Miele Or Numatic? Please Help Me Choose

[dysondestijl]

Sebo fan: I find it really easy to wrap the cord round my James with this new retainer clip that they include as standard now. I also find that James is easier to use on stairs due to the handle positioning. I always prefer James to henry

 

[sebo_fan]

Well, if you read my post about the "worst vacuuming experience," regarding my parents old Vax canister, my days of carrying and leaving a tub vacuum either on a stair lintel or stair landing are well over. Regardless of design, using a round tub like Henry, James or even Charles on stairs is asking for trouble.

As for the inner cord tidy now on the James model - doesn't this impede on the space that was previously left open for the cleaning tools? I have an older James model from year 2010 which didn't have this cord tidy. I still find using Henry far quicker for the cord, only using as much as I need without it unravelling.

James is however more basic than Henry and in some cases really simple to operate. But then so is Henry. Numatic should distance these machines more though. Like proper telescopic height adjustable tubes with Henry as opposed to the fixed position types.

 

[dysondestijl]

Well it's a bit of a squeeze to get all the tools and the cord in the tidy area but it is do-able! Also yeah I read your story, and I personally find James easy to use on stairs, but yeah I agree it's not the best idea, much better to use either a handheld vac such as a dirt devil handy or use a dyson

 

[sebo_fan]

The other alternative is to order a mass heap of extension hose off EBAY UK. I did that many moons ago when I still owned my Electrolux Powerlite upright. Electrolux supplied their black upright version "Stairmaster," model with the 32mm hose and found it on EBAY UK priced cheaply. Though not particularly well made and mirrors the same cheap hose on the back of the white upright model, the best usage it gets is for cleaning stairs with round tubs, thus with Henry or James it excels - the sealed suction design in the Numatic models ensure better airflow than using other brands.

On the upright itself, the hose was a far better effort than using the on board hose alone. I do wish Electrolux UK could release a much better made upright vacuum with a bigger dust bag capacity than 4 litres.

 

[vintagerepairer]

I don't think Numatic will ever use telescopic tubes as they are liable to fail when in domestic use. As so many Henry cleaners are used in excess of this, the chances of a more brutal experience are liable to cause the tubes to fail even more quickly. As long as sales are not being impacted by having two short tubes, and I doubt they are, I can't see what is in it for Numatic. If telescopic tubes were such that they were built like they were 30 years ago, then maybe it could work.

 

[sebo_fan]

Well, the ones on my Miele and SEBO vacs have yet to fail. My old S571 is no more but the tubes still work; I keep excess tubes if I ever buy another Miele again as the ones they supply with the S2 are just downright awful.

If you are of the the opine that telescopic tubes could fail in commercial settings, then yes I would be inclined to agree.

The ONLY domestic use tubes that have been telescopic that were prone to damage are Miele's triscopic tubes - if the lower part isn't used much, I find they naturally stiffen up.

 

[dysondestijl]

Dyson DC08T's telescopic tube aint too good either, you have to give it a good tug to get the bottom 2 sections out, then the top part can be adjusted to any height you wish. Pictured with Miele s4 tube:

 

[vintagerepairer]

Hello Sebo fan. I must tell you I've seen several sets of Dyson tubes which have failed, either because they got stuck, wouldn't lock, or just fell apart. The DC05 set was not a runaway success.

 

[sebo_fan]

Yes I understand. But using the basis of evidence where reliability is concerned, Miele and Numatic level peg each other if you take into consideration repairs and general build quality. Of course here I'm using my knowledge of Which UK Consumer mags findings plus a little of my own observations. Dyson is still average according to Which? Even if I am no longer a subscriber to Which after finding that they are very brand Miele-biased, one can't deny the longevity of each bagged brand so close to one another where their stats are concerned (Miele and Numatic).

Though the 2013 models have the park position at the back of the tub, I'd be more concerned with how that design will stand up to daily abuse on Henry as opposed to slip-ratchet-lock telescopic tubes.

Of course if you aren't a subscriber or believer in Which, you won't know of the reliability charts etc. But then look around you - the industry love the Numatic Henry vacs, as they do with the SEBO uprights. The absence of older Miele vacs on EBAY UK says a lot = compared to the oodles of Dyson models that have been refurbished or listed as broken for spares.

 

[vintagerepairer]

I think the design of the new Henry parking system looks poor. But that said, if it was to fail, it would not mean the cleaner could not be used. It would make it like an older model Henry. I have never liked parking systems which relied soley on the hook on the back of the floor tool. It is a far cry from the days where the tubes clipped to the underside of the cleaner via a hook on the floor tool and a bracket on the tubes / cleaner. Do you remember the large plastic bracket on the tubes of old Meile cleaners which the user would lift up to hook onto the cleaner?

 

[jmurray01]

I don't like those "parking" hooks either Benny.

One of my cylinders no longer has a functioning "park" feature because the hook has worn down, whilst another no longer works because the actual slot on the back of the cleaner itself has worn down.

 

[vacbear58]

Parking

Benny

In fact my old BOL Miele 251i had both types of parking arrangement, and both had their uses - the "back of tool" was very handy when actually vacuuming if you needed to take a break to do some dusting or wanted to park the wands etc. if you wanted to use one of the other nozzles. The pull out clip was ideal if carrying the cleaner from room to room or for storage.

When I upgraded to a new TOL Miele with power nozzle in late 2006 it was supposed to have the same facilities albiet arranged differently, it was a joke as the wands and nozzle were too heavy to stay in place - it just about works with the regular nozzle, with the PN, forget it

Al

 

[vintagerepairer]

Hello vacbear. If my memory is correct, the bracket on the Meile floor tool was rather substantial. Therefore it can handle being parked during cleaning. But I am sure they were not meant to be stored in the 'parked' position, which was why Meile allowed the tubes to be clipped to the cleaner -was it the side?- when the cleaner was stood on end.

I confess the first I ever recall being aware of such features was when a family my mother cleaned for invested in a Rowenta Powermaster. Mother would have been about 70 at the time and I know she said the cleaner was heavy to carry, but having the tubes clipped to it was something of a help. She also loved the on-board tool compartment. As I have said before, her own cleaners were an Electrolux 504 and 302, and I don't think any of the homes she had cleaned had ever had anything much more opulent either. She was not normally a woman who was swayed by gimmicks, but she did like what the Powermaster had to offer, such as 3-speed motor and the tools of course.

 

[sebo_fan]

My fear is that the parking slot that has been bonded onto Henry will eventually either shear off or could break the bin. I have yet to see a new model Henry to check out the parking slot though. In commercial settings and with constant parking, the slot itself could just break off in time. Numatic should place it either a bit higher up, or at least in a place like the old single tool clip where it could be replaced if it does break.