Miele Polaris - guidestar of vacuums? :)

Author's Rating:

Pros: Light, pretty, well-designed, great filtration, dust-free bags, adjustable power settings

Cons: Finicky attachments, too-short cord & hose, exhaust venting straight up

The Bottom Line: 
Well worth the extra $$, I look forward to using this for a long time!

Author's Review
[NB: long review!]

Summary: Light-weight, excellent dust filtration, quiet. 

Bought the Miele Polaris because our ten-year-old Hoover Wind Tunnel finally kicked the bucket (rest easy, old friend).  Wow, what a difference!  I wouldn't say I'm a happy homemaker... surly and overwhelmed most days, ha - but the Polaris sure makes cleaning a joy. 

I first thought about European brands when I was visiting family in Sweden, and was amazed at how tiny and light - and QUIET - their vacuum was.  Couldn't understand why our vacuum was such a loud behemoth.  In a city house, space is at such a premium, and I really longed for a machine that was more portable and didn't take up acres of floor space when stored.  But I didn't want to pitch the old Wind Tunnel as it was still serviceable, so I spent my time researching, and dreaming of a Miele.  But at last, I have my hands on this jewel!  :)

First impressions:  works really well on pet hair (especially a week's build-up, since that was how long it took between the old one breaking down and buying a new one).  (We have a fluffy Samoyed who sheds like nobody's business, and all the hair came right up.)    So quiet that I was able to vacuum while our 1.5-year-old slept... granted, not in the same room, but in the past the Hoover would have blasted him awake even if I was on a different level of the house.   Fabulous filter - I didn't realize until now that our old vacuum must have been spitting out tons of dust, because with the Miele, the air feels so much cleaner after vacuuming!

PROS:

- Light!! I believe it's listed as 11 lbs, but with attachments and everything it's more like 17 or 18 lbs.  Still a lot lighter than our old Hoover - I don't mind carrying this baby up and down the stairs.  (I am not very tall, so I hate struggling with unwieldy machines while I negotiate stairs.)  Makes it a whole lot more likely I'll vacuum upstairs once a week.

- Pretty.  Love the sleek curves and sophisticated color.  (I didn't pick it based on the color, but I'm glad it's not neon.)

- Clever design. I love the slide-in lock to hold the wand when you're going up and down the stairs, or for storage, or just to hold it upright when you need to use your hands for something else... genius.  No bits protruding from the canister that might snap off in a careless moment.  And the telescoping wand is so elegant - unlike our old vacuum where the sections came apart, and rolled away, or were forgotten when you walked away.  Here the extra length is available when you want it, easily stored when you don't. The parts just feel solid, too: nice quiet click when you snap them together.

- Amazing filtration.  I was going to buy the optional HEPA filter but the salesperson suggested I try the standard (Super Air Clean) filter first and see how I liked it.  I am terribly sensitive to smoke and dust - if I so much as walk past someone raking leaves my chest tightens up - and I have to say, the standard filter is amazing.  Even when the exhaust blew right in my face I never once felt like wheezing. 

Upon reading the fine print, I realized the standard filter filters out 99.97% of particles up to 0.5 microns, and 94% of particles up to 0.3 microns.  In comparison, the HEPA filter captures 99.97% of the particles up to 0.3 microns.  So I'm thinking that most of the time the 6% difference in effectiveness is small enough not to bother me. :)  I may still pick up the HEPA filter if I'm feeling flush, since it lasts 1-2 years supposedly.


- "Dustless" bags.  I LOVE that the bag is self-sealing - no more puffs of dust when changing bags!!  Also, the bag material looks to be better for containing allergens - a woven? material rather than paper.

- Variable power.  I hadn't been looking for this feature when I was shopping (main factors for me were: light weight, allergen filtration, durability) - but I love it.  I can make it stronger for carpet, lighter for dusting delicate items.   I wonder if it also means the motor lasts longer?

- Maneuverability:  again, not a feature I'd sought out, but it's really nice to have.  I don't have tug-of-war battles like I did with the old machine - the Polaris follows me around like a well-trained dog.

CONS:

- No cupholder! (ha - that was my husband's comment, when I told him it was made in Germany)

- VariClip (the thing that holds the attachments piggyback on the hose) is finicky, falls off easily if you look at it funny.   I guess on the bigger models the tool holder is built into the chassis.

- Attachments don't all fit well on the end of the wand. The crevice tool is hard to put on and take off.  And at least with this set, the brush tool is too short to cover the square hole at the end of the wand, so it reduces the suction.  I've been just putting it on the nozzle instead, which means I don't get the extra length of the wand.  But I haven't minded too much.  I might ask the dealer about it, though.

- Cord and hose are too short.  I suppose I could see about getting the XXL wand for a little extra reach.  That would make the whole thing heavier, though. 

- Exhaust vents straight up, into my face - wish it had a "scoop" to redirect the air away at an angle.  Maybe this is an issue for me because I'm petite, and therefore closer to the air blowing in my face?

Edit: On the other hand, I've discovered that because the vent is on the top, it doesn't get blocked when you set the vacuum on its end while vacuuming the stairs. 

- Hardwood attachment.  I bought the Turbobrush (TB), in addition to the combo hard floor/carpet tool that comes with the machine.    Still on the fence about this one - the Turbobrush is a little better than the combo tool (CT), but it's not amazing.  On the other hand, we almost never used the power brush attachment on our old Hoover, it was so loud and violent (ate up area rugs, scared dogs and children, etc.).  It was also quite heavy.

(Note: I got the TB for $100 extra, which makes this comparable to the Miele Neptune.  The models are essentially the same, per the sales clerk - you just get different attachments. You can also buy the HEPA filter separately, don't pay more for a model if that's the sole reason. Evaluate prices accordingly when you buy.   So, total paid was more like $560 including the TB, and tax.)

In contrast, the TB and CT are fairly easy to push, and don't chew up the rugs but still get all the dust up.  I was walking barefoot tonight and I didn't get that dusty feeling on my feet, as I used to with our old model when I didn't know there were better things out there!

I hope to update this review after we've had the Polaris for a while.  Happy vacuuming, y'all!

UPDATE (one day later): After vacuuming the whole house, top to bottom, I've decided I'm going to see about getting the HEPA filter and parquet tool.

I was thinking about returning the TB: it seems to reduce suction when I have that on, and it's not that much more effective than the combo tool.   (We have mostly hardwood, with area rugs in 3 rooms and carpet on the stairs.)  But, there were a few stubborn patches of dog fuzz on the carpet, and for that the TB brushing action is critical.  So - for 75-80% of our vacuuming, the CT cuts it, but I need the turbo for that last little bit. 

Still impressed by how quiet this thing is - you can hear the TV over the sound of the vacuum, or someone walking up to you.

UPDATE #2:  Looks like Miele is coming out with even newer models - the S2s.  See also the S2 Olympus ($299), Delphi ($499), Titan ($599).   Kinda wish I had known about the Olympus before getting the Polaris, as it seems like much the same machine, but oh well, we really needed a new vac right away! :)