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Miele S2 Capri Canister Vacuum Cleaner Model S2121 (Lava Grey)
- Suction control via rotary dial with 6 variable power settings
- 1200-watt, high-output Miele-made Vortex Motor SystemTM
- Air Clean Filter
- 4.76 quart, Type G/N, AirClean dustbag, with spring-loaded, self-sealing collar
- Stainless steel, telescopic wand
Impressive 29.5-foot operating radius
Dustbag change indicator alerts you to replace the hygienic bag
Quiet operation through better engineering. Filter grill
Safety shut-off on overheating
Space-saving storage bracket on side of vacuum
Backing the quality of its product has never been a problem for Miele, and its warranty on all vacuums is the latest example: Miele offers a best-in-industry 7-year warranty on its Vortex motor, a new 7 year casing warranty which covers the upper and lower housings, and one year on all parts and labor.
List Price: $ 449.00
Price: $ 379.99
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Terrific lower-priced additions to the Miele canister vacuum line,
Miele is a family-owned German manufacturer of home appliances. The company’s philosophy of continuous improvement (“Immer Besser”) has made them a favorite throughout the world. Their products don’t have bargain prices, but provide value in high quality design and manufacturing that results in superior performance and durability. Miele was founded in 1899 and began producing vacuum cleaners in 1927; their vacuums have become favorites of professionals worldwide, including many top-end hotel staffs.
The Miele S2 line of canister vacuums is new for 2009, offering the quality and many of Miele’s standard features at a lower price. There are four S2 models, all sharing the same 1200-watt base vacuum. The canister has six power settings and a standard air filter that catches 94% of particles down to 0.3 microns. The Olympus model is the lowest priced of the S2 line, and features a floor/carpet combo head (SBD350-3), non-electric hose and a telescoping wand. The Capri model substitutes the air-powered Turbobrush (STB205-3) for the floor/carpet combo head, and adds the Parquet Floor Brush (SBB-3). The Delphi model substitutes a power head (SEB217-3), electric hose (SES116) and electric telescoping wand (SET220) for the non-powered components of the Olympus. The Titan model retains the power components of the Delphi and adds the parquet floor brush (SBB-3) and active HEPA filter.
Note that all S2 models can support the power hose and brush, but only the Delphi and Titan include it as part of the package. Similarly, all S2 models support the active HEPA filter, but only the Titan includes it in its package. If you don’t currently need a power head you can buy the Olympus or Capri and add the power components later; you’ll pay more in the end, but you won’t have to buy power components now that you may not need for a few years. The non-electric combo head works well on smooth flooring, is usable on short-pile carpet, and is difficult to use on deeper-pile carpet.
Like all Miele vacuum cleaners, the S2 is well designed and manufactured in Germany. The vacuum has a range of 29.5 feet from the end of the self-retracting power cord to the tip of the brush. The unit is light (under 10 lbs), nicely balanced and moves easily in any direction on its casters. The top-exhaust design allows you to vacuum easily with the canister standing up, such as on steps. The motor is surprisingly quiet, particularly at the lower power levels. The six power levels allow you to switch from floors and carpets to shelves and tabletops without accidentally grabbing objects or papers instead of dirt or dust.
The S2 cleans very well and is a pleasure to use. The base has notches in which the hose can be parked, one for when the base is on its wheels, one for when the base is standing. This is a great touch, useful for temporarily standing the hose while you move a piece of furniture, and helpful for storing the vacuum in a closet without breaking down the hose and wand. Perhaps the only weakness of the S2 is the “varioclip” for tool storage, which rides somewhat uncomfortably on the hose rather than more naturally on the base. Changing the filter and bag are each a snap, and an indicator tells you when the bag is full.
Finally, what compromises does the S2 line make from the more expensive S4 and S5 lines? The most obvious changes are to external components: a few parts, such as the bumper strip that surrounds the canister, are made from hard plastic rather than softer rubber. The operating radius is a few feet shorter (due to a shorter power cord), and the accessory brushes use some lower-cost materials (nylon versus natural bristle brush, plastic instead of metal). Inside, the S2 canister uses Miele’s “CleanAir System” construction, while the S4 and S5 canister use its “Sealed System.” Miele doesn’t offer a detailed comparison of the two, but one might assume the latter system provides an extra measure of dust capture that may be more appropriate for those with allergic sensitivities.
The changes made to lower the price of the S2 line will make small differences in daily use, but shouldn’t compromise the vacuum’s core ability to clean. Those who are especially sensitive to dust should consider the HEPA-equipped Titan model, or stepping up to the S4…
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|Has its Pros and Cons,
>> 8/19/2010 <<
Bought my Miele Capri from seller “Mr.Vac & Mrs.Sew”. It came on time and brand new as stated. The Capri model is the same as the Olympus, except it also comes with the air powered brush head.
Pros
1. The vacuum itself is fairly light weight (not counting the hose and head), weighing in at 10.25 lbs, even my 75 yr old mother can carry it fairly easily. Seems well made and durable. 1200 watts provides pretty good suction, maybe an extra 200 watts would be better, but still good enough as is.
2. Motor is pretty quiet, even at highest speed, most of the noise is coming from the suction.
3. Can install an optional HEPA filter.
4. Bag looks quit large and should hold a good amount of dirt.
5. Bought the Capri model, it is essentially the same as the Olympus, except that it comes with the air powered turbo spinning brush head instead and a bare floor head with brush (not spinning). The spinning brush head is definitely a must have, if you have carpet and want it to pick up long hair and dirt that is slightly buried into the carpet, it also does help fluff up the carpet. Even though the head is air powered, the brush spins quit fast and is very effective, unless you have very thick carpeting, then you may want to opt for their other models with an electric powered brush head.
6. Vacuum rolls easily, when pulled by the hose.
7. The metal wand, the piece that attaches in between the handle and the cleaning tool, is telescopic, so you can shorten it to half the length if needed.
Cons
1. Hose is 5 feet in length, which is a bit short, would have been nice to have an extra 2 feet.
2. Hose feels cheaply made, may have to be careful, incase if the hose is twisted, and it is pulled on hard enough, it may kink and damage the hose.
3. The handle tube is completely made of pretty durable thick plastic, but is quit curved and long, from where one would grip it, to the tip of the tube where you would attach a cleaning tool is about 12 inches. If you have a small cleaning attachment mounted, and need to get into a tight area, you may need to really hold it in an awkward angle to get in those tight spots, since your gripping hand will be approximately 12 inches away from the cleaning tool, so imagine that. This part should have been a lot shorter.
4. The clip that holds the three small cleaning attachments, can be clipped on to the base of the hose, by the vacuum or the other end of the hose by the handle. I do not like it at either end, would have been nice if they made it so that the three tools can either mount onto the back, or the top of the vacuum instead. Providing options would be nice.
Conclusion
Don’t mind paying $399 for something that is intended to be used for many years, I think the price is a bit steep, but I guess you are paying for a German product. Again, the spinning brush head is a must for people with carpet. If you have carpet, save the extra $30, because you will end up buying the air powered turbo brush head later separately for $129. At this price, they could have used a better quality and slightly longer hose. Regarding the long handle, I guess I can learn to get use to it, but they REALLY should make it shorter. If it was not for the long handle and hose issue, this would have easily been a 5 star.
Signing out…
>> 12/19/2010 UPDATE <<
Finally changed the bag for the first time, it was pretty full, enough that you can start smelling the dirt when the vacuum is on, using their basic filters, I’m guessing if using their more expensive Hepa filters might be better. Vacuum itself is working great.
* Hose
Going back to the quality of the cheap hose, still say that they should have made a better one. I almost kinked it several times. Plus, the 5 ft hose, I’m finding it more and more to be too short, when vacuuming the blinds, can’t reach the top, the last 25% of the blinds in a typical height room, unless you actually pick up the vacuum, in-order to give it that little extra reach.
* Long Handle
Still baffled on why they made the handle 12″ long!!! Again, no matter at which point you grab the handle, when vacuuming a tight area (e.g. using the small brush attachment), you may have to tilt the handle up, in-order to get the brush to level with the surface to get a better suction. The handle is so long, that the area that you are vacuuming, may block it from being able to tilt it high enough. Just imagine vacuuming a book shelf for example, if you want the brush to be leveled on to one of the shelves, due to the angle design of the brush itself, you have to tilt the 12″ long handle, the top of the handle will be blocked by the shelf above, not allowing you to level the brush.
Overall, no complaints about the vacuum itself, I feel that it’s better than most of the…
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