Am I The Only One.....

[repairman]

That hates Miele? Every time they come in the shop for not turning on (while under warranty), they either have faulty cords or bad motors. I find it amazing that someone would spend hundreds of dollars on a vacuum only for it to die like that. I have to give Miele credit for offering a 7 year warranty on the motor, but I can't imagine how much money they lose. If somebody wants a reliable upright, they could just buy a Riccar Vibrance for less than $350. Does anyone else in the repair industry feel the same way?

 

[crazykirbydude]

Me too. The uprights are way more electrically complex than they need to be and they're way too bulky, weighing MORE than a Kirby G Series, and the Miele doesn't even have self propel! The canisters are okay, but the cheap plastic hoses, the overcomplicated circuitry, and the tiny bags, which are crazy expensive, are real turn offs for me. I much prefer my Kirby and Electrolux vacuums. I would buy a SEBO before I buy a Miele. I have used both the Windsor Sensor XP12 (SEBO X4) and the Windsor Axcess (SEBO Dart) and I was quite impressed by both of them.

 

[vacfan1982]

Miele cylinder cleaners may not be built as well as they were years ago but the build quality is still quite good and should last at least 10 years. We pay a lot less for Miele and Sebo here, you can get a basic C3 for £150. I think that is excellent value. The bags are 4.5 litres so not tiny they cost around £2.50 and they are the best bags I've seen.

 

[crazykirbydude]

The bags here are $20 for a three pack. I can get a 3 pack of HEPA Kirby bags for around $13, and the Kirby bags are much bigger. If I had to buy a German vacuum, I would buy a SEBO. They seem well built, yet lightweight, and match or exceed the Miele in cleaning performance.

 

[vacfan1982]

£10 for a 4 pack here. I'd say Sebo are built better but the Miele has more airflow and better filtration. I'd be very happy with either Miele or Sebo.

 

[jo]

Debating which is best

Give me an Aerus any day over all those other machines for durability and ease of use. Yeah they are expensive but they last far longer. It’s never convenient and always frustrating when an appliance fails and when there’s not good service behind it if it does fail, the frustration gets worse. Know some with those simplicity Riccar uprights. They are not impressed for the price they paid some years down the line.

 

[huskyvacs]

I hate all those luxury brands because they purposely do not sell or make excess parts to sell as spares. They do not want you to fix them. They want you to throw them away and buy a new one. You spend $600 on a vacuum just to have it last 2.5 to 3 years? That's not right. Furthermore, they will only honor the repair if its done at a certified dealer, and with brand new OEM parts that have been marked up 80% more because they know you need it. Any company that does that is scum.

Also a $500 vacuum doesn't clean any better than a $50 vacuum - just the same as a $700 phone still makes the same phone call as a $15 prepaid. I come from a family that doesn't flippantly throw money away, so I don't fall for consumerism with that "more money means better product" gimmick.

I have a Miele Black Diamond (very rare) and when I was rebuilding it - I had to import most of the parts from Germany. It took 2 years buying 1 part at a time as I could afford it to rebuild it. That's how badly Miele sucks. When I tried to eMail Miele to get a manual for it from their files (a lot of companies do that) - they had no idea what vacuum I was even talking about! They said they never made one of that model. I had to laugh.

I'd rather get a 1950's Kirby at Goodwill for $10, spend $50 repairing it and restoring it myself, and then have it last another 90 years.

 

[lux_luthor]

I find it crazy that the cost for Miele is ridiculously more in the US than it is for Germany. I understand it’s an imported product, but 5-10 times the cost really necessary? Also I don’t understand why they don’t have a mini motorized tool available at all. Turbo brushes are OK, but powered ones work better.

Additionally, I have found the charcoal activated HEPA filter that they used to sell does not eliminate odors from the exhaust.

I do think the performance of Miele is good, but they are lacking in some areas.

 

[n0oxy]

Miele

I have a Miele C1 Olympus, it's a nice straight suction canister. I've heard that Miele parts are very expensive, fortunately I have not needed to buy any of those. I think Sebo's build quality is a bit better than Miele's. When it comes to uprights, I would avoid Riccar, the quality is definitely not what it once was. In my view the best upright you can get is the Sebo Felix. The design of that machine is ingenius, it's an upright but it gives you the flexibility of a canister.
Mike

 

[crazykirbydude]

I think the base model Riccar SupraLite is a nifty little upright. I would stay away from everything else though.

 

[vacuumdevil]

Ok Boomer

@repairman I know you'll be in good company here.


I equate the misunderstanding of German cars in the US that used to be .
There used to be I misunderstanding that German cars were hard to fix because they were different fix. however my wife's s5 is far easier to work on than the Chevy lumina.

I've rarely ever seen manufacturer defect electrical issues especially with a Miele. They do tend to get abused by some of their owners pretty bad just like any other vacuum.

I find it interesting that you would then turn around and Shill for a much lower quality product.

You remind me of an old auto mechanic I know who once said. "They're all pieces of shit no matter how sporty or fast they are" "at the end of the day you'd rather not be working on any of these pieces of shit"

 

[crazykirbydude]

A vacuum cleaner does not need any sort of complex circuitry. Period. If a mid 70s Electrolux Super J doesn't need a circuit board, neither should a Miele.

 

[human]

My sentiments exactly...

Huskyvacs wrote:
I'd rather get a 1950's Kirby at Goodwill for $10, spend $50 repairing it and restoring it myself, and then have it last another 90 years.

cazykirbydude wrote:
A vacuum cleaner does not need any sort of complex circuitry. Period. If a mid 70s Electrolux Super J doesn't need a circuit board, neither should a Miele.

I reply:
Coudn't have said it better myself. With high quality vintage Kirby and Electrolux models available in the second hand market for a pittance, it makes exactly zero sense to shell out for a new machine that's just a pile of circuit boards, waiting to self-destruct a week after the warranty expires. The total cost of ownership equation just doesn't add up on these machines.

 

[crazykirbydude]

One of my other hobbies is working with computers, and I've seen computers that have overheated and died due to a bit of dust buildup on the sensitive electronics. Now tell me, does it make sense to put those same sensitive electronics into a machine which is literally designed to deal with dirt? The most outrageous example of this is Hoover's React upright WITH A MICROPROCESSOR that's designed to communicate with your cell phone. Why in the world does an UPRIGHT VACUUM CLEANER need to be connected to a phone to operate? It's quite literally the stupidest design I've ever seen. The best part is that the only function that the app serves is to control the brushroll, adjust the height, and check for clogs, which is something that could have easily been accomplished with a simple rocker switch, diaphragm switch, and a height pedal/knob. I should not have to create an account with Hoover and connect my vacuum to my phone just to use AN UPRIGHT VACUUM CLEANER! I'm a techy guy, but I only appreciate technology where it belongs, which is inside my computer case, not in my vacuum cleaner. I will attach photos of the offending vacuum and the accompanying phone app.

 

[vacuumdevil]

@crazykirbydude the old school Electrolux has that used a klusterfuk of vacuum lines to control multiple switches and things. this ended up being less reliable than most circuit boards with the mechanical switches internal parts in lines dry rotting.
Don't even get me started on the internal clogging issues of some of those lines.
Solid state electronics are really reliable these days. If you've ever taken apart an Electrolux 2100 to 6500 series canister it is far more prone to failure then something like a Miele or SEBO that have been using circuit boards 35+ years.

The only Miele I have ever seen that had electronic problems was the blue moon, original 500 series red velvet & Silver moon . Those are all hoes related. But everything else has been very solid.

But I will definitely agree with you Hoover,Roidmi do not need to have a Bluetooth module with an app to spy on you. Just like thermostats don't need to connect to the internet.

 

[vacfan1982]

Alex I've had my Miele S5 for 7 years now. No problems whatsoever. I've also had an S8/C3 for 4 years without any problems. I speak as I find and I find Miele to be very reliable.

 

[lux_luthor]

I bought one new that had a bad wand that didn’t power the power nozzle, and then the button to extend the wand on the new one broke. My very first brand new Miele had a hose short out in the first week of owning it. Both models were the Delphi. One was white, one was blue. Had a C3 that the “quick release” latch on the power nozzle was broken out of the box. Luckily no circuit board issues, but hose, wand, and power nozzle issues happened on 3 different canisters, all of which were brand new. 2 of which were broken before ever being used.

 

[vacfan1982]

You've had a lot of bad luck haven't you. Have you been walking under ladders?

 

[lux_luthor]

Right?
I can’t recall ever having issues like that with any other brand. I’ve been through a number of vacuums because I like to try different ones. But Miele has been the only brand I’ve had that has been broken right out of the box or within a matter of days. And I’m very easy going on my machines, so it wasn’t user error.
Makes me wonder if Sebo is better. I thought about a Felix, but the heated exhaust while trying to use it in canister mode was a turn off for me.

 

[crazykirbydude]

At least when the vacuum lines failed on the Electrolux, it didn't cripple the whole vacuum!

 

[gmarquez]

I have to say I quite disagree having owned an Electrolux Olympian, 1205, model L, rainbow e2 silver and just recently acquired an Aerus guardian my Miele monte verde blows them all out of the water. The suction and airflow is much stronger than any of theirs. I’m also confused at the claim that they have small bags I can easily get 3-4 months out of one bag and this is with the smaller FJM bag. Not to mention the Miele wands are the only canister wand that I’ve used that’s actually tall enough for me to use without having to drop my shoulders down. And as far as reliability is concerned I’d place them on the same level as Electrolux/ aerus as none of the canisters I’ve owned have ever needed any repair. And when I worked in a vacuum store for about two years there was one Miele that came in for repair in that time frame compared to about 3 Electrolux’s about probably about 1-2 kirbys a week. And I’m also confused by the claim that they’re build quality isn’t on par with other high end brands, the guardian I recently got is about 3 years newer than my Miele yet the Miele plastic doesn’t have any squeak at all compared to the plastic on the Electrolux which sounds like it’s hardly holding together.

 

[vacuumdevil]

@gmarquez

@vacfan1982 you're definitely right some people have had bad luck walking under ladders.

@crazykirbydude It sure can and will.
I have an Electrolux epic 6500 then I will be doing a full refurbish on I'll be sure to post that in 4k on here for you all to see how complicated that machine is because they refuse to use solid state circuitry. Oddly enough in the many years I've been fixing vacuums I've repaired more Electrolux for dry rotting and vacuum switch fellow related issues ,then PCB issues with both Miele and SEBO combined.

 

[jo]

GMarquez: One side effect of Lexan plastic is the creaky squeaky sounds it makes when flexed and pieces rub together. That’s why the Aerus and Electrolux’s do that. Yes it’s a disconcerting sound, but if you’ve ever experienced trying to break Lexan, which is nearly impossible, you’ll realize that the creaky sound is something to accept for a plastic that is very difficult to crack or break.

Interesting that some have seen Electrolux’s with vacuum air tubing that dried out. Have several older machines never to experience that issue but did see it once on an LX but the machine was over 60 years old at that point!

I think the quantity of repairs a vacuum shop sees on any one brand might be due to the average number of that brand that’s out there in the general area served by the store. If a lot of Electrolux’s and Kirby’s are out there compared to Miele’s then you’d be apt to see less Miele’s as a result.

Jon

 

[gmarquez]

JO, it’s funny you mention that the numbers of machines in the area could have played a roll in the frequency of their visits. It made me realize that all three of the Electrolux machines that came in where probably from around the early 90s I think they where all ambassadors, this made me wonder if our Electrolux dealer had closed so I looked it up and it turns out they’ve been closed for quite some time this would explain both why it’s so rare that we got them in and why they where all from around the same time period. The Mieles however where a different story both our store and the local oreck store where pretty High volume Miele dealers I’d say someone came in at least 2-3 days a week for Miele bags so they where definitely out there.

 

[crazykirbydude]

I've seen a lot of Electroluxes, and I can say that I've never seen a broken plastic body. I'm 17, 6 feet tall and I weigh 190 pounds, and I can stand on a plastic bodied Electrolux without the plastic cracking or breaking. Also, the Aerus Lux Guardian Platinum has 100 CFM from the power nozzle, so it's hardly a wimpy cleaner. The Lux Classic and Lux Legacy are only a few CFM behind.

 

[vacfan1982]

The Lux platinum has 80 CFM at the nozzle. Mike got 90 CFM from the Miele C3 nozzle with the Sebo ET1. Not that an extra 10 CFM is gonna make a noticeable difference.

From what I've been told the Lux power nozzle isn't great.

 

[vacuumdevil]

@crazykirbydude good to know that you're a child.

@vacfan1982 that's such an interesting machine. It's oversized for no apparent reason the hose is a little short on it too I found one using it.
I think there's a noticeable difference in maneuverability of that Electrolux vs any miele,SEBO or modern canister with casters.

I would like to point out one other thing is that Mike test Vacuums in Europe which often have completely different motor setups than their American counterparts.

 

[vacfan1982]

That is true Alex I think the Miele C3 Mike tested had a 1600w motor which of course is not allowed in the EU today as 900w is the maximum. My Miele S5 has a 2200w motor

I do like the Lux Platinum or Lux Intelligence in Europe but as you say it looks a bit bulky to manoeuvre around. It's very well built though. I am tempted to purchase a used one from Germany. I've seen them going for around £300.

 

[crazykirbydude]

vacuumdevil...

I found your comment extremely offensive. That was quite rude and completely uncalled for. I'm still entitled to my opinion, no matter my age. Also, 17 is HARDLY a child. 11, maybe, but 17? I think not. If you feel the need to belittle a teenager on the internet over a vacuum cleaner, then you have some serious issues. I'm quite disappointed in everyone here. This started out as a respectful debate, and it ended up in petty bickering. This site as a whole as gotten so toxic that it is impossible to have an unpopular opinion. I simply stated my opinion and shared my personal experiences, and I got attacked for it. Immature adults suck the fun out of this site.