Finally got a direct drive!

[vacuumfreeeke]

I've been wanting a Direct Drive since I first sold them at Sears back in 01.... I acutally like the original purple version better as far as looks go, but I was at a thrift store today and found this for 20 bucks. I tried it out and it worked great so I just had to "let" it follow me home. It even came with 2 bags inside the bag chamber still in their original package! It's missing the dusting brush/upholstery tool (does anyone know which one it would have com with?) and crevice tool, but it came with the wands and turbo tool and the cord is intact. I haven't cleaned it up yet or played with it, but I'm thrilled! I think a few of you have gotten these before.... what do you think of them? I like that it has a hinged bag door and a gentle brush setting.

 

[vacman117]

I wanted one of those really bad before I had gotten mine. I love all of the controls in the handle, in fact, I think that is what drew me to it the most. I was really excited over it when I first got it, but it quickly wore off. I don't know if it is just mine, but it doesn't seem to lock onto the carpet like it should, so I like to use it for rugs and bare floors. I feel like my original purple Direct Drive cleans much better. But you can't beat the deal you got on yours!

 

[kloveland]

Hey Bobby,

Great find! I've near used one of those before. Does direct drive mean it doesn't have a belt. Does it use a geared belt? Your living room is looking quite nice. Almost didn't recognize your place from your previous pictures.

 

[eurekaprince]

Nice Kenmore/Panasonic Bobby! When it was being sold in stores, this model was one of the top-rated uprights in Consumer Reports testing. It is very easy to use with lots of conveniences. I remember that CR liked the fact that the unit would not tip over when in "tool mode," - I guess because it has a "hose retainer" low down on the body to keep it from tipping.

Kenny - this vac has the unique Panasonic beltless brushroll. There are no belts or gears - there is actually a small motor hidden WITHIN the brushroll at one end of the nozzle. This is why the brushroll is so large. The motor can be electrically adjusted to two speeds: regular and "gentle." It's a really wonderful vacuum innovation invented by Panasonic.

 

[vacuumfreeeke]

I took it apart to clean the mess and try to get rid of some of the dog smell (it stank terribly!) There was thick layer of dog hair right behind the brush roll.... it was so disgusting! It was tough getting the bottom plate off, and I was surprised at how the height adjust and handle release pedal are all integrated right into the base plate!

The plastic parts, including the hose are soaking right now, so it will be several days of drying before I can play with it.

The machine looks bland in pictures, but it's a little more attractive in person. It looks like they started out making a bagless and just slapped a bag door on it instead.

Here is a picture of the brushroll for anyone interested. When I bought it, the guy who showed me where a plug was said, "Now that one takes a belt to it so ya gotta put the handle back before it will spin." To save any more "lessons" I told him I collect vacuum and this will be my 50th machine and I sold the predecessor to this model at Sears so I knew all about how it worked. I didn't bother schooling him on the fact that the whole point of this vacuum is that it does not "take a belt to it", hence the word beltless right on the machine! He then struck up a conversation and asked how many Kirbys I had. I said 4. Then he asked how many Dysons I had. I said 1. Then he said, "Wasn't that Dyson guy the one that used to work for Kirby and then went off on his own because he didn't like the prices?" I said, "Well, you almost got right... try Bison!" )

I thought some of you might find that funny ;o)

As I checked out, the cashier at the thrift store (this was a little Catholic place, not a Good Will) said, "Well, the only problem with that is that you gotta use bags." I didn't even get into why that's a *good* thing, I just gave him my card and got out of there.

(Thanks Kenny about the living room, I bought new furniture about a year ago because I got sick of looking at the free hand me downs I was given when I moved in and it's a vast improvement to say the least! I just rearranged the furniture a couple weeks ago when I got the shag rug and I'm loving the place now more than ever)

 

[vacuumfreeeke]

I had no clue the picture was going to come out that big, and hit submit before I changed the size, sorry guys!

I wanted to show the bag chamber too because it's weird.... it has vents all over the place!

Brian, I did notice the hose retaining clip... looks like it might break, but I like how they made it removable in case you need more length.

 

[Sanifan]

I like it!

I have one of those. Nope, make that two. Same color.

I actually lent one to my brother on an indefinite basis. Then I was trolling at my thrift store when one of the employees started wheeling out some vacuums. Among them was another one, for $20 as yours was. But I swear, it must have been a display model or such because there was no detectable sign of use on it at all. I was quite shocked as it appeared to be in new, unused condition. I looked at it, just about passed on it because I really didn't have space for any more vacs, but I couldn't resist.

I like it a lot and it's a keeper for me, but I haven't used the newer one at all. It's a bit bulky and my apartment was on the smallish side at the time.

My brother loves it, though. Especially the Intellisense feature. He likes that feature so much that when he vacuums his mattress, he actually brings the whole machine onto the bed and uses it as if he were vacuuming a rug.

Good vacuum! Do you guys feel that it cleans as well a a Tristar, Kirby, or Sanitaire, though? I think that's one other reason I haven't used it - a lot of other vacs to play with!

 

[eurekaprince]

Bobby - have you had a chance to try the Kenmore Direct Drive on the new shag carpet? Just curious if that "gentle" setting would allow you to clean it well and with ease.....

EP Brian up here in Canada (sending you thousands of Canadian tourists next week on "spring break".......)

 

[vacuumfreeeke]

Brian, too bad you aren't going to be one of the tourists... it would be so fun to play vacuums with you... since my main job is in toursim, we need the tourists, but most of them are college students that can't do timeshare tours so it won't affect me much!

The machine parts are still drying and it's killing me. Do you know how freaking long it takes a stretch hose to dry? It's INSANE! LOL I'm going take a hair blower to it! Hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to play with it and let you know something then! I'd love to be able to form an opinion about this one compared to the original purple one I used to sell and love... I know the new one is completely different, but they are so new, they aren't on Craig's List or in thrift shops yet!

 

[briguy]

Bag Chamber "Vents"

Bobby I have the similar design non-direct drive upright in Sunflower yellow. The bag chamber vents are Kenmore's Power-Flow dual chamber design. It's supposed to keep airflow around the bag to maintian suction as the bag fills. Oh & BTW that's a great find & thanx for sharing your pics. I love the Panasonic/Kenmore machines.

 

[billybud21]

WOW!!

Great find. That will clean up really nice and only a twenty spot!

 

[vacuumfreeeke]

Guys, correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the original purple version of these have four rows of bristles? I thought so.... but this one only has two... maybe I'm not remembering something right.

I just finished reassembling, cleaning, and polishing it up. I used armorall to polish the machine and the bumper which was dull after washing. I will probably go over it with plastic polish as well. I just couldn't wait for the hose to dry, so I tried an experiment that I thought was pretty clever, and it worked very well. I realized that I had 4 bags, so I could afford to waste one. I put the hose back on still a little damp and I stuffed the bag full of paper towels. Then I installed the bag and stuffed the bag chamber full of paper towels. Then I ran the machine at full power for 5 minutes, pulling the hose all the while and checking the inside of the bag chamber peridocially to make sure it wasn't flooded with water. The bag and some of the paper towels were wet, but the chamber itself was not and the hose dried perfectly. I just coudn't wait to play with the machine, so I'm glad that worked.

First impressions.... WOW! This thing has some power! Both suction and agitation are great (though it didn't pull me across the room like the original purple one did, those were like a self propelled lawn mower). The dirt sensor only works when Intelliclean is turned on.... something I found weird. The bare floor button is also the gentle button, so it has to be hit twice to stop the brush. With all those buttons, they should have made one of them the height adjustment, instead of the primitive slider on the front they went with.

It has a very Panasonic look, feel, and sound, and I like that because I do not have any Panasonics in my collection. There is no attempt at edge cleaning.... the original purple one had red brushes that swung back and forth on the edges of the nozzle plate.... they didn't work, but it was an attempt at least. I also miss the big rocker pedal for the bare floor control that was on the original... There is no way to set the sensitivity of the dirt sensor like there was on the predecessor and on Hoovers. I will want to find the original upholstery tool because that suction is too powerful not to use.

It's really a fun vacuum, but I do think it's not as good as the one before it. Isn't that often the case? Will someone please confirm for me if the original had 4 rows of bristles? It's driving me crazy... I didn't think I made it up, but it has been a while since I dealt with those!

Briguy, thanks for the info about the vents in the bag chamber, I figured they were there for more than decoration, but didn't know what the technology was called or what they claimed the purpose was.... What's the point of having a pre-motor filter at the bottom with all those other holes everywhere? LOL

Brian, I tried it on the shag rug just for you! It pushed OK, it was a little difficult, and groomed OK, but the Kirby Sentria and Eureka 1934A still do a much better job. I raised the height all the way and I tried it on the gentle setting and the brushroll actually stalled! I had to use full power to get the brushroll to stay on!

Thanks )

 

[eurekaprince]

Hey Bobby - thanks for the "Kenmore on shag" report!!! :-D Very interesting!

I love Walt Disney World (I wanted to be an Imagineer when I was a kid!)...so I definitely have to plan a visit to WDW and "Bobby's Vacuum Cleaner Showcase"!!! (can you imagine a Future World pavilion on "cleanliness and the environment" sponsored by Electrolux? A roller coaster ride through a giant vacuum cleaner would be fun!) Better still - make that the Sweden Pavilion at World Showcase!

That would be an amazing visit for me: Disney World and vacs in the same trip (you could show me the "rainbow" community of Orlando, too!)....can't wait to see the new Fantasyland expansion (can you tell I'm gay?)

When I have some cash - I'll be in touch....!

Orlando would be a great place for a VCCC convention one year!!!!

 

[vacuumfreeeke]

Brian I think Orlando would be a great place too, but I think I remember someone saying at a gathering at Terrys that they try to have the conventions in central locations so that they are easier to get to for a greater majority of members....

OK, the dirt sensor doesn't work at all.... the lights light up at first, but then when I run over dirt, nothing happens.... it stays green. I wiped inside the hose where the fits on, because that's the only thing I know to do, but that didn't help. Does anyone know how to fix this or what the problem could be?

Thanks for any advice you can give!

 

[vacuumfreeeke]

I looked up a picture of a Panasonic direct drive brushroll, and the original version did indeed have 4 rows of bristles... I feel like I got shafted because they went cheap and only put two on this newer one! That's terrible!

I played with the dirt sensor. I took the machine apart and it was quite easy, the front panel just lifted right off after I removed about a million screws (and you'll appreciate this, Brian, lost them in the shag carpet!). Then I got into the dirt sensor and discovered that there was dust under and behind it that could not be wiped from the outside so I did a minor operation with a Q-tip and now it is working perfectly. What a poor design! Dust was just blocking the sensor so that it couldn't "see". Pictures of the open machine and process to follow.

 

[vacuumfreeeke]

Look at all the circuit boards. I need to keep this thing plugged into a surge protector! It was fascinating to see the clear plastic tube that goes to the "performance indicator" and know that was what made it work.

 

[vacuumfreeeke]

This was the problem... sorry for the grainy pictures.... I haven't replaced my digital camera since dropping it on the Fantom Wildcat during the Fantom's Youtube debut and smashing it into a million pieces.

 

[vacuumfreeeke]

PRoblem gone

 

[vacuumfreeeke]

This is the final picture. I got it working! Yay ) Simple problem, but complicated procedure to fix it. I just don't like it when my machines have a feature that doesn't work whether it's the handle release or bare floor feature or a light.... (for that matter, I don't like missing attachments either )

Now, if I can just get it back together.... I've got to go dig 17 screws out of shag carpet!