Vacuum Cleaners Discussions

Thought I would provide some impressions on some specific models of the above canister vacuum cleaner manufacturers/models.

I have been in the market for a new vacuum cleaner as my existing Kenmore was @ 10+ years old and really didn't suck anymore. I went online and tried to get as much info as possible about all the vacuum cleaners out there, reviews, etc. I found these to be extremely lacking, for the most part. I read a number of great reviews about Miele and decided to try them out. I found a couple of local Miele dealers and trudged out to the stores. The first dealer did not have a single Miele canister vac in the store. He carried Riccar, but only had the low end model (I wanted a vacuum with the power head and full size tools).

I drove to the second dealer who had a good selection of Mieles, Sebo's (which I only found out about through the internet), and Simplicitys, which again I only found out about through the internet. I honestly never considered a stand-alone vacuum dealer, having gone to Sears to look at their selections and not being impressed.

The dealer explained the various vacuums and offered to let me try each of the various models for as long as I liked to determine the one best for me.

I first took the Miele Calisto home (as an aside Miele's web site is incredibly slow). The vacuum did a pretty good job and I liked the fact the exhaust didn't blow dirt and dust around the house as it exhausts out the top.

However, I did have a number of issues with the Miele. The power head was pretty basic for an $800+ machine) and worse, vacuuming under the bed or other areas that required the vacuum hose to be lowered almost parallel to the floor raised the power head off the floor. The power head also tended to suck in area rugs, which was annoying, the on-board tools were the "mini" variety, and finally the vacuum itself was a little top heavy, causing it to tip over fairly frequently, resulting in "blemishes" to the too susceptible finish.

I took the Miele back and decided to try the Sebo AirBelt C3.1. To be honest, I wasn't that fond of the Sebo as it doesn't have the "flash" of the Mieles (basic white or just a little more pizzaz in the red model) and Simplicity/Riccars. However, the Sebo did a great job of vacuuming, the AirBelt exhausts through vents on the side of the canister, and the canister itself was designed with a lower center of gravity so it never once tipped over, and the power head was closer to what I would have expected in that price range. Best of all, you could lower the hose completely next to the floor and the power head remained in contact with the surface to be cleaned. The HEPA filter was great, the on-board tools were all full size, and I personally didn't perceive a difference in sound level between the Sebo and the Miele. All in all I definitely preferred the Sebo over the Miele. (Also, the Sebo never sucked up the area rugs as the Miele did.)

I took the Sebo back and decided to give the Simplicity Verve a try. The Riccars and Smiplicity's definitely have a lot more "flash" then either the Mieles or Sebos. The Simplicity had great suction and did a good job of cleaning. My perception was that it was a little lounder than either the Miele or Sebo, but it did look great. The power head was extremely powerful, unfortunately too much so as it inevitably sucked up any area rug and proceed to trip the breaker that protects it from burning out. The other issue I had with the SImplicity was the fact the power head was a lot taller than either the Miele or Sebo and "hung-up" in low areas. Finally I couldn't abide by the fact they are made in China (their uprights are made in St. James, MO, but the canisters are all made in China as of August 2009).

What to do. I did some more searching and eventually found a Lindhaus Aria Elite canister on closeout for a killer price. I tried to do some online searching for impressions and found a little on Abby's Guide but not enough to make a final determination. I decided to go for the Aria Elite - getting a new, $1,300 vacuum for $400 was too good an opportunity to pass up.

The Aria arrived last week. Everything was there, the power head, two extension wands instead of the single one that comes standard, a hard floor cleaner and the full size, on-board tools. The vacuum itself does a great job of cleaning. The hose can be lowered parallel to the floor and the power head doesn't lose contact with the surface to be cleaned plus it fits under those low hanging obstacles - kitchen cabinet kick plates, sofa, etc. The power head, like the Sebo, can be adjusted so that it doesn't suck up area rugs.

There are some issues with the Aria. First I was disappointed when I opened the box as the vacuum does not come close to looking like a $1,300 piece of equipment. The Elite has a drab, speckled white plastic finish that looks close to the quality of the plastic on those old model airplanes I used to put together. The vacuum hose itself is not as sturdy as it should be as it can kink up and completely cut off suction. It appears that Lindhaus has pulled the Arias off the market as very few Lindhaus dealers list them for sale.

Was the purchase of the Aria a good investment? All in all, I think it was. It has the HEPA filtration (the Lindhaus uprights are well regarded and fairly standard issue in hospitals based on their filtration and they have been purchased by the feds for use in fighting potential anthrax threats.)

However, I would hope that Lindhaus would come out with a refined version of the Arias. Improve the finish/paint quality to that of the Simnplicity/Riccars to improve the finish/perceived quality of the vacuums (these ARE $1,300, you know) and provide a sturdier hose.

Other than that I am extremely satisfied with the Aria Elite. (I did go out and buy some Krylon metallic paint so I can personlize the Elite to my liking - the existing finish IS THAT UNAPPEALING!)

One final comment, I ended up taking my Kenmore in to the dealer who was so kind as to let me try the various vacuums out and he cleaned and serviced the vacuum so that now it is almost as good as new. I didn't realize that it was in fact made by Panasonic for Sears. Given the raps that Panasonics have taken on this site, I have to say that after 10 years, I am impressed with the machine as it's still doing what it was intended to and though it doesn't have the HEPA filtration and exhausts out the back, swirling dust and dirt, it really does suck, now.

Given the assumption that the Lindhaus are no longer being sold, I would personally rank the Sebo first and the Mieles just a tad above the Simplicity/Riccars. The Sebo provides better value for the money - the power head is much better than that of either the Miele or Simplicity/Riccars. The major drawback of the Simplicity/Riccars in my mind versus the Mieles is the fact they are currently manufactured in China. However, their power head is better than the comparably priced Miele power head.