Varying Floor Types
Homes with varying flooring types make for a difficult proposition in finding a vacuum that will both clean well and at the same time transition easily across different surfaces.  This is where Miele's auto feature can prove valuable as it can adjust the suction to maximize performance as you move from one floor type to another.

Our recommendations for homes with thick carpeting:

Miele S7 with Auto Feature
Don't let the sleek look of the S7 fool you.  It is that all terrain vehicle of upright vacuums.  With a spring loaded brushbar, a foot pedal to help you move to a higher surface, and the auto setting to select the right power these vacuums excel at cleaning anywhere in your home.

Miele S5 Vacuums
All of these canister vacuums come with a motorized brushbar except for the Pisces vacuum.  The advantage of the motorized brushbar is that you can turn it off allowing you to easily transition from carpeting to hard floors. They also include the parquet hard floor tool if you do not mind swapping out the tools when you change floor surfaces. For very thin area rugs that needs agitation we recommend the lighter floor tool as we have found it easy easiest to vacuum by going out from the center and then lifting the head back. This avoids a backward motion that will pull the carpeting along with the floor tool. The Earth is a nice choice and our first recommendation as it includes the Auto feature.

Miele S2 Titan
This canister vacuum comes standard with both a motorized floor tool and a parquet brush. This lightweight, affordable vacuum effectively cleans both floor types.

For homes with low pile we recommend:

S5 Pisces / S6 Onyx/ S2 Capri:
These vacuums will not have a motorized floor tool.  Instead you will use a combination of the air driven STB205 turbobrush and the Parquet hard floor tool to clean your home.  This requires you change the floor tools when you move from hard floor surfaces to carpeting.  The advantage over the motorized S5 vacuums is the cost.