you are cleaning (top of a fan blade, top of a bookcase). However, the provided brush is good for tight spaces and for dusting objects (collectibles) that are best vacuumed clean rather than being exposed to water. I eventually bought the Micro set for cleaning keyboards, auto crevices, etc. and those brushes are smaller than the standard on-board brush.

Over the years have bought maybe $300 in Miele attachments (turbo minibrush, Micro Set, flexible crevice tool (cleans dryer under drum....), wide dusting and upholstery brush. Since these don't wear out, they are a useful investment. If you buy another Miele, as I did (S7 to supplement my canister), the investment can be re-used. If/when my hard floor brush ever wears out, there is a new hard floor brush with swivel neck which would be a great replacement, but for the cost I can't justify tossing out a perfectly good brush that I have now. There are also wider track hard floor brushes for those who prefer a wider sweep.

 

[Guru]

I would like to say I am sorry for the person who started this thread, but I certainly am not. In addition to being partially illiterate, his assessment of the vacuum is in error or misleading in several different ways:

- The Capricorn's cord is over 30' long.
- The dusting brush's bristles are hair and it's sized for...dusting.
- The dusting brush's bristles do not suck into the hose.
- The vacuum, by the way, has multiple suction settings (even one for dusting).
- Upholstery tools on every brand almost always have felt thread lifters.
- The slots on the sides of the vacuum are for the lesser floor attachments.
- You can park the SEB236 by itself with the wand attached and STANDING.
- The wheels are large enough for the deepest pile.
- The SEB236 is powerful enough to pull out of your hand if it is set low and the vacuum is on a high suction setting.
- Set correctly, you never have to push on carpet.
- One always has to drag a canister behind himself.
- The only reason the vacuum would flip is if it is being mishandled.
- I guess a hose that's "short" is something under 6'.
- I'm not sure what the "plastic material" is, but it might be the soft bumper.
- I have sold the SEB236 to hundreds of customers who have never had a wheel come off. This also sounds like an instance of misuse.
- The mini-turbo brush is, indeed, air powered, "turbo" indicating a turbine within.
- The mini-turbo stops when it "digs in", preventing damage to furniture, etc. It continues to spin freely and effectively when used properly and with finesse.

The Capricorn, which is now obsolete, also had the speed controls and on and off on the wand, which every Miele does/did not.

I have a feeling that this person is somewhat challenged with every complicated device he purchases--i.e.: any machine.