PROS: Very quiet (for a vacuum cleaner). This makes it MUCH more pleasant to use. Very solid build quality. Smaller and lighter, yet far more powerful, than any I’ve owned. Easier to use than an upgright because you only have to move the hose. Adjustable speed is nice for rugs.

CONS: None really.
Rating: 5 / 5

Bags are extremely hard to come by, and where I live (city of 3 million people) they are nowhere to be found. Had to special mail order them. The price of bags is extremely high: $12 for 3 (including filter). It seems it is the only way to order bags: with filter. Kenmore bags cost me $1 for 2 (available at dollar stores!) and the filter is washable.

Do not be fooled by the advertizing: this machine uses HEPA “type” filtration, where “type” is the key word. Inside you will see two filters which need changing every 6-12 months, at least that’s what the manual says. They cost the earth, and I found you can just go to home depot, get a filter for over the range vent for 2 bucks for a huge square, cut a piece you need for the vac and save big $.

Suction is OK until the bag gets half filled when it dropps dramatically.

The suction hose is waaaaaaay too long, by at least 2 feet. It tangles and gets in the way.

The lighted power brush attachement lights up the ceiling but not the carpet in front of it.

The power cord that is used to connect the power brush has to be plugged in under the carry handle which totally prevents you from lifting the vac and carrying around, who would design it this way???!?!?!?

Not all attachments fit “on board”, the floor brush does not and has to be stored separately.

This machine is also available under the name: Dirt Devil power pak, or Jaguar (do not mistake with the “breeze”).

I am dissapointed with the machine and the headache of finding the bags and the rip-off price they cost.
Rating: 2 / 5

Also, though I like my $500 upright, I should have gotten the $300 one. The only difference is the number of service vists and they push the better but way more expesive bags on you. (the same bags fit ALL models)

Rating: 1 / 5

These (in fact all Miele’s) are the bomb!!!
Rating: 5 / 5

We had a Panasonic last us a dozen years, once upon a time, and in the decade since, we’ve gone through at least half a dozen vacuum cleaners. I’ve “splurged” on high-end Bissell machines, and I’ve taken my chances on a $30 clearance-rack machines (the WORST was that Dirt Devil upright…unbelievably loud, smelly, eegads…fortunately it burned out after a mere three months). At best, they’ve lasted a couple of years, limping along with broken plastic parts for most of that time.

This time around, I thought I’d take the plunge and see if maybe, just maybe, spending REAL money would save in the long run. After a stainless-steel, American-made Metropolitan vacuum arrived with a broken and terribly frail powerhead, I went off to the vacuum superstore and looked at everything else. I made my choice with confidence after the salesman encouraged me to jump up and down on the Miele Leo, stomp and twist the hose, bend the cover over the tool storage compartment, and yank on the retractible cord.

With 11 kids in the house, a dog with long, thick fur, four cats, and various other critters, we are not a lightweight-vacuum household. And even Miele’s nozzles are by far the sturdiest I’ve ever seen.

Moreover, the Leo (I actually got a Gemini, the equivalent model available through Diamond dealers) is exceedingly quiet, it’s casters are extremely agile, and every part snaps on soundly and firmly. The bags are thick, quilted things complete with self-closing flaps for clean disposal. The exhaust smells like fresh air. It’s not heavy, but it is solid. It just feels like a luxury machine. Even the kids and the husband are smitten with it.

The downside, of course, is price. That S236 Power Nozzle alone costs more than most of the other machines we’ve owned. A simple upholstery nozzle is an eye-popping $30. I’ve had to install shelves and hooks in the basement, to keep these treasures stowed in a worthy manner.

But overall, I’m feeling spoiled rotten, with little doubt that this machine will last well past the 10 years I figure it will need to become cost-effective (based on the cumulative price of all those throw-away machine’s we’ve owned). Miele’s own philosophy (one I heartily applaud) is that everything they make should last for 20 years. If only more companies would operate on the same principal!
Rating: 5 / 5

Beware of who you buy from and what their return policies are. Vacuums of America charged me a restocking fee of 15% even though it doesn’t state that anywhere on their Amazon pages. They were even aware that it doesn’t state that and were willing to not charge me 15% restocking fee if I purchased a different vacuum from them. Shady operation. Now I am going through the Amazon A-Z return guarantee to get the rest of my money back.
Rating: 1 / 5