Miele 41GFE036USA Complete C3 Calima Canister Vacuum, Canary Yellow

Reviews

1. 

   artgirl – June 26, 2023

   I have Persian carpets, hardwood floors, brick, and tile and this vacuum works well on all of them. I also have short haired dogs and cats and live in the woods so there is a lot to vacuum up here. I have always had Kenmore canister vacuums that lasted forever and I wanted to get a vacuum cleaner that I wouldn’t have to replace every few years so spent the extra money to hopefully get what they promise in that regard. I also spent the extra money on this C3 model because it is made in Germany. The body is heavy plastic but lightweight and has a great little rubber bumper around it so it won’t mark your walls or break the plastic when you crash into something. The accessories are well made with no strange plastic seams that catch dirt. The hose and tube are made of heavy materials. I have to carry the canister up three different types of stairs including a narrow spiral staircase and it is very easy to do this. The body is slim enough so that it isn’t awkward to carry up stairs while holding the hose and tube too.The machine is well designed, something I look for in everything I purchase. It is easy to change speeds, and turn on and off with your foot so you don’t have to bend over everytime you want to turn it off or change the speed. The retractable cord is super nice, and something I was used to with the Kenmore. It keeps the cord safe from nicks and also makes it easier to transport and store.A couple of things I miss from my old Kenmore that I didn’t get on this model was the on/off switch on the handle, the ability to go from floor to carpet with the beater brush, and 360 degree swivel hose at the attachment to the canister. This machine does come with the parquet twister attachment, which I read from many reviews was a great tool and can agree wholly that it is, and you can certainly leave it on to vacuum your carpets, but the turbo brush which comes with it too, is a much better cleaning tool for low pile rugs. So I vacuum all of my non-carpeted areas first, then switch the tool and go back and vacuum the rugs. It is a bit of a pain but not terrible. The biggest issue is that you have to carry the extra floor tool with you when you climb the stairs holding the vacuum. Again, not really terrible just a bit of a pain. I have had no issues with the turbo brush getting clogged with hair, but then I have short haired pets.I did choose to get the complete mainly because the canister holds the other attachments (crevice, upholstery, and wall brushes) inside making it easy to transport and less likely to lose the tools. The variable speed motor is soooo much quieter than any vacuum I’ve ever owned. My pets don’t freak out when I vacuum now. The turbo tool has a switch on it which allows the suction to be reduced if you are pulling the rug off the floor. There is also a cool little metal strip down the back of the handle to discharge static electricity. You just have to keep your hand on it while you vacuum. This is a good example of thoughtful design.Because I was replacing a nearly defunct vacuum cleaner I was a vacuuming maniac for the first week I had the Miele. My children thought I had lost my mind and wondered how I could possibly be so excited about a vacuum cleaner…it was a change from my focus on other things, like riding bikes and stuff like that. But my house had become a dust bomb and after vacuuming one rug and watching the dull red change to bright red with a beautiful pattern that I guess I had gotten used to not seeing anymore…I started vacuuming everything in sight (that you could vacuum of course). Almost everything returned to its original color and I filled the vacuum cleaner bag quickly.I also love that the bag and filters keep the dust from reentering the house…so you aren’t just moving it around to vacuum up again next week.And probably, most of all, even above the excellent job the machine does on removing dirt from carpets and upholstery, cleaning floors (the parquet twister is awesome for getting right up next to the baseboard at weird angles), is the yellow color. How can you not like vacuuming with a bright yellow vacuum?

2. 

   SoManyBooks – June 26, 2023

   I’ve had my vacuum for several months now. It is fantastic on hardwood floors and does a great job on furniture and stairs. The vacuum is very lightweight and quiet, making it easy to use in our two story, open plan house. Previously, I would get dirty looks from my husband if I tried to run the vacuum upstairs while he was watching television in the living area. I first purchased a Miele C1 series vacuum last year to replace my upstairs vacuum. I love that vacuum, but it has limitations as far as doing area rugs and carpet. My previous vacuums have all been Kenmore canister vacuums, and that was the only brand I would buy. I gave the Miele C1 a chance when Amazon had it at a special price. I then purchased this model, the C3, after several months because the vacuum I used downstairs started having issues. This vacuum is so lightweight and easy to carry up and down stairs that I probably should have splurged on the C3 model to begin with, as I almost always end up carrying the C3 upstairs to do the carpet in the bedroom anyway. My previous Kenmore canister vacs were very heavy and were almost impossible for me to carry safely on the stairs. While the C1 has attachments that are on a very poorly designed holder that is supposed to clip on the hose (doesn’t stay there), this model has attachments inside the canister making them much more accessible and safe from being lost.My biggest complaint about this vacuum is the power brush. I have 6 cats – 3 long-haired rescues and 3 Maine Coon cats. If you are familiar with Maine Coon breed, you know they are all about fur, lots and lots of fur. We have to do a lot of brushing in our house, and our vacuums have to work hard. I discovered that the power brush is quickly overpowered with cat fur sticking on the roller brush, and I need to take small scissors after every use on a carpet and remove all the fur before the next use. It is a tedious chore and I can’t believe a vacuum at this price point doesn’t have a better power brush design. It does a good job cleaning the carpets, but you do have to keep after the cleaning of the brush roller. I did not have to do that with my Kenmore turbo brush. Thankfully, we only have 2 carpeted rooms in our house, and a few area rugs, so mostly I am vacuuming hardwood and it does a fantastic job on that.

3. 

   Bren, Mom of 4 – June 26, 2023

   Don’t hesitate to spend a few more dollars on this vacuum, because you won’t be sorry over time. I had done extensive research on purchasing my next vacuum when I came across this model. A friend owns one of the dark green limited edition models and had great things to say about it. I tried hers out and that was that. I loved it. She also bought the floor attachment for wood or flat surface flooring that is already included with this model. I loved that attachment when I tried hers out. It glides across the floor and sucks everything up in it’s path.The Calima had everything I wanted in one package and I really loved the cheerful yellow color. The only thing I didn’t like was the price of course. However, in this case I do believe you get what you pay for. Luckily, I was able to get an Amazon Warehouse like new Calima with the floor attachment for ever so slightly more than my friend’s vac plus the extra floor attachment would’ve cost me. YES!!! In my 16 years married life, I have bought and used a Panasonic, a Dyson and most recently a Sears Progressive (discontinued red model). Their life span has been 4-6 years each. I vowed this time to do some research up front, so I can stop my side job of buying new vacuum cleaners. I found I loved canister vacs thanks to the Progressive, so that was my number one priority. Proven longevity was the next priority. When my vac arrived, I immeditely took it out of the box and started vacuuming away. I have family members with allergies and one with allergies and asthma. My old vacuums never did the cleaning job of this little, lightweight yellow sunshine! I enjoy vacuuming again. It is so quiet that every time I use it, my daughter comments on it. It turns on a dime and is so easy to maneuver. The cord is a perfect length and winds up in a snap. I do like the digital features (that can be touched with your toes-no need to bend down) of changing the suction power. I considered other models with the manual dial and even saw one at Bed Bath and Beyond. It wasn’t difficult, but the digital is better in my opinion. Compartments open and close with such ease unlike my Progressive, which I had to wrench open every time I needed to change the bag or get an attachment out. I actually broke the clasp off that allows you to change the bag within months of first getting the Progressive. The Progressive and my other vacs for that matter, were all made of cheap plastic. The Miele surpasses all of my other vacs by leaps and bounds! This company makes great vacuums! Thank you Miele and thank you Amazon!

4. 

   Yobe – June 26, 2023

   I have Dyson to thank for this purchase. I wanted a quiet, light, high quality vacuum that was reputable and highly rated. I had the Dyson V8 which was only really useful in the high settings, aka 7 min run time. Unless you have the patience going over the same area in the low setting. I found this vacuum through many good reviews, recommendations and a feature on a USA today article. I was hesitant spending that much money on a vacuum but after seeing how much I cleaned with a quiet vacuum in the Dyson V8 ( which I ended up returning), I made the plunge. Being able to pay the 5 installment payments on Amazon really helped make the purchase easier as well 😬.Things I really liked about the Vacuum:Its quiet. Coming from an old upright, I’m surprised how I can vacuum at midnight and not worry about the noise.Its light. You’re just using the light hose while the unit rolls behind you. Makes vacuuming blinds super easy. The Dyson V8 was a chore at this. The whole unit itself is really light too, where I notice I vacuum my truck more than usual now days.Its powerful. Don’t let the low sound fool you, I compared this with my Old Eureka upright vacuum and couldn’t believe the suction was the same!Things I would like improved:Distinguishing Buttons for the bottom Power and Cord retract. I put blue painters tape on the cord retract button to make it quickly identifiable.More modern Hardwood floor brush. Maybe one like the Dyson soft rolling brush?Better Bag Fully indicator. Indicator basically throws you off because it goes by the resistance of the suction. So when you’re vacuuming floors to even using the small brush attachment, it keeps going wild.Other than those small gripes, I REALLY LOVE THIS VACUUM! While cordless vacuums seems to be the trend now days, I prefer the stable reliable power of the cord. Having the retractable cord button really helps too. And although I like how bagless vacuums let you monitor how much dirt you’re sucking up, the clean up of bagged vacuums are a lot less messier. But to each their own. I highly recommend this Unit!

5. 

   AZ – June 26, 2023

   12/27/18 I have been using this vac over a year to clean our home’s hardwood and vinyl floors and low pile area rugs. Disclaimer: we are not related to the company in any way, shape or form – have to say that because this review may sound like a commercial! This vacuum is small, quiet, very powerful and fulfills every promise the company makes about it. This unit comes with 3 small tools contained in the unit, 1 hard floor tool (vacuum powered) and 1 low pile carpet tool (vacuum powered). The 2 floor tools clip onto the sides of the canister. There are 6 power settings from a low for drapes to a high for hardwood floors, all marked with an icon. The power cord IS EXTRA LONG – yes, fewer plug changes – and the re-tractor works beautifully (I do let the cord slid through my fingers and catch the plug end to keep it from slamming into the back out of habit). The wand section is collapsible, which I just thought was nice for storage until I began using that feature while vacuuming in tight spaces, where you can change the wand length on the fly. The floor tools’ articulated connection to the hose looks quirky until you begin using it; it makes the tool head extremely nimble in getting into tight spaces. The hard floor head has a skip tooth brush pattern around the edge which pulls in dust instead of pushing dust in front of it. The suction works all the way out to the ends – it will pull dust into the head from ALL the way around. The dust bag and separate HEPA filter have markers to let you know when to change them. I haven’t changed either yet (note: we do not have pets, the house is vacuumed weekly). It tracks easily and the side bumper strips are placed where they actually work!Problems? well it is expensive, but I don’t see replacing it any time soon.Seriously, I am still amazed at how well built and well thought out this unit is.

6. 

   C.Klein – June 26, 2023

   My Dyson ball cracked & I needed to replace. I despised my Dyson; it pushed more around than it picked up. I’ve been researching vacuums & landed on Miele but it took me a while to land on what kind. I have mainly hardwood floors & wanted something good to dust, do stairs & be a good total hope vaccuum.I have allergies so C1 series out. C2 is too compact so I landed on C3 (great YouTube videos on all this).This is a lower C3 end with the bells & whistles. I can click controls with my foot & I forgot how nice retractable cord is. What drive me to this model is the turbo brush head… this head had great reviews.So I just got it & used & WOW. My floors feel so clean. The crevice & dusting attachments are great. I whipped through all my baseboard & trim in no time. It’s light weight & doing stairs was easy compared to clumsy Dyson. The Jose is flexible & easy to work with.The only con I can see, & I saw reviews on it & agree, there should be a handle to hold the vacuum head with v holding the curve of the hose. It feels ergonomically off when doing floors but it feels fine when dusting/stairs. Other con is that the hose doesn’t stand up line an upright (which I expected since it’s a canister) but that’s really it.The pros so far confirmed I made the right choice. I have a small dog but she doesn’t shed. When selecting a model you need to think of what your needs are & what attachments come with each & go from there. Analise model has more features but I wanted an out of the box, w: right attachments ready to go.It’s an investment so I feel like I made the right choice on this one.

7. 

   D. Roberts – June 26, 2023

   i am 70 plus, have not been able to vacuum our carpets for 16 years because of back injury. Our upright vacuum, husband used, which did a good job of cleaning our carpets just shot the fine dust back into the room so my dust allergies have gotten to the point that it interferes with daily duties, runny nose, watering eyes so bad could not see. Allergist told us the carpets had to go.. very costly for us. We started looking for a Vacuum that would clean our carpets and also the air. Found this Vacuum, read reviews, they look good so ordered it. This is one of the best Vacuums i have ever owned. ” I ” vacuumed every room, found it easy to use, felt good to be able to do this house cleaning job again. The double filter, one being a true Hepa filter did the job.. the dust allergies are under control, to gone.. I highly recommend this Vacuum to anyone who has allergies or can no longer push a upright Vacuum on carpet.Our carpet, would say is medium high with thick pad. At first i found it hard to pull and push, but found if i extended the handle all the way it solved the problem. The attachments are easy to use, vacuumed all the furniture, could not believe how i could now get close enough to pick up the dust, dirt around baseboards which my upright didn’t get, leaving a black ring. Use it to even vacuum my quilted wall hangings. Can’t say enough good things about this Vacuum. It is worth every dollar you spend. Save us thousands in replacing a house full of carpet for tile.

8. 

   B – June 26, 2023

   Gotta say, my smart daughter was totally right: you get what you pay for—-sometime! And this is one of those instances….I have always been a vacuum cleaner freak and have recently owned several of a well-known upright vac which started out great (first model back in 2003) but successive purchases of the same model became increasingly disappointing in performance. My daughter offered that she is absolutely satisfied with her Miele and it continues to perform like new after 8 years of use. I decided to make the plunge for the Calima and will never go back: German engineering’s reputation holds well and I LOVE my Calima! It is all the things advertised…and, I also embrace the color—-a mustard chartreuse which goes well with my decor (even tho I don’t keep it on display! In my living room). I’m tempted as well to start my praise of this machine’s performance!!! at a moments notice of someone mentioning “vacuum cleaner”. Now my occasional housekeeper marvels at how clean my house is between her visits: is that just because I vacuum more frequently or because this quality tool does what it claims to do??!! At any rate, the cost of my Calima will be prorated over the rest of my lifetime, cuz I fully expect that this will be the last time I have to purchase a vacuum cleaner in my lifetime! I am at peace!!!!!

9. 

   Robin – June 26, 2023

   This was an exorbitantly expensive vacuum cleaner, and I was struggling about spending this much money on something. I’ve had a Dyson for about a decade and we moved to a house that had all hardwoods, and the Dyson upright just wasn’t ever great on hardwoods.So I did TONS of research and picked this Miele Calima. I have to say, I love it, I really love it for all the little reasons that make it a good vacuum. First, I’m sensitive to loud noises and usually vacuuming is a teeth-gritting, earbud-wearing noisy experience. Not with the Calima. It’s not just that it’s quieter, it’s that the *tone* of the motor is much less irritating.The other thing I love about it is the very clever articulation of the handle-I can angle it and get all the way under the bed.It also is maneuverable, doesn’t mark up my pale wood floors, and it picks up *everything* off of the floor. I can even sweep it across the baseboards and it cleans them without scratching them-I used to have to wipe them down separately because the Dyson just didn’t clean them well (and I had to detach the handheld part to do it, which was a pain).Low-key giddily happy about this-it’s made vacuuming not a negative experience, and glad I spent the money on it. There’s nothing worse than buying something expensive and having it suck-unless it’s a vacuum cleaner :).

10. 

    charley’slove – June 26, 2023

    When we moved to a new multi-level house, we ordered this vacuum to supplement a Miele canister we loved that we’d bought in 1996 that was still operating well with only a few minor repairs. The unbelievable thing is this new model–unlike so many of today’s goods that were cheapened when their manufacturing went to China–is actually IMPROVED! The floor brush works better on my wood and tile surfaces without dust/hair gathering on edges like the old one; power cord is longer at 24 feet that allows me to vacuum my whole main level from one central plug; the rug brush works fantastically on both my oriental carpet and looped wall-to-wall room; accessory tools are easy to get out and nest well inside the top of the canister. Plus it’s even lighter in weight!, so easy to carry around. The telescoping wands from the old and new vacuums are even interchangeable (although the heavy-duty powdered rug brush from the ’96 model doesn’t fit this new one). Only regrets are that the two models take different bags and filters and there’s no spot on the new canister to store or hang the second floor brush. (Some might not like that the “canary yellow” color is actually kind of a puke green.) Small complaints for such a wonderful easy-to-use product that also provides top-notch HEPA filters for allergy-sufferers. Oh, that wonderful German engineering and manufacturing!!!