Been waiting for a deal on this one - not as good as the sub-$500 deals that crop up from time to time, but I have been living with my workshop Ozito wet and dry since my Electrolux packed it in over summer and it's time to pull the trigger.
CamelCamelCamel.
Great vac but terrible to maneuver around the house. I also find you chew through the carbon filters
Most sources say you only need to replace the carbon filter every 12 months or so. Are you vacuuming up cat litter with yours or something?
I've got a couple of dogs so vacuum every other day but I mean it's a cat and dog vacuum…. I replaced one at the start of the month and it would already be 1/4 of the way up the gauge
You don't really have to replace them when the gauge says so. If if starts to smell bad, then replace it.
@whitelie I have a C3 cat and dog vac. I find the manoeuvrability fine, actually much better than my Shark upright canister vac which I don’t use as it is heavy and can’t get under chairs, beds, furniture etc. We have a 3 person household, no animals that live inside and I vacuum once a week. Have gone through a couple of the Active Airclean charcoal filters which lasted longer than expected (around 18-20 months). I switched to the Hepa filter which I am currently using. The activation strip went along rapidly and is close to the end after only a few months.
I am about to replace the Hepa filter and go back to the charcoal filter as the whole house smells every time I use it. When mum comes home after I have vacuumed, she can always tell and says ‘Oh, you’ve been vacuuming. I can smell it!’. I always have the windows and doors open for ventilation but the smell takes a while to dissipate.
Great vacuum but they changed the powerhead for the worse, very hard to clean now.
The old version was very quick and easy to open and clean.
I had a similar problem with my Electrolux Barrel Cleaner - bought an extra long extension vacuum tube and I could just sit it in the middle of each room and get to all corners.
Yes I have the bag less version and I think it a great vacuum. I use the ozito wet and dry like the OP on those occasions that requires a lot of heavy dust removal (eg after removing tiles, paint dust.) where the Miele would just quickly clog the filter until it stops working. You can wash the filter a few times though.
Agree with the head though, they seem to all make it hard to remove long hair these days. They must have had too many complaints about loose plates.
The new one apparently cleans better on higher piled carpets. They changed it as EU has power restrictions on vacs so they needed to design a more efficient turbo head to use with lower power vacs.
I wonder how long they continue to make the bags for and sell them…. Are they generic enough to find someone in China making them well after Miele does?
I would think they will be available for decades being that they work across many models going back quite a while.
The bags have been the same since like the 80s. Why would they stop making them? They do sell bagless vacs but they don't seem to be phasing out the bagged versions.
Make you buy a new vacuum….
Common upgrade technique. All they would have to do is change the location or design of the adapter and the bag would no longer fit. Many other industries do it
Anything is possible, sure. They could go out of business tomorrow and be bought out by the likes of Dyson et al but their track record is probably the best in the appliance biz regarding availability of spare parts and sustainable manufacturing practices.
whats the point of using a bagged vaccum still?
They actually clean better (choice confirmed) and produce less mess upon disposal, sure bags are an ongoing cost, but so are the filters in many top range bagless vacuums these days.
you normally dump it outside into your street bin. Seems extremly wasteful
If you ignore the fact they said bagged vacuums clean better, which answered your original question, then yeah bag vs no bag does seem more wasteful.
The bags last ages, easily a month plus using it multiple times per week (that's being very conservative, I've replaced the bag once in 3 months so far). Every bagless vac I've used would be full enough within a week to lose suction. Plus you also breathe in the dust when emptying them.
Ease of emptying and less mess. If you’re keen you can sew in a zipper and empty it too.
Have a look at reviews (with more than 10 or 20 votes) of Miele vacuum cleaners on ProductReview (they are all bagged vacuum cleaners afaik).
Cleaner exhaust air, better for allergy sufferers. Eg for this one you've got the bag itself, a motor pre-filter, and an exhaust HEPA filter. Whereas most bagless ones will just have the one filter on the exhaust.
Why would I buy this over say a backpack vacuum?
Because it's a better vacuum
Besides calling the Miele vacuum service center directly (which is in Mornington), does anyone have suggestions for an independent service center in Melbourne that does Miele C3 vacuums? Unfortunately, I made the mistake of using generic bags from Amazon, which failed to seal properly. This has resulted in a significant amount of debris entering the motor. Now, whenever we use the vacuum, it emits an unbearable odor, forcing us to ventilate the house to clear the smell.
No info on a service centre, but I have been using generic bags and they have not leaked for me. Currently oos but hopefully will be back later https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/333030460810?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mk…
Take a look at this video by a vacuum repair technician on generic bags: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJDdaSynypc
You can see him pull apart a C1 after customer used generic bags and filter. This may be useful if you want to attempt to repair yourself. If your vac motor is damaged (seems so), then you'll need a replacement motor.
For vacuum repairs, try asking a vacuum sales store. They may do repairs themselves or at least know who does.
Ive had one of these for a long time, they run phenomenally especially if you have carpet and pets that shed.
Unfortunately cleaning them is a PITA, they arent convenient or quick to do so, but theyve been around for so long and dont seem to be going anywhere anytime soon so thats good for long term support 5+ years down the line.
Warning: cat and dog not included
I bought this C3 Cat & Dog two days ago on sale for about $629 (was $699) from Harvey Norman. Ouch to find it now $518, although the seller seems to be out of stock again so not too great a loss.
Just FYI, my C3 Cat & Dog came with the HEPA filter and not the Charcoal. I consider that a win. I thought I'd have to buy a HEPA filter later on. It comes with only one bag, so you'll want to buy some at time of purchase.
The turbo brush and the all-surface tools work well. Happy with the machine. Huge improvement over the 2400W kmart disposable bagless vacs that we were chewing through every year. I don't think I'll be bothering with bagless again any time soon.
My box has C3 Complete - Cat & Dog - PowerLine - SGFF3 on it
SKU is 12396510 - 41GFF331 - AUS
Be aware that unlike other markets, the C3 does not come with the Parquet Twister brush in Australia (a sticker on the box covers up the Parquet Twister). It also isn't the electric spinning brush head model. Miele doesn't sell those electrified attachments in Australia. I was hoping that the main C3 unit would include the power port to plugin a powered hose and attachments, but it does not. The port is blanked off and there's nothing behind it. The pure suction is so good though, that I don't even care. The extra cost for genuine or 3rd party electric attachments aren't worth it in my opinion.
If you need better than this, consider upgrading to a commercial unit like that Lindhaus Cannister Vacuum HF6 Pro for $716 https://www.cleaningshop.com.au/contents/en-us/p45863_Lindha… . It has great reviews globally. You can add electric head, hose, etc. for about $500. The HF6 sucks, blows, does some carpet dry cleaning thing with the right chemicals, and can even act as an air purifier. Been around since the 1990s, so repairs, parts, and knowledge should be easy to find.
C3 with HEPA filter and included tools is enough for me tho.
I have to turn the suction down as it adheres to the carpet at max.
It's designed and made in Germany.
Positive ratings of all (at least all the ones I saw) Miele vacuums above 90% on Amazon, ProductReview, etc.
Miele vacuums are not glued together in a Chinese factory - you can literally 'feel' the quality as soon as you take it out of the box.
If you want a great vacuum cleaner which will last you for years (or even decades) as long as you use original Miele bags and/or accessories, you can't go wrong with a German made Miele.
P.S. there is a tiny number of the cheapest Miele products not made in Germany, but not these ones (at least they weren't a year ago), but you might want to confirm just in case.
If you go to thegoodguys website, you get an automatic revised price of $508