After trying a number of different vacuums over the years, Dando83 described the experience as “never anything to write home about”, so using a Miele Cat & Dog for the last eighteen months has obviously created such an impression that they’ve done the next best thing and posted a review of it over at Amazon.co.uk.

Entitling it “Miele is the only vacuum make I’d buy ever again” is a bold statement and while Dando83 admits the initial purchase price didn’t scream “buy me”, the reviews they’d read told a different story. Impressed by the solid build quality it was using the Cat & Dog for the first time on full power that blew them away, the suction of the thing making “things cleaner than they’d ever been before”.

With “6 months of a two year warranty left” Dando83 isn’t anticipating any problems, but “if this machine ever dies it’ll have earned its keep and I’ll promptly get another Miele”. Finally Dando83 wraps up their review reminding us of the value of online testimonials: “If you’ve ever trusted an electrical appliance, review, trust the 100% positive ratings for the Miele vacuum”.

Jump across to Amazon.co.uk to see Dando83’s full-write-up or read previous Cat & Dog reviews we’ve covered on Forever Better.

I think it’s true to say farmers tend to know a thing or two about reliability and durability. After all in their line of work you need stuff you can depend on and over at the Farming Forum member Don Mackay has turned the discussion to the subject of washing machine reliability.

When reparing an old machine some time ago, he was told by a local whitegoods dealer that apart from Miele, many washers are build down to a price and that is reflected in the cost and frequency of servicing to which Fendtdriver recounts a now familiar tale of reparing and replacing other brands of washing machine.

Andybk points out “Miele are a different class designed for 10 years everyday use (10 year guarantee with many), and will probably last 20 or more, everything is servicable and main drum carrier is cast iron”, a sentiment that is supported by Longwool, whose previous washer “didn’t last long” and was ultimately replaced with Miele washing machine and dishwasher “that has now done over 10 years of service…to buy anything else is false economy in my opinion”.

If you’ve got any thoughts on washing machine reliability and agree with the Snail’s original statement that everything’s built to a price, pop over to the forum and have your say.

Even with a household full of Miele appliances, it wasn’t a foregone conclusion when Broadsword’s vacuum cleaner needed replacing that another Miele machine would be top of the shopping list as this latest review of the Cat & Dog TT5000 over on Amazon.co.uk demonstrates.

After ditching their Dyson for the Cat & Dog, he described his ultimate decision as: “All those reviewers and ‘Which’ can’t be wrong” and having already “bought a washing machine, tumble dryer and dishwasher from Miele this year” was already “very impressed with the brand”.

As the TT5000 was the first cylinder cleaner they’ve owned, Broadsword has been delighted with how well the vacuum copes with corners and pleasantly surprised by the motor noise or rather the lack of it calling it “as good as silent compared with any other machine we’ve used.”

While he admits the “only tiny negative is that Miele appliances are not cheap” he concedes that over the life of the vacuum “you get a lot for the money” and like the other Cat & Dog reviews we’ve covered in the past he commends it as “greatly recommended” advising potential purchasers to “ignore all the flashy promotion from Dyson and others and go for this one. You won’t be disappointed”

Jump over to Amazon and read his testimonial for yourself.

Ukconsumer75 is something of an expert in the review of vacuum cleaners having previously written five of them over at the Review Centre and this latest one is no different in its thoroughness and attention to detail.

Having previously been a Sebo owner, ukconsumer75 bought the Miele S380 as a replacement for his old K1 and having already purchased an S4210 for his Mum knew what to expect in terms of Miele’s reputation. While he concedes the S380 is slightly more unwieldy to pull around than the S4000 due to its extra weight, unlike its bigger brother it “has a tool tidy storer where the door rises beautifully on well precisioned hinges to show three cleaning tools that fit sugly into their own carry space”. He’s also impressed by the extra length of the S380’s power cord having been frustrated by shorter leads on lesser models in the past.

Although the S380 is due to be replaced by the new S2 line early next year, ukconsumer75 still considers it “an all in one complete vacuum cleaner”. Why not jump over to the Review Centre to read his write-up in full.

Over on Money Saving Expert, ooobedoo is on the look-out for a new washer. Her current machine has provided nine years service and is sure it’s on its “last legs”, so wants a reliable model for her family of four “that doesn’t cost to much to buy and run”.

Sensibly she’s done her research online and concluded there are “just one or two makers of washing machines now, and they just have different fronts on them apart from Miele of course”. However she’s still not sure which brand to go for and has asked for ideas with Melancholly and Slinky both suggest subscribing to Which?: Slinky in particular has recently decided on buying a Miele tumble dryer after signing up online.

To read the discussion in full pop over to the forum and find out how highly Jasper27 rates Miele ownership.

When George Brown sat down and wrote his review of the Cat & Dog TT5000 over at the Review Centre it appears he struggled to find any negative points. So much so that the only one he could think of was the difficulty in finding one to purchase in the first place since demand was so high.

After using the Cat & Dog over the last year, he gives the vacuum the full ten out of ten across ease of use, durability, service and value, a nine for style and makes special mention of the “effective all angle suction pressure”, something we find is commonly mentioned by other Miele owners.

He concludes his review asking us to “Forget Dyson, Vax, Hoover, Electrolux and ilk, a better vacuum cleaner for tough household and pet hair you will not find at £165 - £200 anywhere!”.

Jump over to read his write-up in full and if you’ve got any comments why not rate his review.

There’s a lot to think about when choosing a washing machine, a point proven on The DVD Forums recently – when discussion about the speed of the spin turned into insight into exactly which brand of washing machine is most durable.

Splobber begins the debate, suggesting that “If you want longevity then look at a Miele, or a Siemens which is a bit lower down the scale, which may give you twice the lifespan. But expect to pay at least twice as much for it” – before a heated discussion about the relative merits of Hotpoint dominates the forum.

Jackal792 steps in to suggest “One of the things you also need to appreciate, a washer is designed to last about 5 years in most cases, if you want something to last longer go for a Miele, Siemens”. ROne clearly concurs, suggesting “Mine’s a Bosch. Next will be a Miele.”

Do you agree? Has your Miele kept spinning for a potentially record-breaking length of time? Comment here, or pop over to the DVD forum.

As something of an early Christmas present saltireblue has promised his other-half a new hob and as they’ve no gas supply to the house is looking at the alternatives including induction hobs. As a novice in these kinds of things, he’s turned to the fellow members of the Land Rover Forums for their thoughts on the subject.

As an induction hob owner and whitegoods supplier, sherpa87 explains the benefits of induction cooking including speed: “faster than gas, takes about half the time to heat the same amount of water”, safety: “a lot safer, because the hob itself doesn’t get hot” and ease of cleaning: “if something does boil over it’s unlikely to be burnt on”.

All of which prompts saltireblue to make use of his decent year-end bonus and splash out a little bit extra on a Miele: “was originally thinking of spending about £750″, although for the grand he spent he got “auto non-boil feature, boost on all 4 zones, timer on all 4 zones” and a “5 year guarantee”.

If you’ve got any experience of induction cooking why not pop across and share your thoughts.

Over at Pistonheads, Wattsie_2004 is urgently looking for a new washer and has short-listed Bosch, Hoover, Hotpoint, Indesit and Zanussi as potential candidates. Even with this selection he’s still not convinced and wants recommendations for others as long as they’re “reliable”.

“Top notch gear” is bomb’s description accompanying his Miele recommendation, while Alfa_75_Steve recommends the entire Miele product range: “Dishwasher: Miele, Washing Machine: Miele, Tumble Dryer: Miele, Vacuum Cleaner: Miele, Oven: Miele, Hob: Miele”. Although Andrew[MG] asks “What does a £1000 Miele washing machine do that makes it so good?”, both Alfa_75_Steve and Neil_H list the benefits of Miele ownership: “Efficient on water use, Very energy efficient, A program to look after any kind of fabric you can imagine, Deathly quiet, Will last you a lifetime.”

All of which leads to the question of the false economy of buying a cheaper brand which will have to be replaced sooner rather than later or spending the extra on a Miele and seeing it last twenty years. As usual this provokes a lively debate so jump across and get involved.

Better late than never is Reviewer999’s thought in this latest review of the Miele W3922 WPS washing machine over at Ciao!.

This being their first Miele, Reviewer999 writes that they “wish we had bought one years ago” and have been very impressed with the quality and quietness of the machine’s cycles. The thirty-minute express wash programme is a particularly useful “when you are pushed for time…and gives excellent results”. While they comment that “it is expensive” Reviewer999 believes it to be “worth it for the quality and the 10 year parts and labour guarantee”.

Jump across to Ciao! to read the full write-up and if you find it useful why not rate the review.