New daily drivers

[matt8808]

A few months ago my daily drivers were a Kirby Sentria II and a Dyson DC75 Cinetic Animal.

I've had a slight change about since then though.

So my main vacuum is the Miele C3 Cat & Dog.

I got an absolute bargain on this.

Miele have updated this model slightly. And I mean SLIGHTLY. Going from the Miele website the actual model number is exactly the same on the old and new version - SGEE1. The only difference between the two versions being that the new one comes with the mini turbo brush.

The new version is currently in Argos for 299.99 and on AO.com for £270.

Currys had the 'older' version that doesn't include the mini turbo brush for £179.97 on clearance.

Quite a difference in price for the sake of a mini turbo brush! I bought one from Currys.

I then went on Amazon as they had the Mini turbo brush at an exclusive price of £25 for Prime members. I also bought the Parquet Twister for £29.99 (both items with free next day delivery).

I also took advantage of Miele's current offer to extend the warranty from 2 years to 10 years for a one off payment of £50.

So in total it has cost me £284.96 for a fully kitted out Miele with a 10 year parts & labour warranty.

I did ponder over the C3 Electro for a little while but couldn't justify the £450 price tag given the bargain I've got with the Cat & Dog.

Here are a few pics....

 

[matt8808]

My 'second' vac is the newest version Numatic Henry.

Kitted out with the optional Airo Brush and smaller Hairo Brush.

Henry being for DIY jobs, cleaning the car and generally things that I don't want to ruin the Miele on.

 

[matt8808]

So why such a change?

Well the Henry replaces the DC75 Cinetic.

The Dyson HAD been my backup machine to the Kirby. But we have had a LOT of building work done to the house and I knew I needed something a bit more suited to cleaning up rubble than a Dyson or Kirby.

So I waved goodbye to the Dyson and bought Henry.

I'll include a few pics of what our bathroom looked like 3 weeks ago vs what it looks like now.

Henry's bags are 9 litres... I filled 4 bags in an hour one evening vacuuming up bits of brick, plaster and shards of tile from the cavity between the bathroom floor and living room ceiling. Our house is around 100 years old and those ceiling cavities didn't alf have some filth in them!! And when I say I filled 4 bags... they were so full I had a fight getting them out of the machine. Henry has obviously had a good wipe down since then for his photo shoot!

So yes. A very robust little machine much more suited to being a messy jobs back-up vac

 

[matt8808]

And the Miele replaces the Kirby.

I still have the Kirby. However it has been cast aside and hidden in the back of my wardrobe.

Why? Quite simply, I'm hugely disappointed with it.

It is the second Kirby I've bought brand new. The previous being a Diamond Edition.

The Diamond Edition needed a new cable under warranty due to an internal breakage and a new part fitting to the tech drive.

When I bought the Sentria II I made extra sure I didn't overstretch the cable or anything to avoid a repeat of the Diamond Edition issue.

Sure enough the Sentria cable developed a fault and had to be replaced under warranty. However my local Kirby dealer REALLY dragged their feet over replacing it and made the whole experience a bit disappointing. Then right at the end of the 3 year warranty the power switch failed. I decided I didn't want to go down the warranty route as I hadn't been too impressed with the local Kirby dealer so far and decided I'd replace the switch myself.

I found a seller on eBay offering brand new switches for £25. I bought one. I was sent a used part. I was unwilling to fit a used part to my mint condition, lightly used machine.

I then had to bite the bullet and pay £80!!!! for a new power switch from the local Kirby dealer. I'd still of rather paid the £80 and done it myself than have them do it from free under the few weeks of remaining warranty on the machine. The last time I had them service a machine (the Diamond Edition) they set the brush roll up wrong so wasn't happy to trust them on something as major as this.

While in replacing the power switch I found that the fan was showing signs of heat damage around the belt shaft (pictured) and also looked slightly melted on the rear of the fan where the little seal/washer goes too (also pictured) so figured I'd best fit a new fan too.

So all in all I'm a bit miffed off with the Kirby at the moment. I bought it brand new, have the full kit for it - every added extra available. It hasn't had a lot of use and has really been looked after. There isn't a mark on it.

The cable I could forgive. But the power switch failing at 3 years old with only light use, along with the poor service from the local dealer and the heat damage on the fan has just really put me off it for now. Bearing in mind the Diamond Edition I had years ago needed warranty repairs too.

So for now the Kirby sits in the back of my wardrobe, like a naughty child.

 

[kloveland]

Yeah, I wouldn't lock up naughty children in closets. Someone might call DHS on you. Ha! I'm just kidding! 

 

[matt8808]

lmao!!

Have you ever seen the film Matilda?

I like Miss Trunchbull's idea of how to deal with naughty children! I'll have to hammer some nails through my wardrobe doors


http://https//www.youtube.com/watch?v=61iIYwcpN_w

 

[madaboutsebo]

Loving your new daily drivers Matt especially the Miele C3 Cat & Dog. I'm not a great cylinder/canister fan but I'm becoming more and more to liking them and may get one in the near future!

Nice bathroom by the way....looks fab.

 

[sebo4me]

Miele C3 still the best cylinder vac available in the UK in my opinion the Sebo E series comes a close second.
Back of the cupboard is the best place for the Kirby

 

[madaboutsebo]

If I was buying a cylinder/canister in the UK it would have to be a Miele or SEBO. I would probably go for the motor driven Powerhead version but I'm sure the air driven turbo heads are fine!

Wish Vorwerk would bring the Tiger to the UK!

 

[sebo4me]

That could be a bit dangerous they have a nasty bite

 

[madaboutsebo]

Lol

 

[n0oxy]

nice switch of your daily drivers

Sounds like you got a great deal on that Miele. Here in the United States, the Miele attachments are very overpriced, and usually they are just rebranded attachments made by Wessel Werk, and you could get the same unbranded attachment without the Miele name on it for a much cheaper price. I do agree with what has been said, Miele and Sebo are good brands. I have a Miele C1 Olympus and a Sebo airbelt D1, both great vacuums. I'm not a fan of uprights, I think canister vacuums are much more flexible, they work much better with attachments, and if you need to clean carpets, a power nozzle will work just as well as an upright giving you the best of both worlds.
I also have what I think is the newest Henry, it uses a 600 watt motor but is still quite powerful. It's a one stage motor, I actually like the sound of the older Henry a bit more, it used a two stage motor, actually, is there a way to tell which motor a Henry model uses just by looking at it or by the model?
Since I'm not a fan of uprights, I would never have a Kirby, but I do think they are overpriced, especially when buying them new. I know several people on this site love their Kirby vacuums, and that's fine, to each his own, but I'm just not impressed with them.
I'm also not a fan of Dyson, or for that matter, any bagless vacuum, too messy to empty out. Also I have heard many reports of Dyson vacuums being poorly made, not very good quality. So, I would say you made a great switch on both of your daily drivers.