S8320 Cat & Dog

Miele yes. Dyson no. I have a european market 240V that I run in the US on a NEMA 6-15 outlet. Love that setup. We initially did it because 20 years ago Miele were dirt cheap in europe. Since then I have found a few US spec Miele in the trash, and several of them have been repurposed for friends and such. They are solid machines and if you want to do serious work the corded model is what you want.

I pull vacuums from the trash all the time. I used to do Dyson uprights, often they would just need a belt and a clean and they were goo to sell. I have done some Dyson cordless sticks, they are OK for light use, but not at all BIFL. I have found 4 or 5 Mieles over the years, some with damage or whatever. I cleaned up and fixed and a bunch of them and either sold them or given them away. They work well, are nicely deisgned, there is parts availability. Change the filter and bag often enough and they perform great. Compact size is a plus also.

Mieles are organized in 4 tiers: C1 Compact (entry level, smaller, for apartments & small homes), Guard M (replaces the previous C3, none of these have a power nozzle in the US Market), C3 (outgoing workhorse, find one this Black Friday, they are solid machines, the Kona, Cat & Dog, Marin, HomeCare E+ all have power nozzles), and the Guard L series. The black L models are suction only, the blue and titanium have power nozzles. The new Guard models that are labeled Cat & Dog do not have a power nozzle, instead they use an air driven turbo floor nozzle.

Ideally, you have a vacuum retailer near you so you can test drive these and get a good deal; Miele C3, these are being closed out and remaining stock is marked down. The Kona, Cat & Dog, Marin, and Homecare E+ are the C3s to look for. A Miele C1 Cat and Dog is also a solid choice. There are 2 brand new L1 Guard vacuums from Miele; the L1 (blue) and L1 Electro (titanium). All of these models but the Marin use the same SEB 228 power nozzle. The Marin gets a lower profile SEB 236 with an LED light. Only dealers can sell the Homecare and Electro models, these have 5 year warranty’s vs standard 3 year. Discounts for Black Friday are @20% for remaining C3s, at least 15% everything else. For Sebo, the E3 and K3 are excellent vacuums to also consider. German made like Miele, 10 year warranty’s if purchased from a dealer, and very reliable.

Prices in Europe are more reasonable for Miele, Sebo and the Henry. Miele S series, Sebo K series and Henry would be the models I'ld be looking at.

We've got a Miele C3 Cat & Dog but i understand that model has been discontinued. If you can find one still for sale anywhere i'd recommend it, you'll never need to buy another one. They're built like absolute tanks and just *work*.

Sebo seems to have fewer sales than Miele, who occasionally has 30% off sales on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. I scored a C3 Cat & Dog for $900 on Amazon’s Miele store. Where you buy can matter, though. There are a lot of bad and scummy vacuum dealers in general, so be selective with who you go with if you buy from a dealer. Local is ideal if you have a good local dealer.

S8s are super, super easy to repair. What broke? The C3 is still available in some stores, even from Miele directly. I tried many other vacs and couldn’t find one that had the power and comfort and the S8/C3. The Guard L1 models are slightly less powerful, but still very good vacs.

Alternatively, the Sebo E3 is probably the closest thing. It doesn’t have as much power, and it isn’t available with HEPA-13 (or HEPA at all), nor is it as comfortable to use but they are very durable and well-engineered. People that don’t like them tend to not like them because of the hose, which is also a common complaint with the D4. Overall, the C3 is significantly more comfortable to use, more power, superior filtration, more aggressive carpet performance, more suitable for residential applications. If it is the motor in your S8 that died, the motors can be replaced in 2 - 5 mins. Very easy, not expensive. $130!USD is what I see that listed at.

I have the older C3 cat & dog when it went on sale (Amazon AU), it was 2000W for about $400. The suction is a lot better than my cheap vacuum. Not sure if the newer 890W C3's have a similar suction level. Another but more expensive option is Sebo.