Miele launch the 700W S8 Silence Plus Ecoline in the UK

[madabouthoovers]

Miele have launched the first of their Eco vacs to the UK - coming in at just 700W, the Silence Plus S8 model.


I gather this has been available in Europe for a little while, but now we have the chance to buy it here.


 


This is the first Miele model that will comply with the new 2017 EU regs on energy consumption with the 900W maximum power limit.


 


I am wondering if it will have the power to be able to drive a turbo brush?


 


They claim its the Quietest Miele to date - I should think so at only 700W, I cant get over it - its like going back to the 70s again

[this post was last edited: 3/11/2014-22:36]

http://www.miele.co.uk/vacuum-cleaners/S8-Silence-Plus-EcoLine-Allergy-438/

 

[beko1987]

My s5 on 700w won't drive a turbo brush but works OK with the normal floor tool. Unless they re design the turbo head, but then it would have to not bog down and stop the rotation which I imagine would make it rubbish...

We have laminate downstairs throughout in our new place, I'll be using it at 300w as that's plenty for hard floor. Where's my EU bollocks medal?

 

[turbo500]

Well if Miele have found a new way to generate high suction, good on em! Numatic are claiming a 10% suction increase on the current 1200w models with only 650w, so only time will tell. Lets not forget, Miele are all rated at 1200w across the rest of the world, it's only the UK demanding the 2200w. We all know that high wattage doesn't necessarily equal more suction.

 

[alexhoovers94]

We all know that high wattage doesn't necessarily equal more suction. 

I think it does up to a certain point, up to like 1000 watts, after that I think there is a minimal increase in suction rather than the dramatic difference in suction on a 500 watt clean air motor over a 1000 watt clean air motor.
However depending on the quality of the motor and air paths, this point can well be, quite invalid.

 

[vintagerepairer]

Broadly speaking, higher wattage motors do mean more suction, and it's become the 'lazy' way of manufacturing vacuum cleaner motors. Whether you realise what you were inadvertently saying this, Turbo, I have no idea, but the late 1970's and early 1980's was a time when it was proven that a relatively low wattage motor can produce some amazing amount of suction power, if the design of both the motor and the cleaner is correct. So yes, I am pleased that manufacturers are reflecting on the past for inspiration.

In a world where suction power is everything, there can be no way that these cleaners with their lower wattage motors would be anything less that their high-wattage predecessors. But as I thought, manufacturers are unlikely to be advertising the wattage on the outside of the cleaners in the same way they became accustomed to doing in the last 25 years.

 

[vintagerepairer]

Sorry, not Turbo500, I meant madabouthoovers.

 

[alexhoovers94]

I noticed that even though my Vortex says on the rating sticker that is has a 1350 wwatt motor, it doesn't actually boast about it all over the body, Possibly because it had better selling points.
I think my Purepower from 1997 says 1400S on the hood but It doesn't say "watts" I realise it is talking about the wattage but it is not exactly boasting it. Also the Turbopower 2 cleaners never said anything about wattage on the cleaner bodies.
I think they do it these days because there is not much exciting about the cleaners so they just advertise the wattage.

 

[vintagerepairer]

But prior to the late 1980's, Alex, practically no vacuum cleaner mentioned the wattage of the motor on anywhere but the rating plate. This is my point. And as time progressed, the Turbopower 2 Hoover cleaners did indeed have the wattage printed to the front.

 

[alexhoovers94]

But the original models didn't U2462, U2464 and U2466 from 1992, the 1000 did but that was intended in the name.
Even in the brochure for the Autosense Turbopower 2 cleaners it did not say 800 watt boost button, it just said "boost button for extra tool suction.

 

[vintagerepairer]

So what are you trying to say, Alex? Is it that cleaners made from the late 1980's onwards did not follow a trend of advertising the motor wattage in a way that had never been done before? If it is, then I step back from what is becoming a debate, as there is enough proof out there that this was the case. Being the young age you are of course, I do not expect you to remember anything about it, given that you were not born and therefore would not have witnessed it.

 

[alexhoovers94]

All I was trying to say was that the early Turbopower 2 cleaners did not state the motor wattage anywhere other than the rating sticker, although you are very right about the later ones having the motor wattage printed on the cleaners body.
The Electrolux Contours even on their release in 1991 had the motor wattage printed on the body so for the most part I think you are correct in saying it was really up until the 1980s that motor wattage was only printed on the rating sticker.

Benny I was born in 1994 and I am really getting quite old now!

 

[turbo500]

Absolutely agree, Benny. Even as late as 86/87, there was absolutely no focus on wattage. I believe Electrolux started the trend of boasting about motor wattage. The 2000 series are the first I can recall as being advertised as being particularly "powerful", but not with much focus on actual wattage. This trend carried on with the launch of the Dolphin in 89 and Contour in 1991 which, at 800w, was the most powerful upright you could buy and was advertised as such. Hoover followed suit with the Turbopower 1000. I remember store displays for the TP1000 boasting the wattage.

 

[eurekaprince]

Guess it's time to bring back electric power nozzles to the UK market!

By the way, in North America, our maximum restriction is 12 amps at 120 volts = 1440 watts.

 

[jade_angel]

Was just thinking - that 200W is plenty for a PN motor, and I wouldn't be surprised if they switch from turbo nozzles to power nozzles. Miele mostly sells their vacuums with electric PNs in the states (a turbo is available if you really want it, though), so the design work is already mostly done.

 

[eurekaprince]

With the new European restrictions on wattage, Europe may also see the return of classic fan-first upright vacs like the your old Hoover Seniors - these can deep clean carpets with far less wattage than bag-first uprights.

 

[sebo_fan]

The Seniors may well return in some new body, but in the mean time there's still Oreck in the UK who have low watts "upright only" vacuums.

Alex - Hoover might not have advertised the motor watts on the uprights but the Alpina and the cylinder vacs before that all had the numbers written on the bodies - just because Hoover didn't put it on the uprights doesn't suddenly make them a saint!

If there is any company who are guilty for stamping their machines with the number of motor watts on the bodies, it is that of Hoover UK and oh how the brochures on some of the models push the "extra power" claims home.

Even the brochures for the Hoover TP2 and 3 state "improved suction," and "800 watts."

Or do you want me to scan the relevant pages?

 

[madabouthoovers]

What started it was the Turbopower 1000 - by calling it the 1000 it was drawing people's attention to the power of the motor, then it became a punch and Judy show, with companies each year raising the wattages to try and get one up on the other, until we get to the situation where Vacuum cleaners are consuming more electricity than some electric heaters, and indeed, nearly as much as a Tumble Drier.


There needs to be a happy medium. They are going from the ridiculous to the sublime. Yes, power was too high at 2300W for an upright, all  this did was produce too much heat and noise. But cutting the power of cylinder models to the point where full size turbo brushes no longer work properly is not the solution. They could quite easily have stated that 1200W is the max for cylinders, and 900W for uprights, and that way, manufacturers would not have to change their cylinder models as they already produce 1200W models which will drive a turbo brush.


As far as I'm concerned, we should be building dirty fan uprights again, they are much more efficient at cleaning carpet with pile too long for a turbo brush, and has Kirby has proven  - you can have superior results on carpet AND HEPA filtration for less than 700W.


I think ultimately, it could go back to the uprights for carpets rule, and cylinders for hard floors, and we may see turbo brushes die out, possibly to be replaced by power nozzles like in the US for those that insist on a cylinder for carpet use - but this will come at a higher cost.


I for one, would welcome the return of the dirty fan model, but I doubt they would be soft bag like the senior - more the style of Turbopower 1 with hard bag.


Then of course what of bagless?


Bagless uprights may still work, but would be small and weak like Dyson's DC50, and just not up to the job in larger homes.


The best style would return to single cyclonic for the cheaper brands? Or even a dirty fan bagless model?


 


I guess instead of us all speculating and worrying - lets be thankful that most of us in vacuumland have enough higher wattage cleaners to last us well into old age!


 


I suppose I acted shocked in the opening post as I thought it would never actually come to pass, and would be pooh poohed out of law before it came in, but if Miele are now selling 700W canisters, then maybe it really will happen.

 

[sebo_fan]

Well, the cylinder vacuum cleaner that comes to mind which has always had a low motor is the one vacuum that i first bought for a utility vacuum and was quite impressed with it for a number of years even if I had to buy the metal tubes for it since the aluminium ones weren't as easy to remove or stay on.

Numatic James - 800 watts and James has enough power/suction to turn a turbo brush, which when you think about it - shouldn't really be the case based on the huge dust bag capacity that the suction air has to infiltrate before pulling dirt out.

 

[alexhoovers94]

Ryan your replies back to me have "lets prove Alex wrong" all over them.