Customer Reviews

Miele Polaris S4212 Canister Vacuum Cleaner with SBD450-3 Combination Rug and Floor Tool

5 star:		(41)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I just bought this vacuum a couple weeks ago and so far I am very pleased with it. We were surprised to see just how small it really is. We live in a small house (1300 sq ft) and have a big newf, 2 cats, and a bird that loves to toss his food on the floor. The whole house has hard floors, laminate and tile. On the lowest setting, this vac has the power to clean the floor effortlessly. Max power is just overkill. This is a new model made to work with hard floor or low carpet. No problem with rugs either, just step on the button on the business end and the brushes retract. It is really clever. It even has 2 slots to stand up the wand so you dont have to lay it on the floor. The best thing about it is the noise factor. I used it the other night to vacuum on 50% power and talked on the phone the whole time. It just sounds like a fan. Amazing! Here is the list of pros and cons;

Pros
Extremely quiet
Very compact
Very light
Well built
Useful accessories
Turbobrush is great for hard floor and rugs
Casters are rubber coated and roll smooth
Wand is steel and retractable
Retractable cord

Cons
Only 1, the cord needs to be about 10 longer. I understand why its short though, due to the small frame size there isnt alot of room for a long

I never thought I'd fall in love with a vacuum cleaner but I have. Yesterday the FedEx delivery person delivered my Polaris canister vacuum cleaner. I opened the box and found this beautiful powder blue lightweight vac. The literature states it weights 14 pounds, if I remember right. Whatever the weight this vac is very light and maneuverable. It also cleans like a whiz. I swept all my laminate flooring using the Polaris vac and never once did dirt go flying across the floor. The old vac used to "sweep" up the dirt but usually caused the dirt to fly all over the place. I then used the Polaris vac to sweep up some accidentally spilled cat litter. No problem. The cat litter was gone without ANY of it flying anywhere. The dust brush, crevice cleaner and upholstery brush all slide onto the holder which snaps onto the hose. The dusting brush is of excellent quality and the brushes are soft but firm enough to dust well.

Pros:

Lightweight
Maneuverable
Casters that go all in all directions so the vac does not bump into walls or furniture
Metal wands
Collapsible (telescoping) wands
Well made attachments. The dusting brush is soft but firm enough to dust well.
Retractable cord.
Quiet
Powerful suction. I've never used a vac that had this much suction. No kidding!
True HEPA filtration
Added Sept. 23: Love the ease of removing and replacing the vacuum dust bag. There are pointed arrows on the bag, and on the bag holder attachment, so there is no mistaking on how to insert the bag correctly. Very well thought out.

Cons:

The vacuum attachment holder falls off the hose. Perhaps that's due to operator error. I don't know. I will update this review if things improve. Update: Figured out there was a clippie like thing to attach the holder onto the hose. Works well after doing it right.

The power cord could be a bit longer.

Overall, very pleased with the operation of the vacuum. It is quiet, lightweight, offers excellent suction and true HEPA filtration. Sept. 23 Update: Still love the vac. More so than ever as it's the easiest and best vac I have used. High marks!!

Highly recommend.

I've been doing lots and lots of investigation on what type of vacuum to buy. I have 2 semi-long furred Siberian Forest cats, hardwood floors, ceramic tile and an area rug. Never knew what a Miele was. Went online to see reviews. Went to several dealers to get educated and even went to an Oreck dealer, which was my second choice because of a low-priced model on sale there. Light weight and power were important to me. I used to own a Rainbow and was always extremely satisfied, but due to the price and pulling it around the house (too large), I finally opted for a Miele S4212 Polaris - AND - let me tell you, I was amazed by the power, ease of handling (beneath beds, couch, etc.), ease of storage, low noise. Even the cats were intrigued and didn't run from it. My Miele moved around the house effortlessly and I didn't need to use the high settings at all. The power is almost overkill. I don't like that the bags are expensive, but I am in love with this machine. Was originally looking for an upright or electric broom thinking a vacuum following me would get caught on furniture and I'd have to yank and keep moving it. Not true. I'm having a love affair with my vacuum. By the way, in my opinion Consumer Reports does a huge disservice to this company by barely reviewing it at all while recommending a couple of Sears products which are far inferior and very heavy to this baby. I advise yoU to buy and try. You will not return it.

I'm a dog owner living in a house with 100-year old hardwood floors, never even wanted rugs because I am a clean fanatic and couldn't imagine keeping dog hair plus outside debris at a minimum. So, for the last several years, I have pulled a move from Howard Hughes' diary and spent one morning a week mopping my hardwood on my hands and knees with a bucket and a sponge.

Then I got a great deal on a wool rug at the Pottery Barn outlet, and decided I had to get a vacuum cleaner. I planned on spending the minimum -- after all, I just have the rug in one room -- but a few friends had had really negative experiences with stick vacuums etc. from the box stores, so I got on Amazon.com to do my own research.

Now, a month later, I am a proud Miele convert! This is an incredible lil vacuum, folks -- if I thought I was a clean freak before, well, now I'm a super-freak! Who could imagine that it would be so fun to vacuum? But it is -- I get a kick out of running the Miele over my blinds to get previously unreachable dust bunnies, and sliding it under the bed and couch is oh-so-much easier than actually moving the furniture. In the last 4 weeks, I've mopped my floors exactly once -- to clean up muddy footprints after a rain -- but I think the house is a thousand times more cleaner than it used to be.

Suck up the dog hair stuck to the never-unfolded mattress in my sleeper couch? Check!
Clean dust mites out of my cowhide and wool rugs? Check!
Clear the air conditioning vents? Check!
Suck up the tiny pellets that poured out of a stuffed monkey my dog destroyed? Double check!

My Miele is light, easy to operate, and I use the basic attachments for such previously un-fun tasks like cleaning curtains and baseboards. The HEPA filter seems to clear the air, and the dog hardly minds the noise. Now, instead of spending 3-4 hours at once cleaning the house every week, I pull out the Miele for 10-15 minutes at a time, 2-3 days a week depending on how dirty things get.

After researching vacuums for a while, I finally settled on a Miele. The machine is about half the size of many other canisters on the market and fairly light weight. The canister has the option of setting on its back (like in the picture) to be used on stairs and for easier storage. There is a clip feature so you can station your wand in the upright position. The onboard tools are easy to access. The best part about this machine is the telescopting pole which when fully extended, I don't have to bend over to vacuum. Plus I was able to vacuum the top of my drapes without moving my couch.

The model I bought did not come with the turbo head, and the standard head it came with is great on smooth floors and ok on medium pile carpet. It has a rigid brush that can be retracted and the head when pulled back toward you will lift the pile but doesn't push forward easily. Having to lift the head to replace it for the next row to vacuum is a little strain on the back and tedius. Another option is to retract the brush and then push back and forth and with the amazing suction, the carpet pile did stand up better and the carpet looked clean. But I think the turbo head would be more efficient.

If you have hardwood floors and area rugs and a few rooms with carpets, you might be satisfied with standard head that comes with this model, I think I will go ahead and buy the turbo head as I have medium height, thick pile carpet in my living/dining room.

Optional accessories are a car kit with a small turbo head, and other conveniences, a small items kit with small hose and accessories for cleaning small objects like porcelain figures, etc.

Very pleased with purchase and would definitely recommend to others.

I bought this for reliability. I am sick of buying vacuums and disposing of them in 2-3 years. Sidenote...do not trust Consumer Reports for reviews. I kept buying their top recommendations and they fall apart.

This vacuum is lightweight, yet powerful. It has an adjustable setting that controls speed. When vacuuming the hard wood floor, we crank down the power and this vacuum goes ulta guiet! This is the best feature to me.

It does not clean our area carpets well, thus I give it 3 stars. If it last 7 years, it would deserve 4 or 5 stars. Maybe I will come back and update the review in 7 years. ;-)

If the vacuum came with a powered deep cleaner, I think it would deserve an extra star.

I purchased this Miele pretty much based on the customer reviews. They all had it right. I was tired of buying other vacuums that were inefficient and cheaply made. You can stop wearing ear plugs when vacuuming! The telescopic hose is great; no loose hose parts to drag around. The cannister rolls around effortlessly and the motor is powerful. It's picking up stuff with one swipe instead of several. Yes, the bags are pricey but you can put your face over the exhaust and know the dirt is not coming back at you; the bags are thick and efficent. I have hardwood, ceramic tile, wool area rugs and tight berber throughout my home. For my purposes the floor tool it comes with works fine for all these surfaces.

I bought this vacuum after reading the reviews on Amazon and have been pleased with it to date. It is definitely infinitely more quiet than my old Hoover and seems to have good pickup. It's also very light and easy to maneuver. My only criticism is that the attachments can't be stored inside of the vacuum but instead click into a rack that attaches to the outside. It invariably falls off as I am vacuuming. My mom's ancient Miele has the "inside storage" feature and it's awesome. Maybe that comes with the more expensive models?

I'll never buy an economy-priced vacuum cleaner again. In fact, I expect this Miele Polaris to be the last vacuum I'll ever have to buy. Why?

- It picks up everything, including pet hair from my two ever-shedding, longhair cats, almost effortlessly.
- The tools (don't get a model without a range of tools) reach everywhere and are helping to keep my home allergen-free (with HEPA filters). I even use dust my wood furniture with a tool (instead of moving around the dust with a cloth and some kind of spray.)

- It's small and lightweight, with an easy-to-store cord.

- It's SO quiet. Who knew a vacuum could be this small and quiet and have this much power?

No, I don't work for Miele. I don't work for an appliance store. Spending this much on a vacuum was a big decision for me; it's a luxury in my income range. But as someone who felt pressed to drag out the noisy old upright and vacuum hard wood floors almost every day this Miele Polaris is a honey. I love it.

My wife and I were getting tired of buying a new low-cost vacuum cleaner every other year. Something always broke or wore out on them. And they always left dust in the air.

After a lot of research, we ordered the Miele Polaris.

We have had it now for a couple of weeks and we really love it. It is extremely quiet, easy to maneuver, and leaves no evidence of dust in the air (try vacuuming in sunlight to see what I mean). And it has suction beyond compare. It will pull the dust bunnies from under those very hard-to-reach places. The machine vents the exhaust air upwards; it doesn't scatter the dirt around like those cheaper, side-venting units do.

By the way, if you have a lot of laminate/hardwood and tile floors like we do, I highly recommend the parquet floor brush. It makes short work of large areas and it glides along so smoothly over the floor. The brush picks up everything; your floors are really clean when you are done vacuuming with this vacuum and brush!