New vacuum cleaner - any opinions?

[anto]

We need to buy a new cylinder vacuum cleaner as our old one has given up the ghost after 7 yrs. I've been asking around for general opinions & feedback and there seem to be 2 camps out there - Dyson lovers and Dyson haters! I have decided against a Dyson on the advice of salesmen in 2 different John Lewis stores. I have also given a Dyson a test run and it weighed a ton.

Quite a few people have recommended Miele as a reliable, good quality make. I've looked on the internet and the Solution Hepa 700 seems to be the best for us because it's designed for wooden floors and carpets. Any comments/suggestions?

I know you've decided against dyson but I have both a dyson vacuum and dyson washing machine and they are both fantastic, I have a dyson dc04 vacuum and find it excellent on our wooden floors, I've had it 4 years and not had one single problem with it. When it conks out I will definately be getting another dyson.

Sorry it's not much help but you did ask for comments

I'm a miele fan myself, I was told years ago when I first joined the Miele club that they have to be good as the germans wouldn't settle for anything less, if it was a sales gimmick it down the trick, I have had mine for years and now DD has hers and loves to follow me round the house, though it does not pick up anythink - it is good training though!

we got a Miele after Dyson died and I love it (I'd always hated cyclinders before as well) it sucks better than the dyson and doesn't weigh a ton, has a longer hose so I can do the bathroom without having to get an extension lead, plus it will hoover up things bigger than a grain of rice. We have wood floors, carpets and permanently moulting cats. and by the way I HATE hoovering!!!

I got a vax 3 in 1 recently which I love as it washes carpets too. Suction is just as good as my old miele was.

I have just bought a Sebo Airbelt K from John Lewis and its great, small, lightweight with much better suction than my (admittedly very old) Dyson. Good Housekeeping recommended it very highly, so did the salesman in John Lewis. It has a ponyhair attachment for wooden floors.

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Dysons are great for the first six months

Jasper,

Entirely agree with you. We've got three (non-functioning) ones in our loft (Dh -'I can fix those soon' and I've just checked my receipt on the last one - 18-01-03 and I'm taking it back tomorrow and swapping it for a Miele. Don't know anthing about that make, but Jasper, I'd only disagree on the 6 month thing. More like three with us.

I know alot of people don't like Dyson, but I have had no problems whatsoever, my dyson washing machine is fab and with the children being ill it is a god send as it will easily fit a duvet in it.

Sorry I couldn't be much help.

Out of curiosity, do miele need bags? and also what is the going price?

I think you should boycott Dyson, look how he treated his staff and then uprooted to get the slave labour in, no wonder the dyson guy is loaded, don't load his pockets even more!

Thanks everyone for your feedback - it has made for interesting and entertaining reading! I think I will go with the J Lewis recommendation of the Miele Solution 700. It does use bags but that doesn't bother me as the mess is nicely contained and you just have to chuck the bag in the bin.

The Miele retails for £179 but at John Lewis it currently costs £169 (because of the never knowingly undersold promise they have lowered their price as it's on sale somewhere else). I have found it for £159 on the internet on some unheard-of discounted electrical website, but my husband thinks it's a false economy because someone at his work bought a hoover from another discounted electrics internet site and when it conked out after 3 months they wouldn't come and pick it up and he had to get parcelforce to take it back to them and pay the carriage cost himself and then they denied there was anything wrong with it and it all got to be a real hassle trying to get a mended or new machine. I guess with J Lewis you can always haul it back there and make a fuss. Anyway, if anyone's interested I'll let you know what the Miele's like when it arrives.

I love bags. Contained mess pleases me.

Anto, good choice IMO - like Enid, we love our Miele, bags and all, and find it very efficient. Happy hoovering...

I splurged out on a Miele washer/dryer,but my Henry vacum cleaner has been great for the last 6 years - easy to use and good suction!

I know someone at a John Lewis store who repairs vacuums and he says they never get any complaints about Sebos - which are expensive - but he also approved of my Miele

Interesting how many of us trust John Lewis' recommendations implicitly, isn't it? If it's a big purchase or in an area not familiar to me (rechargeable torches for gadget obsessed dh) I just wander in, look useless and ask them to point something out. Never been disappointed yet. I LOVE that shop.

They are great when you can get some service especially in the Oxfords St store!

Another vote for Sebos (also recommended by JL!). We have two cats and a strong disinclination to do any housework and it copes very well with that!

Well, went into the wonderful J Lewis and ordered my Miele vacuum. Am feeling very excited about it arriving on Friday (it's tragic I know!).

As several of you have said, they also had the Sebos and also highly recommended that but the guy who advised me said there wasn't much difference in quality or performance between the Sebos and the Miele Solution apart from the fact that the Sebos has 3 litre dustbags whereas the Miele has 4 litre bags so I lazily opted for the Miele thinking perhaps bag-changing day would come round a little less frequently!

I love Miele - I have a washer/dryer and have ordered a Dishwasher also - thanks for the thread - as I need a new cleaner - I'm a bit fed up with my old dyson - but the Miele's have bags don't they? do these not clog like the dyson blurb says they do?

Just swapped my Dyson DC08 (animal) for a Miele dog & cat and LOVE it! Was a bit sad about not being able to see all the filth I'm hoovering up, but that's a small price to pay for something that actually does the job. I'm a vaculolic at the moment - since January I've changed a Dyson DCO5 for a DCO8 and now this one - oooh, perhaps that's a different thread! Anyhow, thank you for all you (sound) advice.
PS just pays to get your hoover from Argos, Comet or Currys - they seem to always take them back ...

Bit late, I know, but I love our Henry too. Also, can't leave a John Lewis thread without adding how wonderful I think everyone there is(yes, I know that is poor grammer). It is the only shop where I have actually written in to say how wonderfully helpful the staff were.

seahorse, the suction on a Miele gets a bit weaker when the bag needs changing, but no, they don't clog. And they are easy to change, with little mess. With every pack of bags (on our model anyway) you get a microfilter which should be changed when you open the pack.

helen mc,
do you mind me asking what sort of miele you have? as we also have wooden floors, carpet AND cats. thanks