Don't make a Miele of the housework (Miele S5281)

Member Name: masterchef98

Product:	Miele S5281
Date:	05/11/09 (61 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Specialist cleaning, well made and reliable

Disadvantages: None

Well, my rubbish old vacuum eventually kicked the bucket so it was time for me to rush out and buy (well, add to my credit card) my beautiful new Miele vacuum having heard rave reviews about them from friends.

I checked the which guide and other review sites and found that they were rated very highly which confirmed my choice of make and that just left the model to choose. I decided on the S5281 as it seemed a good, powerful, all-rounder. Then came the hunt to find the best price or deal, having not spent any money for while since having a baby I thought that a purchase of nearly £200 online would guarantee me some good discount, cashback or loyalty points.

I found the vacuum for between £195 and £200 in many places and also found it in Argos for £175 - same model number but a slightly different name. I was a bit suspicious so emailed Miele customer services to query whether there was a difference. They replied extremely quickly to say that the Argos model would just come with the standard floorhead and not the turbo brush and parquet floorhead - well, I'm not spending nearly £200 for a vacuum and not getting a turbo brush! I reluctantly went with Co-op to buy the vacuum as I have a members card and whilst its not specific about what reward you get it was the only place that offered me anything.

Onto the vacuum itself; mine is not the sickly yellow colour in the photo but a lovely dark matt teal (as most seem to be), not that I suppose it matters but it does look nice. It comes with comprehensive and easy to follow instructions. The hose and suction tube need attaching to the main body which is very simple. The front of the vacuum lifts up to reveal a compartment which holds an upholstory, crevice and dusting attachment - all useful things and even more so when you actually have them to hand when you need them rather than having to try and find the windowsill you left them on when you last used it (or is that just me). There is however no solution to storing the 3 different floorheads. There is the standard one for general use, a parquet brush for hard floors, this one is low to the floor and very swivelly so you can get right into corners and under the edge of sofas etc and also a turbo brush which is for short pile carpets, it is really powerful and makes a very noticeable difference when used on our carpets. As we have laminate floors and short pile carpets in our house I can't actually see us using the standard floorhead. The parquet brush can't be used on carpets and the turbo brush can't be used on hard floors so I suppose lugging the extra floorhead round with me to swap between rooms is the price I pay for specialised cleaning.

I'm not sure what weight the vacuum is but it feels much the same as what I am used to. It has a long cable and the body moves around really easily when you're using the vacuum. There are 6 different suction settings, ranging from minimum which is suitable for light furnishings to maximum which is what I use on the carpets. The laminate floors I use a medium energy-saving, everyday use setting which also happens to be very quiet, such a low-level in fact that you can hold a conversation with the person vacuuming from across the room without shouting.

I'm very, very happy with my Miele S5281. You have to take your vacuuming seriously to pay this amount for a vacuum but I think you can really see the added value with the special brushes, quiet setting etc so it is money well spent.

Summary: I would thoroughly recommend it.

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