Advice please: replacement for aging Miele Revolution 700 (UK)

[appliance_att]

I've had a Miele Revolution 700 for the past 10 years and it's time for a replacement, I think.

The first problem is that there's now a problem with the electronic speed control in the hose handle, so that if the hose flexes too much while you're cleaning, the machine goes back to standby mode and you have to adjust the speed to get it to restart. It's a real pain when you're working in a confined area, such as cleaning the stairs.

The real problem is that a while back I managed to vacuum up something that jammed the door to the Hyclean bag shut so unbeknownst to me while I was vacuuming the dirty air was flowing around the bag rather than through it. Despite the motor protection filter, I think the motor's damaged - it's nowhere near as powerful as it used to be.

So, I'm looking for recommendations for a new cylinder vacuum. It must be bagged and have a HEPA filter (I don't have allergies but I figure you might as well trap as much dust as you can). I don't want fancy remote controls and I've only hard floors so I don't need a turbo/power brush. I also don't want a parquet floor head - I have one on the Miele and all the fluff sticks to the extra-thick bristles instead of getting sucked up. I also need a small brush attachment for carpets and the stairs and such.

Ideally I'd like to spend less than £200 but would maybe stretch to £250 if I needed to. So far, I'm considering one of the more basic AEG UltraOnes (or an Ultrasilencer if anywhere is selling them) or another Miele (probably a compact one). I also wondered about the Sebo D2 (I seem to recall the K1 models don't have a small brush as standard, and I think the system of connecting the small nozzle using the crevice tool is nuts) or a Nilfisk, but I've heard horror stories about their durability and no-one seems to stock them either.

Does anyone have any suggestions or advice?

Thanks

Matt

 

[MikeKLondon]

Dont replace it

I would send it to Miele for a recon they now have a fixed price and it will come back like new the problem with the hose is easy to fix you just need to clean the contacts and the loss of power may just mean a new filter. If you want to replace it I would not recommend a Sebo, but a Nilfik GM 80 with last a lift time

 

[appliance_att]

Thanks, Mike. After the "accident" I did replace the bag, the pre-motor filter and the HEPA filter as well as cleaning out the bag compartment with another vacuum so I think the motor might well have been damaged.

Also, don't know what I was thinking when I said in my original post that I needed a small brush for carpets - I don't have any. I must've just meant the stairs and furniture.

I see from your profile that Sebo is one of your favourite modern brands. Is there a particular reason you don't recommend the D2?

 

[MikeKLondon]

Sebo

Must change my profile It was but I found my felix endless had problems and SEBO where very hard to deal with, when working it is a very good vacuum but its spent more time not working than it has cleaning. I had 2 Miele's recond. and they do a really good job I cant remember how much i paid something around £100.00 each I think

 

[turbo500]

I'd recommend Sebo in a flat second!! I have the x1.1, my Mum has a Felix and my Dad has a K1, all of which have worked flawlessly since new. They're also considerably cheaper than Miele, equally as high performing and reliable. I think my dad paid about £120 for his

 

[turbo500]

£125 for the K1

http://www.go-electrical.co.uk/inde...ies-k1-compact-1800w-cylinder-vacuum-red.html

 

[MikeKLondon]

SEBO

So many here love there SEBO's and I would say that they or both easy to use and very good vacuums BUT I have had 3 all had the same faults Switch and cables also my local shop is full of them all with the same problem, they have now stopped stocking them. Such a shame if they could improve the build I would by one again. It actually cleans better and is user to use than both the Miele and the Worwerk. My Felex is away again at the moment its the slider switch this time. I think the most reliable suction only vacuum I have ever had has to be the Nilfisk there is nothing to go wrong really its built like a tank and very very quite with long hose and long cable.

 

[madabouthoovers]

I'd say go for another Miele, the S6 series is very good, and can be had for about £170 for the S6210 - the basic model with the blue casing - it has great functionality and small size, so you can carry it about easily to do the stairs. As you dont have carpets, it doesnt come with the turbine floorhead, so saving money, but has a good standard floorhead with flip down brush on the front. Its very quiet in operation and sold in Argos, so easily obtained. I love my Miele S6220 which has the turbine head for my carpets - well made and much cheaper than a Dyson, with good quality made bags.
They get very good reviews as well, so I'd say go for it and get another Miele!

 

[kirbylux77]

I would say if you are capable of doing your own repairs, you should try taking it apart first. Since your Miele is still turning on & sucking, that's a good sign.

What I would STRONGLY recommend doing is to get your hands on another canister vacuum with a blower port or find someone that has a powerful air compressor. If you're using a vacuum with a blower port, put the hose on the blower along with a crevice tool to concentrate the airflow. Take the motor out, & take the blower vacuum or air compressor to it. I had a Eureka Maxima upright, which you guys get as Electrolux over in the UK, that had been given to me, which had hardly any suction & was incredibly noisy. Once I took the motor out & blew it out good, the problem was instantly solved & full power was restored.

Especially since this is an older Miele you have here, it would be a shame to see such a well-made vacuum thrown away when it could be such a simple repair is all it needs.

Best of luck to you....Rob

 

[kirbylux77]

I would say if you are capable of doing your own repairs, you should try taking it apart first. Since your Miele is still turning on & sucking, that's a good sign.

What I would STRONGLY recommend doing is to get your hands on another canister vacuum with a blower port or find someone that has a powerful air compressor. If you're using a vacuum with a blower port, put the hose on the blower along with a crevice tool to concentrate the airflow. Take the motor out, & take the blower vacuum or air compressor to it. I had a Eureka Maxima upright, which you guys get as Electrolux over in the UK, that had been given to me, which had hardly any suction & was incredibly noisy. Once I took the motor out & blew it out good, the problem was instantly solved & full power was restored.

Especially since this is an older Miele you have here, it would be a shame to see such a well-made vacuum thrown away when it could be such a simple repair is all it needs.

Best of luck to you....Rob

 

[sebo_fan]

Personally speaking, if you are used to Miele and like them, there's nothing stopping you from buying any of their cylinder vacs. However, as a fan of both German brands, the SEBO D series is relatively new and hasn't seen much of a unreliable issue. It was made to compete with Henry as well as a replacement for the C series large cylinder vac (rivalling the S500 and S700 models by Miele).

The SEBO D series is only suitable for large to extra large homes as it has a 12 metre length power cord that rewinds in at a touch of a button. It lacks the pull rewind function on the K series. K series has a 3 litre dust bag, the D series has a 6 litre dust bag. Compared to Miele, you get far more value for money with SEBO on more dust bags per box and the filters tend to last longer. Also D series range comes with three small cleaning tools as standard like Miele - dusting brush too!

From what I can recall, the Miele S700 uses the smaller 3.5 litre or 4 litre FJM bag based on different sizes of the bag cavity per S4, S6 - I never bought a Sebo C yet since the S571 was a fantastic all rounder. Comet do have the new S700 in stock but you can whistle if you're looking for a discount.

The S6 is okay but its too expensive for what you're getting - and the tools don't hide under a flap. Best to either consider the S5211 older black model or the latest S8210 black model as both are priced between £175 and £200 and have the tools hidden under the flap like the S700. Generally the S8 and S5 base line black models are neck and neck on power & performance, with the S8 benefitting from the nifty one touch cord rewind button that the S6 has.

The D2 starts off at £177- to £219 for the basic spec red Storm model that only comes with a standard suction only floor head. Other models like the D2 Titan and D2 Total come with different floor heads for multiple cleaning tasks. But you do get the bigger amount of cord, a slightly larger dust bag capacity to the Miele's larger GN dust bags and nearly twice as much power cord length.

Bear in mind that the UK SEBOS all come with a 5 year guarantee as standard. Miele's S8 on "selected models" come with 10 year guarantees and some with an extra £30 spent offer for the 10 years - but this does not count all the models in the line up.

See link below for the S8 base model, S8310 Power Plus - a good price from John Lewis at £179-99, but Im pretty sure the S8310 and S5211 can be purchased from other retailers - Redhill appliances are pretty good for Miele vac offers (www.redhillappliances.co.uk) and Amazon UK (current price is £168-99 for the S5211 cylinder vac.)

If youre looking for value for money, the Sebo D series is worth looking into. If you're a Miele fan though I'd settle for the S8 or S5 (don't forget you can buy the HEPA filter separately for ANY Miele vacuum) - I have an S6 and about the only thing I appreciate about it over the older models is the new comfort auto cord rewind function. At the time of purchase the S8 was not on the market, but if it was I'd have settled for the better made S8 instead of the S6. Since you have a Miele already, you can just either get the one you have fixed or consider a new cylinder that can use the existing tools.


http://www.johnlewis.com/231656325/Product.aspx

 

[sebo_fan]

Oh my, a coincidence!

Used S8 going without a suction tube.



http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/330826070343?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1426.l2649

 

[appliance_att]

Decisions, decisions

Emailed Miele today to see about their fixed price servicing which for a Revolution model is £108. The service is only for machines up to 10 years old and mine's a tiny bit older than that. Thanks for the suggestion to check the motor myself but given I'm about as handy as toothache, I'll leave it to the experts if I decide on a repair rather than a replacement.

Went to John Lewis at the weekend. Immediately discounted both AEG UltraOne models as I thought they were really plasticky. I quite liked the mini version of the AEG Ultra One apart from its £270 price tag and the way it seemed like it had a full-size bag stuffed into a smaller bag compartment. Quite liked the basic red Sebo D2 for £220.

What really shocked me was the price of the Miele S8 range - JL don't appear to stock the S6 series. The top model S8 is £480! If I go for a new machine, I think it'll either be the S8 Silence or the S8 HEPA which are both £250 on the Miele website. The Silence has the lower-watt motor and the special airflow floor tool and the HEPA has a normal motor and nozzle and speed controls (and a spotlight!) on the handle. As the handle speed control is RF based rather than wired, it shouldn't have the same issues as I've had with the Revolution but I wonder if the hose is shorter- the hose on my Revolution is shorted than normal which makes it quite awkward when dusting some furniture.

 

[sebo_fan]

Generally most if not all of Miele's non-electric cylinder vacs have a 1.8 metre hose - they haven't risen to Sebo's added hose length just yet though I wish they would. Less bother to pull a weight behind you when all you have is hose and suction pipes. Im surprised you say John Lewis don't have S6 Miele vacs - perhaps the Scottish stores are different - plenty of S6 models on the shop floor including reduced shop floor demo models at £132 to £134 "special price," for the base S6210 model.

The S6 does exist in John Lewis stores, but only the Cat and Dog model at £199-95 (same price as the base line black S8) or wait for it....£319-00 for the swanky red velvet covered model S6730. Outgoing models tend to be the baseline S6210 in blue or the horrible one I have, the S6 Ecoline S6240.

Dont forget - don't be put off by what your John Lewis store doesn't have - you can use the Internet for that - if you want a specific model phone your local store up and ask then to get the base line S8 black model in stock for you or whatever model you see provided you give them the product code number from John Lewis website. I did that with my Sebo D2 Total in Glasgow - as they only stocked the Storm model in-store at the time.

Avoid the "Special Low suction" air teq twin pedalled floor head. Well, unless you like untangling it each time the back of the cord from the machine gets tangled up between the pedals and the machine. It is heavier than even the older Miele S5 large suction only floor heads. Not really worth it unless of course you want to slow down your cleaning, as it is bulkier to use in general and I find the rubberised wheels squeal on my marble floor tiles = not exactly aspiring to the usual quality Miele put into their floor heads.

I notice that the S8330 Solution HEPA has a claimed headlight on the handle and an extra long 11 metre cable (why did it take them so long to fit a longer cable??!).

 

[sebo_fan]

Ah my mistake, its a 11 metre radius. Pity Miele don't quote their cord length on their home website for the S8. No info at all about actual cord length in the UK specs. If you want it, you have to email Miele.

 

[appliance_att]

Made up my mind

I heard back from Miele who said that given that my Miele's over ten years old, I could have the fixed-price service deal they offer, but that I'd have to pay extra for any parts used.

I've therefore decided to replace it with a Miele S8310 and have ordered a HEPA filter to go with it, so job done.

Thanks to everyone for their advice. I'll probably put the old one on eBay when I get around to it.

Sebo_fan - the John Lewis website lists the cord length of the S8 range as 6.5 metres.

 

[sebo_fan]

OH well, thanks for that info! Glad you got an S8. That's one aspect I like about Miele and Sebo in the UK - their offer of the optional cost tools and filters means you can custom build without spending a fortune on specialised machines. Bosch are also starting to do the same with their floor care appliances.