Miele Complete C3 Marin Review

Avg. consumer rating = 90/100 

The Complete C3 Marin bagged canister vacuum is made in Germany and is one of Miele’s top-end machines.  It has a host of features and can handle most any floor type.  It includes two floorheads: The Electro Premium Floorhead and the Parquet Twister Floorhead.  In addition, it has an automatic suction setting that adjusts suction depending on the flooring – so you don’t have change it manually.  The Marin has top notch filtration, so much so that it is essentially a mobile air purifier.  It is also extremely quiet and capable at pulling up both cat and dog hair.  The powered floorhead is on the heavy side however, and this vacuum does not come cheap.

Quick Specs
Type	Canister
Bagged/Bagless	Bagged
Best for...	Hard Floors & Low/Medium/High Pile Carpet
Pet Hair Features	No
Approx. Weight	Canister approx 11-12 lbs
HEPA Level Filtration	Yes
Power Cord Length	24 feet
Motor Driven Brushroll	Yes
Warranty	1 Year P&L, 7 Years motor/housing

 

CONSUMER RATINGS
We found 147 owner ratings for the Marin which is enough to establish a reasonable idea of owner sentiment.  The ratings are compiled in the table below and when averaged (weighted avg) they result in a score of about 4.5 stars out of 5 (89.7 out of 100 to be precise).  This is quite a good score when compared to the scores of other canister vacuums on our site but it is not exceptional when looking solely at Miele canister vacuums.  You may wish to view our list of Miele vacuum ratings, our list of canister vacuum ratings, or our list of ALL vacuum cleaner ratings.

Source	Consumer Rating	# Ratings
Amazon	4.5 stars out of 5	120
Consumer Reports	4.0 stars out of 5	15
Allergy Buyers Club	4.9 stars out of 5	8
Sylvane	5.0 stars out of 5	3
Williams Sonoma	5.0 stars out of 5	1

 

WHY THE MARIN?
We recently reviewed the popular Miele Calima and it is a great fit for homes with low pile carpet and smooth flooring.  However, if your home has lots of medium or deep pile carpet then you will want a vacuum with a power floorhead (like the Marin).   You could also opt for the Complete C3 Cat & Dog or the Complete C3 Soft Carpet – both great machines and a little less expensive than the Marin.  However the Marin has several features not found on these machines, and one in particular seems to make owners take the plunge.  The Marin has the popular automatic suction mode.  This mode provides automatic adjustment of suction power depending on the floor covering.  So you do not have to manually select the right suction for carpet, then for bare floors, then back again, etc.  This feature is something many owners like.

WHAT ARE OWNERS SAYING?

PROS
- Powered floorhead is effective on low/medium/high pile carpet
- Includes parquet floorhead for smooth flooring
- Both floorheads maneuver well (swivel steering)
- Effective on both cat and dog hair
- High quality air filtration
- Canister moves easily
- Very quiet vacuum
- Strong suction
- Includes an Automatic Suction setting
- Large dust bags

CONS
- Powered floorhead is heavy for some folks
- Expensive machine
- Some reports that it clogs easily
- Dust bags are not cheap

Most owners are very pleased with the unit’s cleaning ability on different levels of carpet, on bare floors, and even on pet hair (both cat hair and dog hair).  Folks are appreciative of the ability to adjust the height of the electrobrush floorhead so that it works well on different carpet pile – low, medium and high.

Owners are also impressed with the strong suction and really like the “automatic power” setting which chooses the optimal vacuum suction based on the flooring while you are cleaning.

There are many comments about the extreme maneuverability of the two floorheads and the canister itself.  Both floorheads - the unit for carpet and the unit for bare floors – have swivel steering and turn very easily.  The canister has 3 wheels which also allow it turn and move effortlessly.

Folks are quite happy that the Marin has HEPA level air cleaning capabilities and that it has a sealed system.  Some owners describe having less allergy symptoms after using the Marin and others state that they can actually see less dust in their homes. 

Quite a few consumers have also highlighted just how quiet this Miele canister is and they compare it favorably to the noise level of other vacuum brands they have owned.
 
On the downside, some people find the vacuum too heavy, especially when working with the powered floorhead which some describe as cumbersome.  There are even a few instances of folks returning the vacuum to the store for this very reason.  However, it should be noted that these cases are in the minority.

In addition, folks sometimes mix up the “vacuum power” and “cord rewind” buttons on the canister body and this can be frustrating.  You may intend to pause or stop the vacuum (turn the power off) but unintentionally hit the “cord rewind” button.  It doesn’t sound like something one would do often but we were surprised at the number of folks that mentioned this.

There are also a few comments about the tight bend in the handle causing the vacuum to clog easily.  This is not a common complaint however.

You can read Marin owner comments on Amazon.

WHATS IN THE BOX?
- Miele Complete C3 Marin Vacuum Cleaner
- Electro Premium Floor Brush
- Parquet Twister Floor Brush
- Crevice Tool
- Upholstery Tool
- Dusting Brush
- Telescopic Wand
- G/N FilterBag
- HEPA AirClean Filter
- Owner’s Manual

AIR FILTRATION
The Marin has multi-layer filtration and uses 3-layer dust bags, an electrostatic primary filter, and an exhaust filter to ensure clean air exits the vacuum.  The primary filter protects the motor from fine dust and dirt thereby prolonging its life.  The primary filter along with the dust bags help to ensure a longer life for the final level of filtration – the HEPA exhaust filter.

The HEPA AirClean filter meets HEPA 13 specifications and is capable of removing 99.99% of all particles with a diameter of 0.3 microns or more.  This results in air that is particularly beneficial to asthma or allergy sufferers.  This filter has a special "Timestrip" that provides a visual indication of when the filter should be replaced, but it typically needs to be changed about once per year.

The Marin also sports what is known as a sealed system.  This ensures that ALL air entering the vacuum passes through the filters. Air does not leak out through cracks in the vacuum body or poor seals.  This approach ensures quality air exiting the vacuum and it also improves the cleaning performance since no suction is lost through the cracks or poor seals.

DUST BAGS
The Marin uses “Miele AirClean Type-G/N” dust bags.  These are fairly large capacity bags and have a volume of 4.76 quarts.  They also have a spring-loaded, self-sealing collar.  This collar snaps shut when the vacuum chamber is opened (when you remove the bag or check the filter) thereby sealing all the dust and debris inside.  This feature complements the unit’s exceptional air filtration and is useful for those with allergies/asthma. 

The AirClean Type-G/N dust bags also have 9 separate layers that are electrostatically charged so they trap microscopic debris.  As mentioned above the bags are the first stage of filtration in the Marin.

FLOORHEADS
The Marin comes with two floorheads – 1 for smooth surfaces and 1 for carpet. 

The carpet floorhead is called the SEB236 Electro Premium ElectroBrush (below).  This is one of Miele’s top end floor tools.  It has a row of LED lights along the front and a motor driven 13 3/8 inch wide brush roll.  Miele states that the SEB236 is ideal for medium to high pile carpet and also plush carpet.  In addition, it has a swivel neck and 5 levels of height adjustment (height adjustment is manual and controlled by a foot pedal).  The brushroll for the SEB236 can be controlled (turned ON or OFF) via controls on the vacuum handle.

The smooth surface floorhead is known as the SBB300-3 Parquet Twister (below) and it excels on flooring such as tile, hardwood, linoleum, stone, etc.  The swivel head can rotate a full 180 degrees providing exceptional maneuverability.

VARIABLE SUCTION
Variable suction is managed by adjusting the vacuum motor speed.  There are 6 speed settings on the Marin and these are controlled via a +/- footswitch on the canister body.  These footswitches allow you to change the suction power with a tap of your toe (you can easily use your hands if you want as well).  The selected setting lights up in yellow.

Suction settings are as follows:
- Curtains, fabric
- Upholstery, cushions
- Deep pile carpets, rugs, runners
- Energy-saving vacuuming. This setting is also very quiet
- Loop pile carpet and rugs
- Hard flooring and heavily soiled carpets/rugs

There is also a setting on the Marin called “Auto” (see image above).  This setting allows the suction to increase as you transition from carpet to a hard surface, and the suction to decrease when you move from a hard surface to carpet.  This is a great feature if you move between surface types a lot and don’t want to constantly adjust the suction via the suction controls.  This feature is quite popular and it separates the Marin from quite a few other Miele canister vacuum models.

We noted above that many owners report that the Marin is very quiet.  This is the result of the low noise, 1200 watt, high output motor as well as the fact that the vacuum has integrated silence insulation.

CLEANING REACH
The Marin has a 36 foot cleaning reach from the end of the power cord to your floor tool.   The power cord on this vacuum is about 24 feet in length and also sports one-touch automatic rewind.  So when you tap the rewind button on the canister body the power cord will instantly retract.  We see accolades for this feature on almost every vacuum that has it.  It seems people really dislike manually wrapping vacuum power cords.

TOOLS
3 tools are provided.  A dusting brush, an upholstery tool, and a crevice tool.  They all store conveniently in a storage area built into the canister body. 

- The crevice tools is helpful for cleaning in tight areas, corners and crevices 
- The dusting brush is useful for dusting delicate objects and even for cleaning base boards.  It has a swivel head and natural bristles.
- The upholstery tool is great for mattresses, sofas, cushions, covers, curtains, etc.

The Marin also includes a telescopic stainless steel wand.  This is an electro telescopic wand meaning you can attach electric/powered tools or floorheads (like the SEB236) to the end.

OTHER FEATURES & WARRANTY
The Marin weighs 11-12 lbs and with accessories and attachments is closer to 23 lbs.  It also has a full bag indicator as well as a filter change indicator.  There are 3 swivel casters that rotate a full 360 degrees each making the canister body track very nicely behind you and it can also be pushed and pulled easily in any direction.  A bumper surrounds the perimeter of the canister ensuring no scuffs or scraps on walls/furniture.  In addition, a thermal switch will activate and shut off the motor should it start to overheat.  This ensures the motor does not get damaged.

The manufacturer's warranty on the Marin is 7-years on the housing and motor and 1-year parts and labor.

VACUUM CLEANER MANUAL
The manual is provided in English, French and Spanish, and one of the first things you are warned about upon viewing the manual is that the use of non-Miele components may void the warranty.  They highlight that only Miele dust bags, filters and accessories with the original Miele logo can be used with the vacuum.  Something to consider. 

The manual covers items like Vacuum Description, Preparing for Use, Using the Vacuum, Parking, Transport, Storage, Maintenance, FAQ, Sales Service, Warranty.  You can view a copy of the manual here: Miele Complete C3 Marin Manual