I'm back with the Miele S7 review

I'm finally back online - we have been without Internet for over a week! Not only that, but half our kitchen has had to be taken down because of the mould caused by the water leak ... more details on that sorry story to come soon.

For those of you who wanted to know how I got on with the snazzy Miele vacuum... here is my full review.

To start with I left our downstairs rug un-vacuumed for a week... that meant a week's worth of dog hair, dirty doggy paws, dirty shoes and general dust accumulation (best not to think about it too much). So here is a close-up of our rug before.

I gave the rug a good sprinkling of bicarbonate of soda... (do you like my fireplace chicken? :)

And this is how it turned out.

Yes, I was well chuffed with how well the Miele performed. I felt it sucked up all the dog hairs, human hairs, bits of garden soil, and dog biscuit crumbs in a jiffy. Although I felt that the Miele did a quicker job than my Vax did on our rug, I couldn't really be sure if it was more thorough and if it was worth all that extra money. So I continued playing around to test it, here are some other great features I found.

Front lights: I really did wonder why it had light on the front, because surely nobody vacuums in the dark right? Well I wondered until I pushed the vacuum under the sofa - ta da, I could see if there were any shoes, odd socks or hairclips (how do they get there?) as I went around. So yes, it's a nifty little function, not a necessity, but nice to have it (nodding head enthusiastically).

Going flat: How did I get under the sofa? The Miele goes completely flat! Amazing stuff really, I mean, it really goes flat, as in can get all the way under the bed flat... impressive.

The bag can take loads of dirt: Now personally I will say I prefer a bagless vacuum (I know it's not as hygienic), but I like to see what I've vacuumed up. However, I will say that this bag takes loads! I vacuumed, and vacuumed, for three weeks. I dusted the blinds, the windowsills, the lamp shades etc. And still that bag does not need emptying. By now I would have easily had to empty my Vax about three times.

It has an automatic setting or you can adjust the suction to be stronger or weaker: This was handy especially whilst dusting. I don't bother dusting with my vacuum because I feel it dusts in narrow lines, but the Miele did a superb job of sucking up dust beyond it's reach when on full power. This setting is also handy if you have fragile or expensive rugs... so not a function I particularly need.

I also did the "mess test" where I was supplied with some oats, talcum powder and sugar to scatter on a piece of rug that was supplied by Miele. I scattered all the bits, and then proceeded to really rub them into the pile of the carpet. This is the before shot:

This is after I did a single line in one direction once with the Miele.

The scattered oats were displaced after the vacuum went past.

So, as you can see, it did a great job, but struggled a bit more with the talcum powder (maybe I shouldn't have rubbed it in quite so vigorously). Although after vacuuming over the rug a few times it did seem to get most of it out. What fun, I ought to volunteer to test these products out more, ha ha, not sure Mr L would be that impressed, he finds it a bit strange that I get excited about trying out a vacuum that I can't keep.

I guess by now you must think I sound like an advertisement for the Miele, which I kind of do. So to show that I can be objectionable, and that I'm not just swayed by it's good looks and pretty lights, here is a list of pros and cons.

PROS

* It's quiet in comparison to other machines, especially considering the power.

* Dusting with the Miele is fantastic! My blinds look as good as new, as do my lampshades.

* The hose stretches really far, and pops back into shape really easily.

* The machine switches off automatically if it sucks something up that prevents the air flow (I found this out after a facecloth fell out of the laundry basket as I vacuumed past it).

* The cord wraps around high at the back making it so much easier to control.

CONS

* It's heavy, not much heavier than my Vax, but it's not a breeze to carry up the stairs.

* The cord at the back, as much as I loved having it up high so I didn't have to bend down, got in the way of the hose whenever I tried to take it out. I was so pleased that the hose just had to be taken out to use unlike the Vax, but this was just as frustrating as disconnecting and reconnecting the hose.

* At times it felt heavy to push around on a rug, especially a plush pile carpet.

* It's expensive! Well for me anyway. I'm just not the sort of person who's happy to whip out over £200 for a vacuum cleaner.

So all in all, it's a great machine. And if you have the money, or you like pretty gadgets, I don't think the Miele would disappoint. But if you don't mind a bit of extra effort like bending down to connect a hose, or spending a bit more time sorting out the cord, then the Miele is an expensive option. Would I like one? If it was on sale, definitely!

But for now, bye bye pretty Miele!

(sorry about my creased top, it was the end of the day).

What vacuum do you use? Are you happy with it, and would you be happy spending on a vacuum?