In-depth look at an modern engineering marvel

[vacuumdevil]

I've seen a lot of things said over the years about the Miele S7 / U1 upright.
Even if you dislike it you have to admit it's quite the engineering marvel. One definitely deserves a place in your collection.
Here are two very detailed videos explaining lots of different things about the Miele U1 you may not have known. Performance numbers might vary upon altitude.

 

[ralph123]

Nice job on the review.

 

[vacuumdevil]

@ralph123 Thanks !

 

[n0oxy]

nice review

It sounds like a good upright cleaner, if I was more of an upright person I would probably get one. I would say the Miele upright and the Sebo Felix are probably the best uprights available, though I think the Felix may be a bit better, I do have one of those. One big advantage of the Felix is that you can remove the power head and attach a hard floor brush just like a canister, that's the main reason I bought one, it's the only upright in my collection.
Mike

 

[eurekaprince]

It really is an amazing piece of vacuum cleaner engineering. Nice to know Miele went the “Volvo” route in the assembly of these vacs - one person per cleaner.

This Miele is one of the very few uprights in Consumer Reports tests to achieve an “Excellent” score for deep carpet cleaning - I think only the Kirby got an “Excellent” score as well. All other tested cleaners that are “recommended” got a “Very Good” score.

It’s too bad Miele stopped selling these in Canada - we had them in our stores for a few years up here. I wonder why they stopped selling them considering we still can buy all the canisters here.

If I want to buy one, I have to drive across the border to Best Buy in Plattsburgh, NY!

Thanks for the great videos!

 

[lesinutah]

Vacuumdevik

Your right I should own it. I'll send you my address so you can mail it to me.
I wish nice video.
Les

 

[panasonicvac]

I wished Miele would've kept making their S7/U1 uprights in steel blue metalic like the Swing. I always thought that was a sharp looking color on a Miele. Or one of their black models with the headlight like the Bolero or the AutoEco. I really liked the looks of those Mieles. The Tango in titan red metallic was also a sharp looking color. If I had to pick a third favorite looking Miele upright from the S7/U1 line, I'd pick the Tango. I was hoping Miele would make one in green (particulary the petrol kind like the C3 Alize) but I don't think that will ever happen. Otherwise I would probably buy one in a heart beat as a piece to add for my collection.

 

[eurekaprince]

I’ve always hoped that Miele would make their own version of a lightweight upright like an Oreck....would make a great companion vac to a suction-only Miele canister. Now that I see the workings of the S7/U1 upright, it would be so easy to modify the more complicated U1 to create a fan first, soft bag version. Just flip the motor over and create a fan first configuration where the dirt is blown up the handle into a front facing bag. You could still have that second brush roll motor that could be switched off for bare floor cleaning, but the elimination of the bypass system and the onboard tools would make it very lightweight and simple. Add a fancy high filtration Miele soft bag, and you’d have a great Oreck-clone!

 

[vacuumdevil]

@panasonicvac metallic colors with Miele are not molded into the plastic. Instead they have somebody do a proper paint job with a clear coat. The additional cost of the consumer when they did this was $40-75 more a unit, most consumers just didn't want to pay it.

They have stopped doing metallic paint on their machines with the exception of the brilliant.

@eurekaprince they do make lightweight vacuums they're called canisters, uprights are pretty absurd idea over in Europe. They also did make a lightweight quick broom called the H1 step. Now are currently making the triflex.

Dirty air machines have lots of trouble passing European standards for sound and dust emissions. Not to mention the lack of power when it comes to cleaning ability.
Then you talk about reliability Miele has a reputation I can't see why they would go backwards with that. Not to mention accessories would have to go by the wayside.

Dirty air/direct air machines are mostly a thing of the past thank God.

 

[n0oxy]

differences

What was the difference between the s7 and the u1? Were they totally different series or the same cleaner with different accessories? They only have one on their web site now, the u1 cat and dog.
I've heard it said that dirty air machines will clean carpet the best, but I would think a good clean air upright or power nozzle canister would do just as well.
Mike

 

[vacuumdevil]

@n0oxy for the most part they are the same vacuum. they added a ingest bar and change the switch around on the U1. They also change some marketing material but other than that it's the same.

I know it's an unpopular opinion on her but I really do think most cleaner machines these days clean better than direct air machines of the past. I would also say neither type of upright clean as well as a central vacuum

 

[dysonman1]

There's a story to this Miele S7, suffice it to say some people really loved it because as he said "It's heavy". He loved that machine so much and used it every day. I hated it, but I didn't have to use it. I sold it the week after he passed away.

 

[n0oxy]

dirty and clean air machines

It's thought that the dirty air machines have more airflow for cleaning carpets. I would think that since everything you vacuum up goes through the fan, you're going to have quite a bit of fans that break, also these machines do not work as well when using a hose.
I agree that nothing will clean as well as a central vacuum, especially when you connect the hose directly to it. That will have more cleaning power than any portable vacuum will ever have.
Mike

 

[broomvac]

I had a Miele S7 Salsa for a little while. This vacuum had been used without a bag dock by its former owner, so the motor impeller got filled with crud which threw it off balance. I disassembled the motor and gave it a good cleaning inside and out. After that, it was all smiles. It was, indeed, a great vacuum, and I enjoyed using it. I found it superior to the Riccar Radiance which I had at the same time. Although I prefer my current Sebo X7 Premium to both of those aforementioned machines, mostly for its carpet cleaning performance, I recognize that the Miele has the superior setup for above floor cleaning.

After I refurbished it and daily’d it for a couple of months, I donated my S7 to a family starting a fledgling vac store in my hometown. I was glad to learn that they sold it for $300 to a customer who has been happily using it for nearly a year now. Sounds like both parties got a good deal. The owner of the store was so impressed by my vacuum, that he later became a Miele dealer!

 

[vacuumdevil]

@broomvac & @dysonman1 Great stories thanks for sharing!

 

[panasonicvac]

Yeah I remembered how more expensive those Mieles were.