Customer Reviews

Miele S5981 Capricorn with SEB-236 Power brush

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I know alot of people would balk at the idea of paying this much for a vaccum cleaner, understandably so. Quite honestly, I spent a long time weighing my options and researching for this purchase. In the end I went with this one because of the quality, the warranty and how well it worked.

Previously owned a Hoover Windtunnel upright, and there is just simple no comparison, in fact the Hoover is joke. It was a complete tank of a machine, hard to move around, attachments were useless and you could not fit into alot of areas. And in the end, it did was not even close to as effective at cleaning floors, which is really all that matters.

The reasons for going with the Miele:

How effectively it cleans floors! My carpets never looked so good, my hardwood and tile were never to easy to clean.

Long-term investment. You might get sick of a Miele vacuum before it breaks on you.

Technology inside is second to none.

Tried and true design, German engineering and quality. The parts have a nice feel to them, thick plastics, horse-hair brushes. Nothing felt cheap, or loose or flimsy.

Exceptionally quiet.

Size of the machine is small, but make no mistake it is incredibly powerful. About the best feature I have noticed so far about this machine, going from an upright, is the ability to get into tight spaces I could not before.

Controls on the handle are more convenient than I gave credit too before I purchased. Although you can save a decent chunk of change by getting the Calisto with a knob or two instead, if you don't mind. Same motor and power as the Capricorn.

The air quality, oh the air quality! Something we never thought important before, but we don't smell ONE thing while vacuuming. Even if you stick your face over the exhaust! They aren't kidding about these filters, they work and work well. No dust spitting back out into your house all over your furniture.

Some other features that are nice are the onboard attachments, the wheels on the canister that move in any direction (very smart feature), Warning lights on the machine letting you know bag is filled, or machine is over-heated. Cord-wrap is also excellent, and strong. Hard floor tool does an excellent job, simply excellent, you will never need a broom again.

I find almost nothing I don't like about the machine so far, except that occasionally you hit the wrong button on the hand controls unintentionally.

Otherwise the fit and finish is superb, German quality through and through, a real Mercedes of Vacuum cleaners. Some vaccum cleaners (actually most) just re-distribute the dust and dirt in your house. This once truly gets rid of it. And very nice to look at too. : )

There is not a better power-nozzle available for pet hair. The Miele Capricorn with the 236 power-nozzle is the best way to win the never ending battle of cleaning pet hair.

I have a 80 pound Staffordshire Terrier. No matter where I go, the pet hair follows. It is mission impossible to keep my house pet hair free. With as much vacuuming as we do in our house, (as well as a nice employee discount) I decided to get the best.

I have always heard good things about Miele from my customers. Every customer that comes to our store I will ask them how their vacuums are working. Most vacuums I'll get the usual, I hate it, it sucks, it smells funny, etc. When I ask a Miele customer buying bags how they like their vacuum, 9 times out of 10 the answer is I LOVE IT! Never did I expect such enthusiasm from people about their vacuum. Only after hearing so many customers tell me how good their Miele was, and after seeing how few Miele repairs I was doing, did I become a believer myself.

I have had the Miele Capricorn in my home for two years now. I have never had one problem with my vacuum. Vacuuming is never fun, but when you have a good vacuum, it becomes a lot less stressful of a task.

The STB 101 hand held turbo brush is a must have weapon in the war of pet hair. This brush is ideal for my stairs and upholstery that seems to get covered in pet hair more then any other place.

You will pay more money for a Miele, but the time you will save vacuuming is priceless.

This is a exceptional vacuum. I installed a Frieze style carpet and found out that my Oreck XL couldn't vacuum it. I took a piece down to my local Oreck shop and the manager said, "We don't make a vacuum that can vacuum your carpet". So my search started. I took my carpet sample to Sears, Best Buy, The Great Indoors and Lowes. I tried dozens of vacuums and each one was a complete failure. I was about to buy a Bosch vacuum online (No local stores had one to demo), just to see if it would work on my carpet, when my step dad said check out Miele. He has a very picky neighbor with the same style carpet and she said Miele is the best. She was right on the money. I took my carpet down to the local Miele dealer (listed on Miele's website) and sure enough, it worked on my new carpet. I bought the Capricorn from them. If price is no object, this is your vacuum. It's quiet, clean, smooth, powerful and extremely versatile. If the Capricorn was a car, it would be a Ferrari or Bentley. Highly recommended!

We have owned lots of different vacuums over the years. This is unquestionably the best. It is high-quality, quiet, powerful, light weight, and easy to use.

The high price made us think twice. We were also used to uprights. However, after reading lots of reviews, we decided to try this one because of the greater power. We have pets who shed hairs that get stuck in the carpet. We also have lots of wood flooring, and the parquet attachment seemed like a good idea.

Ordering was easy, and the unit arrived QUICKLY! It was easy to assemble (not much required), and it was intuitive to use.

It has not been any harder to use than an upright. In fact, the back and forth motion is easier because you only have to handle the wand and power brush, not the whole machine. The little cannister unit follows easily, and the vacuum hose does not seem to get tangled, rotating in all directions easily. The wheels on the unit work fine. The only time it sorta sticks is when it tried to cross over the electric cord on a wood floor.

The power brush has a bright light which really helps. The floor heads can be turned at multiple angles with a twist of the wrist, making it simple to get in, under and around furniture legs, into corners, etc.

One of the best discoveries has been the ease with which you can swap out the floor heads for brushes you can use to clean up high (shelves, drapes, light fixtures). We never could do that with uprights because you couldn't lift them high enough.

The adjustable power control is helpful when you switch from floor to throw rug and back. Our rugs are also variable thicknesses, so being able to roll back the power with your thumb makes it easy to keep them from getting sucked into the head.

The unit stores easily because the cord retracts automatically, and the base will stand upright. The Power Brush head will also hold the wand upright, so you can stand the whole unit is a small closet. Because it is so light, you can also go up and down stairs easily (we have three floors).

All in all, this has been almost fun to use. Although the wife uses it the most, I have actually enjoyed taking it for a spin, too.

This is a well designed and extremely well built product. Most of controls are on the handle - they are well laid out and electronically activated. The hose is internally wired with a continuous 360 degree rotation - this is very rare in a hose. In a typical canister one is continually fighting the hose as it probably rotated 380 degrees before it stops. It has super suction - yet it is quieter than one would expect. Every aspect of the construction is above and beyond. The repair record in Consumers Reports is at the top of the best. This is a very high tech vacuum. In the past many of my fine high tech German products often had reliability issues - if this turns out to be the case I will add to this review at a later date. For now it is a Gem!

Like another reviewer here, I owned a Hoover Wind Tunnel upright. After five or six years of fairly steady use, I've came to regret having purchased it. It was big, heavy, loud and difficult to maneuver, even with the self-propulsion feature. And the on-board tools constantly kept coming apart while I was using them, because they wouldn't lock in place. (That was hugely annoying. Nothing is more frustrating than having to constantly pick up and reassemble vacuum tools.)

I wanted a vacuum with powerful suction, but also one that was lightweight. With my upright, I had to push the entire weight of the machine. I'm not getting any younger, and I could see the necessity of a lighter and more maneuverable machine.

I was researching vacuums as a favor for my sister and I started reading about Miele vacuums. I visited several websites and read multiple reviews. I honestly couldn't find a negative review of any of the models. Their quietness was mentioned often, as well as their powerful suction.

I ended up purchasing a Capricorn S5980 with the deluxe power brush, SEB 236.

I adore the Capricorn. It would still be quiet at twice its noise level. My cats don't run and hide when I'm vacuuming! I really like having the on/off switch in the hand control, and being able to adjust the power level there as well as turn on the power brush attachment. I like the automatic cord retraction (no bending over and wrapping the cord up). The various attachments fit together smoothly and lock tight. I am very impressed with the telescoping wand feature. I'm pleased at how well the upholstery attachment works on both upholstery and carpeted stairs. The parquet floor attachment is smooth and easy to use on my kitchen and bathroom floors prior to mopping. I have bid adieu to my broom.

The Deluxe Power Brush attachment is also quiet, yet does a remarkable job in picking up all sorts of stuff (cat hair mostly) out of my berber carpeting. It's easy to attach the Deluxe Power Brush and it can be set to five different heights. Even at the lowest height, it maneuvers smoothly and easily. The light is handy for maneuvering under furniture and into corners.

The canister moves easily in all directions and the hose rotates 360 degrees, so it doesn't get kinked in an awkward position. The canister weighs about 20 lbs. and has a handle, so it's not awkward to carry upstairs.

This Capricorn comes with a HEPA filter installed that lasts for about 50 hours of use. Regular filters are also available and come in every box of vacuum bags. I didn't buy this for the HEPA filtration (I have four cats, after all) but I do appreciate that the system is so well sealed that when dust is vacuumed up, it doesn't get blown back out of the machine's exhaust. The warm air blowing out of the vacuum doesn't smell and isn't sandy or gritty. (Can you hold your face in your vacuum's exhaust and breathe deep? I can!) The bags and filters do such a great job of trapping the dirt in the vacuum bag that the bag compartment is the cleanest part of the machine.

Oh, and the bags are a piece of work, too. They're soft and flexible nonwoven fiber lined with foiled plastic, and they're very easy to install. When the "bag full" indicator comes on, the bags are very easily removable, and they automatically self-seal for disposal. So neat!

The Capricorn is an attractive looking, well-made vacuum which works outstandingly well. Yes, it's pricey, but anything that could make me bear vacuuming is worth its weight in gold.

There is not a better power-nozzle available for pet hair. The Miele Capricorn with the 236 power-nozzle is the best way to win the never ending battle of cleaning pet hair.

I have a 80 pound Staffordshire Terrier. No matter where I go, the pet hair follows. It is mission impossible to keep my house pet hair free. With as much vacuuming as we do in our house, (as well as a nice employee discount) I decided to get the best.

I have always heard good things about Miele from my customers. Every customer that comes to our store I will ask them how their vacuums are working. Most vacuums I'll get the usual, I hate it, it sucks, it smells funny, etc. When I ask a Miele customer buying bags how they like their vacuum, 9 times out of 10 the answer is I LOVE IT! Never did I expect such enthusiasm from people about their vacuum. Only after hearing so many customers tell me how good their Miele was, and after seeing how few Miele repairs I was doing, did I become a believer myself.

I have had the Miele Capricorn in my home for two years now. I have never had one problem with my vacuum. Vacuuming is never fun, but when you have a good vacuum, it becomes a lot less stressful of a task.

The STB 101 hand held turbo brush is a must have weapon in the war of pet hair. This brush is ideal for my stairs and upholstery that seems to get covered in pet hair more then any other place.

You will pay more money for a Miele, but the time you will save vacuuming is priceless.

I've never had a better vacuum cleaner. This picks up everything, and it does so quietly and quickly. It took me a long time to make a decision - I spent weeks poring over Consumer Reports, the reviews on Amazon, reviews elsewhere. I knew I wanted a good vacuum, but I really didn't want to spend quite so much money.

Having spent it - I don't regret it at all. This vacuum is awesome.

I have 3 dogs and one cat and was without a vacuum for seven weeks until this arrived at my door. No problems sucking up all that hair and dirt - all gone. What power!! Yes, a couple of small complaints, but it wouldn't change my star rating or my love for the machine. Yes, the power cord is short and you have to constantly change it, but I'll get used to that. The powerbrush head is a little big and doesn't go everywhere my old Royal head went, but it does swivel to my heart's content and that makes up for it. It is pricey, but worth it as it has such wonderful POWER. Oh, one more thing for me to get used to is the hose is rather short and the canister is right behind me, but that is a good thing. My old Royal had a long hose and it was so far behind that it constantly banged into the wall and made marks, this way I have total control over the canister and it won't be going anywhere I don't want it to go. Also easy to store, fits in the closet like a dream. And, I can hear the phone ring while I am vacuuming - a first. Bottom line - Buy it - you'll be happy with this little, quiet, but POWERFUL machine. I know I am.

I can't say enough about the quality of this product except that it is worth every penny! We have three pets and our Miele never disappoints.

The Capricorn that we purchased comes with the deluxe power brush, as well as the wood & tile floor attachment. Both heads clean carpets and hard surfaces quickly and relatively quietly with minimal effort on the part of the user. In the past, I had to move furniture in order to clean around legs; however, the hardwood/tile attachment is flexible and glides in and out of those hard to reach places. The canister is lightweight and easy to maneuver while vacuuming with the hand tools on the staircase.

Yes, the Miele Capricorn is more expensive than most but we've owned ours for about nine months now and my only regret is that it took so long to take the leap, as it is a time saver and cleans more thoroughly than any other vacuum that I've used in the past.