New vacuum cleaner - Sebo, Miele or Dyson? Upright or cylinder?

[devsdev]

I turn to EDFers for advice - our Vax vacuum is turning out to be complete rubbish after less than a year. We've decided to invest in getting a really good vacuum cleaner and were going to get a Dyson. But reviews are really mixed on them and it seems the Miele Cat & Dog or Sebo cleaners are better options. Does anyone have experience of these and can you recommend any models (or advise against any)? Would you recommend an upright or a cylinder (we've always had cylinders)? We're in a Victorian terrace with a mix of carpets and hardwood/tile flooring. We also have 2 sets of stairs which are carpeted. I fear an upright won't get into the many nooks and crannies in the house.

Any advice gratefully accepted!

Thank you

Dev

[Fjgb]

We have a Henry and I love it (not just for the smiley face, but my daughter does love that). The reason we got it is because every single builder we have ever used has had one, and they all say it's the most robust vacuum cleaner. It might not be the most glamourous of vacuum cleaners (did I just say glamourous and vacuum cleaner in the same sentence?) but it's reliable and effective.

[bonacara]

Get a henry, the best out there. We currently live in a rented flat which came with a bagless dyson- useless!

The adverts are great, the product does not do the job. Henry never failed us.

[ClareC]

I've had a Miele cat and dog and a Dyson Animal - both very good!

We also have a hand held Dyson which is fantastic! We put off buying one for years as they seemed expensive but having bitten the bullet I wish we bought one years ago! Especially good for stairs!!

[nunheadmum]

I'd recommend trying them out in store if you can to get an idea how easy they are to use. We bought a Dyson standard upright online (hubby loves the concept of UK design) and I hate it as the hose is stupidly short and tight so when you try and stretch into awkward bits, it falls over. Only just reaches to the top of the first flight of stairs. Technically it hoovers well enough. But it drives me mad!

[Mellors]

Henry all the way.

[katgod]

agree dyson no good - hose split on mone and too heavy for on staors. have a miele - is fine power wise etc but the front part has broken (flimsy) and so all the tools are lost. I think will go Henry next time

[Convex]

We nearly got a Henry but it didnt score brilliantly on which. Neither does dyson!

Miele cat and dog scored well... But at the last minute we went for a dyson stick vacuum cleaner. It cleans really well and us super easy to use on stairs etc BUT only 26mins charge so you cant do the house in 1 go.

[GinaG3]

Nothing beats Henry in my opinion. I've had experience of many a Dyson and Miele and wouldn't recommend any brand over Henry! My parents one is still going strong after 15 years despite hoovering a 7 bed house with accommodation that regularly needs hoovered. Thats very good going for a ?89 investment, look on Amazon for the best price.

[Townleygreen]

another vote for Henry from us!

[hpsaucey]

What a shame. Got a VAX a fair few years ago because it does carpet cleaning as well. Its been brilliant!

[Otta]

We have a DYSON DC50 which is one of their top range vacuums.

I hate it!

Yes it is powerful and picks up a lot of dust, but it is forever getting blocked and I am forever taking it apart and manually pulling dirt out of it. And the hose bit is too short and pretty crap.

Really unimpressed with Dyson to be honest. We started with a chordless thing a couple of years back, which just died within a week of the guarantee expiring. They then offered me a good price (still way more than I'd have planned to spend) on the DC50, and I just don't think their gear is worth the money.

[*polly*]

hi,i am domestic cleaner 10.5 years and the best hoover for me is Miele :)

[scotch]

Tried all three and Miele comes out at the top by far.

[devsdev]

Thank you everyone! Now we're torn between a Henry and a Miele...shall be scouring through the reviews. I think we're likely to end up with a Henry, though clearly there are some ardent Miele supporters who are muddying the waters.

How can choosing a vacuum cleaner be so difficult?!

[Otta]

The things that become so important as our youth fades in to the distance ;-)

[devsdev]

Haha, so true Otta. I've already spent far too many precious minutes reading reviews. My 20 something self would be horrified!

[Convex]

Let's run a vote.

I vote Miele!

Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Thank you everyone! Now we're torn between a Henry

> and a Miele...shall be scouring through the

> reviews. I think we're likely to end up with a

> Henry, though clearly there are some ardent Miele

> supporters who are muddying the waters.

>

> How can choosing a vacuum cleaner be so

> difficult?!

[shaunag]

Something to consider is cord length and weight of the vacuum cleaner. I had a dyson and a Henry for a good few years. I could vacuum my whole (little) house without unplugging the Henry. To do the same with dyson I had to keep unplugging and re plugging it in. Also dyson weighed a lot more so annoying on the stairs (model we have doesn't balance on our narrow step)-not did the Henry but it was much lighter so easier to do stairs with (and reached further from bottom/top of stairs). Also consider how much floor space they take up considering where you want to store it-dyson did a bit better here as telescope wrap-had to dismantle Henry a bit. All of these points cost you time so worth considering. Finally, the noise they make! If you have kids and tend to vacuum when they are asleep you may prefer a quieter model. I found the noise of the Henry easier on the ear than the dyson (which IMO makes an awful racket, as does the hand held I also have)...

[Dun]

Hi, we've had a dyson (2 different models, cylinder & upright) for the past 12 years, love the idea of UK design & the looks of it but to be honest the cord is too short and needs to be cleaned out all the time; we had both types and prefer the cylinder and have just bought Miele cat & dog model based on feedback & reiew from Which?. It arrives next week but think we got a better vacuum cleaner. Hope that helps.

[devsdev]

Thought I'd update - we ended up buying the basic Henry model and I bought the carpet attachment (which comes with the Henry Xtra) from Amazon as that was cheaper than getting the Xtra. It's been absolutely brilliant. Haven't had to change the bag yet after 2 months (gets used about once a fortnight for the whole house and a couple of times a week to do the hallways). The extra bags were only ?5 for 10. It's heavy to lug up and down the stairs, but once plugged in it can really stretch quite far without needing to be unplugged. Storage is a bit of a pain, so something to consider if you don't have somewhere to put it.

Thank you for all the advice!

[miguelgarbutt]

Is Henry model good?

[Monkey]

Miele, a thousand times.

Excellent suction, lightweight (even I can carry it up the stairs with no effort), and a shape and size that make it easy to store. As soon as I got the Miele, I couldn?t stand having the Dyson around.

[Monkey]

Also my Miele (C3j has a little storage compartment to keep all the attachments...

[LauraHW]

Henry definitely. Much better than previous Dyson. Plus James Dyson is a complete tw*t so wouldn't want any more money to go his way!