Miele vs. Steril Aire Vacuum (xpost to Cleaning tips)

14 years ago

We are in the market to replace our 11 y/o Sears cannister w/beater bar. Went to Sears and looked at the equivalent of what we bought 11 years ago, and the quality and construction looks chinzy: the floor model was already broke.

We are looking at Miele: the local vacuum place also carries Steril Aire. We have a 2750 SF ranch, one level, 90% hardwood or tile: about 140 SF low nap carpet.

My husband is wowed by the power and 10 year warranty on the Steril Aire ST400: at $1000.00 (I can't believe we're spending 1K on something that sucks dirt). I'm not quite sure we need that power for hardwood and think the Miele Gemini would do the trick for a few less $$. Vacuum place, of course is pushing the Steril Aire.

I can find great info on the Miele online and GW, but Nada on the Steril Aire. Can anyone out there contribute any info on either?

Thanks!

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Comments (5)

weedmeister
14 years ago
Love my Miele. But if you would consider an upright, you might look at the Dyson. Unless the bagless thing is an issue. It has good suction. I sold mine to a friend since she had more hardwood than I do (and a dog). I thought it didn't do as well on carpets as my old Panasonic.

FYI, Consumer Reports updated their tests recently. They had a Kenmore Intuition, Electrolux Oxygen and Kenmore Progressive in the top 3. Miele and Sebo were 6th/7th.
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lucypwd
14 years ago
FWIW - I hate my Dyson and I have both a miele and a dyson. I liked the canister miele hands down over the dyson. I was told when I bought my new carpet that the warrenty would not hold if a dyson was used as it didn't have a variable height beater brush. I now have a vacuum system in the house and don't use either anymore. I have to say that my old oreck was great. It was so lightweight that it made vacuuming easy. The kids had better luck with it as well because of it's weight. MIele makes a great canister; it's quiet and does the job. It's easy to replace the filters and bags. Get a power head in the package. I just reread your post - maybe with so much tile/hardwood you don't need the power head - it's more for carpet. I looked at a Sebo, but it was so heavy... I hear that it is a great vacuum.
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debs3
14 years ago
I have worked part time in a vacuum store for over a decade. I would recommend the Miele over the Sterilaire, and add a turbo head (STB 205) for the low pile carpet or even the small powerhead (SEB 217) for low to medium pile. The Miele has more than enough power, excellent filtration, is well made, and offers great product support.

I am not familiar with Sterilaire so I checked out their website. Not much info there. The Sterilaire looks messy and combersome to use compared to the Miele. Also Miele's new bare floor brush with the extra swivel makes vacuuming around furniture so much easier. Sterilaire doesn't show their bare floor brush on the website, but I am sure it does not have the double swivel Miele has.

Try both vacuums in the store and see what makes you comfortable.

Some questions: Who is Sterilaire? How long has the dealer been selling this vacuum? How long has Sterilaire been selling them? Does the 10 year warranty cover everything? Where is it made?

I would not spend $1,000 for a vacuum the dealer has carried for less than two years, unless it already had an established reputation.
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deltaglen
14 years ago
I have been in the vacuum cleaner business for 26+ years, full-time. There are two classes of cleaning equipment: home use and professional use. The Miele Gemini is a fine product with good quality, filtration, and decent performance, but it is for home use. All the Sterilaire vacuums are designed for professional use. The earliest Sterilaire vacuum I know of was made in the 1930Âs. My experience with the current models ranges from 1986 with the ST450, 2002 with the ST350 and ST400, and mid 1990Âs with the upright models. Components and accessories of these machines come from vendors all over the world: Europe, North America, and Asia. The 10 year warranty covers the motor in the canister models. All other components have a 3 year warranty. Hopefully, this information will help with your questions
edselpdx
14 years ago
Never even heard of Sterilaire. Gotta mean something...
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Miele vs. Steril Aire Vacuum (xpost to Cleaning tips)

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weedmeister

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