S5280 / S5281 Pisces

Seconding this! I use a bagged canister (Miele Callisto) for work and it defies logic how much hair fits in as it compresses. A former client had a 100lb Bernese Mountain dog that, no exaggeration, shed more hair in *one week* than my longhair cat has his entire life. When I still had these clients, I was changing the bag every other week, and that was with 8 cats and 4 dogs between the rest of my jobs. Now that I'm only able to work part time (6 cats, 3 dogs between clients currently) it takes me *months* to fill a bag. I even started cheaping-out and using lower capacity aftermarkets (I know, I know, I'm a former repair tech though so I still spring for Miele filters). Go bagged, thank us later!

Unfortunately, a canister with a powerhead, parquet floor tool and full suite of hand attachments is really your best bet for the needs you listed. Sure, you can get an upright with a hose attachment/tools, but they always tip over (not great for the machine) and for hard floors, even with the brushroll off, they leave a lot behind/can't get into tight spaces. Once you get used to (a good) canister, there's really nothing as versatile. Even my favorite uprights can only do what they're designed for, so I would need an additional canister like a Mighty Mite to cover all my bases if air quality weren't a concern. But air quality is a big concern for me and my cleaning clients, so I use a Miele with an SEB228 powerhead/tools almost exclusively.

Former vacuum repair tech, current professional cleaner chiming in: a Miele canister with an SEB228 powerhead and a parquet tool for hard surfaces is what I use 99% of the time, and all I truly recommend for most homes. Usually when folks have issues with Miele, it's not the model best suited to their needs/they're not using the proper tool/suction/height adjustment for the job. Folks will buy a model with the air-driven head because it's cheaper, try to use it on wall-to-wall carpets, but that's not what the head was made for (stiff, low pile rugs mainly). Conversely, they'll spring for an SEB228 model, but use that on hard floors adjusted to carpet height with the brushroll spinning, so it'll just kick dust around. Also, most of my clients have mixed flooring i.e. carpets in bedrooms, hard floors with area rugs everywhere else... I have a set of cheap aftermarket plastic wands I keep the parquet tool on (because it's light) and leave the heavy electric wand attached to the powerhead since that only gets used on carpets. I can vacuum walls and baseboards with ease, and when I switch heads, it's at waist height instead of bending down. Most folks don't strictly *need* that, but since I'm vacuuming up to 20hrs a week, it's a massive time/back saver.

Before I went into cleaning, I was a vacuum repair tech for a brick and mortar vacuum/sewing store... one of the last certified warranty repair shops in the region, so whether or not we sold it, I fixed it. Miele is really the only brand I can recommend wholeheartedly for homes. The next top 3 (and it isn't even close) all have massive drawbacks and cost about the same anymore. The lowest tier Miele is a better machine than the highest tier from anyone else. Both from a repair and use standpoint. The only limit they have is super shag carpets, and if that's what you've got: cleanliness clearly isn't a priority.

I'm an outlier here, but as a former vacuum repair tech, Miele all the way, Sebo after that. Not a fan of Shark at all, terrible to repair and horrendous to deal with for warranty issues.

Sebo got the x4 pet and x7 upright every part is user replaceable, they last years.. 6 litre dust bag we use them in domestic care homes. Henry a simple vaccum sturdy enough but not good on deep pile carpets, plus if u forecful the hose comes off if henry is stuck around the corner. Dyson crap plastic useless.. Miele had the older revolution 5000 series cylinder wat a hoover you can use a powered head and it acts like a upright plus u can get the car kit set to use.. Mine lasted 15 years the powered switch failed miele wanted £150 ... ouch wasnt worth repairing it

I prefer the mains driven cord Miele vacuum- my current s5999 is 20 years old 2000 watt

Say what you will about the V15 Detect, but I swear it picks up more than my corded Miele S550 does.

I've read enough posts here to know that a cordless vac will never complete with a corded unit. I've had my Miele Capricorn for years and love it, and we also have a Roborock robot that for whatever reason I really only use to vacuum and mop the kitchen daily. I've had a Dyson v6 around for years for quick clean ups, kitty litter spills etc but it's getting pretty worn. I've been tempted to grab a refurb Dyson v8/10 \~$200, but I know Dyson sucks (or doesn't suck to be more accurate...) What else should I be looking at for a cordless vac that preferably won't end up with my wifes long hair or cat hair wrapped around the roller constantly?

Miele. Have had our platinum since 1998, Capricorn since 2005, C1 since 2005, C1 since 2009, another Capricorn since 2013, and C3 since 2015. All still working beautifully, only issues were with the 2013 Capricorn, which has been to the repair shop multiple times - bad apple blended with an aggressive housekeeper. We would never consider purchasing anything but Miele. Because of our positive experience with the vacuum, we bought a Miele refrigerator and a Miele dishwasher in 2013 and both are still going strong with minor repairs along the way. Miele is well worth the investment.

They do get gummy, I've only got old used ones rehabbed from eBay finds. The Capricorn definitely has a bit of tackiness to it, but not unbearable. The Gemini has a more basic handle without the controls in it. It must not have had the rubberized grip, it's not sticky at all. It had paint chipping here and there, but with new filters and a new bag it surprised the heck out of me with how well it sucked. The wands must be that long to reach up I'm guessing. I'm 6'2", 6'3" on a good day and there's at least 2-3 clicks length left when it's at a comfortable height for me.

Probably just a dusty connection. It would be worth the cost for a can of electrical contact cleaner to see if it would help. I have an older Miele Capricorn with the button controls on the handle and it would shut the vac off if the handle and wand were in just the right position. I took it apart, cleaned it up with the spray, made sure all the buttons were good and clean. It works like new, or what I imagine new would be, no issues whatsoever. I'm sure that's why this vacuum was being sold. It was a bit fiddly getting the handle back together but not terrible.