Through 36 years of marriage, we have owned a number of vacuum cleaners, both canister and upright. There have been two Kenmore's, an Electrolux Silverado, and a Hoover Wind Tunnel. Both Kenmores were damaged by friends to whom I loaned the vacuums, and the Electrolux by the one cleaning lady I engaged who used it to vacuum water. I have simply hated the Wind Tunnel which is awkward, heavy, and requires repeated belt changes. Further, as I approach the "new 40," I am discovering my lower back does not handle using an upright vacuum as painlessly as it formerly did. For the past two years, I have researched and read in an attempt to find a canister vacuum which I might actually like.
After reading the reviews on Amazon, I decided the Miele Callisto was the right machine for me. I wasn't thrilled about spending so much on a vacuum cleaner, but the reviews on lower priced brands were not positive. I had saved some "mad money" over the years and, because I couldn't justify using household funds for a want which was not really a need, I dug into those.
I like to see an item which is this expensive before I purchase it and found three local Miele dealers. I visited the closest to my home; the salesman there told me I didn't want the Callisto but did want the Capricorn because it had rubberized paint which would not damage my furniture. He never asked about what types of floors on which I would be using the vacuum or about the composition of our household. I called the second dealer who proceeded to put the phone down, leaving me listening while he talked with someone in the store - I hung up after patiently waiting for 5 minutes. The third dealer was 25 miles from our home, but was the type of retailer one expects to find handling this expensive machine.
After learning our floors are half plush carpet and half tile or hardwood, the salesman suggested I look at the Capricorn. The head on the Callisto was not a powered unit, and he said I would feel like I was pushing a Mack truck across the floor. The separate SEB236 head costs over $200, which would bring the Callisto's cost in line with the Capricorn. Further, there are some features on the Capricorn that were nice to have, so I settled on that model. Because the price of Miele's is the same at all authorized dealers, whether internet or local, we decided to purchase locally from this store.
At this point, I am glad I purchased the Miele Capricorn. It seems to be well made; even the SEB236 power head feels sturdy. The unit is relatively light, extremely maneuverable, and seems to have significant suction power. The wheels on this canister swivel, unlike older canister vacuums. In my opinion, this makes the unit equivalent in maneuverability to a Dyson. Further, the user bangs into corners and gets caught on furniture far less often than happened when using older canister vacuums. The power head can be laid almost flat and allows one to actually vacuum under chairs and tables without having to move them. All the floor utensils have a swivel-joint feature which enables one to get into tight spots simply by turning the wrist and swiveling the attachment. This is a great feature as I can get close to the baseboards and will no longer have to "redust" with a Swiffer as I had to when using the hard floor attachment on the Wind Tunnel. The bags and filters are easy to change and require no struggle as the Wind Tunnel bags did to install. I had no discomfort in my lower back after vacuuming the entire house using the Miele; the ability to extend the length of the wand which attaches to the various heads is significant in that one can find the length which provides the most comfortable range for the individual user. My only complaint is that the cord is a bit shorter than I'm used to, requiring me to have to switch plugs six times instead of my usual three. However, I suspect that making it longer would have required a larger canister and would have had an impact on the unit's size and maneuverability, so I'd rather switch plugs than sacrifice agility.
And yes, the Miele Capricorn S5981 is the quietest vacuum you never heard. Unlike the times I was using my Hoover Wind Tunnel, I can actually hear the telephone ring when I'm using my Miele. I no longer feel like my hearing is being severely compromised or that I might be missing an important call. The unit isn't silent, but it is far quieter than any other vacuum I've used.
If you have the money to spend on an expensive vacuum, I highly recommend the Miele Capricorn S5981 with the SEB236 power head.
Get more detail about Miele S5981 Capricorn W 236 Delux Power Nozzle.
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