Which Vacuums Feb 2014 UK

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They may well have vacuums that are donated and Thanks for posting. Yet again though, Which have excelled themselves in outlining how hopeless they are - the Miele S6 Ecoline (the model I had) is the SAME as the Silence model bar the colour change and HEPA filter on the Silence models. Both models appear to have 1% difference of performance.

I'm surprised the Dyson and the SEBO Felix Pet are the same though in terms of performance - good to see SEBO have been tested though Which haven't mentioned anything of the extra extension hose that some sellers are including with the Felix Pet OR for the fact that the SEBO has a 9.5 metre cable, both longer than the Dyson and the Miele cylinder vacs.

Pity to see the Vax models being rated so poorly though, including Hoover's Smart upright.
 
I have a Vax Zoom, and the Argos version of the Smart Pet, and both of these aren't bad at all, for the price.


I note that they have chosen the Zoom P&F at its full price of £150 for the comparison, when most of the Zoom range are sold normally for about £75 in Argos.


Vax did not deserve the damning results shown above. OK, they are not the best, but they are not as diabolical as Which make out.


 


Nice to see Miele out on top - but that's as I would expect


The £200+ Bosch bagless canister might be quiet, but its filtration is no better than the £79 Hoover smart pets, using a central cone pleated filter, with a rotary scraper mechanism. Primitive.
 
For the cost price...questionable.

Well, lets be honest, for the "cost price" of a brand new vacuum, there are tons of models and tons of other types on the market for the same price. Clearly what Which have done here is to hone in on the models that are the most popular by sales figures at Argos, or what appears to be at best, the most popular vacuums.

I'm not entirely surprised at the result though as though these are budget vacuums, their lower filtration and poorer design does them no favours - however, those results won't matter to either brand as both have multicyclonic vacuums as well that are much better, cue the Slalom.

After all, buyers could easily buy a number of bagged uprights or cylinders at the same price, but they're clearly going for the bagless idea, matched by fancy colours, names and the elimination of having to buy bags.

Im more shocked to see the Slalom on test. Barely those models exist now given the Globe that came in to replace it.
 
I've often wondered about those Bosch Bagless as Steve says they use a simple pleated filter in the dust container. They do get good reviews but I can't see how they won't loose suction very quickly due to the filter clogging, they do have a warning light to tell you when to clean the filter though.
 
The one thing I dislike intensely about Bosch is that none of the UK models have locks on the handles to tubes to floor heads. The German market ones do though but the company won't put them over here - a pity since their bagged cylinder vacs often give Miele a run for their money and use the same 35mm sizing.
 
Hi,

<span style="font-size: medium; font-family: book antiqua,palatino;">Hi, I'm surprised They haven't tested the Dyson's DC41,DC50 etc. Also I didn't think the Hoover slalom was sold any more.</span>


<span style="font-size: medium; font-family: book antiqua,palatino;">Are you sure they've sent you the current issue?
smiley-laughing.gif
</span>


 


<span style="font-size: medium; font-family: book antiqua,palatino;">James
smiley-smile.gif
</span>
 
MOst of the Bosch bagged canisters use the GXXL or GXL bags, and these are also used for the Siemens models too. They are not as good as Miele bags, but still cost the same, sometimes even more.


 


Nice to see the Sebo Felix there - I was toying with getting one of these for ages, but the killer to the deal is that the hose has no extension rod, so means bending down to do the skirting boards etc. The Felix is a cute vac, but I've set my heart on ordering a K3 Vulcano which is coming later this week, and these are fairly rare, and not so bulky as the Sebo D series, which didn't do all that well in 13th place. I also have a rare Miele S8730 with handset controls coming tomorrow too, so 2 nice cylinders to play with, and German too!

madabouthoovers++2-3-2014-14-09-25.jpg
 
Saw this and will visit my library soon. The Trouble is which have failed to test Hoover Turbo Power etc, AEG and others. Best to buy one you like and return if poor. Which has got itself in a rut and does not recommend appliances most people can afford.
 
Personally, whilst Which may appear to favour premium vacuum cleaners, I don't think they have always recommended things that people "cannot afford."

HiLO- Bosch has slightly better quality, uses similar Wessel Werk floor heads to both Miele and SEBO. Dependent on model, the dust bags for the smaller BSGL3 series are more in demand also helped by the fact that John Lewis had a similar model under their own name and sells 5 dust bags.

Keith - the D2 that you feel "hasn't done that well," was a previous Which winner...It is bulkier because it has almost twice as much cord length as your Miele S8 and actually, ALL of the Miele cylinder vacs.

However as with the K series, you get almost twice as many dust bags for the amount Miele charge.

Steve - Good luck on the K3. Im not a fan of the K3 Premium. As the owner of the K3, the hose is too bulky, winds on its own and kinks easily because of the embedded electrical cord inside. I've also had problems (as well as others have had) with the pigtail plugs behind the handle to the electric tubes. If you don't like the idea of bending down, you'd have to do it on the K to get the crevice tool out, anyway!

The same crevice tool, longer than most other brands acts as a secondary extension for the Sebo Felix - it isn't a conventional cylinder vac - and I find it a heck of a lot easier to use its upright design plus the longer power cord on it and for the simple fact that it has the more modern ET-1 floor head with brush roll on/off - if you buy the K3 Premium it comes with the simpler, slightly heavier non-manual brush roll stop ET-H in the UK.

At least the Vulcano only has the longer 2.1 metre hose with the controls on the handle. That is slightly better, but the hose is still liable to kink.
 
I did read up about the Vulcano - I wanted some canisters with handle mounted controls, and the only ones I liked - price wise were the K series. The K3 premium is too expensive and the D4 is far too expensive, so that left the Vulcano, and I paid £189 for it, which is a good price I feel, from the dealer in the link below.


I also like the look of the Vulcano, its rather different and striking. It also has the bag full light that many canisters lack nowadays. Don't forget that the hose only carries the cable for the controls, rather than a powerhead, and I always look after my vacs so it will get a pampered life. I also wanted an Airbelt model, and a canister Sebo for the collection.



http://www.freenetelectrical.co.uk/sebo/vacuum-cleaners/k3-vulcano-9684gb/product-2377/
 
Good luck with it. The K series is incredibly compact and so much easier to use than a lot of the Miele vacs IMHO, but only if you are willing to put up with the silly pull-pull cord rewind (a feature that Bosch also copied as well as several Hoover bagged cylinders in recent years).

You get a slightly longer cord and hoses on the K series (bar the base red K1 Airbelt) than Miele's standard vacs too, and the Vulcano also benefits from those tubes that are very light. All of the K series have LED bag indicators, which is pretty good for the price.

Yes, whilst the cord is there for the controls, the K3 Vulcano is intended as the model below the top of the range K3, and thus gives you the option in later life to consider buying both the pig tail plugs, electrical suction tube and power nozzle. A few owners tend not to but when appearing on EBAY, it is an obvious (but more expensive) optional upgrade.
 
Well, Sebo_fan, you know how it is, being collectors we just have to have them to try out don't we?


Which might rate the Bosch bagless highly, but I'm afraid I don't, and solely down to the filter design, which is an over hyped single cyclone paper cone filter. The quietest vacs are usually those that have variable power, and I just don't like canisters that you cant vary the power on, as the floorhead is often too heavy to push on full power, unless its a turbo brush.
 
I really really wanted a K3 Vulcano and was saving up for it, but then I found the Miele on freecycle so stuck to that.

Be interested to know your thoughts on it! It seemed the best value of the K3 range when I looked a few years ago. The right balance of tools and price
 
Here in the US, Consumer Reports doesn't accept donations from the manufactures of items they test. Instead, they go out and buy everything on their own.
 
Beko- believe me, I went through all Sebo's online brochures in detail to see what each model had to offer, as I wanted another Sebo to compliment my X4 extra. I looked really hard at the Felix, and was literally on the fill your card details in screen for the purchase of the Sebo Felix Rosso, when I pulled out at the last minute - I just knew I wanted to try an Airbelt canister and went through all the models, watched Roger's videos on his Sebo's, and liked his unboxing of the K1 Pet - its a really cute vac, with the back of it looking like an old 50's car! Its a really understated vac and has some nice features. I like the undercarriage bag door, and the proper bag light instead of a piston. I also like the idea of a lightweight wand, and I gather that its half metal and half plastic to keep it light. Unlike Dysons, the wand is not flexible all plastic. I also liked the Vulcano's deluxe combi head and handle operated control for the motor. apparently the bag light glows green when vac is turned on, and changes to orange if the vac detects a clog. At less than £200 I had to buy the Vulcano, its a great colour in browny//red and orange, and has a turbine head in addition. It will be my first Sebo canister, and I am surprised at Sebo Fan's response, seeing as he sold one of these to a friend last year, who loves it apparently!


 


I will do a proper thread on both the Miele S8730 and the Sebo K3 Vulcano when I get them and put them through their paces.


 


Also, I intend to stop buying cheap brands such as Vax, and Hoover now and may even consider selling some of my bagless vacs in due course, as I am now over 50 vacs, and whilst I like many of them, I cannot keep increasing the number of vacs I own indefinitely before I have a "Roger moment" and start selling some of them off.


I would never sell my Mieles though, they are my favourite brand, by far. They are just, as Which found out, in a league of their own. They are like the Mercedes Benz of the vac world.
 
Why should you be surprised? My friend loves it - I don't however, which is why I sold it!!

The best one in the range for all floors is the dark blue K1 Komfort or the K1 Pet if you have pets.

And, I have always maintained that the K3 isn't as good as all the other non-electrical cord embedded models. Look at my review of the Premium model, dated 2010.

http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/vacuum-cleaner/sebo-k3-premium/1403145/
 
I was surprised because you, being a sebo_fan, don't like a sebo. I take it the only reason you don't like the Vulcano is because of the hose?


Might it have been better if Sebo had used a radio controlled transmitter on the handle, like Miele do, rather than a wire through the hose?


 


If I ever do get a Felix in the future, would the heads be interchangeable, with the vulcano, or would I have to buy a different electrified wand?
 
Well I am allowed to dislike some things...?

My review shows the weaknesses of the K3 Premium. It was the biggest disappointment of my life where SEBO vacs are concerned. As a result, even when trying out a D4, I still don't like cylinder vacs with power nozzles. I believe the U.S have better ones from other brands that aren't so darn heavy.

The K3 Vulcano is better because it lacks the heavy old ET-H but you'll know what I mean when you test the hose. It isn't as flexible as the standard hoses and yes, it is probably because of the fixed, stitched embedded cord through the hose. I don't know what the solution is but then possibly because of the way I have always viewed uprights and cylinders, I have never been that keen on remote control handles on cylinder vacs because of the heavier weight associated.

The transmitter ideas on Miele and Electrolux are far more flexible but at the detriment of batteries obviously failing through time.

At the time of that review was written, the K3 Vulcano also came with the heavier suction tubes that had the electrical runner down the back of it and they are an awful weight to put up with. I see SEBO have stopped that now and have just added the simpler non-electric fitted tubes. Still, if it was me I'd go for the lightest option and just stick to the K1 Komfort or Pet.

I had a K1 Pet as well (shown on my video on You Tube) and have recently sold that to a friend in need.

Personally, I'm happier with my D2 Total. It gives me the travel I need to get around the large home I'm in and its the "one-stop-shop" for cleaning. I also love my new Miele S8340. It's like the go-between vac that I use on occasion and its a far better design than the S6 Ecoline that this new S8 replaces.
 
I love the Miele S8, which is why I wanted the one with the remote control handle, the S8730 and Miele are selling off the last few they have for £200 odd - I got if for £170 on 31 Jan, and the next day the price went up to over £200! The only thing is that if the remote handle breaks, the vac cannot be adjusted for power on the unit like other S8's as it lacks the buttons for this.


 


I wanted the Vulcano specially for its remote handle. I will use it with the air driven head, and really, Sebo could modify the volcano to do away with the electric hose like Miele have, and use a radio controlled handle. I think handle controls are just so much more convenient than the simple suction release valves, and it amazes me that the Uk version S8 Uniq does not have remote control, as it does in the USA.


 


It looks to me like the Vulcano handle is the same size as that on  the X4? I agree that it is smaller than the K1 though, but unless you have massive hands, will it be a problem, really?
 
Miele are planning quite a few new accessories this year -their Spotlight handle that was previously featured on the TOL model and now appearing under several "Brilliant Light" models, may appear as a single option part to buy.

Ry-Ry sold me a Miele RCU cylinder vac some time ago. I eventually passed it onto a relative who loves it but I did find it unreliable to change the setting at times, almost every time having to lower the handle nearer the infra red panel to change the setting. Now, as far as I'm aware that vacuum cleaner uses the same hose, thus if the handle breaks, you just reorder the handle, not the entire hose assembly. If there is no cord embedded or attached to that Miele hose, all you'll have to do is order the handle, like that old S4.

Also, I'm waiting with baited breath on the XXL handle. Miele made this standard with the S6 models in Germany and other countries but not the UK. Basically, it's a standard handle with a notch on the back that allows the handle to store on one side of the parking slot of the vacuum with the hose curved around the body "nano space" style as shown by Hoover and with the floor head and suction tube parked on the other side. I have pestered Miele about this for almost 2 years, so it is a possibility that the handle will eventually be available.
 
No, the handle is even smaller on the embedded cord K3s. Smaller than Felix and X4. I have small hands but even my whole hand fails to fit inside the handle. It is comfortable-ish to use though - the slider is intuitive - I seldom use the full power. But I prefer the bigger handles on the other models.

One thing I do like about the SEBO full size turbo brush is that it is similar to the Miele one but not as heavy and extremely light to push around. Sadly though, it lacks the coin-locks that would make cleaning easier. You have to undo screws on the SEBO floor head to clean it, but I just manually unwrap threads if they wrap around the brush roll (clogs seldom happen BTW with me with either Miele or SEBO turbo brush).
 
I think they may have had an abundance of handles for the S8 Uniq that hasn't probably sold in the numbers they predicted it would (I wonder why?) and decided to use them to make a limited edition "bright light" range for the S6 model, which, sells on the Miele website for less than I thought.


The XXL handle would be a nice touch for storing the vac away, and would lessen the need to extend the telescopic pole to full stretch where I find its a bit more flexible in the middle in use, especially with the standard floorhead on carpet, where the clicking bit of play in the tube centre joint at full extension is annoying when pushing and pulling the pole.


 


I don't like the new format Miele.co.uk  site, as many features don't work well and pics come out distorted. Also the specs for the vacs are very lacking in detail, especially for the limited stock range. I had to look up the specs for the S8730 elsewhere (Miele.ie) to find out what it had on it.
 

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