Miele S4 Vacuum
It was time for a new vacuum. I have been drooling over a Miele canister vac for a long time. Most of them sell in the $600-900 range but their S4 line sell in the $399 - $600 range. The S4 is an entry level canister line but in no way does that equate to cheap.
The Miele S4 family all have the same canister. Each model is determined by filtration and tools included. At the one end we have the Miele Polaris (Carina previous version) all the way up to Miele Eclipse. IMO most Nihonken owners will focus on either the Neptune or Polaris.
http://www.bestvacuum.com/miele_comps4.html
MIELE POLARIS:
http://www.bestvacuum.com/miele-polaris-s4-galaxy.html
The Polaris is for house/apartments with hard floors and/or small low pile area rugs. It comes with the SBD 450-3 Combination Rug & Floor Tool. $399.00
MIELE NEPTUNE:
http://www.bestvacuum.com/miele-neptune-s4-galaxy.html
The Neptune is for houses/apartments with hardwood floors and up to medium pile carpets. Comes with STB 205-3 Turbobrush and SBB 300-3 Parquet Floor Brush. $499.00
In my case I ended up with a little of both. The local vacuum store did not have the Neptune in stock. So they sold me a S4 Polaris with the STB 205-3 Turbobrush.
PROS:
Very quiet - Kaeda would run away from my old upright. Kaeda finds the Miele to be quite interesting
Weight - the total weight of the S4 with the Turbobrush is less than 15lbs.
Warranty - Warranty: 7-year suction motor; 1-year all non-wearing components.
Dust control - even without the HEPA filter (which can be added) Miele states the following: Sealed System construction features Miele's Super Air Clean filter that retains 99.95% of particles down to 0.5 of a micron and 94% of particles down to 0.3 of a micron.
CONS
Dust Bag size- If you have more the one Nihonken, the S4 is a little on the small side.
SBD 450-3 Combination Rug & Floor Tool- If you have low pile carpet throughout the house, pay the extra $100 and get the Turbobrush. The combo brush does not have any spinning parts.
Cord Length - Some people complain of the length of the power cord. I find the 29.5' operating radius to be just fine. Might be an issue in the larger house.
If you live somewhere that has any sizable amount of carpet, I would opt for an S4 with a turbobrush. I tested a Kenmore canister with a power head (electric brush) and IMO the air driven brush from Miele does a much better job. If you end up with the Combo brush, don't worry the S4 has enough power to pick up my carpet off the pad.
Turbobrush
Included Tools
My Floors
Hope this helps
The Miele S4 family all have the same canister. Each model is determined by filtration and tools included. At the one end we have the Miele Polaris (Carina previous version) all the way up to Miele Eclipse. IMO most Nihonken owners will focus on either the Neptune or Polaris.
http://www.bestvacuum.com/miele_comps4.html
MIELE POLARIS:
http://www.bestvacuum.com/miele-polaris-s4-galaxy.html
The Polaris is for house/apartments with hard floors and/or small low pile area rugs. It comes with the SBD 450-3 Combination Rug & Floor Tool. $399.00
MIELE NEPTUNE:
http://www.bestvacuum.com/miele-neptune-s4-galaxy.html
The Neptune is for houses/apartments with hardwood floors and up to medium pile carpets. Comes with STB 205-3 Turbobrush and SBB 300-3 Parquet Floor Brush. $499.00
In my case I ended up with a little of both. The local vacuum store did not have the Neptune in stock. So they sold me a S4 Polaris with the STB 205-3 Turbobrush.
PROS:
Very quiet - Kaeda would run away from my old upright. Kaeda finds the Miele to be quite interesting
Weight - the total weight of the S4 with the Turbobrush is less than 15lbs.
Warranty - Warranty: 7-year suction motor; 1-year all non-wearing components.
Dust control - even without the HEPA filter (which can be added) Miele states the following: Sealed System construction features Miele's Super Air Clean filter that retains 99.95% of particles down to 0.5 of a micron and 94% of particles down to 0.3 of a micron.
CONS
Dust Bag size- If you have more the one Nihonken, the S4 is a little on the small side.
SBD 450-3 Combination Rug & Floor Tool- If you have low pile carpet throughout the house, pay the extra $100 and get the Turbobrush. The combo brush does not have any spinning parts.
Cord Length - Some people complain of the length of the power cord. I find the 29.5' operating radius to be just fine. Might be an issue in the larger house.
If you live somewhere that has any sizable amount of carpet, I would opt for an S4 with a turbobrush. I tested a Kenmore canister with a power head (electric brush) and IMO the air driven brush from Miele does a much better job. If you end up with the Combo brush, don't worry the S4 has enough power to pick up my carpet off the pad.
Turbobrush
Included Tools
My Floors
Hope this helps