Kenmore Elite model 81714 Canister vacuum

[ryanm]

Does anyone know who the manufacturer is of the Kenmore Elite model 81714 Canister Vacuum? Any information would be appreciated. Salesman at the store did not know the answer, and google does not show any information. Not sure if this is a Panasonic or some other brand.


Kenmore Elite 81714 Canister Vacuum Cleaner with Ultra Plush™ nozzle - Champagne/Gray

 

[vacerator]

Elite,

All I know is that if Panasonic doesn't make it for Sears, then LG must.

 

[ryanm]

If LG, do you know how good or reliable these machines would be?

 

[eurekaprince]

Indeed, this vac is made by Panasonic for Sears. Panasonic sells a bagless canister vac with the same Plush power nozzle. The Elite line of vacs has done very well in Consumer Reports testing. And Panasonic and Kenmore are relatively reliable brands according to their Brand Reliability surveys.

 

[n0oxy]

panasonic and kenmore

Yes, these are made by panasonic. I've looked at them in the store and they seem like really good canister vacuums. My biggest pet peve about them is that they use a nonstandard hose size, so only the supplied attachments will work, and I don't think there is an adapter to convert it to the standard size. I do have a Panasonic Mc-cg902 which is based on a previous Kenmore design, and for the price, it's very good.

 

[vacerator]

Elite, etc.

Yes, Panasonic cleaners are very good.
The old Kenmore "magic blue" was made by LG. I've never used or seen one since they were discontinued.

 

[eurekaprince]

Indeed...the older Kenmore Progressive canisters could use any standard generic tool on the market. Same thing with suction-only Swedish Electroluxes like the Ergospace and the UltraSilencer. The newer Kenmore Elite canisters have odd-shaped hose handle ends.

 

[suckolux]

Recently gave away my Kenmore Lime Green, may have to find another to have

 

[n0oxy]

hose size

The newer Electrolux models, such as the ultra one also use an odd shape for the hose end, fortunately an adapter is available foor those. I always prefer the standard hose size, it allows you to use the best variety of attachments.

 

[kirbylux77]

Brian

I have a Kenmore Elegance canister I picked up last summer for $10 at a thrift shop in town....wanted to see whether I liked the new wand & hose or not. It came with no tools, so to improvise I bought a Miele metal tool adaptor & wrapped the outside with clear packing tape to increase the diameter a bit so it fits nice & snug inside the hose. The Sebo metal tool adapter would work even better, but didn't bother buying that one since I have more use for the Miele tool adapter if I ever got rid of the Kenmore.

As for Consumer Reports & how they fare in their testing....Well they may be excellent carpet cleaners, but claiming the Kenmore/Panasonic canisters are reliable?! Ya, SURE! I guess if you count a vacuum lasting 5 to 7 years before needing a new $200 dollar motor, sure, but not in my books! Especially now that the TOL Kenmore Elite sells for $799 plus tax, absolutely not acceptable! Even with the 5 year warranty Sears Canada gives, the ONLY way I would buy a Kenmore is if I had a credit card that doubled the warranty coverage. Otherwise, there are better brands to be had out there with better reliability & warranties.

Rob

 

[blknblu]

I just took apart my Kenmore Progressive. Way too much broken plastic pieces to make it worthwhile fixing.


IMHO they are just not designed well for daily use. Plastic covers are fragile, the wheels were designed poorly, and the CenTec power heads are awful. I also have an Intuition that had the dual power head which I tossed. That was broken, and weighed too much. Also, the vacuums should have a power switch on the actual canister.


 

 

[tylerawells]

I have this machine!

And, it's my daily driver! I posted my thoughts on it & several pictures on another thread, which can be found here:

http://www.vacuumland.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?30905_21