Miele S8590 Alize Canister Vacuum Cleaner (Old Model)

Wow. I never thought I would get so excited about a vacuum. I am not domestically inclined and recently switched from working full time to the role of stay at home mom. Domestic duties have always been challenging for me simply for the fact that I would rather be doing almost anything else than cleaning. I had been unhappy with our Dyson DC39 Animal canister vacuum cleaner for awhile and knew I needed to move on and get a serious vacuum if I was to get serious about cleaning. I got the Dyson for Mothers day 3 years ago. I loved it at first - great suction and the vacuum head was great at getting into tight spaces and in corners and up against walls. But the canister filled up so quickly that I would have to empty it after only doing 1 room. (We have a German Shepherd - lots of long dog hair all over.) And the maneuverability of the main unit itself was difficult. It was always tipping over when I walked it from room room. But the kicker for me was how often the brush bar stopped rotating. It got to the point where I couldn't vacuum anything larger than lint before it would stop rotating. I would have to turn the vacuum off, pull the hair or whatever debris caught around the bar off, then start the vacuum again only to have to do it again and again during the same cleaning session.Well, let me tell you, the Miele Alize is no Dyson. Thank Goodness! Besides. As soon as I put it together and started to vacuum I could tell that this was a much different vacuum than anything I have ever used before. It feels smooth. It feels solid. It feels high-end. As I pull it along vacuuming the tile it feels like it is gliding on roller blade wheels. And the suction is very strong. I have tile, hardwood floors and a few area rugs. The vacuum changes the suction pressure according to the surface that I am vacuuming. I think that is pretty great in that it makes it a no brainer for me. It is also a pretty quiet vacuum - quieter than the Dyson. Although that is not a feature that means much to me. My kids enjoy it - they don't hold their ears and look at me like, "Mom, do you HAVE to?!" when I am vacuuming anymore. They seem less offended with the Miele. And this is light with a stable compact canister! I love the carrying handle. I can carry it up each step when vacuuming the stairs. Its small enough to sit upright on the step - with no tipping - then I easily move it to the next step. Love it!I use the dusting brush attachment on my end tables, lamps and picture frames. This method replaces most of my dusting, which is a relief as dusting is terrible for my allergies. It's so effective - it makes cleaning easy. And it's something that motivates me to clean. I love seeing all the dog hair and dust gone after vacuuming. With the Dyson I felt like I was always saying "But I just vacuumed!" soon after cleaning seeing all the dust particles and dog hair still floating around. What really wowed me was how the upholstery tool took the lint off of my sofa pillows. I have a red sofa that has off white wool-like embroidered pillows at each end. These pillows constantly have red lint balls all over them on the back and in between the embroidered areas. I am constantly picking this lint off off. It drives me crazy but the pillows are so pretty so I keep them. I can now get all the lint balls off using using the upholstery tool - the pillows look like new. No previous vacuum I've used (or tape) has been able to get that pesky lint completely off. I use the same tool to get the long German Shepherd hair completely off the sides and edge of the sofa. I'm very pleased.I have to say the best thing about this vacuum for me is the vacuum bag and how the canister is sealed. I have asthma and a lot of allergies (dust being a prominent allergy). With the Dyson I dreaded emptying the canister again and again. I would have coughing fits and need my inhaler every time after vacuuming. With the Miele - I don't have to empty anything (except when the bag is full) and there is no residual dust flying around. I like the bag (vs the bagless canister vacuums) because all the dirt vacuumed up is contained and everything smells clean vs that dog hair dusty smell that used to be in the air after vacuuming pre-Miele. It stores wonderfully too. The hose and vacuum head attach to the back or sides of the vacuum so I can store it upright in the closet. And it stays that way. I don't find it in a tangled fallen over mass when I open the closet door as I did with my previous vacuum. It's silly how much I love this thing. But seeing as keeping the house clean is a big part of my daily duties I need something dependable and efficient. And this certainly fits the bill. I actually look forward to vacuuming!

I paid a small fortune for our Miele vacuum because I thought they were top of the line. We have a dog, Golden Retriever, so I needed a great vacuum. All her fur just collects on the brush wand which I have to manually clean constantly. About a week ago, 4 1/2 years after the original purchase, it just stopped working. We took it to an authorized Miele repair shop and was told the motor had gone. It was covered under warranty however, what I didn't realize is that the cord was "fried" and also needed to be replaced but it was not covered under warranty. The replacement would have been close to $200 if I opted for a genuine Miele replacement. Instead the repair shop gave me a non-Miele cord which is about 1/2 as long as the original one. So now I have to keep on moving the plug to each room I vacuum. Hardly ideal but I was put off knowing that Miele refused to cover the part. I think for the price you pay, the motor should last more than 4 1/2 years. I also think it should handle pet fur much better than it does. I wouldn't buy this again or recommend it to someone who has a pet that sheds a lot. Otherwise it's just two adults in the house. I think there are way better options.

This is an excellent vac. Nice,easy to use and really sucks! It has an automatic suction regulator that cuts suction if the head locks down on the floor. It does a fine job on our short nap rugs and the dog's beds.One problem we did have was the bag was not seated on the inlet and the vac and hepa filter was filled with crud. I cleaned it out and contacted Amazon about a new hepa filter, they replaced the vac with a new one,like the next day! Awesome service. This is a fine vac,just check the seal of bag to inlet before use. A couple of years later the handle of the "wand" has broken twice,once within a year of purchase. I have repaired it twice using JB weld, the JB holds,( prep with brake clean on a q tip) but the plastic fails at the same place, but got another year out of it both times. It is a poor design as it has an internal corner in a highly stressed area that if you do rugs ( more friction) will break, we could find no one that would warranty it or sell just the handle without the hose -- so bend over,that's over a hundred bucks for a plastic handle that will fail but what a fine hose collection you will have. Another detail is that the light in the handle turns on fine, but would not turn off. Overall a great vac, but like all tools that have a handle it can't be used if the handle is broken. So it is a fairly important failure that no one seems to be interested in fixing. So how many stars do you give an excellent tool that you can't use???

There is nothing to dislike about this vacuum cleaner if you have wood floors. The best thing is that it is so quiet. You only hear the suction noise. It's amazing. Your floor will be cleaner than ever. Unless it's a carpeted floor. This Miele didn't come with the rotating brush that our other one did. It doesn't do we'll on carpets. The rotating brush is really needed and it does a great job.

Motor speed selection feature, which is a nice touch, stopped working after only three months of use. Machine stays stuck in minimum suction mode, which is useless for general vacuuming. For the high price paid for this machine, controls should keep working longer than a few months! Now I have to find the rare Miele dealer in the Minneapolis - St. Paul area to get warranty service, as Amazon's return policy only lasts one month. Very disappointed in this machine.