Product Review - writercize #148

Now that the holidays are over and the decorations are slowly making their way back into their storage homes, I expect that everyone has had a chance to fully experience all the new gifts of the season. 

I was a very lucky, very spoiled girl this season by my husband and parents, and rounded out the year with a slew of new technology, including the iPad 2 and the Kindle Fire. Needless to say, I'm enjoying world wide access at the tips of my fingers. 

I am also really enjoying a third piece of technology, a gift from my Mom, one that I would not expect to elicit such joy - a vacuum cleaner. Not just any vacuum cleaner, the Mercedes Benz of vacuum cleaners. After years of frustration over a complete lack of suction in my previous upright model purchased at Target, I am thrilled to watch the floor lighten before my eyes and hear the sweet sound of granules of sand from my daughters' preschool get sucked right up out of the carpet fibers. I went to a vacuum cleaner store that sells and services vacuums, and was able to try a couple of models before settling on the beauty you see to your right.

I love it so much, that I have decided to spotlight it in today's writercize, a simple task which allows you to share your product "expertise" with the world, put your voice into the world wide web, work on lingo for marketing or critiques and have the satisfaction of instant online publication.

writercize: Accolades or a scathing review, pick one of your gifts from Christmas or Hannukah and review it online.  

(Hint: Amazon is an easy site to submit a review since they seem to have almost every item known to mankind, but if you can't find the product there, google it and follow one of the links to purchase the product. You'll almost always be able to review a product on a site that sells it.)

Click "read more" for the writercizer sample review about the Miele Titan.

writercizer sample response (posted on Amazon):

Miele Titan vacuum cleaner - 5 stars

After years of running an upright vacuum that lost suction a mere month or so after purchase, I am a very satisfied user of the Miele Titan. 

Before I tout it as the absolute perfect vacuum, the flaws: as a canister vacuum, the hose can be a little ornery and catch onto the door knob as I stow it away in the closet (a place to twist or rest the hose would be welcome) and the telescopic wand was heavier than expected dropping on my toes the first couple of times I set it down to plug and unplug the unit, but those are minor design details that I can adapt around.

The sleek, compact, beautiful bright red vacuum came with a seven year warranty and estimated 20 year lifespan, which tells me that right away that the company considers it to be a superior product. Maintenance and service do not come cheap, so to stand behind a vacuum cleaner for seven years (as opposed to the more normal 90-day to one year warranties) is impressive.

The vacuum cleaner did its job and sucked the sand, dirt, hair and debris from both the carpet and linoleum in the kitchen. On the carpet, I used the cleaner head with an internal motor for extra power and suction; on the linoleum I switched to the floor brush. Both were powerful and effective. The crevice head got used on the car seats, and the brush head on the window frames. Each one had sufficient suction to leave nothing behind that was visible to the eye.

A ball joint on the floor tools makes turning corners easy, and I appreciate that I can use or remove the telescopic wand for uses beyond the floors. I can keep the wand in for ceilings, or take it out for less back strain on the stairs or a close look at cleaning the upholstery.

The vacuum bag is easy to change, and completely enclosed so you do not have to be exposed to all the dust and dirt sitting in the vacuum when you empty the canister. That is great for allergies, as is the vacuums HEPA filter.

One of my favorite advantages to the vacuum is the ability to completely expose the round brush tool within the Electro Comfort floor tool buy unscrewing the bottom of the cleaner.  I am able to open it up and cut out the long hair that inevitably wraps around the brush and diminishes the cleaning power and general feeling of cleanliness in a vacuum cleaner. With three girls with long hair in the family, it's a very appreciated innovation.

Another design feature I find especially appealing is the electric cord storage. After you unplug the machine, you just tap on the power cord button and it wraps itself up inside the canister. No time-consuming twisting or tying necessary.

All in all, a high quality machine with easy to use features and an attractive design. I haven't had so much fun vacuuming in all my life!