S7 Heaven from Miele (Miele S7210)

Member Name: Nar2

Product:	Miele S7210
Date:	14/01/09 (1562 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fantastic cleaning performance, quiet motor, very healthy, big bags, so very nearly perfect

Disadvantages: Heavy steering weight despite pivotal & auto adjustment, big size, expensive prices, uses bags

My neighbour who has many pets including a couple of stray cats was very impressed with my Sebo Felix vacuum recently. She had bought budget uprights in the past that haven't coped, gone down the Dyson route but with teenage kids has found the build quality and dirty filters wasn't as impressive as it sounded. With endless call out charges and numerous repairs on so many bagless vacuums she was very impressed with the compact Felix and on account that the bags could hold so much dirt without getting covered in it from emptying she agreed that bagged vacuums are the way to go.


On a visit to Comet in early November, she immediately put down an order for the Miele S7 since it had been mentioned in Which consumer magazine and against my advice went ahead to purchase the Miele. Outcome? Since December she has used the Miele "a couple of times" before she swapped my Felix over on a temporary basis; her home has 6 rooms against my mum's house which has 4. Our homes are pretty similar on the basis that they are both relatively big even though they are not by any means, mansion sized and since the S7 purchase she has bought a smaller cylinder vacuum off me to use in other parts of the home. Not only has this surprised me (and delighted that I can off load many of my vacuums to friends in need) but it gave me the ideal opportunity to test the S7 over late November into January 2009.


Ah I can recall when most members moaned about how expensive my old Sebo upright was on the basis that it takes a bag! Miele however are not afraid to charge full whack for their models regardless of a recession. For a start, Sebo X ranges start at roughly £175 to £249 and many have baulked at the prices given that the machine takes a deep paper bag that has to be replaced. Take a deep breath now! Miele's S7 also uses a bag, and outdoes Sebo in offering a slightly larger 6 litre bag against Sebo's 5.5 litre capacity. The prices however may justify Miele's reckoning of the "technology," that you will seldom find on any other upright vacuum cleaner in the UK domestic market, but I must stress that the S7 is highly priced- it is after all, a Miele - so the starter prices come in at £230 to £430. Come again? Suddenly the prospect of the once-expensive Sebo X makes the company look more appealing against the Miele S7. This one, the yellow, black and chrome S7210 cost £249 originally.


Although the S7210 doesn't set new standards such as Americanised borrowed ideas of self-driven mechanisms that our U.S compatriots are lucky to receive, the S7210 moves the game on in terms of versatility, accessibility and ease of use even though it is quite a big looking upright vacuum and could probably replace the Kirby uprights; clearly however Miele have looked to Sebo for the "Automatic," essentials when it came to designing the S7. The S7210 has some unique features that could make life easier such as on/off beater bar function doubling as the activation switch. An auto adjusting head that gives peace of mind without having to bend down manually to change the setting whilst two rubber coated smaller castor wheels allow the rather large floor head to move easily across flooring as well as a long built stretchy 3.7 metre hose at the back that can stretch to most stairs. The built in additional plastic wand that sits to the side of the vacuum at the rear has been taken directly from Sebo design but Miele fight back by including an aluminum height adjustable telescopic 2-part tube. This was one design element I adored for example. Rare from any brand that has an upright vacuum in its range, a locking mechanism that puts the hose down at the rear of the cleaner makes it less topple-free whilst three smaller cleaning tools Miele owners will recognise and appreciate including the rare and longer crevice tool that is a lot quieter in use against the stubby noisy items on Miele's cylinders. Not to also mention that the tools, hose and extension pipes are extremely lightweight Miele have wisely designed the S7 to have parts that fit flush in the body of the vacuum - even the back wheels fold into the body like the rear wheels of old Citroen cars when the handle is dropped down to function - everything moves in a beautiful well oiled precision that is sadly lacking on other so-called premium priced rivals - including Dyson. It is abundantly clear that the new S7 is the flagship of the Miele vacuum cleaner range; the model is built to such a high standard that in use it feels kind of strange that you don't want to bash it much!


The performance is fantastic on the S7 with oodles of suction available from its multi stage rotary dial set at the top of the body and due to its 1800-watt motor. Controlling the suction also means you get to control the noise and like all Miele vacuums, the S7 is supremely quiet. Like Sebo's smaller Felix upright and to an extent Hoover's Slalom upright vacuum cleaner, the Miele S7 has a pivotal neck that allows the floor head to move left to right too. Unlike Hoover's Slalom model however, both the Sebo and Miele can be used under low furniture without fear of having to move anything out of the way. Now for the benefit of swerving around corners, the Miele S7 has no problem doing this - what comes across immediately from first use is a slightly disappointing increased weight of both its floor head by the actual movement of its neck and by the size of the floor head getting around tight corners, such as the legs of a coffee table. There is no computer controlled height adjustment on the Miele S7 even though for the most part many buyers may think Miele's S7 has the Sebo X range well and truly licked. Tiny spring loaders inside the floor head allow the floor head to adjust and with the additional castors on the base and two larger rear wheels, I found the gliding aspect of the Miele S7 a touch too heavy despite the increased design effort of its so-called auto adjusting head. Increase the suction and at times the floor head gets heavier to glide which is a pity for all the engineering Miele have worked on the S7.


Those with traditional uprights who have never experienced a pivotal neck before may appreciate the idea of swinging the left to right principle offered up by the extra comfortable handle but against Sebo's smaller Felix model, the S7210's biggest downside is its floor head - the surface area for example is bigger than Sebo's X hood (34cm against 23cm) and this is more apparent when trying to divert the upright to go left and right. The bigger size generally of the S7 (116cm by 37cm) compared to Sebo's X4 (35cm by 78cm) is very abundant and it is not a size I am used to handling. Another downside and a constant pain in the rear is the fact that the S7 has to be manually adjusted whenever it's needed to clean different floor coverings such as an additional rug either on top of hard floors or existing carpet. Although the pedal for adjusting the handle is easy enough to use, I'm used to the automatic nature of the Sebo going onto the carpet both from my old X1 and my Felix model - which doesn't have the computer controlled head - but both Sebo floor heads are sufficiently designed to roll on and off different carpet surfaces or rugs on top of carpet. Therefore having to manually step on the pedal each time to ensure the floor head gets onto the rug is a bit of a nonsense and despite the springs that are supposed to set the floor head according to the thickness of the texture in question, the S7 doesn't adjust unless you step on the pedal and that can be off putting on something so expensive, even if the S7 does have a radius travel of 14.5 metres.


There is however a few features I'm not that keen on. Function lights for example; two lights on the front of the Miele S7210 show that the carpet function has been activated (surely if you switch on the motor bar and can feel the slight vibration coming through the handle its enough to suggest the carpet function is working) and a separate icon to show that the machine has been switched on. Other silly quibbles consist of the rotary dial's 4 worded settings that should move separately to each function such as the "Deep Pile," "Low Pile," "Curtains," and "Smooth" settings - however the rotary control moves like a normal dial continuously through the 4 actual different settings - when really all the dial does is just control suction from low to high. Therefore you can set the control at the desire of suction you actually need and determine it by the noise - which in the S7's case is excellent. For those who love air watts though, the S7210 has ratings of 220 to 280 air watts.


Protection to the S7210/S7 has been thought out well though. Robust but flush fitting bumpers protect the S7 from general knocks and scrapes whilst the body overall is soft, organic and virtually free from sharp edges. The rear of the machine is also suitably protected with flush fitting design - even the main rear carry handle folds down beautifully into the recess it has been made to fit into.


Changing a bag is very similar to Sebo as well, from the point of fitting the high filtration 6 litre bag (Miele have a new design called HyClean that is supposed to fill out the bag, again a similar idea that Sebo founded 20 years ago) that has its own seal preventing dust from escaping when it is needing to be disposed, a secondary motor filter that fits into its own grid behind the bag at the bottom whilst set at the front on the main floor head, you'll find an easy to pick up motor filter that either has Miele's free-with-a-box of bags Super Air Clean filter that handles most odours, or other cost optional filters that can be fitted such as Miele's charcoal Active air clean filter or a HEPA cartridge that has to be replaced yearly - prices for those filters range from £7-96 to £15-95 respectively. Forget the idea that you need to spend needlessly on higher models that take different filters - thanks to Miele's expertise of offering the same components and filters for their cylinder models, you can pick and choose consumables throughout your ownership period with your Miele S7 too whilst the disposable dust bags are material like and offer nine layers of filtration for added peace of mind and much cleaner air. The floor head can also be accessed easily for the purpose of removing anything that gets clogged whilst being additionally protected if anything gets stuck in the floor head, the motor brush will automatically switch off. Over Sebo however, maintenance in this area is faster and simpler.


Judging by its long hose and no need to lift the Miele S7, it comes as no surprise to find that such excellent build and design results in a rather heavy weight. The S7210 weighs in at 9.5kg which isn't the heaviest vacuum I've lifted (that prize goes to the Mach 6 by Vax) but it is still by no means heavy, particularly if you have to use your vacuum in a house that has more than one floor and a longer than Miele's long hose can get to stair case. However it is an easy vacuum to lift thanks to its main central handle set in the middle at the back of the machine and nothing falls off whilst I do it. So it is a pity that Sebo's old but trusty X range is even lighter at 7.4kg if you were to research the comparisons - and is a darn sight smaller by overall size when lifting it up a stair case!


In all respects then, the Miele S7210/S7 range is an excellent all round vacuum cleaner that should be welcomed in many large homes and many new buyers will love the features if they haven't experienced the Miele brand before. On performance alone it gets a full five star rating because of the way it has been designed and offering a quieter motor with an excellent layered material disposable bag that will make Dyson lovers think twice about emptying dust. At a cost of £9-95 the box of bags only comes in 4 individual bags which is a bit expensive and in no doubt adds to the general ownership appeal of what this vacuum cleaner offers as well as represents; one bag should last between 3 to 5 months depending on use and traffic dirt although it is impossible to judge since my loaned S7210 still has its first disposable bag installed and doesn't look as if it needs emptying just yet! Frankly for all the wonderful features and class that the S7 exudes, it's simply not as light as the 20-year-old environmentally friendly low motor built Sebo X or as easy to turn on its neck compared to the Sebo Felix.


Against their easier to use cylinder vacuums, the Miele S7 range is a fine effort but the best model around would be the starter models rather than paying through the nose for an extra strip of lights on the front. For the bigger home the Miele S7210 will bound to excel and impress but for standard sized homes and lots of furniture with additional rugs to swivel around the S7 may prove to be too big for its own good. Thanks for reading. ©Nar2 2009

See a video of Miele's S7: http://www.miele.co.uk/Products/S7Testing.aspx

www.miele.co.uk

Summary: An excellent all in one big upright vac; Sebo's X is more compact, easier & cheaper

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