Obvious Smiths fan bigmouthstrikesagain over at the Mumsnet discussion boards has just purchased a Miele Cat & Dog TT5000 after asking for recommendations to replace her aging Dyson, which by her own admission is “…held together with masking tape” and in need of “…expensive replacement parts.”

After checking out the Which? best buys and finding Miele the clear winner her only reservation was the bagged vs bagless debate, which thanks to community members such as JFly whose description of her S4211 as “…the compact lightweight nature of it will make up for the occassional hassle of the bags” and ILikeToMoveItMoveIt ’s “…so much lighter than the Dyson. I found the Dyson stupidly heavy and found it a right pain on the stairs.” she ultimately ordered the Cat & Dog and after using it for the first time was so impressed by it reported her findings back to the Mumsnet members: “I think I am in love! I have never seen my stairs looking so… hoovered - amazing…”

To read the rest of the discussion and more on the bagged vs bagless debate head over to the Mumsnet discussion boards.

We’ve covered three earlier reviews of the Miele S5210 before on Forever Better and this fourth is as equal in its praise as each of the previous testimonials.

Once again this anonymously written Review Centre evaluation awards the S5210 the full 10/10 across the board including ease of use, durability, style, service and value for money. Described as having “excellent performance, interchangeable floor heads from other Miele models, variable power selection, quiet operation, well built and sturdy and fairly light weight”, the only issue is the cost of replacement bags which the reviewer advises “…to shop around for best prices”.

The owner of this S5210 is also no stranger to Miele being the owner of a house full of other appliances including a washing machine, dishwasher and fridge freezer and concludes their write-up with “whilst Miele products are not cheap, they are without doubt built to last and just ooze Germanic qualities of understated engineering”.

Jump over to the Review Centre to read the review in full and rate or leave a comment of your own.

After years of reliable service sucking up glass, soot and household dust, KB3’s vacuum has finally given up. She’s been looking at the offers around at the moment and is impressed by an £80 saving on a Dyson DC07, however since she has “…hardwood floors downstairs and carpet upstairs”, isn’t sure if the Dyson’s up to the job.

Fellow members of the Hitched Forum have ridden to her rescue with Alison76 suggesting the Miele S5211. Not only does she own one, but points out “I’ve just looked at the Which best buy table and the top 4 were all Miele and there were another 3 or 4 Miele also in the top 20″. She also suggests the S4211 as it”…came out better than the black one I listed, and it’s slightly cheaper too.” Gryfon too also has a Miele which she describes as “fab”.

Worried that cylinder cleaners will give her a bad back and prove troublesome storing, Alison76 once again reassures her: “…It takes less room than our old upright one took. I have a lower back problem and don’t get any aches and pains using it.”

If you’ve got any advice for KB3 jump across to the forum and have your say.

Motoring forum Pistonheads isn’t just a hotbed of automotive experts as we’ve seen before on Forever Better. Their knowledge also runs to domestic appliances too and this is demonstrated in the latest discussion started by Dibble in his quest for a new washing machine.

His Zanussi has “given up the ghost” so would like suggestions for a replacement. While he initially baulks at the expense of Miele after recommendations from Fume Troll, randlemarcus and plotless, it’s Red Firecracker’s description of them as “…Built like a tank and I don’t expect to replace it.” which changes his mind. Defblade too chips in with “Miele. It will never break, and when it does, they keep parts even for discontinued models for years and years. Beats hell out of a cheapie breaking every 2-3 years…”.

Tonker also explains that he “…sold the 7 year old Miele dishwasher from the old kitchen on Fleabay - they gave me just under £200 for it. People want Miele stuff. It’s worth the money in my book…” So this got us thinking, have you sold on your old Miele for good money? Let us know your story.

Over at the UK Parents Lounge Forum, Scrummy mummy has something of an urgent request. Her Hotpoint tumble dryer has just short-circuited the entire house and as a busy mum with lots of laundry needs a reliable machine that won’t let her down. Her quandary is whether to “go for a Miele” or “can someone recommend me a reliable make with a large large drum which will last more than 2 years?”

Crank Parent immediately recommends Miele as “you can get a free 5 year labour and parts warranty on lots of models just now and they have a life expectancy of twenty years.” as does plopcar and traciej who’s mother-in-law’s machine “…lasted over 20 years with excessive usage!”

While scrummy mummy is sold on Miele’s reputation for longevity, the question has arisen whether the extending the standard two-year warranty is worth the extra outlay? The unanimous decision being that for a further £60 an further five-years peace-of-mind is definitely worth it.

To read the rest of the discussion, pop over to the forum and if you’ve got something to share get involved.

As we highlighted briefly last week, Miele will soon be launching their first upright vacuum the S7. To whet the appetite of all those keen to get their hands on one, Miele have launched a teaser site and competition to win one of five of this top-of-the-range machine.

As the site itself says: “When designing our first upright vacuum cleaner, we interrogated the design from every angle. The result was the Miele S7, incorporating an innovative swivel neck for maximum agility. Like our famed cylinder vacuums, the S7 delivers optimum cleaning power. It’s also designed to last up to 20 years…”

The news hasn’t escaped the notice of the eagle-eyes over at the Money Saving Expert forum where a conversation has begun into the competition and a number of eager members have already entered in the hoping of bagging a prize.

For more information on the S7 and a chance to win one of your very own, drop by Miele.co.uk.

It’s not just matters of education that are discussed over at the TES website. This online ’staffroom’ for teachers - as with any other community - debate a wide range of subjects and several members have recently turned their attention to that staple of any staffroom - the coffee machine.

Opinions on the subject of which machines are best are as varied as the individual tastes: filter, espresso, latte and even frothy chocolate are all mentioned as favourites among the staff. Such is the knowledge imparted on the subject that dinx67 asks member LadsNR: “Are you the TES equivalent of Which? magazine?” and “Do you have any recommendations for a vacuum cleaner?” to which she replies “Our last 2 vacuums have been Miele I love them”. The debate quickly returns to the subject of coffee however and whether the Italian method of a slow boiling pot of the stuff is really the last word in taste.

To catch up on the coffee debate and perhaps pick up a vacuum cleaner recommendation into the bargain, jump over to the forum and have your say.

Aside from the tongue-in-cheek suggestions about the ‘other-half’ being the best dishwasher, fancy*footwork over at the eBay UK Forums would like recommendations for a new dishwasher as the repairman has declared her current machine kaput.

She’s looking for something built-in, about 59.6cm wide and “…not a Smeg!”, so has asked the question: “What do you have, does it work well, and would you buy it again? AEG, Bosch and Siemens are all recommended by furryfur, faeriedak and numptygirl1969 respectively, while ivvie loves her Miele describing it bashfully as “…A+ rated and very quiet. Clever cos it has sensors to regulate the temperature and water depending on how dirty the dishes are”. She also loves the peace of mind of the standard five-year warranty and “…not the usual one year thingy.”

Again the recommendations from all concerned is to avoid the lesser brand names, as not only are they noiser and appear to clog more easily, they don’t last as long as a prestige brand.

To read the rest of the conversation or add a comment of your own, drop by the forum.

Many dog owners know the problem: You have a pesky mutt who moults uncontrollably and leaves the house looking a mess, so you have to vacuum every day just to pick up their hair. Well debjam certainly does, and with Dyson just not doing the business, she’s posted over on Money Saving Expert asking for help finding a new vacuum.

And it seems that amongst the initiated, the Miele Cat & Dog is a very popular choice. Champys speaks eagerly of her purchase “I ended up buying a Miele, which is fantastic especially with cat hair”, while Magentasue gushes “We have a Miele cat and dog and it’s the best we’ve ever had”. Mrbadexample also points out, that it’s “damn near powerful enough to lift the carpet off the floor”, while Scarlett.1974, gives “another vote for the Miele Cat & Dog”, leading debjam to conclude “The Miele seems to be doing quite well in the vote stakes as well, so maybe I should check those out too.”

Comment of the day award though undoubtedly goes to pigpen, for her powerful insight into the argument - “My friend has a Miele cat and dog which she says is the best thing since sliced bee’s danglies”…Err…

To read the rest of this very interesting discussion jump over to the Money Saving Expert forum.

You can’t argue with a 10/10 review - and that’s exactly what mart526330 says of the Miele TT5000 Cat & Dog vacuum over at the Review Centre.

Having sported an upright Sebo for the last eight years, moving brands was obviously a big step. With the long-awaited Miele S7 upright due for an October launch, mart526330 decided to go for a Cat & Dog and is pleased to report that the “Miele is such a strong performer”, delivering results there’s no need to shake a duster at. It has an “excellent adjustable power coupled with effective turbo brush attachment” which he says has left his carpets “spotless.”

It’s always been a problem for him “removing sock fluff etc… from beige, tight pile carpet”, but “this vacuum does that job effortlessly”. He also suggests that the Cat & Dog is “easy to use, store and move around, bag/filter replacement is also easy and mess free.” In conclusion, mart526330 seems entirely happy, being fully “satisfied…and hope it lasts as long as the Sebo!”

To read the his review in full, pop over to the Review Centre.