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lynnalexandra

Which Vacuum? Riccar Pristine, Sebo Airbelt, Miele Callisto?

lynnalexandra
14 years ago

I spent hours (and hours) reading reviews here and across the net this winter. I have medium pile carpet in all bedrooms and family room, and wood (with area rugs) in living room, dining room and kitchen. I prefer canisters and want one that's good and convenient for dusting as well. Also really important that it filters air well (we all have asthma/allergies). After several Kenmore progressives breaking in numerous ways, I thought I'd be buying a Miele Callisto - and went to a local dealer to actually try some out.

Now I'm more confused. The dealer much preferred the sebo airbelt K3 - that was his first choice. He said the Miele's are not made as well any more. His second choice was the Riccar Pristine (listed at $1029 but he'd offer a discount for the floor model). He also thought the jRoyal Lexon 520 was a possibility (although he clearly preferred the riccar and Sebo). The Riccar Charisma is the same as the Simplicity Clinch.

Does anyone have advice about which is better? The SEbo airbelt K3, Riccar Charisma (or Simplicity Clinch) and Miele Callisto are also in the $800 range. So with comparable prices, which is better?

Lastly, if we go with Riccar/Simplicity, should we consider the full sized canisters instead of mid-size?

Thank you.

Lynn.

Comments (18)

  • bookert
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    lynnalexandra,

    Not sure if this will help, but here goes....
    I have owned upright Riccar vacuum's for years. Love them! Heavier than most, but the performance is top notch, at least for me. I own 3 of them presently.( yes, I like them that much!)
    I bought a Riccar 1500 smaller canister vac for my mom and I use it to vac for her when I visit. Medium pile carpet and laminate type flooring. Works great, although the cord is shorter than I'd like. It has a double filter and you can purchase both regular and hepa filters for it. Bags can be cloth or paper depending on which you choose to buy. Wonderful IMO for people with asthma and or allergies. I've had great luck with dependability as well. No problems and years of use. I do change the bags often, about 1/2 full or so, maybe that helps?
    I would highly recommend them, good luck with your decision.

  • lynnalexandra
    Original Author
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hi, Bookert. Thank you. That is helpful. I see some lightly used on Ebay - both the Pristine (mid-sized canister) and 1700 (full sized canister). The salesman at the vacuum store was recommending the Pristine - didn't even mention the 1700 - but perhaps he thought a single household wouldn't want a full-sized canister?

    Thank you.
    Lynn.

  • bookert
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    lynnalexandra,

    Yes, ebay is a good choice if you know what you're looking for. I myself, would go for a full sized vac to get all of the benefits if it includes more accessories and/or more amps. You may not NEED it, but who knows down the road, it may come in handy. I also have a few Tristar canister vacs and you may want to look into those on ebay as well. They are made exceptionally well IMO too. Not trying to confuse you by any means.
    Both units should last for years and give you great cleaning abilities too. My Tristar has two filters and they also use two bags, one cloth and the other a paper insert. No issues with allergies for us.
    Again, hope this helps.
    Have a fantastic day!

  • geguymw
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    You have some good choices mentioned in your original post, so you do not have to stick with the Miele brand. Recently, Miele introduced an improved filter bag. With the improved bag, you get one less bag per pack, plus a higher price tag. You will be spending $5.00 per bag. A better solution would be if Miele kept the old bags and also marketed the new bags. This way, you give the customer a choice. Other vacuum cleaner companies already do this. The Miele will be the quietest vacuum of all the ones you mentioned, but that does not mean the others are loud. When coupled with the top-of-the-line power nozzle, it will do a very good job of cleaning medium to thick carpeting. Miele is excellent at filtering, as well as the brands and models that I will mention later.

    Sebo is another very good German vacuum cleaner brand. The liteweight K-3 that you mention will clean well, but the high filtering bags will cost you quite a bit, because the bags are very small. You will be changing them more often unless you live in a smaller house or apartment. Having a shedding animal will also speed up filling. Personally, I do not care for the small hose handle, but it would work well for a woman with smaller hands. The Sebo does have a long hose, very good floor brush and telescopic wand. I do not care for the upholstery tool, because it requires that you connect it to the crevice tool in order to use it.

    Riccar and Simplicity are two more very good brands from Tacony. They introduced the full-sized canisters to compete with Mieles full-sized Blue Moon, which is now discontinued. RiccarÂs 1700/1800 and SimplicityÂs S36/S38 are beautiful, feature-packed vacuum cleaners. A lot of their controls/sensors are on the hose handle. It will show you when to change the filter or bag. You can also adjust the power level(like Miele and Sebo). What you need to consider is that these full-sized vacuums may feel heavy for you, so give them a lift. Tacony listened and came out with midsized canisters designed after the full-sized versions. The midsized are going to have less power, but the average person will not even notice it. It really is not important. These canisters will not have all the controls on the handle, but some will be on the machine itself. The deluxe power nozzles, found on the full-sized models and the midsized Simplicity Verve and Riccar Pristine, will do a very good job of cleaning carpeting. The Riccar Charisma/Simplicity Cinch will have a smaller, less aggressive power nozzle, that will not clean thicker carpeting as well as the more aggressive power nozzle. It also does not have a height adjustment like the deluxe nozzles or the deluxe top of the line power nozzle on the Miele.

    No one can tell you which vacuum to purchase. It will have to be your decision, since you are the one who will be using it. Decide what is more important in a vacuum cleaner, for you. If you have any more question, just ask them here. I have more to say, but will take a rest and add more about the Royal lexon S20 in another post.

  • bestyears
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    We went from a Miele canister vacuum to a Sebo X4 upright, when I decided I was tired of dragging a canister around, about five years ago or so. I wonder if we had the same salesguy as you since the pitch was almost identical. Long-story short -the Sebo has never been as good a vacuum as my Miele still is. The Miele is about 20 years old now, and works as well as it did new. One big difference is that the Miele never emits a smell -and the Sebo often does, even with a barely filled bag....

  • lucky51
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    All good choices.
    Additional information.

    The new AMERICAN made Simplicity canisters will be available in the next month or two. Moxie and Gusto and a new motorized hand brush is becoming available. The Middle range units, Verve and Cinch are VERY powerful. They consistently rate higher on my water lift gauges than any other machines I have tested. (Work the price)

    Callisto is now packed with a more aggressive powerhead. I disagree with a previous poster in that from my experience working on them, I think these are VERY WELL MADE machines. Miele is coming out shortly with the older style bags in the new material as the Hyclean. I have personally used a particle meter on a S5 canister and can attest the gauges read 0 particle count at the exhaust.

    K3 is a great compact machine the C3.1 is more like the size of the Callisto and Moxie/Gusto

    Royal is a Hoover Body with a different style powerhead. Chinese made.

  • patsyann
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    If you haven't purchased yet, give the Dyson a try. I had mine for a few years and love it. I actually bought a smaller model to take with us when we go r.v.ing.

  • geguymw
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I would not suggest the Dyson for the OP. Who is going to empty the dirt container, because she said "we all have asthma/allergies"? The Dyson, and any other bagless is not a good idea for people like the OP.

  • mcmann
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    geguymw - even though I don't need a new vacuum at the moment (I'm happy with my Kenmore Progressive canister) I always read vacuum reviews - you never know when You'll want or need a new one. So thanks for your thoughtful post and especially the info about the cost of the bags. That's something I've learned to ask about. My Mom had a Hoover with a fairly large bag but by the time you folded the top and bottom over to fit them inside the compartment their actual size was reduced. I wish manufacturers had to disclose the true volume of the bag.

    To the original poster - I've also learned to use the vacuum in the store before finalizing my purchase. I thought I wanted a top of the line Miele canister until I tried to maneuver it in the store - after only a few minutes my wrist began to hurt - it took too much effort and this was on a low nap commercial carpet.

  • jrich25_hotmail_com
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Which one is better?

  • oasisowner
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I have owned a Simplicity upright for 8 years and it is still running strong. Great suction and wonderful if you have family members with allergies/asthma. Unfortunately, we removed all the carpeting and the upright no longer meets our needs. I have narrowed down the choices to a mid size Simplicity canister (full size is awfully heavy) or a Pro-team Runningvac or a Pro-team Super Quartervac. The problem with choosing the Pro-team is that I can't find anywhere nearby to test one.

  • msi9670
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Look into the origanl Electolux's now call Aerus Electolux.
    Will last for years and still made in the USA. Even Hoovers are not made in this Country any more, What a shame..

  • geguymw
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    msi9670

    Like I said in another thread, not all Aerus vacuum cleaners are made in the USA. Aerus fresh Era is one of them. The Fresh Era upright is made for some other brands as well. Aerus made some changes, so it would not look identical to a Hoover, Royal, etc. The present model uses a different brushroll, hood and motor speeds. The previous Lux Lite Aerus was identical to the other twins from Hoover and Royal.

    Even if a vacuum cleaner is assembled in the USA, it may be full of foreign-made parts.

    Not all China-made vacuums are bad. Each vacuum cleaner model should be evaluated individually. One company could use three different Chinese companies to make a vacuum line.

  • ozziepuppy
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I have the Sebo X4 and I like it a lot. I just got the Riccar Supralite RSL5 for my parents. They have not received it yet (shipped it to them UPS) so I don't know how they like it, but I did a lot of research and went to several stores before purchasing it. If I were in the market for a new vacuum cleaner that would probably be the one I would get at this point. I don't think you can go wrong with either brand.

  • beti1948
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    geguymw wrote: "Not all China-made vacuums are bad."

    I know this is an older thread but I wanted to say that it's not about quality any more - it's an economic issue. You can find good and bad quality made in every single country but we have a ridiculous trade deficit with China and many other countries. Every dollar we spend on a product made in other countries with which we have a trade deficit is a dollar that never comes back to this country. This is not a sustainable model and is economics 101 - if you spend more than you make, you go crash.

    But regarding the vacuum, Simplicity's uprights are made in the US but I really need a canister. They have a new story from a few years ago on their flash page that says they were planning to bring manufacturing of the canisters back home from Korea. The sales person at my local shop said the canisters are assembled here but I got home and the box says Made In China so back it goes. I've emailed Simplicity and I'm going to call the shop and see what I can find out.

  • emma
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I have been using sweepers for 56 years and have used many different sweepers, they are just vacuums. I went back to an ordinary Hoover. My Sis has an older cannister that uses water and I have not used it but from what she said it is better, because she can see the results in the water mostly dog fur.

  • kinikia
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I have owned a Sebo Airbelt for over 9 years. I also extensively researched, and considered the Meile and even a Rainbow as well. My dealer recommended the Airbelt over Meile. At the time I did not have pets, but he told me that if I got pets, or if allergies were a problem, the Sebo was the way to go because of it's triple filter system. I now have dogs that shed, I've used it in the driveway to vacuum my SUV, and my husband (unbeknownst to me!) vacuumed up drywall dust. Until about 2 years ago, every time I changed the bag, the interior was PRISTINE! Now after almost 10 years of hard use, I have only a very very fine bit of dust in some of the corners.This machine is a champ!

    I will say, I had to replace the power wand about 1 year ago, and it wasn't cheap. But neither was the vac. My dealer still recommends this over any others, he said his wife has a Sebo, and he said Meiles are now made in China.

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