The Miele Olympus is the entry level vacuum cleaner and is the lowest priced model that is offered by Miele. Released within the last couple of years, it is part of the S2 series of vacuum cleaners that are geared towards a more price-conscious consumer who still want the quality vacuum cleaners that Miele has to offer but are on a tighter budget. These miele vacuums have a slightly smaller motor than their higher quality cousins, the S6 series, but still have a better cleaning ability than anything that is available in the big box stores such as walmart, kmart, kohls, & other corporate retailers.

Home Use Test:

Hardwood & Tile Floors – When we used the Olympus on hardwood and tile floors it worked fantastic! We knew it would work pretty well, as this canister is designed to be used primarily in homes that have all hard surface flooring. At my home we have two black labs with really waxy hair, and one golden retriever who has a longer thinner hair. The vacuum made pretty easy work of the pet hair and didn’t have trouble with crumbs either. In terms of dust and other dirt that has settled on the floor it did a decent job picking it up, but we didn’t like how it pushed some of the large pieces of dirt in front of the brush.

Area Rugs – When we switched the multi-floor tool to the area rugs setting it lifted up the brushes so we could move it more easily. When we used this multi-floor tool on a short pile area rug it worked really well too. Any crumbs, dirt, and pet hair seemed to come off pretty easily and didn’t stick to the carpet. When we attempted to use the same floor tool on a high pile area rug it proved to be pretty tough to push along and didn’t clean nearly as well.

Carpeting  –  As with the area rugs the floor tool that comes with the miele Olympus proves to be a little tough to push over carpeting. Its lack of a rotating brush roll makes it pretty evident that it’s mainly designed for use on hardwoods and tiles. Overall we weren’t too happy with the cleaning this vacuum did on carpeting.

Other Factors to Consider:

Overall Durability – We looked at this in’s and out’s of the Olympus and it seems to be pretty durable, but not nearly as well built as its more expensive brethren. When miele decided they were going to come out with a cheaper machine, you can tell that they had to cut a few corners here and there in order to get the cost down. This vacuum cleaner is still going to be more durable than anything found in your local walmart, but when you compare it to the S5, S6, S7, or soon to come S8 series there is a lack of superior design and use of higher grade materials.

Filtration – The miele Olympus comes standard with the air clean filter, which is their lowest grade filtration system. This vacuum is not designed for people who suffer from bad allergies. Those who do have allergies and are looking for a miele vacuum should consider the S6 series or the miele titan, which includes a HEPA filter. The S2 series also does not have a completely sealed system, which makes sure that all dust is retained and sent through the filtration system.

Attachments – Though this machine does come with all the standard attachments such as a hardwood floor & rug multi-tool, dusting brush, crevice tool, & upholstery tool it lacks an attachment that will work really well on carpet. It does not have a turbo attachment with a rotating brushroll or an electric powerbrush.

Overall Recommendation:

For those who are looking for a quality miele vacuum that is going to outlast anything in the big department stores by atleast 10+ years, they should consider the miele Olympus. However, if your home has more than hardwood floors, tiles, or other hard surface flooring you should go with a model that has an electric power brush such as the miele titan or miele topaz. If you have over 50% carpeting in your home you should go with an S5 series full size vacuum such as the miele Callisto or Leo.