Miele or Riccar or something else

[tseg]

I did have my Miele height adjuster break on my power nozzle about 6 months into ownership and it was fixed under warranty. The shop said they really had not seen that issue before.

 

[bimmer740]

I bought a new Miele C3 Marin in April and I LOVE it! In my opinion its worth every penny, its fairly quiet, it filters amazingly well, and it has lots of power. I love the parquet twister floor brush and I think the 236 power nozzle is one of the best cleaning nozzles out there. It grooms, lifts, and vibrates the carpet just like any good upright. If you use your vacuum to dust and clean above the floor be sure to buy the adjustable universal tool SUB20, its great for dusting and cleaning ceiling fan blades. I was torn between the Brilliant and the Marin, my last vacuum had the controls on the handle, but the buttons to adjust the suction are large and easy to tap and I couldn't justify the extra $400 just for having the controls in the handle. The canister glides across the floor and moves in every direction, after using an Electrolux forever its amazing how easily maneuverable the Miele is around the house.

 

[ralph123]

Assuming the OP is picking up tons of dog/cat hair with his 2 dogs and 3 cats (i.e. enough to overwhelm the Rainbow's 2 quart pan), I would think he would need a vacuum with extra large bags or to upgrade to the Rainbow 4 quart pan. The Lindhaus HF6 bags are 14 quarts. If you're going to burn through tons of bags, you've got to consider the cost and size of the bags. Electrolux C-style bags are smaller but dirt cheap if you buy generic.

 

[tekjunkie28]

I have the 4 quart pan but its useless. Even before we got the Lab the 4quart pan would be full from just half the den. Last week I vacuumed the den and the steps and I think I had to dump the container 3 or 4 times. If I dont there isnt much aggitation and then the hepa is clogged and it turns into a cascading failure. Once the hepa gets even a slight color change the suction gets lower so the aggitation in the basin gets lower and more dirty gets bounced into the hepa.

The 3 cats and the boxer mix don't shed no where near as much as the Lab. It wasn't my choice to have pets but I don't mind vacuuming. The rainbow has no issue picking up pet hair with its PN which is a plus.

I have thought about the 12 foot hose but it seems to be pretty useless. From the work that Vaclab has put in and my own experience is that the rainbow is severely lacking in the airflow department. Looking at the numbers the Miele and Sebo both have higher airflow. The Sebo D4 looks to have about 2x the CFM density as the rainbow. My rainbow is also only rated at 9.5 amps or so. If I went with a longer hose then airflow would be further reduced.

Am I harping on airflow too much? I think I would rather have crazy airflow/suction and then be able to lower it down.

Also, is the carpet and run institute trustworthy or carry much weight in there seals of approval?

 

[tekjunkie28]

I picked up the SEBO D4 yesterday. I like it and it seems to really dona good jobs of picking up dirt. Time will tell but it's very convenient over the rainbow. Air flow seems to be a little higher on the SEBO.

 

[ralph123]

Congrats - seems like you made a good choice with the huge bags and 40 foot cord. At least the Rainbow should have some resale value if you decide to unload it.