Miele S 5781 Total Care

Best Vacuum Cleaner we have owned and we've had a few – A very good vacuum cleaner on both hard and soft floors. All the complaints about flaps opening and bad smells are normally due to IDtenT use Put the bag in properly and change the filter and you will have no trouble. Not hard to do it right We buy the genuine bags and filters online and dont think they are expensive. Gets used twice a week for last 5 years with absolutely no problems  Show details

I actually enjoy vacuuming with this thing, who would have thought! – After moving to a new apartment which had light instead of dark carpet, we realized how bad our 5 y/o Panasonic vacuum really was, so time for something new. I always had Dyson in the back of my head as it being the best, so started off my research to see if they're indeed any good. From what I found it was 95% good, and complaints I did find I… Read more

quickly dismissed. I really really wanted one. They just look so awesome, good enough to feature in a Transformers movie, which is very important for a male in his early 30's. The day I was going to buy one, two colleagues separately told me they too went in to buy a Dyson, and both walked out with a Miele instead, and couldn't be happier.

Gullible people I thought, sucked in by the salesman.

I held of the purchase to look into Miele first though. Immediately put of by the plain looks; it looked just like a vacuum cleaner! I wanted something more exciting with things like cyclone technology. Searching around however I found overwhelmingly positive responses, and quite a few people who went to Miele after a bad Dyson experience, hardly ever the other way around.

So what was it about they Dyson (DC23/DC29 type) that I decided against it?

- Loud. I thought loud = good when you want a powerful vacuum cleaner, but the Miele shows you can have powerful suction without being deafening.

- Quality. While Dyson seems to have excellent customer service, as plenty of people can attest, I rather have a vacuum that does not require any service at all, which seems to be the case a lot more with Miele. The Dyson's are a bit plasticky and seem less robust.

-Bagless. Thought it was a good idea at first, no consumables. Then I realized it can be quite messy to empty, and the canister and filter needs to be cleaned as well. Also, while the Dyson looks awesome when new, after one use it actually looks quite unappealing with all your dirt sitting there in plain sight. The Miele has excellent bags and filtration system making it an easy and clean process to dispose of the dirt inside. A set of 4 bags for about $16 should last us about a year I reckon.

-Short cord. My last vacuum cleaner had a 5m cord as well, and it meant plugging it into 4 different power points to get to every corner of the house. Usually couldn't be bothered and only switched twice, leaving some of the further reaches for next time. What a difference the extra 1.5m on the Miele makes. From 1 powerpoint I can do almost the entire house, with 2 I can easily do the whole house without having to stretch anything.

That said I probably would have been perfectly happy with a Dyson as many others are, but I think the Miele is a better vacuum. It just doesn't look as flashy or have the marketing behind it.

The Miele is incredibly powerful but not that loud. It has 6 power settings and I actually use #4 as per the manual's recommendation as it's powerful enough for our carpet. The sound the suction makes at the head is louder than the machine itself. The lowest setting, while not strong enough to spin the turbine head, is very quiet and you could vacuum in 3am without having to worry about the kids sleeping or the neighbours.

The filtration is fantastic and the air is clean and odour free after vacuuming. The turbobrush head picks up all my girlfriends long hair from the carpet with ease.

This particular Total Care model has quite a few attachments. There's the turbobrush head for carpets, the mini-turbobrush for upholstery/carseats/stairs etc (belt drive mechanism from the turbine to the brush head; it's quality kit), standard floor head, hard floor brush, hose extension, long crevice nozzle (perfect for reaching all the way under the fridge), and three standard on-board attachments. I have no use for the hard floor brush, and the hose extension only if I want to clean the top of the curtain rails, but the rest I use every time I vacuum.

Besides the multitude of attachments the only thing that really sets it apart from the other S5xxx models is the remote control in the handle for the power selection/standby. While it's a nice luxury, it's hardly a must have, so if you don't need all the extra attachments you could save a bit of money by getting an model with less attachments. If you have carpet you'll really want the turbobrush head, but if you don't or only very little carpet, the normal floor head would do just fine.

The only downside is the lid for the on-board attachments. It doesn't snap in place unless you press it down firm. Press lightly and it will stay closed long enough for you to turn around and not see it magically pop open by itself. This will happen a couple times before you remember to press down harder the next time. It's a odd oversight on an otherwise excellent and well thought out vacuum.

I'm very pleased with this vacuum and from here onward will definately consider Miele for any appliance that needs replacing in the future. Powerful, quiet, long cord, plenty of attachments, telescopic wand can be adjusted to those people taller than 180cm'. On-board attachment lid a bit flimsy and pops open if not pressed down firmly.

Amazing vacuum – After condoning the old vacuum to suction heaven, my wife was after a new vacuum. Wanting something a bit better than before effective marketing from Dyson had their models under consideration. After realising that the filters on a bagless can clog and are the only means capturing dust before the air is expelled there was a change of thought. … Read more

Knowing the quality and engineering of Miele, the task was know to decide what model. Being one for features a remote control type was on the cards. Justifiably, this would make cleaning the car easier as the barrel of the vacuum is outside. The S5781 was chosen and made even better still by the retailer selling this a few hundred below RRP. Bags were also included at half their normal cost too.

The vacuum was put straight to use upon returning home. The rugs came up looking like new and the bag in the cleaner was 66% full!

Very happy with this vacuum. Design, built quality and performance Service above bumper scratches easily

Excellent Vacuum Cleaner – Really great vacuum cleaner that I bough 12 months ago and it hasn't missed a beat. Has all the bells and whistles including all the attachments you need to clean the whole house. Really easy to maneuver around the house, can be whisper quiet on lowest suction, attractive style, quality parts and attachments. You won't be disappointed with this… Read more ·  1

cleaner. Variable suction depending on how much you need, every attachment you need is included, very quiet on low suction, easy to move around, long extention cord, reliable. Have to buy bags that are about $20 for a box of 4 but they last a fair while.

Nothing but trouble – When I purchased the machine it appeared that the lid did not fit properly and the internal part where the bag joined seemed lose. I had to take it to the Adelaide miele repairers who told me nothing was wrong with it. It then continually broke down and I had to change the very expensive hepa filters every few weeks to keep it working. I took it… Read more

back to miele again and they told me the dirt in my house was too fine and had damaged the motor. They replaced the motor but it is now breaking down again and I am going to get rid of it and get a dyson. Ok when it was working Faulty, poor service, very expensive bags and filters

Great suction – This barrel vaccum is great. I have a mixture of floor boards and carpet and it works great on both. On the carpet it is actually to strong and I have to turn down the suction so I can move the vaccum. I have never had to do this with a vaccum before. Very happy with this model and would buy again. Great cleaning power. The lid for the onboard… Read more

tools is difficult to close and pops open if it hasn't caught properly. I wanted to give 4 and half stars for this but you can only give 4 or 5.

Excellent – Have upgraded from an Electrolux Oxygen to Miele Total Care. A decision we'll never regret! Decided to look at Miele after recently purchasing a Miele dishwasher that also turned out to be a great investment in upgrading over more standard brands. The Electrolux gave us nothing but hassle with the wand - lots of hassle to get it to lock… Read more

properly, when it did we left it that way to avoid the hassle next time we used the machine. After not enough years the wand locking mechanisim died totally and we had to hold it together with tape. When we looked at new Electrolux machines, they were the exact same mechanism and the build quality was less solid than our existing one. That was the end of E/lux for us!

This Miele on the other hand has it ALL!!! For a similar price to the E/lux we looked at it has a plethera of tools and accessories. Amazing suction and easy to use. So happy with this purchase! Just shop around for a good price. Excellent power, on broad storage, solid build, easy to move around, we got it new at an excellent price, great colour, controls on wand, extra long wand (we're tall!) ACCESSORIES! Only a really minor thing - the handle has a seam on the underside that is slightly uncomfortable for the fingers. Wouldn't be something that would stop me buying it though.

Good – Excellent product and great to use. Very well designed and you don't have to look at the dust swirling around like you do with a Dyson. Only concern is with the remote switch which was one of the key selling points for me. Very good suction even compared with other good and expensive vacuum cleaners I have had. Very easy to use and the tools are… Read more

very accessible. I like the controls on the handle as it saves bending over regularly. Dust bags are easy to change and noise levels are good. Its sucks up a LOT of dirt. I have had trouble with the electronic switch on the remote control on the handle. I am about to send it in for repairs.