A house with two adults, two kids, six cats and one incredibly hairy dog is a challenge for any vacuum cleaner. I've tried really expensive vacuums -- my Electrolux upright was good for about six years (and still worked) but just didn't seem to have the amount of suction needed to really clean well. That was followed by a Sears Powermate canister, which worked great until the Powerbrush died after about four years and was more expensive to repair than it was worth. Then came the Sharp upright, which was fabulous on carpets, but didn't do well on bare floors or on getting pet hair off upholstery (for upholstery we got a Dirt Devil hand vac). As we removed more and more of the carpeting in our house, we needed something would do bare floors well.

Thinking that bare floors should be pretty easy to clean with a cheap vacuum, we then went through a series of what I would now call cheap "disposable" vacuums. After going through three of these inexpensive vacuums in a year (which either didn't work well, or worked well but broke quickly), we knew we had to find a different answer. The lesson: While incredibly expensive vacuums aren't necessarily worth the money, super cheap vacuums are practically worthless.

So began the search for a vacuum cleaner that would suck up pet hair, was sturdy and reliable, and that would work well on bare floors and upholstery.

After extensive research, I was intrigued by the Miele line of vacuum cleaners, which I'd heard good things about, but had never actually seen. Epinions ratings were consistently very high for the Miele canisters. I must say that I was rather shell-shocked after seeing the range of prices though! A Miele canister vacuum can run anywhere from $289 for the cheapest model to around $1200 for the most expensive. I decided to investigate the lower-priced models.

I took a trip down to the local vacuum cleaner repair shop, which also happens to be a Miele dealer. The shop was chock full of used vacuums that had been repaired or traded in and were being resold -- row after row of Eurekas and Hoovers that the owners didn't want anymore, but not a used Miele in the bunch. Seems that people who buy Mieles tend to hang onto them, which I definitely took as a good sign.

After talking with the owner about my situation and the number of pets we had (and telling him I wanted the least expensive Miele I could get that would do the job), he recommended the Miele White Star -- which is the Miele S314i with the air-driven turbo brush. The price -- $449.95 -- was more than I wanted to spend, so I asked about the 200 series models -- the Flamenco II (which is the S251 with the air-driven turbo brush) and the Miele Plus (the S251 with an electric power brush). The owner said that these were good vacuums but somewhat less powerful; he didn't think these models would be powerful enough to deal with all of the pet hair, and you couldn't add a charcoal or HEPA filter to them to reduce pet odors. Being rather stubborn however, I went for the Flamenco II anyway -- at $289.95 it seemed like a much better deal.

I immediately fell in love with a number of features on the Flamenco II -- the styling, the way the casters and hose swivel 360 degrees, the on-board tool storage (though this model only holds 2 of the 3 tools), the quietness, the bags, the quality of the attachments, the sturdy construction. But within just a couple of days, I had to conclude that the owner had been right -- this didn't have the power I was looking for. And while the "Super AirClean" filter that came with it was great for handling standard dust and odors, it was already developing that "wet dog" smell you sometimes get with vacuums when you have a lot of pets. Perhaps being able to add the HEPA filter would be a plus after all. At that point, I couldn't bear to give up the features that I loved about the Miele, but I knew I was going to have to spend more money. I swallowed my pride and called up the store. The owner agreed to take back the Flamenco II, and ordered the Miele White Star (plus a HEPA filter, which was another $49.95) for me. I'm glad that I upgraded, though it still pains me to look at the price on the receipt!

About the S314 Miele series:

The S314 series of Miele canister vacuums have a bit more suction than the S251 line. The S251 vacuums are 1100 watts, have an airflow of 119 CFM and 96" of waterlift (a measure of suction). The S314 line of vacuums are 1100 watts, have an airflow of 131 CFM and 100" of waterlift. That may not seem like a huge difference, but the extra airflow is definitely an improvement when it comes to suction. (When you get into the 500 and 600 series Mieles, the airflow increases to 140 or more, but the price jumps to over $500.)

Other differences between the S314 and the S251 are that the S314 are equipped so that you can replace the standard filter with a HEPA filter (a definite plus if you have pets or allergies). The on-board storage of the S314 holds a crevice tool, upholstery attachment, and dusting brush (the S251 only holds the crevice tool and upholstery attachment). There are three versions of the S314 -- the blue canister, which comes with a combination rug/floor tool for bare floors and carpets (in the low $400 range); the White Star, which costs a bit more (in the mid-to-high $400 range) and comes with a smooth floor brush for bare floors and the air-driven turbo brush for rugs and low-to-medium pile carpets; and the Red Star, which costs significantly more (in the high $500 to low $600 range) and comes with the smooth floor brush and an electric hose and power brush for medium-to-high pile carpets.

About the White Star:

So what's so special about the Miele White Star? To be honest, the Red Star (with the electric powered brush) is what I really wanted to buy, but since I no longer have carpeting, I really couldn't justify spending in the neighborhood of $600 for a vacuum cleaner. (Even if I HAD carpeting I'm not sure I could have justified spending that kind of money!) While I've never been a big fan of air-driven turbo brushes (which I've had before with other vacuums), the White Star does just fine on my area rugs. Note: The White Star CAN be upgraded to the equivalent of a Red Star by buying an electric hose and power brush -- something that influenced my choice -- but they're incredibly expensive (as I understand it, it's about $140 for the power brush and another $100 for the electric hose).

For bare floors, area rugs and low pile carpet, though, the White Star does the job well. What is particularly unique about this vacuum is how incredibly quiet it is, even operating at full power.

Features:

Castor wheels -- the three wheels on the canister rotate 360 degrees for easy maneuverability

Easy on/off switch -- No need to bend down to turn the White Star on or off -- just use your toe to press the button.

Retractable cord -- Again, just use your toe to press the rewind button, and the 21 foot power cord retracts into the machine for easy storage.

Rubber bumper -- the canister has a black rubber strip all the way around to protect walls and furniture (and the canister itself) if you run into things

On-board tool storage -- press a button and the lids flips up to reveal the accessory compartment with three tools -- the crevice tool, upholstery nozzle and dusting brush. (The lid is the one part of this machine that seems a bit flimsy; mine has come off twice so far.) This is also where you can find the blower socket, where you can attach the hose (after taking out the filter) to transform your vacuum into a blower. According to the manual, this can be used to blow out the suction hose if it ever gets blocked or to dust multi-layered radiators.

Adjustable suction power dial -- you can set the suction power for as low as 300 to as high as 1100. (It runs quietly at 1100; you can barely hear it at all at 300.) This is supposedly to save energy, and to adjust suction for the type of surface being cleaned. There is a mid-range "economy" setting that the manual says is sufficient for floors, but I nearly always operate at 1100 due to the level of pet hair we have.

Suction level indicator -- on the accessory compartment door is the suction level indicator, which is supposed to let you know when the bag needs to be changed. This is only accurate when the floorbrush is attached ; the indicator will almost always suggest the bag is full if you're using the dusting attachment or crevice tool. Due to these fluctuations in accuracy, it's probably best not to rely on this indicator too heavily -- if it seems like the suction isn't what it should be, check the bag yourself. (Suction does go down when the bag is full.)

Filter system -- the White Star comes equipped with a Super Air Clean filter. For those with pets or allergies, you can replace the Super Air Clean filter with either an Active charcoal filter or an Active HEPA filter (which combines the charcoal filter with a HEPA filter that filters out 99.97% of particles and micro-organisms 0.3 microns or larger). I've found that the HEPA filter (which costs around $50 but is good for a year) definitely helps with pet odors. There is also a dust compartment filter. Super Air Clean filters and dust compartment filters are included with each 5-pack box of vacuum bags.

Intensive Clean vacuum bags -- this machine has by far the best bag system I've seen on a vacuum cleaner. This machine used Miele's F/J/M bags, which are made of a double layer soft material and are extremely easy to install and remove. Upon removal, you pull a tab that seals the bag closed -- not a bit of dust escapes! The bags look small, but hold a lot. I love these bags!!! A box of five bags costs about $12.95.

Easy hose connection/swivel -- the hose can easily be detached from the canister with a quick squeeze of the buttons on either side of it (handy if you want to clean out the hose). If storing the machine, you can slide a little door over the hole to close it if the hose isn't attached. The hose connection also swivels 360 degrees, so it always follows your movements without getting twisted.

Suction wand -- the other end of the hose can be attached to the suction wands or any of the attachments. On the newer models like I have, the suction wand comes in two straight sections that fit together snugly. Older models have a two-section telescoping wand that can be adjusted in length. (Personally, I'd prefer the telescoping wand, but to buy it separately runs around $48.) The wand has an air inlet valve to reduce suction power for things like lightweight area rugs or curtains.

Attachments that come standard with the White Star:

Hard floorbrush -- this is a fairly basic brush used for cleaning hard floors. With pets, you need to vacuum the pet hair out of the bristles periodically. The head of the brush swivels for easy maneuverability.

Turbobrush -- this has a revolving brush that is driven by the suction power of the vacuum. The head of the brush swivels for easy maneuverability. It works well on area rugs and low-pile carpets, but probably isn't powerful enough for higher carpets. (If you've got carpet, go for a model with the electric hose and power brush.) The turbobrush attachment has a sliding door that can be adjusted to let air in and reduce the suction so that the corners of area rugs don't get sucked up (which is kind of handy). I found the turbobrush to be more effective with the higher powered White Star than it was with the lower powered Flamenco II.

Dusting brush -- has lots of bristles for cleaning and dusting things like baseboards or ornate carvings. The head swivels to adapt to the surface being cleaned.

Crevice tool -- a fairly standard tool with most vacuums, this is good for getting into corners and the areas where the floor and wall meet.

Upholstery nozzle -- this is a neat little attachment that has strips of material like you'd find on a lint brush to pick up lint and hair while vacuuming upholstery. It works surprisingly well, though I still pull out the Dirt Devil hand vac when the dog is shedding heavily. (Meile sells a small turbobrush for upholstery, but at a price of $69, it's cheaper to buy a Dirt Devil with a powered brush.)

Easy to carry -- the canister is fairly lightweight and has a sturdy handle for easy carrying.

Park system -- when sitting flat on the floor you can "park" the floor attachments by sliding a bump on the attachment into a notch on the canister. When the canister is stood upright (for storage), you can "park" the floor attachment in a similar notch on the side of the canister. This is a neat idea, but the "bump" on the floor attachments is not as sturdy as it could be, so the weight of the wand and hose sometimes cause them to fall over.

Optional attachments:

There are a number of optional attachments available, but most are incredibly expensive! Already mentioned are the electric hose and power brush (to upgrade your vacuum if you get carpeting) and the hand turbobrush for upholstery. You can also get a mattress brush, a parquet brush (with hosehair bristles for cleaning parquet floors), a universal brush for dusting, a car clean set (which include a mini turbobrush, micro hose, and crevice nozzle), and a MicroSet (for dusting things like PC keyboards and stereo equipment). The one attachment that I did buy is the radiator brush (one of the few inexpensive attachments -- I found somewhere online for about $7), and it is FABULOUS for vacuuming in between the various pipes of radiators (something that I've never been able to do before because no attachment I've had has been designed quite right). There are also places online that you can buy an inexpensive adapter to use regular accessories made for U.S. vacuums on European-made models such as the Miele. That might be a cheaper way to go, especially if you have accessories left over from old vacuums that no longer function.


Warranty and Service:

The White Star comes with a 1-year warranty, except for the vacuum cleaner motor, which has a 5-year warranty. Service can be obtained locally from authorized repair centers (unlike with some of the cheap vacuum cleaners, such as the EuroPro, which require that you send the vacuum back to the manufacturer for service). This was an important factor in my buying decision -- after all, if you can't get it fixed for free if it breaks, what's the point of having a warranty?

The dealer that I purchased this from also does maintenance and repairs. Based on my experience with him, he really seems to know this product well and has very reasonable prices. He indicated that these vacuums are far more reliable than your standard Hoover or Eureka, and it's not unusual for them to last fifteen or twenty years. (I suspect the plastic parts may need to be replaced during that time period.)

Overall satisfaction:

Overall, I REALLY like the design of this vacuum. It's easy to maneuver, easy to use, quiet, efficient, and -- with the HEPA filter -- very clean. It's got enough suction to handle a shedding Norwegian Elkhound and six cats (though for some reason it doesn't like to suck up paper clips). It does a very good job on ceramic and hardwood floors and on area rugs, and does fairly well on upholstery. (I'd get a model with the electric hose and powerbrush if I had a lot of carpeting though.) I absolutely love the bags, and the optional radiator brush attachment is fantastic.

As for reliability, in the seven months I've had it, the hose has never clogged (unlike some other models I've had), and it has operated perfectly so far. Except for the attachment compartment door (which came off after one of my kids dropped the vacuum cleaner and hasn't fit quite right since) and the park feature (which isn't as sturdy as it could be), this feels like a good solid machine. If it continues to perform at this level and lasts for several years, then it's worth the money. Of course, only time will tell. (I'll try to remember to post an update sometime in the future.)

The only major drawback is the price. If I ever have carpeting again, I will have to swallow hard before I decide whether or not to shell out over $200 to add the electric hose and power brush, or whether at that point I'll want to buy an even more expensive Miele. As much as I like this vacuum, I really have a hard time justifying the cost. (For the kind of money that the higher end models go for, it should get itself out of the closet and vacuum the house on its own!)

Overall, a good product that I'd recommend as long as you aren't on a tight budget.


Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 449.95 tax