Miele S2121 Capri Canister Vacuum Cleaner (Old Model)

>> 8/19/2010 <<Bought my Miele Capri from seller "Mr.Vac & Mrs.Sew". It came on time and brand new as stated. The Capri model is the same as the Olympus, except it also comes with the air powered brush head.Pros1. The vacuum itself is fairly light weight (not counting the hose and head), weighing in at 10.25 lbs, even my 75 yr old mother can carry it fairly easily. Seems well made and durable. 1200 watts provides pretty good suction, maybe an extra 200 watts would be better, but still good enough as is.2. Motor is pretty quiet, even at highest speed, most of the noise is coming from the suction.3. Can install an optional HEPA filter.4. Bag looks quit large and should hold a good amount of dirt.5. Bought the Capri model, it is essentially the same as the Olympus, except that it comes with the air powered turbo spinning brush head instead and a bare floor head with brush (not spinning). The spinning brush head is definitely a must have, if you have carpet and want it to pick up long hair and dirt that is slightly buried into the carpet, it also does help fluff up the carpet. Even though the head is air powered, the brush spins quit fast and is very effective, unless you have very thick carpeting, then you may want to opt for their other models with an electric powered brush head.6. Vacuum rolls easily, when pulled by the hose.7. The metal wand, the piece that attaches in between the handle and the cleaning tool, is telescopic, so you can shorten it to half the length if needed.Cons1. Hose is 5 feet in length, which is a bit short, would have been nice to have an extra 2 feet.2. Hose feels cheaply made, may have to be careful, incase if the hose is twisted, and it is pulled on hard enough, it may kink and damage the hose.3. The handle tube is completely made of pretty durable thick plastic, but is quit curved and long, from where one would grip it, to the tip of the tube where you would attach a cleaning tool is about 12 inches. If you have a small cleaning attachment mounted, and need to get into a tight area, you may need to really hold it in an awkward angle to get in those tight spots, since your gripping hand will be approximately 12 inches away from the cleaning tool, so imagine that. This part should have been a lot shorter.4. The clip that holds the three small cleaning attachments, can be clipped on to the base of the hose, by the vacuum or the other end of the hose by the handle. I do not like it at either end, would have been nice if they made it so that the three tools can either mount onto the back, or the top of the vacuum instead. Providing options would be nice.ConclusionDon't mind paying $399 for something that is intended to be used for many years, I think the price is a bit steep, but I guess you are paying for a German product. Again, the spinning brush head is a must for people with carpet. If you have carpet, save the extra $30, because you will end up buying the air powered turbo brush head later separately for $129. At this price, they could have used a better quality and slightly longer hose. Regarding the long handle, I guess I can learn to get use to it, but they REALLY should make it shorter. If it was not for the long handle and hose issue, this would have easily been a 5 star.Signing out...>> 12/19/2010 UPDATE <<Finally changed the bag for the first time, it was pretty full, enough that you can start smelling the dirt when the vacuum is on, using their basic filters, I'm guessing if using their more expensive Hepa filters might be better. Vacuum itself is working great.* HoseGoing back to the quality of the cheap hose, still say that they should have made a better one. I almost kinked it several times. Plus, the 5 ft hose, I'm finding it more and more to be too short, when vacuuming the blinds, can't reach the top, the last 25% of the blinds in a typical height room, unless you actually pick up the vacuum, in-order to give it that little extra reach.* Long HandleStill baffled on why they made the handle 12" long!!! Again, no matter at which point you grab the handle, when vacuuming a tight area (e.g. using the small brush attachment), you may have to tilt the handle up, in-order to get the brush to level with the surface to get a better suction. The handle is so long, that the area that you are vacuuming, may block it from being able to tilt it high enough. Just imagine vacuuming a book shelf for example, if you want the brush to be leveled on to one of the shelves, due to the angle design of the brush itself, you have to tilt the 12" long handle, the top of the handle will be blocked by the shelf above, not allowing you to level the brush.Overall, no complaints about the vacuum itself, I feel that it's better than most of the other well known brands. However, I may have to look in to a better and longer hose, if one is available. Unfortunately, paying more money, maybe that's what the manufacturer wants, if they offer one.>> UPDATE 1/2/2013The locking mechanism on the telescopic wand broke at least 6+ months ago, where the handle goes in to, it will still go in to it, but just won't lock. Recently, close to the tip of the handle started to crack. Had to go to an authorized dealer nearby to get the 2 replacement parts, which cost about $55. Now the power cord will not rewind back into its compartment, not sure if it's fixable or will need a new part or two. However, it has been 2+ years since I got it and my "OCD" father using it at least once per day and he tends to bang the vacuum head against walls. He vacuums so much, that it's driving everyone nuts, I kind of like to throw the vacuum in to the ocean.>> UPDATE 5/6/2013Maybe it's my OCD dad, but the cable will not rewind into the housing now, that's not a big deal though. One thing I did noticed is that when the bag is pretty full, you can smell the dust coming from the exhaust vent, plus the exhaust vent blows straight up, at full power, it's strong enough to move the ceiling fan. I believe buying the optional HEPA filter may be a good idea to reduce the smell, which I have not tried yet.>> UPDATE 7/1/2013Did finally buy the Miele AH-30 Active HEPA Filter. WOW, what a BIG difference in the smell that comes out, compared to the thin filter that comes with the bags. Well worth it, especially if there are anyone at home that has an allergen issue. For average users, this filter will last about 1 yr.>> UPDATE 1/19/2015Initially was using the genuine Miele bags at about 4.75 moola each, after a while, my wallet was getting thinner and thinner. Late in 2013, I started looking for alternatives, found the following and initially got a five pack to test with, no dust leak, looks and feel the same, just a tiny bit thinner, works great. The initial five pack (search for ASIN: B006BW8KN0) was 2.5 moola each, then got the 25 pack (search for ASIN: B00AI1UKC4 / not available as of this update, maybe the manufacturer only wants to offer the five pack to get more moola) at 1.6 moola each and never looked back.

My last vacuum was a Dyson for which I paid a small fortune. After about a 18-19 months I had nothing but problems with it, then it died. In addition to the fact that it's life span was so short, I hated the fact that I couldn't vacuum under any furniture as it was an upright and had to lug around a swiffer from room to room to get to the dust that seems to love to hide under the furniture.We recently researched the new vacuum cleaners on the market and decided to go with a canister-type cleaner so I can get under furniture. This vacuum had a high rating with only a few 'bad' points about it so I took a chance and bought it. I am so glad I did!! First, I'll address some of the negative comments I read on this item and my experience/opinion on them. Please know upfront that I don't mean to totally bash Dyson, it's just the last vacuum I owned and only comparison I have at this point.Complaint: The vacuum is too loud.My Experience: The vacuum is definitely quieter than the Dyson; either I got use to the Dyson being louder or this is super quiet! My husband even made a comment when he first turned it on, saying how quiet this unit is.Complaint: The need to buy bags and their cost.My Experience: I don't mind changing bags (they clearly state this unit takes bags and if I didn't want to change them I wouldn't have considered the machine- as you should if you're considering buying it.) I'd rather dumb a bag full of dirt than empty a canister into a garbage bag, breathe in the dust, then clean out the canister.Sure, I would love for the price to come down on the bags but I have to say that when I received it I thoroughly cleaned the entire house, including two sets of steps, inside closets, etc. and the bag isn't close to half full. And because I had to wait about a week and a half because of (mostly) our research for a new cleaner, shipping, etc. the house was dirtier than normal; I had a broom to clean up until the vacuum arrived. With kids going in and out, plus we live on a wooded dirt/sand property, I expected to fill up the bag it came with in the initial cleaning. (The Dyson's canister was filled with each time I cleaned.) The one reviewer appears to be right on when they said the bags will last for a long time before needing to be replaced.Complaint: The length of the cord.My Experience: It would be handier if the cord was another 4-5'. However, I suspect though that the length is based on what the retracting feature is able to handle. Personally I don't find it that big of a problem to walk over and plug it in on the other side of the room. The retractable feature is well worth that short walk to me. Plus it's exercise :)Complaint: Can't carry attachments with the unit.My Experience: This isn't true. I think the reviewer probably just wasn't aware that you can definitely attach the unit's attachments to the base unit. Mine came with a small holder that clips on the top of the unit and holds the smaller attachment. You can also clip on one of the larger 'heads' ie the one for cleaning wood floors and the one for the rugs with the beater) under the machine. If you do clip the large head under the canister you wouldn't be able to roll the unit around but with it's light weight it can easily be carried and sat down on it's 'end'. Personally, we only have one room with carpeting (which is going soon due to allergies in the house) and I will simply keep the rug beater head in that room until the rug is replaced with wood so it's there when I need it.Summary:I truly love this machine and didn't find any of the complaints a problem for me. It is so light that I could easily carry the unit with one hand as I cleaned up the steps with the other without stopping. Try doing that with an upright!! I can't comment on customer service because I've had no problems.I highly recommend this unit... so much that should I ever need another vacuum, even if this one ends up having a malfunction, I will replace it with another one of the same type/manufacturer and chalk it up as a lemon that every product produced unfortunately has. Because of it's status I would also expect that Miele would work with me on the replacement if it happens within a reasonable amount of time since I purchased it.Hope this helps, and happy shopping!!

Decent vacuum. Expensive to repair or service.

I researched vacuums for some time before I made this purchase. We have pets in our home - wanted a vacuum that was compact yet powerful for an active household with kids and two pets. Despite great reviews, this vacuum can't keep up with the demands of our household like other cheaper models have done in the past. The motor, though quiet, does not seem to generate much suction. The brush clogs quickly and I have to disassemble the rotating brush and cut out the mess of hair and dust which ends up airborne, making the fancy HEPA filter a joke. Will sell or give to someone with lesser performance standards...I'll go back to the less expensive box store models or go bigger by going with a commercial model. Beware this vacuum if you have some serious vacuuming to do.