Sebo x4

I am afraid I am unimpressed with this vacuum cleaner and the most irritating thing is that fact it does not stay upright when using the attachment. It picks up ok but nothing fantastic given the price tag. It's hopeless on stairs not just for the reason given above or its inability to stay upright!

We purchased the Sebo x4 after reading some really good reviews, what a mistake! It takes 45 minutes to vacuum our front room to rid it of pet hair. It also will not remain upright when left, from day one the catch wouldn't hold it up so it lives next to a wall. The hairs are not lifted from the carpet, should have stuck to Miele! Too slow and lacking in power, the stairs are a no go area, does not even make an impression!

This cleaner picks up well, is easier to lug around than a Dyson BUT be carefull if you accidently go over the cable! Instead of just sucking it up a little it will mash the cable in an instant leaving it bare and presumably dangerous. Had mine a month and this is the first time it happened. I guess I may need to get the cable replaced at least and don't think it's covered by warranty.

I purchased this hoover just over a month ago after being advised by a sale person at John Lewis that this was the best vacumm for picking up dog hair and that it was a great sellar. I was undecided whether to get this one or the Miele but was persuaded that the Sebo was better. I can't fault the sales staff as it was ultimately my decision, albeit a wrong one! I've never been so unhappy with a hoover before. 1) its heavy, really heavy and taking it up and down the stairs is a challenge and also there is no place to conveniently grasp it while doing so; 2)the attachment tube handle is useless because it will tip over the hoover at the slightest of movement so one has to hold onto the main body and use the other hand to vacuum. It does come with a long attachment hose but I find that the suction is not that great using such a long hose. 3)the attachment hose has to be replaced in the socket if you want to use the main vacuum which I find a real nuisance if I need to use it for just a moment to pick up something in the corner.4) it does not manovere well around corners at all.

Yes it is durable and powerful and does a good suction job BUT....

1. It is heavy to carry, especially up and down stairs.

2. How is one supposed to use the hand tools without the damn thing falling over.

3. It is built like a tank, it could last lifetime.

4. The flex is nice and long but vacuuming awkward stairs like mine in a Victorian house is a nightmare.

I will start by saying this is not my vacuum - it is my Grandparent's. However they are getting less physically able and since they live on the same estate, I usually end up vacuuming for them when I go around.

The build quality of this machine is fantastic. It is built from tough ABS and feels just as robust as my old faithful Dyson DC04. It has a nice colour scheme of black and silver. However the black is glossy and attracts scratches very quickly (like a Numatic Henry's hat).

The suction is quite strong on this machine, and it will lose suction as the bags get more full, but there's always enough there to pick up visible dirt. However, it isn't as strong as my DC04. When they were away I brought my DC04 down to really deep clean their house. I filled the 3l dust canister twice on each floor. I only vacuumed with the Sebo a week before! They are not dirty people. They have an average sized 3 bedroom detached house.

The brush roll however, is very good at lifting the carpet, and I like the computer controlled height adjust. It is far more accurate than the Dyson's auto adjusting cleaner head. I also like that Sebo guarantee the drive belt for the lifetime of the machine. I like how the machine will shut off if you run over something like a sock with the brush roller.

I like that the machine will also turn itself off if there is a clog/bag split/full.

The dust bags last a long time, but is that really a good thing? In my opinion no. If the Dyson could pick up so much more than the Sebo, then clearly it is not picking up enough.

I like that the machine can lie flat to the floor to go under beds and furniture - this is when the brush roller shut off function is useful, as I sometimes pick up a sock or the tassels on the sofa!

I also like that the machine glides very well on carpet and hard floor, yet still grooms the carpet far better than the Dyson. If the Dyson could groom the carpet like that, It would be an almost perfect machine! It picks up very well on hard floor, especially since you can't turn of the brush roller. It is also quite light considering its size much lighter than the 9kg Sebo BS 46 which I have used as well.

Now onto the filtration and bags. The filtration is indeed excellent, and filters out everything the machine picks up. You also don't need to change the filters very much (about every 2 years) however it is still nice to have the washable Dyson ones though for me! NEVER attempt to wash these filters, as it will ruin them. The bags however are paper and are quite flimsy. If Sebo switched to random-spun fiber bags, they could probably increase the motor power, and the bags wouldn't split like paper ones. This is one of the reasons the suction on the Sebo isn't that great - the motor power is only 1300w. This isn't that great for a machine that isn't cyclonic.

The tool storage design is good for the crevice and upholstery tools - having them stored on the body of the machine. It would have been nice to have them higher up though, so there's less bending down.

However the design for storage for the dusting brush could use some improvement - it clips onto the handle. The fact that it doesn't even come with the machine as standard is very poor for a machine of this price.

The hose is my main gripe about this machine. This is why I knocked off a star, as it is very important to my vacuuming needs. It attaches to the top of the cleaner, so when you are using it the machine either follows you around or falls over. This has given me a few injuries and has killed an expensive ornament - not good! I also do not like the fact that the hose is not very flexible at all, even though it is designed to stretch a bit. This means it is extremely short. So if you want to clean stairs or the car, you have to buy the optional extension hose - which is another £20. It is quite tough though, and I feel it will last a while. When using the extension hose, the cleaner has a much bigger reach - but is sways side to side as you clean stairs. I do like the hose is a lot easier to get out than the Dyson. However it doesn't join as well as the Dyson, do the air leaks out of there the wand connects to the hose - Miele's design is much better, and they also incorporated a stretch hose.

As far as carry handles go, this machine has some in all the right places. It also has a nice long 10m cord - an improvement of the 7.5m on my Dyson.

All in all I would recommend this machine as a vacuum for a bungalow or large areas of flat carpet with no stairs ( a commercial cleaning business would like a vacuum like this.)

However if you suffer from allergies (this machine just doesn't have strong enough suction) or have stairs, or want the option to turn of the brush roller, or just want stronger suction, try the Miele S7 series. They are rather heavy though. If you like bagless, consider a refurbished Dyson DC04 or one of the newer Dysons.

Fantastic machine. I've got three of them. 1 for work, used every week day on several houses/flats. 1 for home and 1 spare. Who else gives you a 5 year guarantee as standard? Tip - Don't touch Dyson with a barge pole. Dyson is Utter Utter Utter Utter Utter Rubbish!!!!!!!

Had one of these over 20 years ago. Since had a Dyson and a horrible Morphy Richards cleaner which I could stand no longer. The Sebo is superb in comparison. It is so easy to use, not heavy, it glides along the floor & automatically adjusts to different floors. It also has a wand which you just pull out to go into the corners or suck up cobwebs. It is excellent at cleaning edges. I am now able to vacuum my stairs again (my husband had to do them with the old cleaner). Although expensive its worth every penny.

We have owned the Sebo X4 extra for about 10 years. It's bullet proof. We went thought the usual fusion phase but due to them being very big, heavy and tiny dust storage we decided to upgrade. Mum had an older model and swore by it. We feel this vacuum cleaner is the same quality as all our Miele appliances. Well built an very durable. Parts are cheap enough and we never loose suction even when the bag is rammed full. It can fall over but you can easily get round this by positioning the cleaner against a wall or the stairs or as we do sometimes just lay it flat on the floor whilst using the extension hose. One very cleaver design feature is the ability to drop the whole cleaner in to a flat position so getting under beds and sofas is a doddle. It is very powerful and you can even see the carpet being lifted as it passes over it. We have a large house with three children a dog and a cat coupled with hard wood floors and fitted carpet as well as some stone and the automatic levelling system handles everything really well. If this went wrong we wouldn't think twice... We'd go and buy another!!!

This vac has caused more damage to my house than the kids did when they were young. Not too bad when pushed, but try the extension hose and it's a nightmare. Don't try to use the hose more than about 2 feet away from the vac or the vac falls over, usually hitting the coffee table, wall, or your foot!!! Some people say hold the vac whilst using the hose. WHAT! I think that's defeating the object a bit. The accessories are cheap for a vac of this price too.

I am a Design Engineer, and if I turned out junk like this, I would be out of a job. I commented on the lamentable 'major design flaw' to the Sebo sales team, and surprisingly never got a reply. Recommend to a friend, I wouldn't recommend it to my enemy.