Jellybean Kenmore canisters

[fan-of-fans]

I have a few questions on the Kenmore jellybean canisters.

It seems in the late 90s that all Kenmore canisters went to the early 90s Whispertone style body - cord rewind bar, and no vents between the bag cover and motor cover. (See link).

So when did the jellybean Whispertone canisters come out, was it the same year as the Progressive? And did these have the combo tool or still have separate dusting and fabric tools?

It seems that the Whispertone at some point became the BOL while Progressive was TOL. When did the curved headlight PN first come out? I've seen jellybean Whispertones with the 90s style PN at first. I've also noticed some Whispertones with HEPA filter and some with "Advanced Allergen Filtration". Was the Whispertone discontinued in 2005?

Thanks!

http://www.vacuumland.org/TD/JPEG/MODERN/2011/fan-of-fans++10-10-2011-11-55-40.jpg

 

[jmurray01]

I can't help you with any of your questions, but those Vacuum Cleaners look very nice!

I wish I had one.

 

[whirlsonicmore]

Kenmore put the original (flat on back side) Whispertone away by 2000. I think it was around '98 when the Progressive started rolling out. As far the jellybean Whisperone, I think you're pretty close on the year. The last of those were offered in like a Sky Blue color, and there was a (kinda ugly) Lime Green canister. They were the cheaper models.

The curved headlight Power Nozzle came with the Progressive models since '98. Yes, there were models of the cheaper jellybean Whispertone with the Whirlpool(old) style Power Nozzle.

Jellybean Whispertone canisters' "Advanced Allergen Filtration" was a fancy way of saying "Not HEPA". It was a foam block with a thin layer of white Electrostatic material stuck to it.

 

[jmurray01]

"Jellybean Whispertone canisters' "Advanced Allergen Filtration" was a fancy way of saying "Not HEPA". It was a foam block with a thin layer of white Electrostatic material stuck to it."

That sounds just like the exhaust filter on my 2004 Panasonic MC-E8011...

 

[danemodsandy]

Jamie:

"I wish I had one."

Sears compared to other American stores is something like comparing Butlins at Skegness to the French Riviera. Solid value in a way, but you're not ever going to have the experience you might have had with someone else. Sears can be very frustrating to get parts out of, and service under warranty can be time-consuming. The cleaners themselves are good, it's just that the company can be a bit offhand about customer service.

 

[mark40511]

Am I correct that no Sears canisters are considered "sealed" vacuums, so even if they do have a hepa filter, they might as well not? I could be wrong, but I've heard this before. So, based on that, the filtration on this one pictured may filter just as well as one that has a hepa filter.

 

[fan-of-fans]

Vance, thanks for the information. I remember that green vacuum you mentioned, I think it was called guacamole, and I saw them at Kmart a few years ago. They weren't actually called Whispertone although they had the same body and the PN was the first curved headlight one and didn't have a quick release.

Mark you are correct, the HEPA canisters aren't really sealed at the edges of the filter.