When I thought it was time to replace my trusty Miele White Pearl I looked to Consumer Reports for my 'research'. This was their top-rated unit ever and it came with a HEPA filter which I really wanted. I can weep when I see the price listed here because when I bought it in 2007 it cost over $2000 (CDN). For that price and with that endorsement I was confident it was a sure bet. I was so very wrong. The design was clever but the ergonomics were poor and I simply hated everything about it. Here's why:* The hose did not rotate on both the handle AND the vacuum ends -which means a fair bit of time spent fussing and untwisting it. It was awkward and cumbersome in the extreme.
* The "attachments" are all part of the hand unit which seems really clever while in truth all it means is they will require a fair bit of handling to disassemble the lot of them before you can use them and then you have to 'rebuild' them. Your hands will be all over the business ends so if you are fussy about that kind of stuff, and I am, it will bother you. Once you do get them apart, and the one you need attached, you'll find that not one of them is very good at their intended purpose -which I suspect is a result of the compromises to functionality their questionable origami-design required. (I loved the hygienic simplicity of my Miele where I could flip open the top of the canister with a tap of my toe and all the tools were nicely laid out for easy access and use.)
* The plastic material is cheap! Within 4 months the handle had already cracked. We are very low impact livers and treat our stuff with great care -that crack occurred with light use and careful handling.
* The cheap plastic holds static! The vacuum head and hose attracts and holds everything I am trying to vacuum up and the stuff just clings. Gross. I had to interrupt vacuuming to vacuum it off but found that in order to have any success I needed to use a damp clothe to wipe it down. Once vacuuming resumed so did the accumulation.
* The release collar on the telescoping extension is crudely designed and difficult to release. I really struggled with this and had to get my husband to help me on a couple of occasions. I am an able-bodied person and this was ridiculous.
I retired it after less than a year of owning it -it was retired right into the garbage which is what I thought it was. My cleaning lady asked if she could rescue it and was thrilled to have it -it was out of her price range and she thought she was getting something special. I assured her she was not. I ended up buying one of the new light weight Miele's that had just came out... I love the long cord and the hose that swivels any which way I want -when I want it to -and the head is a marvel that swivels freely too and so easily it even goes flat so I can quickly scoot under the furniture! I especially appreciate that I do not have to vacuum my vacuum in order to vacuum.
Because of this debacle, I lost my faith in Consumer Reports and suspect that their criteria must be very different from the end users. Now before I buy I check out the reviews Amazon.com where I can hear from people who actually use the products. I find it's the most reliable indicator, but even if there are raves about a product or brand there's always going to be someone that got a dud, or had a really bad experience, which in this case was me.
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