Miele S8590 UniQ

The best! – The S8 UniQ is my third Miele vacuum cleaner. My others were very good so I purchased this one with confidence. I certainly haven't been disappointed. It is everything I could ever want. I love its powerful suction for my floors, I love that I can decrease the suction down to very gentle for my curtains, and I love that it also has many suction levels for upholstery. It has a low-noise option for those who are sensitive and a generous cord which stores itself inside the machine with the tap of a button. It comes with many attachments - power head, small brush, crevice device etc. I use them all and cleaning thoroughly would be much more difficult without them. I can definitely recommend Miele vacuum cleaners and this model particularly.

Perfection in design & performance for hard floors! – This Miele S8590 UniQ was a bargain purchased from the UK where due to market competition and VAT refunds, meant that I paid about half the price for this top-of-the-line model from the S8 series. Just to clarify, this was the price difference between what I paid and RRP for the item is in Australia. Sure, the model comes with the UK moulded plug, but at the moment, the item is currently being used in Malaysia, so there is no plug/socket difference.

Just to clarify too, this model is the 2,200W model, which I prefer, as I am using it principally with the Parquet Twister brush and wanted to ensure a similar suction performance as my previous S4. Miele have brought out the Ecoline and energy-saving models with a maximum 1,200W motor, but I am unsure if they have the same air-watts (i.e. cfm & inches of water lift) as the 2,200W models.

[And in case you're wondering, the previous S4582 is still going strong and in beautiful working condition, but I wanted the latest and sleekest from Miele, and have given the smaller S4 away to a grateful friend who was struggling with inefficient machines that gave trouble everywhere.]

The S8 UniQ is quiet, powerful, has the "Automatic" setting so one can "set and forget", and the vacuum automatically adjusts its wattage to suit the flooring or surface being cleaned. The LED light in the handle sounds a bit gimmicky, but is very useful in practice, especially for those dark corners that often get neglected. Now, every last bit of dust and dirt is revealed, ready to be cleaned up! Combined with the Parquet Twister floor head, this means that our hard floors are cleaned up in record time, while the few rugs are handled swiftly with the air-driven Turbobrush.

I also love the same tri-scopic wand as my previous S4, which means that even a "shorty" like myself can clean tall ceilings, fans, air-conditioning units etc. in a jiffy. I really recommend the SUB-20 Universal Brush, which can be twisted at different angles - much easier and safer than climbing up a ladder!

It also has a long cable at 6.5m, so fewer socket changes are needed. The cable winds up at the touch of a button, without the plug end flailing about dangerously.

The best thing? The reassurance of their Sealed Air System - clean filtered air, vitally important as we suffer from allergies and this doesn't aggravate symptoms like other "leaky" models. I also am expecting the dustbags to give the same performance as my previous FJM ones. Note: the S8 series uses the G/N series bags - so it should take quite a while to fill even though our cat sheds like mad! Again, due to the excellent suction performance, it keeps the place relatively cat-hair free and guests have remarked that they weren't aware initially there was a cat around.

The lights around the side of the vacuum's body - Miele's interpretation of "daytime running lights" - are not so useful in reality. I would have preferred if they'd provided a powered hose and wand instead so there was a ready option to attach a (motorised) powerhead directly. However, we only vacuum hard floors at present, so it really isn't an issue, but if we move to a place with wall-to-wall carpet, would have to look into that option.

BTW, we used to own a Dyson which we gave up on - cracked hose cuff replaced three times, hose split and replaced, frequent filter washes (out of order for at least 24 hours waiting for drying), extremely noisy motor which the cat hated (!) - and worst of all, dealing with that dreaded canister emptying exercise outside (cough! splutter! choke!). When we left Australia, we simply opted to leave the Dyson behind! Quiet performance, excellent suction, LED light in the handle. Stylish looks too! No electrified hose/wand - option to upgrade, but further expense.

Great cleaner – my carpets came up like they had been professionally cleaned , love the controls on the wand , just fantastic ...bags are so much less dust then bagless , i'm pleased

Excellent – Replaced a 10 year old Nilfisk. I was going to buy a Dyson however read some reviews and changed my mind. Very happy with outcome. This unit is Cat & Dog version with Turbo heads. We have a cat. The Miele is cheaper than Dyson and more quiet. The wand and fittings rotate smoothly and make use easy into different angle places. It is very powerful. I was not sure about buying another bag type vacuum however this unit incorporates the Hepa filter into the bag so a bag change means new filter all in one. And the bags are no more expensive than other brands. They also last a long time before needing changing.

I have hard floors mostly and bought SBB-400-3 Twister head from the USA (online) because for some strange reason Miele stopped selling them in Australia (I heard they might supply again soon). This head is brilliant, non-scratching, and speeds up cleaning due to the large 400mm head. Highly recommended for wooden floors. Powerful but reasonably quiet, not the most expensive.