When we lived in Europe we owned a Miele Cat & Dog Plus vacuum cleaner that I loved in every way. But as it ran on DC current, there was no point in bringing it back to the States with us. I knew that I'd be getting another Miele when we relocated to California. But the price of a Miele vacuum cleaner is considerably steeper in the US than it was in Europe, no doubt partly due to the impotence of the dollar compared to the euro right now. So I tried to take cost saving measures by purchasing a used Miele through eBay. The transaction went fine, but I ended up with a vacuum that I was less than thrilled with. I don't know how old it was when I bought it, but I've owned it for eight months. Whereas the Cat & Dog Plus was a high-performance machine, the Flamenco II seems merely adequate to me.

The Flamenco II vacuum cleaner looks and works like a poor country cousin of the Cat & Dog Plus. It has the same low to the ground canister form, but is slightly smaller and has a little less styling. The front of the Flamenco, where the hose attaches to the canister, is slightly tapered to help it move through rooms and around furniture while it is in use. It moves on three wheels that each rotate through 360 degrees, making it pretty easy to maneuver. The controls for turning the vacuum off or on, as well as retracting the cord into the body of the machine, are designed to be operated with the foot, so I don't have to bend over to perform these tasks. The Flamenco is also very lightweight and easy to carry around if necessary. I really appreciate these convenient features.

Like the Cat & Dog Plus, the Flamenco came with two floor brushes and three different cleaning attachments. There's a "turbobrush" with a rotating beater for carpets, and a smooth floor brush for other floor surfaces. The other attachments include a crevice nozzle, upholstery nozzle and the round dusting brush. Unfortunately, the Flamenco has no convenient way of storing these smaller attachments. I definitely miss the easy internal storage of the other attachments that the Miele Cat & Dog Plus offered when doing the vacuuming around my house.

There are two little notches on the side of the Flamenco that can be used to hold the hose and metal tube upright when the vacuum is not in use. The vacuum can sit on its three wheels or upright on its butt end. In either position, the hose and tube can be held upright when seated in one of the two slots. The vacuum takes up very little floor space when it stands upright with the hose attached. This is important in our cramped living quarters.

One feature of the vacuum that I never have used is the venting system, which reduces the suction at the attachment end. Apparently this can be used for shag carpeting and other delicate surfaces. The vacuum can be vented at the handle at the top of the hose and on the rug attachment itself. I keep my vents closed all the time to maximize the suction. There is also a knob on the canister which controls the overall amount of suction power. I always leave this at the highest setting.

Other nice design features concern the bag. There is an indicator panel on the surface of the canister which shows you how full the bag is. I've found that I like to keep the bags no more than about 3/4 full, since the suction seems to diminish as the bag gets fuller. The bag is designed so that a full bag it seals itself automatically as you remove it. This is very handy since the opening where the hose attaches to the bag is quite large and it would certainly make a mess otherwise. Because of this design, I've never had a problem with spillage.

As with all Miele vacuums (so far as I know) the Flamenco II is made in Germany. Even though the Flamenco is weaker and less pretty than some other Miele models, it is still made of sturdy materials that stand up to hard use. Since I got my Flamenco II used, this is particularly important to me. There are superficial marks and scratches on my vacuum, but it still runs very well. German engineering and production count for a great deal, in my book.

There are two other areas where the Flamenco II compares poorly to the Cat & Dog Plus, and they're probably the most important areas to me. Firstly, the Flamenco II has less sucking power, and secondly it's louder and more high pitched. It's not that the Flamenco doesn't suck at all; it definitely picks up dirt and debris. But the Cat & Dog Plus could suck up €2 coins in the blink of an eye if they happened to be on the floor. There's no way the Flamenco would do that. I was afraid at first that these two things were down to a different setup for AC electrical supply, and that other Miele models available in the States would have the same shortcomings. But having looked at newer and more expensive models in a showroom, I know that Miele does make quieter and more powerful models that can run on AC electrical.

I'm hard pressed to judge the Flamenco II on its own merits because of my prior experience with a better Miele vacuum cleaner. I want the Flamenco to do all the things my Cat & Dog Plus did, and it simply can't. I suspect that I would have been less disappointed with this machine if I couldn't draw this comparison. We've decided to resell the Flamenco II and then buy a newer and more powerful Miele vacuum cleaner. This experience with the Flamenco II has in no way soured me on Miele as a company. I just know that I want something closer to the top of the line from this company.


For comparison, check out my reviews of the:

• Miele Cat & Dog Plus
• Miele Solaris Electro Plus


Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 125, used