Miele Electro+ Canister Vacuum Marine Blue (Compact C2)

I was searching for a vacuum to replace an old Kenmore upright. My old Kenmore could take a lot of abuse. For years I vacuumed up large amount of pelleted pet food tossed around by my large parrot. I used to run the vacuum over the substantially sized pellets with impunity. It would make a horrendous noise in the Kenmore but they always ended up going where they were supposed to. Nowadays, if you have a big mess like that you have to be much more circumspect because vacuums don't seem to be designed to be quite that rugged.In case someone is interested, I did find a way to vacuum up a mess like that without any apparent damage to my Miele c2 electro+. But please dont try to use the motorized head on the Miele for this purpose. Instead I used one of the attachments that came with the Miele C2 electro+. I deliberately chose a tool with a very small inlet to use, that way if there were any clogging it would happen right at the entrypoint and would be easy to dislodge. Did not want a clog developing in the wand or the coil. If you are careful and only take in a small portion of the mess at one time the vacuum seem to do just fine. I am docking the Miele C2 electro in the rating for versatility because a vacuum really ought to be able to handle heavy messes like dry pet food. It shouldn't have to be babied. I am sharing what worked for me but I think this kind of use of the vacuum may be frowned upon by Miele so be forewarned.I am a little concerned about the Miele SEB 228 powerbrush as others have reported having trouble with it. I haven't used it very much yet and will probably buy a alternate head to use on rugs because I'd like something a little lighter.It seems like an odd pairing to have such a lightweight, compact canister with such a bulky, cumbersome motorized head.Some people have said this is hard to put together but it seemed pretty straightforward to me. The instructions booklet that came with it seemed up to date and very useful. It also has the warranty information in that booklet.I am not going to rate the durability yet because I don't know how long this thing will last.If you are interested in the Miele because you have allergies, or like the compact size, a range of effective suction settings, or because it seems well made, then i would recommend this. If you are primarily looking for something lighter and that won't strain your back you might want to look at one of the Miele models that don't have a motorized head. However, there are alternate attachments available for this and its truth that you can use a non-motorized head with the C2 electro+ but if you get a cheaper Miele and decide later you want to try that motorized head, you may not be able to with some of the other models.

The build quality and materials of this machine really are almost proportionately better (especially at sale prices) than that of well-reviewed uprights that cost less than $150--that is, the Miele *is* almost three times the machine that a discount upright is. I am not a hater of such machines, and I am acquainted with Shark models, which are really impressive, when new--but even then the quality of their fittings, hoses, and plastics seem suspect and potentially fragile. And while it may seem retrograde to use bags, it really isn't. This was actually an assumption I had to get over: "isn't the removable cup easier and more convenient than bags"? Shark recommends that its dirt cup (which will contain lots of fine, floating dust, etc.) be emptied after every use. The bag of a Miele needs changing, under moderate use, *seasonally*. The more compelling reason to appreciate Miele's bag technology is that it isolates dust from the vac's mechanical systems. Shark is somewhat better than some "cyclonic," exposed-cup vacs, but they all swirl dirt and dust about an exposed filter that needs to be cleaned (often), and dirt and dust may still get into the mechanics of cyclonic machines. I used a cyclonic Dirt Devil for years that was an ordeal to keep clean, and its suction power declined after several uses because its filters were being clogged--a chronic mess, and all according to design. I was reluctant to get the Miele based on an impression that bags were retrograde, but the bagged technology is superior, largely because of its cleanness. The mechanism of these machines almost never "sees" dust: the bag encloses 99% of it, and other filters further isolate the motor and mechanics The automated head supplied with this model works well, but I recommend supplementing this model with the classic low pile rug/ flat floor head "Miele SBD 285-3," especially if you have a mix of low pile carpet and flat floors. It is more maneuverable and allows one to switch back-and-forth from flat floor to carpet very quickly; this can be had for forty bucks--absolutely worth it. That head also slides tidily into a slot on the side of this machine for more compact storage. I recommend the powered head for occasional "deeper" cleaning, but if things around the house are only moderately dirty, the SBD 285-3 head will get ~90% of what the powered head will. A review here rated this C2 model as ungainly, and its hose as a bear to manipulate; if the hose is twisted, it can fight back a bit, but it takes about one second of thoughtless adjustment to avoid this, and that is a non-issue in my use; the whole unit is extremely light, compact, and maneuverable, even with the powered head. The retractable cord may seem like a moderate bonus, but I rate it, after years of gathering and winding 30-foot vac cords by hand, a huge plus. The maximum suction power on this is so powerful you'll probably rate it like the upper range of a well-made sports car: nice to know it is there; only occasionally go there.