Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

UPDATE - 8/18/20 - 2 months post purchase - the STB20 Mini Turbo Brush attachment broke today. See photos. There is a sleeve that attaches to the main head and tabs hold the sleeve on, and thus the attachment in place. 3 out of the 4 tiny tabs appear to have broken off. This is with limited use at this is not one of the attachments I use the most. Perhaps it was shipped broken and I didn’t notice it until it was completely loose? I only found one of the three tiny tabs that snapped off and that one was inside the head itself and fell out upon opening it. I am on hold waiting to talk to someone from Miele now and it’s been 25 minutes already... Sigh... This vacuum is my first Miele purchase. I had been using Panasonic vacuums for years, despite their shortcomings, because they had Hepa filtration and a powerful bypass motor for serious suction. When I started my search for a replacement Hepa filter vac, I found that Shark and Bissell seem to dominate the current market. The Bissell’s are underpowered, the Sharks have a trade-off of dirt cup size vs. power. More power = smaller dirt cup size. I also have always had upright vacuums. Since my home has both stairs and varied surfaces, I broadened my search to include canister vacs. In the canister vac market, Miele is a very pricey leader. While some of my pet owning friends are fans of Shark vacs, many were also fans of Miele vacs. I decided on the Miele C1 Cat and Dog based on the price point which got me what I wanted, which is a Hepa Filtration Vacuum as strong or stronger than the old Panasonic (which was 12 Volt), with the electric rotating roller vacuum head attachment (Model SEB228) and a decent filter bag volume capability. PROs - for this model -Hepa Filtration with Odor Control via AirClean bags (it works, will see if it odor control lasts until the bag is full) -Hepa Filter Replacement - easy snap in and Miele says replace once per year (again will see if it lasts that long) -Powerful yet Quiet (use of the SEB228 roller head is louder, but still very quiet for a vacuum) -Maneuverability 1. The sloping (<3” to max height 4.5” height of the SEB228 gets under more furniture. 2. The swivel head on the SEB228 helps get into corners and hard to reach places. 3. Canister vac design allows for easier vacuuming of stairs. -On Board Attachment Holder - allows easy access to 3 smaller included attachments (Upholstery nozzle Crevice nozzle and Dusting brush), but not the Small Parquet Floorhead SBB Parquet-3 or the Flexible Handheld Mini Turbo Brush STB 20. -Foot Buttons on SEB228 for Handle Release and Pile Height are easy to access and use. -Telescoping Wand - up to 43” max added distance when fully extended; comfortable for all heights of users and able to reach into far corners both high and low. -SEB 228 On-Wand Power Switch - easily accessible, yet not positioned to inadvertently be clicked allows you to quickLy switch from motor for carpet/rug to no motor for bare floors. -Variety and Capability of Included Attachments CONs - for this model - Bulky - the canister itself is small (18” x 11” x 8.5”), however then there is the storage of the wand + SEB228 (14” x 8.5“x 4.5”) which has a total height of 41.5”, not to mention the 2 attachments that cannot reside on board. Unlike any vacuum I have owned prior, the hose is rigid and not collapsible, making it take up even more space, and there is not attachment included to tame it. In my small home this is a HUGE Con. -Power Button, Cord Rewind Buttons and Selector Dial on Canister - the placement of all of these is on the bottom of the canister when the vacuum sits upright, requiring more bending over and turning of the unit. -Lack of rubber, non-mark leaving, bumper guards on either canister or, more importantly, the SEB228. -Lack of telescoping (or other) canister handle extender - the canister handle, when upright, is About 8” or so from my hand when I am standing upright, so you will need to stoop over to reach for it to move the vac as you vac. I purchased a 5” nylon luggage handle extender (less $ at Wal*mart). Hope it fits (hasn’t arrived yet). -Tippability of the canister - because you have to stoop to reach the canister handle, you are going to be tempted to pull the vac around by the hose instead which adds hose to canister attachment stress on the unit and also causes the canister to be more tippable. -More Filters to Change - air entry and exhaust filters for the engine require replacement with every bag change; replacement filters are included with the bags, but not in the same quantity (fewer than the number of bags). ADEQUATE (but could be better) -Cord length (18’ length) - I didn’t find myself wishing I had purchased a vacuum with a longer cord so would not switch from this model to another based on the cord, but having this vac with the longer cord would, of course, be better. -Attachment storage - I wish there was a way to store all 5 attachments on board with the three smaller on top as they are and the two larger inside like the C3 models. I don’t like that the 2 bulkier attachments cannot be stored with the unit. NICETY, not Necessity -Bag Change Indicator - maybe I will appreciate this more in the long run, shall see. I haven’t had one previously and likely changed bags more frequently than the indicator may indicate anyway. The indicator is in a good spot, right on top of the vacuum; hard to miss. -Cord flexibility - I like the cord itself better than my prior vacuums. Plus, with the canister vac it is easier to keep the cord out of your way while you are vacuuming. With an upright I usually wound up holding it to work around potential snags and avoid it popping out of the cord holder anyway. IN SUMMARY -. I LOVE how quiet yet powerful the Miele is. So far, it vacuums VERY well on low pile carpet, large area rugs, wood floors, stairs and laminate. This, plus the easy pushing of the, lighter than an upright vac, wand, make vacuuming easier. I like the performance of the included attachments. I like the telescoping wand. I prefer bags to bagless, had a Hepa Filter as a “must-have”, and wanted a large dirt accumulation capacity before needing to empty the cup / change the bag; this meets those criteria too. It did, however, take several days for me to like this vacuum. Right out of the box, I was annoyed by its overall bulkiness when assembled. In continued use, I am still unhappy with the placement of the power button and the floor type dial and inability to easily reach the top of the canister to move it. Both power button and dial should be on top of the canister when upright, not the bottom. Then canister handle should be made to be more accessible. The inability to tame the hose is an annoyance. I expect these to be non-issues when paying a premium price to a company engineering vacs as many years as Miele. This vacuum is expensive. The Miele warranty is ok, but not really that long for this price. Responsiveness of Miele customer service remains to be seen (poor Customer Service reviews were one of my turn-offs for Shark brand). For this price, I expect to not need to find out for a long time. If the Miele C1 Cat and Dog vacuum performs for over 14 years requiring only basic, at-home maintenance, then it will have surpassed my prior Panasonic vacuums, which cost about $140 each and commonly lasted 3 years (there was one part that continually broke each time resulting in the inability to use the vac as a push vac as vac would no longer remain upright for storage or maintain floor distance height). Speaking of maintenance, I cannot comment on the difficulty of changing any vacuum belts for this vac at this time since it is new and I haven’t even tried to figure out where it is yet. It is also worthy to note, I attempted to register this vac on the Miele website and (1) as of 6/19/20 this part of the website appears to be down as you wind up in a circular loop that doesn’t take you anywhere to register. I tried several links, none worked. (2) BEFORE you purchase a Miele vacuum, be sure to verify the seller is a Miele Authorized Dealer. This Amazon seller, Sara’s Vac Shack, IS on the Miele Authorized Dealer list (see pic). Purchase from an unauthorized dealer voids the product warranty. A Miele vacuum dealer on another site says the most common reason they have to service a Miele is for the hose, which on an electric model like this one costs about $125. He recommends never storing the vacuum with the hose attached to the wand as the gravitational stress on the hose will, over time, cause it to crack. As time proceeds, if I discover any more notable points I will update this review. As of right now, less than a week into ownership, I will keep it, despite its drawbacks, with the expectation of Miele Quality and that they will stand behind their product.