vacuums: riccar or miele, upright or canister?
honeychurch
12 years ago
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Portago
12 years agoRelated Discussions
canister vacuum-Miele or Kenmore?
Comments (31)Hi all, My story might help too. I know the cost of a Miele can be high, but here is how I look at it after just paying about $500 for a Miele Antares (good model for wood floors and area rugs, not wall to all carpeting). We have had 6 vacuums in the past 8 years. Hoover, Dirt Devil, Eureka, Shark and on and on. Most died in a year or so. Even when they did run, they were lousy at truly cleaning the floors, storage was a pain, bag or canister changing was messy and more... Paying from $100 to $250 each for 8 vacuums, well do the math. I am way behind already had I bought ONE Miele in the first place. The Miele will last for years (maybe 10 - 15) and my God does this thing clean. There is no comparison, plus it is very light, ergonomic (never realized you could vacuum without hunching over) and it is unbelievable quiet. Honestly, it almost makes vacuuming fun. Our house is noticeably cleaner in every way including rugs, wood floors, stairs, under and around furniture, and even in our hot water radiators (old house). Just a FYI, you really don't need to spend $1000 on a Miele. There are different model ranges and within each you pay more for more options (which are nice, but not essential). Here is a nice site that breaks down the models by what types of floors you have in your house: http://www.allergybuyersclub.com/vacoverview.html Unless you have deep pile carpeting, you do not need a machine with a motorized head. The Turbohead will take care of low pile carpeting and the Parquet head will take care of wood floors. You don't want the switchable head - it is not as good as using the two separate heads. One last thing - nobody discounts these, so use the Miele site (www.miele.com) and find a dealer in your area. Why not support a local business? Thanks, Deke...See MoreRiccar Vacuum Cleaners
Comments (11)I have owned a Riccar for 9 years. You are correct that one of their claims to fame is metal parts in certain important areas, i.e., the brush roller, the bottom plate, the handle tilt lock, etc. That is all wonderful, but here is the problem. Those metal parts are attached to plastic components, like the main chassis and other parts. In the model I own, which is supposed to like an entry level commercial model, they did not design the plastic assemblies robustly enough and the pegs that the metal parts attach to break. Following is a list of things I have had to repair since I have owned this machine: 1. I had to replace the power plug (early on). 2. I had to replace the on/off power switch (early on). 3. I had to replace a section of the plastic chassis/housing which broke. My local deal had it in stock for about $25. 4. The plastic pegs that the handle tilt lock mechanism screws into to broke off. The pegs are part of the main chassis, so you have to replace the main chassis of the machine to really do it right. That big ol' square thing that you push around with the "metal" handle--yeah, that. Take out the roller, the motor, the wiring, the light, the wheels, everything--and put it all back into a new chassis. Fortunately, I have a good, customer oriented, dealer and he told me that all they do is use longer screws and screw the mechanism back into what's left of the broken pegs. This worked and saved me about $45 for the part. But, how long it will hold up before what's left of the pegs breaks off? 5. Would you believe that the metal axle that the wheels attach to broke? Believe it. Yes, a metal axle broke right in half! (And, no, I don't run the machine at the drag strip.) The reason it broke is because the dufusses drilled a hole in the middle of it and screwed it to the chassis. Well, if you take a metal rod, maybe 3/16" thick and drill a hole in it big enough to put a screw through, how much metal do you have left on the outside of the hole? Drrrrrrr! My dealer had that part for about 4 bucks. (And the new model does not have the hole drilled it. They just let it slide.) Now, this is doing all of the work myself. If I had to pay them to do all of that I probably would have had half the cost of the machine, or more, in labor, and for sure more in parts. I'm now in the market for a new vac because this Riccar model does not have a sealed system and this is what I now need. Riccar makes them, but I am leery because of my experience. What good are the metal parts if everything around them comes apart? I haven't ruled Riccar out, but I'm leaning toward trying a Miele this time. BTW, in CU's Most/Least Reliable chart, Riccar is dead last, so what does that tell you? And that's with those important "metal parts." Now, don't even get me started on the Kirby I shelled out big bucks for when my wife and I were first married, which turned out to be a lemon (the Kirby), and the local dealer ripped me off on repairs and never did fix it. We won't get fooled again! (By Kirby.) You know, it makes me reflect on years gone by when we had those basic Hoovers that just ran and ran and took abuse, and just kept on running. Them's was the days....See MoreVacuum- Upright vs Canister
Comments (13)This issue is clouded by the fact that all vacuums tend to now be throw-aways that compete on price. Once it was clear who was the winner in each category. If you can get a good upright it will have a powerful brush rubbing and vibrating the fibers of a carpet while a good (not great) vacuum sucks up the dirt that is loosened. Canisters had very powerful vacuum power to collect as much dust as ome could loosen with the equipped attachments. Simple as that. Now Consumer Reports is contending with both the inherent properties of various models and the junk that is out there. Wwe have a whole house of carpets to contend with. So my wife has a Kirby that does the job. Not junk and very expensibe. It will never make a Consumer Reports best buy category, but it works like all good vacuums did in the old days. I have a small plug in hand held vac. that Consumer Reports said was very good and I use it for all small jubs around the house and cars. Hope you find what you are looking for....See MoreSeeking canister vacuum - Miele, Aerus/Electrolux or other?
Comments (11)This is my response on another recent topic: "I own two Miele canister vacs. I was tired of the various other big name brands that worked, but exterior body parts always broke, etc. After much research, I splurged for my first one in 2008. I bought the second one for the upstairs, after owning the first for a couple of months. . These are the absolute quietest vacuums I have ever owned, and a bagged vac is a must for my allergies. What I really like about the Miele on stairs, as opposed to any other canister I've ever owned, is that the exhaust is on the top of the canister. This means I can place the canister "upright" (on its end)/perpendicular to the floor without obstructing the exhaust. I really like the push-button telescoping wand feature of the Miele canister vacs. One of my Mieles has the attachment tools hidden "under the hood". The other only has them mounted on the top. I prefer the hidden tools, but this is only personal preference." In addition . . . The wand's interior diameter is narrower than other brands I've owned (Panasonic, Hoover, Kenmore) so I'm careful to not vacuum up anything over 3/4" in diameter and that could be a deal-breaker with kids toys, Legos, etc., for you. The Telescoping wand feature, or else the electric cord component for power tools that is enclosed, probably are the reason for the narrower interior diameter. I bought the power turbo brush attachment for upholstery and am not impressed. ~meh~...See Moredoc8404
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