Miele Capricorn

[bimmer740]

Im interested in purchasing a new Miele Capricorn with the SEB236 and was wondering if anyone has one and what their opinion is about the machine. I've had a Blue Moon, Red Velvet, and S251(?) in the past and I loved them all, especially the Red Velvet. I recently purchased a late model Electrolux Guardian on eBay and am in the process of returning it to the seller because it did not arrive as advertised. Its been quite an experiance and its made me miss having a Miele even more.

Is there anyone on this forum or in the VCCC that is a Miele dealer? Miele apparently has changed the color of the newest version of the Capricorn to purple instead of silver and I was wondering if there is any difference between the two machines.

The only other machine that is of interest to me is the new Sebo D4 canister. It looks very nice but I have heard absolutely nothing about it nor do I know of a local Sebo dealer. Im also wondering if Aerus/Electrolux has any plans of bringing back the Renaissace/Guardian body style and using their new and improved motor in it.

I know this is a lot of info to throw out their, but Im a bit torn between machines and the vac shop that I have used for many years recently closed and I had no idea they were going out of business. One of the owners is/was a member of the VCCC as far as I know, but I have no idea if they contribute on this forum. His name is Charlie and he owned Deer Park. I purchased my Miele's there, a Lux upright, my VacuFlo system, parts and bags, along with doing a few repairs for me, and each time it was more than a pleasure to deal with them. Anyone know of any other members that own a vac shop on Long Island, NY?

Thanks!
~Steven

 

[countryguy]

Steven,

I had a Capricorn for a couple of years and then sold it. It had its good points and bad points.

Good:
1. Very quiet
2. Power nozzle very good, a little on the heavy side
3. very good filtration - both the dust bag and exhaust filters
4. Excellent floor brush
5. Adjustable telescopic wand

Bad:
1. Short power cord
2. Short hose with the bulky hose handle. The controls worked on a radio frequency and I found that sometimes the vac would shut off on its own
3. Dusting brush is very small
4. I have plush carpeting and found the small wheels made it hard to manoeuvre.
5. Power nozzle had the fluorescent light - after a short while it started to work only sporadically. I've heard that the new nozzles have LED lights but I can't say for sure.

Gary

 

[joshdonnell]

miele s5

well its a better canister then most like riccar . riccar is like a kenmore

 

[joshdonnell]

miele s5

well its a better canister then most like riccar . riccar is like a kenmore

 

[williamr1248]

Miele Capricorn

Gary,
Your post was interesting as I have heard the same complaints about the Miele from other vac memebers.
(1) too short power cord
(2) too short hose
(3) poor dusting brush
(4) difficult to move on thick carpeting.
I have a Hoover Anniversary Canister (which looks somewhat like a Miele) and I have the VERY same complaints with that machine. It is one of the worst canisters to move around on thick carpeting and it catches on throw rugs and door sills.
Thanks for your input as I am wanting to try a Miele but was not too happy with the cost of the bags and filters.
You shared some good positive features too.
For some reason I liked the yellow model. I have been advised to stay away from the machine that has the controls in the hose handle. I guess that would be like any canister with the hose controls-a few times getting dropped and you have an expensive repair. I am always careful with the hose on my Electrolux Epic 8000.

 

[joshdonnell]

miele s5

i like the dusting brush . i tried out the capircorn and was hooked . i tried the cap and a riccar went back to the cap. sebos are cool looking .

 

[magic-clean]

Miele dilemma

After my on-going "love-hate" relationship with Miele canister vacuums. Love the quietness, performance & ease of use. Dislike the annual breakdowns and super expensive repair costs, I hope this is the solution to my problem and may seem odd, but it works great. We have only hard surface floors, but partner only goes for the top-end, so we have the SEB 236 carpet brush too.

*Selected the latest S5 Leo model w/o the variable speed control on the hose handle

*Ordered a non-electric hose w/o the silly/cumbersome ergonomic handle: http://www.centralvacuumstores.com/Vacuum/Miele/Hoses/Galaxy-Hose-07330630.php and http://www.centralvacuumstores.com/Vacuum/Miele/Hoses/Galaxy-Basic-Handle-05269091.php

*Ordered this extension hose: http://www.centralvacuumstores.com/...ses/SFS10-Flexible-Extension-Hose-7252210.php

*Ordered this dusting brush: http://cgi.ebay.com/Miele-Generic-V...437?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c593e905d

After adding these parts, now I have a very user friendly and fully functional cleaner, that hopefully won't fail due to electrical problems with the hose. Our former Platinum & Red Velvet machines had trouble in this area as well as cord reel problems. Rather disappointing for the price paid.

The self-storing extension hose is really neat. It gives you the extra length you need, yet slips back into it's sleeve when not required. This makes up for the rather short power cord. Only downfall of this hose, is that it only works with the non-electric hose. The generic dusting brush is also quite nice and very functional. Much better than the toylike brush included with the Miele.

http://www.centralvacuumstores.com/...ses/SFS10-Flexible-Extension-Hose-7252210.php

 

[suckolux]

I have cheaper Titan, but can certainly add my dislike for the short hose and cord. The small casters do catch on my area rugs, I look back and its laying on its side.Dusting brush, despise!

 

[luxlife]

Same complaints about my Capricorn, here.

I should also add that the SEB-236 nozzle is too aggressive for older rugs. About a 2 months ago, I did see a very interesting new Sebo machine: The AirBelt D. They seem to address a few of Miele's shortcomings with the cord and hose lengths, and the power nozzle is great. Here's the link:

http://www.sebo.us/airbelt-d.aspx

 

[pr-21]

Miele vs Sebo

I have the Canadian model top of the line S5 Miele and I just purchased a Sebo D4. Sebo is by far the best. You cannot beat the Sebo Power Nozzle.


Bud

 

[luxlife]

The Sebo D4 bag chamber setup is really cool!

I love the way the bag just sits there and the suction intake is through the filter media in the lid

It sort of reminds me of the Lewyt "Big Wheel".

 

[joshdonnell]

miele s5

personal i would buy a miele over a sebo . the sebo was kinda lame looking and theres no features i like .

 

[bimmer740]

Thanks everyone for the comments. If I had the chance to buy a new Red Velvet or Blue Moon again I would in a heart beat. The SEB236 and SEB226 power nozzles that I had with each machine were wonderful.

I had no idea that the new Miele hose that has the motor speed control used a radio frequency. I never had a single problem with either of my Miele's, and they each has the variable speed control in the handle. I'm surprised that there is only one machine in the current Miele line-up that has this feature. Like someone said above, I too will only buy the TOL machine, anything else is just not worth considering in my mind. With that said, I need another vacuum like I need a hole in my head, especially one that costs $1200. I'm waiting for a Lux Renaissance to arrive that I purchaesd on eBay, and it seems to be in wonderful condition. I may just purchase the new Wessel-Werk EBK360 power nozzle to use with the central vac. My favorite feature of the Red Velvet was the SEB236 PN with its bright light, adjustable height, and deep cleaning power. The EBK340 that has been around for many years now lacks the variable height adjustment, which has been the only reason I have not purchased one yet. The EBK360 with the fully integrated telescopic wand, LED head light, and height adjustment is only $225, so I think that is probably the best choice for now.

I'm hoping someone here buys the new Sebo D4 and writes a review about it. The Sebo seems to have addressed some of the Miele canisters short comings, and that 40ft power cord seems like it would be a dream come true!

 

[countryguy]

I tried the Sebo C3.1 just before I purchased the Capricorn. I did not like how the bag had to be changed from underneath the body and it seemed kind of on the small size. I also did not like the electrical wire on the hose handle. To me, it seemed much to easy for it to get ripped out or broken if not handled with extreme care. It looks like the handle on the D series is of the same design.

Gary