Doesn't Cleva Make Kenmore Canisters now? They didn't fix this??

[mark40511]

I always loved the kenmore canisters except for one major thing. The bag collar and no gaskets on the bags = bag chamber full of dust. Didn't they redesign these to make them sealed? I can't believe they kept this same collar design. Take a look at this video At around 5:44 take a look

 

[panasonicvac]

Doesn't surprise me. Like you, I too love the Kenmore canisters but also couldn't believe they're still using the same old design. So that's one of the reasons why I don't really recommend them anymore. Personally if I really wanted to have a Kenmore canister, I'd rather just retrofit their nozzle on one of the other canisters instead like MetroVac for example or even better is use their nozzle on a central vac.

 

[cheesewonton]

Suzhou Cleva Electric Appliance Co Ltd of Suzhou China ( hour and a half drive from Shanghai, it's on Lake Tai a local resort area ) makes Kenmore vacuums. They also make some Craftsman shop vacs and it was their shop vac business that got them the Kenmore vacuum business when Panasonic decided to leave the North American vacuum cleaner market.

I don't have any problems with the Kenmore bag dock. I don't have dust leaks, but I always and forever use only genuine Kenmore brand Style Q synthetic dust bags. They have a thicker cardboard collar than any other brand of bag and seal properly. I also occasionally change the foam gasket inside the bag dock. That part has been around since 1984 under half a dozen different part numbers. It's not hard to find. Change it every couple of years, use only Kenmore brand bags and no dust. We have a 16-17 year old Kenmore Elite used a lot and it is nice and clean in the bag chamber.

 

[cheesewonton]

Suzhou Cleva has done a lot to improve Kenmore canister vacuums. The power nozzle wheels are now on steel axles. No more wheels falling off. They have added gaskets to the motor housings to make them well sealed. The quality of the plastics, build quality and the design of lid hinges are all greatly improved. No more hard squeaky plastic hinges that threaten to break before the lid is open. Everything works nice and smooth now. I have Kenmore canisters going back to the late 1940s and IMHO the 600 Series "Pop-N-Go" canister is the best built canister vacuum Kenmore has ever sold. I really like my 800 Series Elite and my beloved old 1982 Sears Best 4.1 but neither are as well made as the 600 and my 600 has more power than my Elite, which is a huge surprise.

 

[mark40511]

I understand that. That's what made me want to try one again. I knew they were sealed now where they weren't before. They improved several areas. It's the bag collar. Keep in mind, I had three, yes three Kenmore canisters from around 2004 to 2010. Each lasted around 2 years when the quick connect connections would start failing. I'm a clean freak so I vacuum more than most ppl. At least a few times per week. There was always dust in the bag chamber which annoyed me the most. Even in this video I linked, you can clearly see he's just unboxed the vacuum and it's a genuine bag that came with it and after his mess test, bag chamber FULL of dust. I'm not sure what you're doing differently. I had one instance where I changed a bag, (I was always careful) slid the genuine bag onto the collar, vacuumed for weeks. Went to check the bag and the bag had slid 1/2 off the collar. I was unknowingly vacuuming basically without a bag for weeks. After that, I started taping the bag onto the collar out of paranoia.

 

[cheesewonton]

I understand that. That's what made me want to try one again. I knew they were sealed now where they weren't before. They improved several areas. It's the bag collar. Keep in mind, I had three, yes three Kenmore canisters from around 2004 to 2010. Each lasted around 2 years when the quick connect connections would start failing. I'm a clean freak so I vacuum more than most ppl. At least a few times per week. There was always dust in the bag chamber which annoyed me the most. Even in this video I linked, you can clearly see he's just unboxed the vacuum and it's a genuine bag that came with it and after his mess test, bag chamber FULL of dust. I'm not sure what you're doing differently. I had one instance where I changed a bag, (I was always careful) slid the genuine bag onto the collar, vacuumed for weeks. Went to check the bag and the bag had slid 1/2 off the collar. I was unknowingly vacuuming basically without a bag for weeks. After that, I started taping the bag onto the collar out of paranoia.

The bag that comes with the vacuum is often installed poorly. In fact most are not installed right from the factory. I have seen this myself where the opening in the bag collar was not centered on the dock. If that is the case you get a leak no matter what brand of bag you use. There is a lip on the mounting dock that should fit into the bag collar tightly. If you pay attention to fitment there are no leaks. The collar on the Kenmore brand bag is thicker and fits the lip tight. Other brands with thinner cardboard collars do not seal as well but are easier to install and remove. I have been using these for decades with no leaks.

But honestly few vacuums are any better. Miele bag docks are finicky and the spring loaded flap in the genuine Miele brand bag pushes the bag collar down off the lid and both of my Mieles leak and coat the underside of the lid in a fine layer of dust. That flap also becomes a source of regular clogs because the spout on the inside of the lid doesn't push it fully open. Genuine Miele brand FJM dust bags in an S558 and C2 Compact Electro. Kludge. My Sebos always have some dog hair poked into the pre-motor filter at bag change and I use premium synthetic Sebo dust bags. I have to vacuum the bag chamber with another vacuum at bag changes. Not sure if the hair is going right through the bag or finding a way around the bag dock. On the Riccar 1700 the dust goes right through the synthetic bag and leaves a circle of dust on the bottom of the bag chamber right under where the hose enters the bag chamber. Same thing with synthetic Menalux Oslo+ bags I buy from Europe for the Oreck DutchTech ( Oslo+ and Riccar 1700 bags are essentially identical though it is unintentional ) Genuine Kenmore brand bags have a sheet of plastic inside the bag opposite the hose entry to prevent this. Riccar and Envirocare bags don't have this feature. I have Kenmores that have stayed clean inside for over a decade of regular use.

 

[centralsweeper63]

Still sounds quite finicky though.

 

[mark40511]

I dunno. I went back to the video and took this screenshot and the bag looks to be perfectly installed.

 

[centralsweeper63]

Is that a Parwaz video? He seems to be importing lots of machines.

 

[cheesewonton]

I dunno. I went back to the video and took this screenshot and the bag looks to be perfectly installed.

Two questions. One, is the inside of the cardboard collar seated in the lip on the opposite side of that bag dock that faces the surface of the bag card? If it is even a little off it will leak. Second question is that a genuine Kenmore bag? Can't tell from this image.

 

[centralsweeper63]

It looks/sounds extremely fiddily.

 

[cheesewonton]

It looks/sounds extremely fiddily.

Not really. Once you see how the bag is supposed to be installed it is a simple thing to ensure everything is lined up right. Maybe because all the canister vacs I had until ten or twelve years ago were Kennys it is second nature to me.

Kennys are not nearly as fiddly as a Miele bag dock or the incredibly fragile bag holder in my Lindhaus Aria ( so easy to break if not handled with great care ). And unlike Miele and some other brands opening the lid to see if the bag is full doesn't dislodge the bag from the dock. The $%@#& Miele bag dock has dislodged the bag just from closing the lid slowly trying to be easy on the latch. I always have to poke a finger down into the bag and make sure it is centered and seated. PITA. And you don't have to remember to fold half the bag card down to clear a big rib on the underside of the lid like you do on the Oreck DutchTech. If you forget the rib pushes the bag off the spout under the lid and you have a real mess. Been there done that ! And the DutchTech is a difficult vacuum to disassemble for a cleaning. Wasn't fun.

 

[mark40511]

I don't know. I can only assume since he just unboxed it and started using it that it's genuine. The bag simply slides into the collar, you push it until it stops and it lines up perfectly with the opening in the bag. It's very simple to install a bag in these. If only when you put the hose into the machine after installing the bag, the end of the hose went somewhat down into the actual bag totally preventing any slippage at all that would be so much better There's really only ONE way to do it that I remember.

 

[SeboU1]

They must have changed the dock slightly. My Panasonic made Kenmore never has dust in the bag area, when using cloth bags.

 

[centralsweeper63]

Interesting. Very mixed experiences.