My Little Suck Buddy (Miele Cat and Dog)

Member Name: plipplop

Product:	Miele Cat and Dog
Date:	06/08/01 (4002 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: See opinion

Disadvantages: See opinion

I have had my Miele Cat and Dog for around five years now and it is still going strong. It is without a doubt the best vacuum cleaner I have ever seen (you can shove your Dysons) and I would heartily recommend purchasing this item if you are looking for a long-lasting, hard-working little sucker!

One of my favourite features with this piece is the quality build and design. The cleaner is cylindrical, built from a durable plastic, but is not unwieldy or heavy (the equipment is extremely easy to carry around the house). There is an adjustable motor that increases the sucking power from 300W up to 1500W, all complemented by a large turbo head. The Cat and Dog is so called because the aforementioned turbo head contains an adjustable rotating brush that picks up the finest hairs – even cat or dog hairs – for a really clean carpet. Around the edges of the main cylinder, the cleaner is lined with a tough, rubbery plastic that protects your paint-work and furniture whilst you are dragging the cleaner around. The on/off button and power flex rewind button are both large enough to operate with your feet so you don’t have to keep bending down whilst your on the job. All the pipes are made of stainless steel, and are telescopic so that you can adjust the length to suit your needs. Each of the different heads and pipes has a sturdy locking mechanism that enables the parts to be replaced quickly and without effort.

The ability of this cleaner to pick up bits off the carpet is remarkable. The power of the 1500 W motor, combined with the turbo head seems to make short work of everything and the head also enables easy cleaning right up to the edges of the floor. In the kitchen, for example, it is seldom necessary to adjust the nozzle for the corners because despite its size, the turbo head is still able to pick up all the bits. That is not to say that there are no adjustable heads. The Cat and Dog comes complete with three different heads includin
g a brush tipped nozzle that is particularly useful around the fireplace or on other delicate surfaces. One of the things that I really like about this vacuum cleaner is the way that all the accessories fit into the special compartment within the main cylinder – it all makes storage and usage extremely convenient. My turbo head had a bit of an accident about a year ago (I tried to take it to bits to clean it – whoops!) but a replacement only cost about £40.

Despite the constant stream of bagless cleaners coming on to the market, I personally prefer the neatness and simplicity of having bags. The Cat and Dog deposits all the dust and dirt collected into a bag, which is specially designed so that it is incredibly simple to fit and remove. The bag is completely air tight thereafter – which means that you are not tormented by the sight of all your household dust hurtling around a drum and you can simply deposit it in with the rest of the household rubbish. One bag lasts me about five months and they are relatively inexpensive to purchase (although not easy to find on the high street).

The Miele cost me around £190, which was one of the most expensive cleaners you could buy back then. With the assault of the Dyson range on the market, prices of cylindrical vacuum cleaners have fallen considerably, but I have not seen one as good this yet.

So go on – get one and get sucking!

Summary: