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★★★★☆

“Hooray for the Sebo?”

written by steersk on 29/06/2012

I will start by saying this is not my vacuum - it is my Grandparent's. However they are getting less physically able and since they live on the same estate, I usually end up vacuuming for them when I go around.

The build quality of this machine is fantastic. It is built from tough ABS and feels just as robust as my old faithful Dyson DC04. It has a nice colour scheme of black and silver. However the black is glossy and attracts scratches very quickly (like a Numatic Henry's hat).

The suction is quite strong on this machine, and it will lose suction as the bags get more full, but there's always enough there to pick up visible dirt. However, it isn't as strong as my DC04. When they were away I brought my DC04 down to really deep clean their house. I filled the 3l dust canister twice on each floor. I only vacuumed with the Sebo a week before! They are not dirty people. They have an average sized 3 bedroom detached house.

The brush roll however, is very good at lifting the carpet, and I like the computer controlled height adjust. It is far more accurate than the Dyson's auto adjusting cleaner head. I also like that Sebo guarantee the drive belt for the lifetime of the machine. I like how the machine will shut off if you run over something like a sock with the brush roller.
I like that the machine will also turn itself off if there is a clog/bag split/full.

The dust bags last a long time, but is that really a good thing? In my opinion no. If the Dyson could pick up so much more than the Sebo, then clearly it is not picking up enough.

I like that the machine can lie flat to the floor to go under beds and furniture - this is when the brush roller shut off function is useful, as I sometimes pick up a sock or the tassels on the sofa!

I also like that the machine glides very well on carpet and hard floor, yet still grooms the carpet far better than the Dyson. If the Dyson could groom the carpet like that, It would be an almost perfect machine! It picks up very well on hard floor, especially since you can't turn of the brush roller. It is also quite light considering its size much lighter than the 9kg Sebo BS 46 which I have used as well.

Now onto the filtration and bags. The filtration is indeed excellent, and filters out everything the machine picks up. You also don't need to change the filters very much (about every 2 years) however it is still nice to have the washable Dyson ones though for me! NEVER attempt to wash these filters, as it will ruin them. The bags however are paper and are quite flimsy. If Sebo switched to random-spun fiber bags, they could probably increase the motor power, and the bags wouldn't split like paper ones. This is one of the reasons the suction on the Sebo isn't that great - the motor power is only 1300w. This isn't that great for a machine that isn't cyclonic.

The tool storage design is good for the crevice and upholstery tools - having them stored on the body of the machine. It would have been nice to have them higher up though, so there's less bending down.
However the design for storage for the dusting brush could use some improvement - it clips onto the handle. The fact that it doesn't even come with the machine as standard is very poor for a machine of this price.

The hose is my main gripe about this machine. This is why I knocked off a star, as it is very important to my vacuuming needs. It attaches to the top of the cleaner, so when you are using it the machine either follows you around or falls over. This has given me a few injuries and has killed an expensive ornament - not good! I also do not like the fact that the hose is not very flexible at all, even though it is designed to stretch a bit. This means it is extremely short. So if you want to clean stairs or the car, you have to buy the optional extension hose - which is another £20. It is quite tough though, and I feel it will last a while. When using the extension hose, the cleaner has a much bigger reach - but is sways side to side as you clean stairs. I do like the hose is a lot easier to get out than the Dyson. However it doesn't join as well as the Dyson, do the air leaks out of there the wand connects to the hose - Miele's design is much better, and they also incorporated a stretch hose.

As far as carry handles go, this machine has some in all the right places. It also has a nice long 10m cord - an improvement of the 7.5m on my Dyson.

All in all I would recommend this machine as a vacuum for a bungalow or large areas of flat carpet with no stairs ( a commercial cleaning business would like a vacuum like this.)
However if you suffer from allergies (this machine just doesn't have strong enough suction) or have stairs, or want the option to turn of the brush roller, or just want stronger suction, try the Miele S7 series. They are rather heavy though. If you like bagless, consider a refurbished Dyson DC04 or one of the newer Dysons.

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