S5 Miele

Miele German-made canister vacuums are extremely well-liked and highly rated by consumers.  Their top of the line canister vacuums are the S5’s.  So which S5 Miele canister vacuum is best for your needs?  It seems like a simple question, but once you start doing a little investigating it quickly becomes confusing.  Different models are recommended for different flooring, however several models get the same recommendation.  The vacuums also have a wide range of features that vary model to model – and optional attachments.  In this article we have gathered and organized key vacuum information in such a way as to make your choice a little bit easier.

According to the Miele website there are a number of new S5 Miele Vacuums and a number of older yet still popular S5 Vacuums.  The latest S5 series of vacuums includes the following models:

- S5981 Capricorn
- S5481 Earth
- S5381 Leo
- S5381 Gemini
- S5281 Libra
- S5281 Pisces
- S5281 Callisto (with SEB228)
- S5211 Ariel

Previous but still popular S5 models include:

- S5980 Capricorn
- S5580 Aquarius
- S5281 Jubilee
- S5281 Callisto
- S5280 Callisto
- S5280 Pisces

S5 compared to S4 and S2
There are some general differences between the S5, S4 and S2 series of Miele canister vacuums.  These can be summed up as follows:

- The S5 are larger canister models than the S2 and S4 series.  The S5 series is described by Miele as a “full size canister vacuum”, the S4 as a “mid-size canister vacuum”, and the S2 as a “compact canister vacuum ”.

- The S5’s have larger bags than the S4 but the same size bags as the S2.  The S5/S2 bag size is 4.76 quarts.  The S4 bag size is 3.7 quarts.

- All S5’s have three integrated tools that are all stored on-board under the ABS plastic casing.  These are attached to the hose via a clip on the S2 and S4.

- HEPA filtration is standard on all S5 Miele models.  It is not standard on the S2 and S4 series although some models in these series do have it.

- On average the S5’s have more floor tools than the S2 and S4 vacuums.  The top four vacuums of the S5 series come with 2 floor tools each.

If you want to see further comparisons of the S2 and S4 canister vacuums you will want to read our Miele S2/S4 comparison article

S5 Models
Probably the first thing a consumer wants to know is which S5 Miele canister is the best one for their needs.  This usually starts with a flooring recommendation.

S5981 CAPRICORN
Recommended for medium to high-pile or plush carpeting, area rugs and all smooth flooring. 

S5481 EARTH
Recommended for wall to wall, high pile, or dense carpet, and all smooth flooring. 

S5381 LEO
Recommended for medium to high-pile or plush carpeting, area rugs and all smooth flooring.

S5281 LIBRA
Recommended for medium to high-pile carpeting, area rugs and all smooth flooring.

S5281 CALLISTO (with SEB228)
Recommended for medium to high-pile carpeting, area rugs and all smooth flooring.

S5281 PISCES
Recommended for low to medium pile carpeting and smooth flooring.

S5211 ARIEL
Recommended for low pile carpeting and smooth flooring.

S5381 GEMINI
Recommended for medium to high-pile or plush carpeting, area rugs and all smooth flooring.

 

Pricing for these units is hard to nail down as they often appear with different floor tool options and thus prices vary quite a bit.  Also one will note that several of these are recommended for the same flooring use - but the vacuums have different features.  S5 Miele features and other details are best shown in table format.

 

Feature	Capricorn S5981	Earth S5481	Leo S5381	Gemini S5381
Color	Luna Silver	Marine Blue	Saffron Yellow	Java Green
Dust/upholstery/ crevice tools	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Power	1200 Watts	1200 Watts	1200 Watts	1200 Watts
Sealed system	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Operating radius	33 feet	33 feet	33 feet	33 feet
Dustbag capacity	4.76 quarts	4.76 quarts	4.76 quarts	4.76 quarts
Dustbag full indicator	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Silence insulation	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
HEPA filter	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Safety shutoff	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Warranty	7-years on motor, 1-year on parts and labor	7-years on motor, 1-year on parts and labor	7-years on motor, 1-year on parts and labor	7-years on motor, 1-year on parts and labor
Handle	Deluxe	Deluxe	Deluxe	Deluxe
Suction Control	Touch controls on handle	step-on button controls with eco friendly automatic	step-on button controls	step-on button controls
Change filter indicator	Yes	Yes	No	No
Thermal shutoff indicator	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Recommended for	medium to high-pile or plush carpeting, area rugs and all smooth flooring	wall to wall, high pile, or dense carpet, and all smooth flooring	medium to high-pile or plush carpeting, area rugs and all smooth flooring	medium to high-pile or plush carpeting, area rugs and all smooth flooring
Hoses	SES130 Electric Hose	SES119 Electric Hose	SES119 Electric Hose	SES119 Electric Hose
Floor tools	SBB300-3 Parquet Twister Floor Brush	SEB217-3 Powerbrush, SBB300-3 Parquet Twister Floor Brush	SBB300-3 Parquet Twister	SBB300-3 Parquet Twister
Wands	SET210 Electric, telescopic Wand	SET210 Electric, telescopic Wand	SET210 Electric, telescopic Wand	SET210 Electric, telescopic Wand
Optional floor tools	SEB236 Powerbrush, SEB217-3 Powerbrush	SEB 228 Mid-Size Powerbrush, SEB 236 Full-Size Powerbrush	SEB217-3 Electro Comfort, SEB236 Electro premium	SEB217-3 Electro Comfort, SEB236 Electro premium

 

Feature	Libra S5281	Callisto* S5281	Pisces S5281	Ariel S5211
Color	Mango Red	Deep Black	Royal Blue	Polar Ice
Dust/upholstery/ crevice tools	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Power	1200 Watts	1200 Watts	1200 Watts	1200 Watts
Sealed system	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Operating radius	33 feet	33 feet	33 feet	33 feet
Dustbag capacity	4.76 quarts	4.76 quarts	4.76 quarts	4.76 quarts
Dustbag full indicator	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Silence insulation	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
HEPA filter	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Safety shutoff	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Warranty	7-years on motor, 1-year on parts and labor	7-years on motor, 1-year on parts and labor	7-years on motor, 1-year on parts and labor	7-years on motor, 1-year on parts and labor
Handle	Deluxe	Standard	Standard	Deluxe
Suction Control	6 setting rotary dial	6 setting rotary dial	6 setting rotary dial	6 setting rotary dial
Change filter indicator	No	No	No	No
Thermal shutoff indicator	No	No	No	No
Recommended for	medium to high-pile carpeting, area rugs and all smooth flooring	medium to high-pile carpeting, area rugs and all smooth flooring	low to medium pile carpeting and smooth flooring	low pile carpeting and smooth flooring
Hoses	SES119 Electric Hose	SES119 Electric Hose	Non-electric Hose	Non-electric Hose
Floor tools	SEB217-3 Electro Comfort, SBB300-3 Parquet Twister	SBB300-3 Parquet Twister, SEB228 ElectroPlus	STB205-3 Turbobrush, SBB300-3 Parquet Twister Floor Brush	SBD550-3 Combination carpet /smooth floor tool
Wands	Stainless steel, telescopic wand	SET210 Electric, telescopic Wand	Stainless steel, telescopic wand	Stainless steel, telescopic wand
Optional floor tools	SEB 228 Mid-Size Powerbrush, SEB 236 Full-Size Powerbrush	SEB 217 Mid-Size Powerbrush, SEB 236 Full-Size Powerbrush	None	None

* This is the latest version of the callisto which comes with the SEB228, older S5281versions have different floor tools and a different wand.

Descriptions of Miele floor tool capabilities:

SEB217-3 Electro Comfort - electrically-driven carpet tool with a 10½"-wide brush roll with floating head and swivel neck design.

SEB236 Electro premium - electrically-driven carpet tool with a 13 3/8"-wide brush roll and 5 height adjustments for a variety of carpet densities. Also has a swivel neck for maneuverability, an integrated, light and all-around bumper strip to protect your furniture and an automatic shut-off when in the parked position.

SEB236 Powerbrush – same as SEB236 Electro premium.

SBB300-3 Parquet Twister - floor brush for tile, wood and other smooth surfaces. It has a 90° rotation.

STB205-3 Turbobrush - has a rotating roller brush that is activated by the air that is drawn through the head.

SEB228 ElectroPlus - electrically-driven carpet tool with a 14"-wide brush roll.  Equipped with a swivel neck and five level height adjustment.

SBD550-3 Combination carpet/smooth floor tool - universal tool for all smooth flooring and very low pile carpeting. A rocker switch allows you to go from smooth floors to carpeted surfaces.