Miele Olympus

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Avg. consumer rating = 91/100 

Like many of its canister brothers the Miele Olympus vacuum cleaner (recently renamed to the Miele Classic C1 Olympus vacuum cleaner) receives high grades from consumers.  Owners praise the vacuum for its powerful suction yet quiet operation.  It is also very effective on bare floors. However if this unit has a weakness it is likely its limited cleaning ability on carpet.  On very low-pile carpet it is ok, but it struggles with anything deeper than this.

The Miele Olympus canister vacuum comes with the SBD350-3 Classic Combination carpet/smooth floor tool which is good for bare floors and very low-pile carpet.  For those with medium pile carpet you can upgrade and buy the STB205-3 Turbobrush that has an air-driven brushbar.  However if you are considering this upgrade you may want to also consider simply purchasing the Miele Neptune that comes standard with the STB205-3.  For higher pile carpet the Miele Titan or perhaps the Miele Callisto would be better (but more expensive) choices.

A review of consumer comments yields the following common Miele Olympus likes and dislikes:

PROS
- Very light
- Very Quiet
- Powerful
- Not too expensive (for a Miele)
- Good on bare floors
- Vacuum bags last for a long time

CONS
- Only average on carpet
- Power cord is too short
- Some comments that the attachments don’t seem durable
- Hose is short
- Vacuum bags are not cheap

Despite its shortcomings on carpet, consumers rate this vacuum quite highly as can be seen in the table below:

The Miele Olympus is advertised as having a 29.5 foot cleaning radius which actually translates to a 21 foot power cord.  21 feet is quite short and a number of consumers have indicated that they wish the cord was longer.  It does have auto-cord rewind however.

The vacuum bags on all S2 series vacuums including the Olympus are quite large having a capacity of 4.76 quarts (S4 series bags are 3.7 quarts).  The bags also act as filters as they are composed of 9-layer electrostatically charged material that helps trap microscopic particles.  In addition, the bags have spring loaded, self locking collars so dust cannot escape during bag changes.

The remainder of the filtration on the vacuum is managed by Miele’s Air Clean filter which removes (from the airpath) 94% of all particles with a diameter of 0.3 microns or more.  The filters last about as long as 5 bag changes.  An optional Active HEPA filter is also available.  This filter removes 99.97% of all particles with a diameter of 0.3 microns and also removes odors via activated carbon.  In addition, the Miele Olympus has sealed system construction which means that ALL of the air brought into the vacuum is passed through the filters before it is exhausted.  There are no leaks out of the vacuum cleaner or around the filters that would allow dust and debris to enter back into the surrounding air.

The Olympus is powered by Miele’s 1200 watt vortex motor which the company clearly has confidence in as it comes with a very lengthy 7 year warranty.  Consumers also state that the vacuum produces very strong suction on high settings.  It comes with 6 suction settings 200, 400, 600, 800, 1000, and 1200 watts.  This is a feature on almost all Miele canister vacuums and it is very popular with owners.  Settings are managed via a rotary dial located on the canister body.

The Miele Olympus is very quiet.  All S2 Miele canister vacuums have a sound insulation layer which makes them particularly quiet.  Some folks have said they can speak on the phone with the vacuum running in the background. 

This model comes with several attachments including:
- Crevice Tool (good for getting into hard to reach areas and corners)
- Dusting Brush (made with soft natural horse hair)
- Upholstery Tool (can also be used for stairs)

Miele canister vacuums are very maneuverable and they have 3 steel-axle mounted castor wheels (made of non-scratching soft rubber) that rotate a full 360 degrees.  The Olympus is also very light making moving the vacuum that much easier.  It weighs in at 13 lbs with nozzle and attachments – without these it is less than 10 lbs.  The light weight is an advantage for those in multi-level dwellings as the Olympus is easier to move up and down stairs than many of the heavier vacuums on the market.  The vacuum is constructed from light, high-impact ABS plastic and as such Miele offer a 7-year warranty on the vacuum casing. 

Other features on the Miele S2 Olympus include a stainless steel telescopic wand, an overheating safety shutoff switch (that will save the motor before overheating occurs), and a crush proof hose.  The S2 series hose is not a typical wire reinforced hose and Miele claim that it can be bent, stepped on, twisted and even run over, and it will always return to its original shape.   It is, however, said by some to be too short.  The Miele S2120 Olympus carries a fairly solid warranty: 7 years on the motor, 7 years on the vacuum casing, and 1-year parts and labor on all non-wearing components.