Needing a new every day vacuum - Advice

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+1 vote for a Sebo... albeit a bit late.

Mum has an X4 and it's a really nice machine to use. Bags can be filled 90% solid before suction drops off, the charcoal filters keep the doggie smells at bay and its probably the best plastic built upright I've seen for sale today (hers takes a regular beating about the house).

The bags on a Sebo X4 come with little plastic stoppers, so you can remove the bag and pop a stopper over the opening before any dust and dirt escapes. A nice little touch I thought.

also +1 for me too.. pass the flowers here ;) My ex, he used to collect cleaners as a kid too. Im starting to notice a pattern here!
 
starting to notice a pattern

It's been a pattern for a long time around these parts lol. I've found it's best not to ask too many questions and just go with it lol.

Also, really great to see people with such good taste in vacuums with their Sebo's and Miele's. I have to say though, while the S7 is a great cleaner, it's very large and can be very awkward to use. It's also not as solidly built as the Sebo X series or as easy to steer as the Felix.
 
No matter how heavy the Miele S7 is (22 lbs) it is still a far better deep carpet cleaner than most other uprights on the market in both North America and Europe. All Miele S7 models have rated "excellent" in cleaning of medium pile carpets in recent Consumer Reports testing. The Sebo Felix only rated "very good" and the $700 Sebo X5 only rated "good" in the carpet cleaning test. The X5 also had far weaker airflow through the hose for cleaning with tools compared to the Miele S7. The Miele uprights are also quieter than the Felix and the X5 when the Sebos are used with the power heads turned on.

Many Vacuumlanders have noted that it's best to avoid the Sebo uprights that have an electronic automatic height control on the power nozzle as it does not set the height needed for effective carpet cleaning. Others have warned that it has a tendency to misread very deep carpet as too much stress on the rotating brush which causes it to shut off unnecessarily. If buying a Sebo, better to get a model with the manual height adjustment dial.
 
best to avoid the Sebo uprights that have an electronic auto

I completely disagree. I've found the Sebo automatic height adjustment to be pretty spot on and reach a level where it deep cleans the carpet enough without being difficult to push. The only time this has ever been an issue, was on my landing which had a rather uneven floor. But since fitting a new carpet that's much thicker, I have not had this problem at all.

When recomending a vacuum, you have to know your market. You have to remember that shag carpeting has been a thing of the past for a long time in the UK. Most homes now have a mixture of bare floors and medium pile. Infact, I know more people now with laminate floors throughout their entire downstairs than I do those with wall to wall carpets. UK homes are also a LOT smaller than US homes. I found the S7 far too bulky and awkward to use in my house, whereas the Sebo is pretty much the perfect size.

I never take much notice of consumer reports. Which? have been known to give 2 cleaners in the same range a different rating, despite the only difference being the filters. For example, Which? gave 2 Miele cylinders a different rating on pick up, despite the only difference being that 1 model had upgraded HEPA filters. Same story with Dyson Animal and All Floors getting different ratings for carpet pickup, despite being exactly the same machines just with different tools. But if you're wanting to go down the consumer reports route, the Sebo uprights have been a Which? best buy pretty much constantly since 1991 and are also Good Housekeeping Institute approved.

Being close friends with a number of repair shop owners, it's been reported that the S7 has had a number of reliability issues (such as the handle release mechanism failing) compared with the Sebo, which hardly ever needs a major repair and mostly needs minor servicing and replacement of consumables that wear naturally over time.
 
See, that's the difference between actual ownership and consumer testing. Where a company slates one vacuum cleaner or promotes another, as an owner you may find a totally different experience - same with anything really that gets tested by an official organisation. Why should it be different for vacuum cleaners to rely on Consumer Reports?
 
I find it deeply ironic that a low of U.S members on here are quite happy to slate the automatic sensor height adjustment of the SEBO X series but seem to adore the Windsor Sensor uprights - they're virtually the same!! Ok, save for a new motor and a curvier body, the X series is the same machine!
 
The difference between SEBO and Miele however is that the X series was designed to be repaired BY THE OWNER. It is not one of those "send me back to the shop" jobs.
 
The U.S should be counting their blessings - the UK have stopped getting the G2 with manual height adjustment - at least your guys have the option to have such a model on the market - SEBO UK sell the Dart commercial vacuum as the G2's replacement, which in my mind is not the same at all. 
 
 
 
ordered

Hi again everyone thank you for your advice I've ordered the Sebo Felix, it's looks great and it seems to be more manouvable will add a picture when it arrives :)
 
Eurekaprince

Im unsure what you mean about "Sebo's are louder when the power nozzle is turned on" with regards to the X5 - the brush roll constantly spins when the vacuum cleaner is switched on.

Whilst Miele's S7 is quieter, it is a far more modern design than the 20 something year old SEBO X range.

The phrase that springs to mind that SEBO certainly aspire to comes from Thomas Bertram Lance, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget in Jimmy Carter's 1977 administration, "if it 'aint broke, don't fix it."

I am sure that other members could easily pick apart CR's test findings. The only thing that the S7 shares with SEBO in my mind is the fact that they are both German in origin and each brand offer an upright vacuum unlike Bosch.

The S7 is nothing like the X series in my experience. I know. I owned an S7. Very quiet and great to use in a large home...which the UK don't tend to have rather a lot of. But I found it too heavy, too bulky and yes the hose and wand is longer, but it can't be removed easily if there is a clog, requiring two screws to undo, which isn't very practical.

Great for wide hallways too as well as plenty of open minimalist furniture since the model swivels - but I find the Felix far more nimble and easier to use. In my mind, the S7 was more designed for the U.S than Europe & Asia in general. You only need to look at Miele's website in Japan and other countries to realise that - they all sell canister/cylinder vacs.
 
Sebo Felix Pet

Nice choice, Elliot. I love the black and silver colour scheme of the Felix and X4 Pet - looks very classy. Out of interest, where did you order it from?

Make sure you get us some snaps and give us a review when you get it :).
 
Good choice! The black one certainly looks classy, Elliot.

You might want to invest in buying the extension hose if you require more stretch from the on board hose. SEBO's latest ones are dark silver in colour to match the current range though you can pick up the original cream/grey ones online at cheaper costs.

One thing I will say about the Felix - you don't need to raise all the power to the maximum when cleaning carpets as there's enough power at the start. I rarely use the high power on mine.
 
I wouldn't recommend the D4

as to be blunt is a pain in the arse to use and store, I would probably recommend the sebo X4, miele s7 or a dc33 if your looking for bagless, I have a sebo felix and love it despite its drawbacks
 
Great choice....

On your purchase of a new SEBO Felix Pet Elliot. Hope you enjoy using it, I certainly love mine easy and a joy to use. The black and silver colour of the Felix Pet looks stylish. The optional extension hose is worth investing in and the dust brush too! I use the extension hose sometimes for car and stair cleaning.

Enjoy your new vacuum when it arrives!
 
I agree with you there Ryan you don't need to put the Felix on full power to clean carpets. I've especially noticed it more since using the new synthetic bags. I do use nearly full
power when cleaning hard floors not all the time though!

Same with your comments on Miele S7, it is designed for the larger homes. I do like mine and it cleans very well but it is large bulky and heavy and the hose&#92wand is not as user friendly as the SEBO X looks. Yes the hose is longer and the wand extends on the Miele S7 but the SEBO X wand&#92hose is quick release. My S7 was a good price hence why I got one, probably should of got the SEBO X4 instead to go with the Felix. I do use my Felix more though.
 
^What Benny said. Aerus-Lux machines have never been sold over here. Our Electrolux vacuums were always Swedish Lux, not US Lux. There is only 1 canister on the market with a powernozzle and it's rather pricey. There is NO vacuum on the market with a headlight.
 

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