Although I've used other vacuum cleaners, I've bought 4 of these Kenmore Canister Vacuums over the past 40 years, and I think they are the best available, although they aren't perfect. But they get better with every generation. (I don't know why people buy upright vacuums; it makes no sense. They are harder to use and they only do one job - they can vacuum carpeted floors. Their hose attachments are a joke. I think people buy them because Grandma used them. Well, this Grandpa is telling you to use a canister vacuum, preferable one of the Kenmore units. An upright has a beater bar and can vacuum carpet. These canisters have a beater bar for carpets; PLUS they can do any hard floor better than an upright of a broom, they can do any hard floor easily and well, they can do upholstery, they can do cars. Plus, there is less weight to move back and forth on every square foot of your house. No-brainer: use a canister vacuum and let granny keep her old and obsolete upright.) OK, here is why Kenmore vacuums tend to be better: - Suction control is on the handle. Easy and effective slowdown of the motor when you need to clean a lightweight item. (An expensive brand puts this control down on the canister itself; not very handy. Other brands just have an adjustable hole on the suction wand, not really very effective at all.) - Parts are available from Sears, still. If you are moderately handy, you can easily get parts for these from Sears (on line) and keep them going for many years. - Same bags are used in all of the models over the years; easy to get the bags. (Bagless vacuums are silly and dirty!) - Three filters: the bag, a filter inside the machine, a third filter at the air exit point. Keeps the dirt in the machine, not back in the house. - Upholstery power unit attachment: This little guy is great for power-beating upholstery, cars, lots of things. You won't use it all the time, but it's really handy when you need it. - 9' long hose makes things easier. - 26' cord; I only plug in the the electric outlet once per floor. - Button to retract cord. Retractor works well and it doesn't retract by accident. - Plenty of power; Any more would be too much. -This particular model seems to have better plastic parts; they all work more smoothly than past models. -This model has an interesting "steering" feature for the power head. By turning the wand, the head steers left and right. Handy little feature. -This model has lights on the power head and also on the wand (this lights the floor even for the non-power attachments. Very handy when you are vacuuming and one of those pesky solar eclipses occur.) Drawbacks: - This is rather heavy. Durable but maybe too heavy for some folks. It doesn't bother me, probably because I am a man of average strength. But it is noticeably heavy when I carry it on stairs. However, it is still WAY easier to move all over the house than any upright. - The unpowered floor tool on this model is very loud. The wind rushing through it makes more noise than even the powered carpet tool. Odd. Conclusion: While it has a few detractions that keep me from giving it 5-stars, I believe this model is the best of the brand, and any Kenmore with a power head is better than any other vacuum out there. It works very well, has many good features, and this model seems to be the most polished of all the Kenmore canisters. If you pay more for a vacuum than this one, you are getting much less for your buck.
