LynnSchneider's Full Review: Miele S4210 Capella Bagged Canister Vacuum
We ripped out our carpeting and re-did the hardwood floors underneath, so I suddenly realized that I needed a canister vacuum cleaner! When my upright Hoover Windtunnel died less than a year after purchase, I was able to get a full refund from the store and use that money to help buy a Miele Canister vacuum cleaner. How's that for serendipitus timing?
For years I scoffed and said I'd never spend $400 to $600 on a vacuum cleaner, no matter how great is sounded. But when it came down to it, I sheepishly forked over the money for a Miele. And I really do NOT regret it -- although I still cringe at the price tag. And mind you, this one was the basic model. If I wanted top of the line, I could have spent $1,200. Maybe Bill Gates has a few of the $1,200 models at his house, but personally I'd rather spend that extra money on other things.
I bought this model of vacuum cleaner for the following reasons:
1. I needed something that could clean both hard floors and rugs or carpets equally well.
2. I wanted something with a good repair and reliablity record. I called several vacuum cleaner repair shops and they all had glowing words for Miele's products.
3. Consumer reports and other reviews rate Miele products very highly.
4. I tried the Miele against the Bosche in the store and the Miele did a much better job. It is also a lot lighter weight than the Electrolux and had better features and reviews than the Kenmore.
5. I was glad to find a Miele vacuum cleaner that was under $600. I'm not used to spending so much money on this sort of appliance. In the end, with the various attachments I decided to buy, I wound up spending about $650. But I don't regret it and so far I'm happy with my purchase. Besides, the refund I received from my dead Hoover Windtunnel (about $300) helped ease some of the financial pain.
Some Background on My Situation
Recently my floor cleaning needs had changed. We had ripped the carpet out of our downstairs and refinished the hardwood underneath. However, there were still area rugs, and wall-to-wall carpeting upstairs and on our steps. Since our upright vacuum cleaner was dead, I wanted a canister that could handle both hard surfaces and carpets with the same reliabilty.
I have back problems and wanted something as lightweight as possible. And reliable. And with a lot of good onboard tools. And with HEPA filtration if possible. And something bagged (no messy dirt cups).
The Miele Galaxy Series meets all of these criteria. All of the canister vacuums in the Galaxy series are the same, there are just different colors. I have this yellow one. The Galaxy Series is considered the entry level of the Miele canister vacuum cleaners. But there is nothing low-end about this machine. It still has the same powerful motor as the others. It is just as reliable (according to the vacuum cleaner repair people). It has a few less bells and whistles than the more expensive models. But if you don't care about the extras, then it's a good choice.
Cleaning Power
The suction is very strong, and the motor is much quieter than my old Hoover Windtunnel. God knows it weighs a ton less and is easier to maneuver. It's no problem getting this baby up and down the stairs. I love the telescoping metal wand -- it is quite long and enables me to clean the floor without much bending. It does a good job of picking up everything in sight, so I'm very happy with it.
This model comes with a combination floor and rug head. It works pretty well. I decided to spend the extra money and also buy the turbo head for my rugs and carpeting. That works very well, although I am used to using an upright on carpeting. I can honestly say that it doesn't clean carpets as well as an upright, especially my old Hoover upright which had "power drive." You do have to put a bit of muscle into cleaning the carpet, which I'm not used to doing. But it does a good job. You just have to be sure to check the brush inside the head and cut out any excess hair or threads.
I wish the onboard tools were stored inside the cleaner and not outside on the handle, but that is a minor point.
Since one of the floors in my house has a lot of crevices and grooves, I decided to also buy (online) the parquet floor brush. I haven't received it yet, but I will add to this review later and let you know how it works. In addition, I decided to get the "car care kit" which has a smaller turbo brush for furniture and stairs, a hose extension, and an extra long crevice tool. I haven't received that yet, either.
Vacuum Bags and Filters
The vacuum bag is not anywhere near as large as the one on my upright was, but it isn't a huge problem. One bag will probably last you about a month on average. You can find the bags easily online.
This model of Miele does NOT come with a HEPA filter; you have to buy that separately. However, it DOES come with a "super clean air filter." The air exhaust is at the top of the vacuum cleaner, so you will frequently find yourself getting blasted with air. I haven't yet changed the filter to HEPA, but I might eventually. It's an option you can decided to take, if you need it. Why does this model not come with a HEPA filter? Simple: it helps to keep the base price lower.
Storage
Since the Miele is fairly small, you can store it easily in a closet. I like the cord rewind feature and the fact that you can park the cleaning head onto the appliance. The cleaner can stand upright or sit on its 3 wheels.
Maneuverability
This baby has three rubber wheels. They will not scratch your floor, but you should check them periodically to ensure that no crumbs or beads or whatever are stuck to them (because those things WILL scratch your floor).
This Miele maneuvers very easily, following you around like an expensive little snorting puppy. I do wish the power cord was about 3 feet longer, but it's generally adequate.
The metal hose may not have a built-in handle, but truthfully it doesn't seem to matter.
Overall
If you have around $400 to spend on a really good canister vacuum cleaner, you won't regret choosing the Miele Galaxy series. It is reliable, lightweight, has good tools, and is also not very noisy. Bite your lip and go for it. You will pay more money if you want the turbo brush for carpets and rugs -- that is around $100 extra.
I plan to update this review as time goes on and I use the vacuum cleaner.
Update: Add-on Tools for the Miele
I've had my Miele for about a month and have been using all the add-on tools I bought for it. Here are some of my observations:
* The Turbohead If you have a lot of rugs or carpeting, you will probably want to pay to buy the turbohead, which is about $100. It is air-powered, which means that the suction from the vacuum cleaner powers it and makes the brush head turn. It goes a good job picking up hairs and threads, but you must be sure to clean it every couple of weeks to take out stuff that has wrapped itself around the brush head. Fortunately you can open up the Turbohead for easy access to the brush. The brush doesn't come out, but it is fairly easy to clean off. As I mentioned above, you do have to put a fair amount of muscle into cleaning carpets with this head. It isn't like an upright with powerdrive. I do miss my old Hoover upright in this respect.
*The Parquet Floor Brush This brush has two sets of boar hair bristles. It is great for cleaning floors with crevices, such as tiles or hardwood with grooves and pits. Just like the Turbobrush, you do have to clean the brush off frequently. But that it easy: just use the Miele's crevice tool. Move it back and forth on the brush. You may need to lift some lint off with your fingers. It's no big deal. I'm very happy with this accessory.
*The Car Care Kit I decided to buy this because I really liked the accessories: an extra long crevice tool, a micro set, extra long hose, and a small turbo brush. I thought I would use the small Turbobrush for my carpeted stairs. But I was disappointed that the neck of this accessory isn't bent; it is straight. So you can't attach it and have it lay flat on the floor like the big Turbobrush. You need to actually grasp it with your hands and get down on your hands and knees to use it. It's better for upholstery in that respect, I suppose. The hose cannot attach to the original Miele hose -- in other words, you cannot put the two pieces of hose together to make one really long hose. It's either one or the other. You'd think that they would give you an adapter so that you could put the two hoses together! Perhaps that is not safe or something....But overall, I'm glad to have this accessory. It will be really handy for getting all those crumbs out of the floor and seats of my minivan.
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