Miele S2 Contour Canister Vacuum

I first looked at the more expensive Miele canister vacs with fully sealed systems, but in the end I chose this one as it is well worth the money. It is true that it has excellent suction, is relatively quiet, is light weight and does a great job on floors. This vacuum can switch from wood to area rugs and from carpet to tile seamlessly. The suction is so powerful that I rarely put it on the highest setting. Even though this model is not a so called fully sealed Miele vacuum, I've never seen a speck of dust inside the compartment. I highly recommend this vacuum. There are two weak spots. The cord could be longer, but that’s not a big deal. The other I only wish the cord can be a little longer but it's no big deal. The other one is a big deal: The power head that came with the Contour S2 does an awful job on carpets, even low pile carpets. I have to make multiple passes in order to pick up pet fur, thread, etc. The power head doesn’t use an electric motor, but relies on air ducted from the canister. An optional power head with a built in motor is available at any vacuum store carrying Miele vacuums, but it’s not cheap. We returned it and went with a better quality Miele.