Kenmore Elite: What a Beast!

[vacman117]

I've been pondering over buying the new Kenmore Elite for quite a while, and today I went out and did it. It was on sale at Sears for $299, regularly $350. At first I felt a little sick after spending that much money for a vacuum cleaner (after tax and buying bags it came to $347), but now I have zero regrets. 


 


I was not expecting this to be as powerful at is. I think that this has more suction than any other upright that I've ever used, it's insane! Kenmore really got it right with this one. 


 


The things that I like:


-The sound. It just sounds like airflow and rushing air.


-The direct drive system, you just can't beat it!


-PowerFlow bag chamber, just like my IntelliClean and Intuition upright.


-Long cord.


-2 LED headlights that point directly at the floor.


-Very clean and sleek look.


-It can lay completely on its back.


 


There are some things that a dislike, but the list is small. 


-The hose is VERY short so it tips very easily.


-I would have liked to have seen a horsehair dusting brush.


-The height adjustment is a little old school, it gets old having to bend down and adjust it.


-I think that they should have included a variable speed motor


-I also think they should have had a gentle option for the brushroll, like the IntelliClean.


-I also wish the extension wand was stored with it connected to the end of the hose, I like the convenience of that. 


 


In conclusion, I'm super happy with it! I hope that Kenmore keeps this model around because I think it's a real winner.

 

[singingrainbow]

It certainly looks the part and I am glad you like it. It is a little disappointing to me that Kenmore have stopped putting variable power, or the gentle clean feature on their machines. I think for that I will stick with the inteliclean.


Still,  very nice machine, sometimes you just have to splurge a little on a new vacuum.


Scott

 

[vacuumfreeeke]

Wow, Chase this isn't like you to spend so much for a new vacuum... usually you wait until you find a used one that somebody pays you to take off their hands (well, not quite but almost LOL). I didn't even know they had this model out now, so this is all new to me! It's times like this when I really miss your youtube channel!

I'm so glad that somebody is still making a decent bagged machine!

I wonder who made this for Sears? If it's Direct Drive, does that mean it's a Panasonic? This is now what the 4th generation Direct Drive? I have the 2nd gen and I prefer the first... I've been eyeing some 3rd generations on c/l. The 3rd generations are a little boxy for my tastes though.

The headlights are perfectly placed, right where they belong just like like on the Miele S7 and Hoover Z 700!

What attachments does it come with (I assume it came with a turbo tool)? Did they try to combine the dusting, upholstery, and crevice tool into one "thing"?

How does the dirt sensor work, is it just an on or off light or does it have 2 colors?

I hate it when they remove features.... from the first to second generation they removed 2 rows of bristles from the brushroll and the sensor that stopped the brushroll when the hose was removed (which I'll admit was redundant because the brush turned off in the upright position anyway and could be manually turned off, but still)... and now the take away the variable power!

Does it do well on bare floors?

Am I asking too many questions? LOL I get excited with new stuff, maybe this especially since I used to sell vacs at Sears...

Have fun with it!

 

[vacman117]

It came with the same attachments as the IntelliClean. Combo upholstery / dusting brush, long crevice tool, and a metal telescopic wand (the IntelliClean one is plastic). It does come with a turbo tool as well. Kenmore's turbo tool is a piece of garbage, in my opinion. But this thing has so much suction it actually makes it good!


 


The dirt sensor is just a blue LED light under the height adjustment. It lights up when dirt is sensed.


 


This is probably my best vacuum at cleaning bare floors, next to my Miele S7. It has the smooth wheels so it feels really nice as well. This direct drive feels a little more aggressive then most, so it kind of freaks out when the brushroll is on when using it on bare floors. Another thing that I like is all across the front are openings that allow dirt to be sucked up on bare floors, rather than just being pushed around. 


 

 

[vacman117]

Here are all of my current Direct Drive models, minus my original purple one. My favorites definitely being the Elite, Intuition, and IntelliClean. The IntelliClean really is just a huge piece of heavy plastic, but all of its features and cleaning capabilities make up for that.


 


Sorry this is a pretty poor quality picture. 

 

[vacuumfreeeke]

Wow, what a walk through memory lane! I sold the two on the right at Sears, I own the one in the middle, and I want the two on the left LOL

I thought the same thing about the Intelliclean model... it's just a huge hunk of plastic! However, I do love it.... the performance, variable power, and multi-stage dirt sensor are great! It makes me smile every time I use it (and I don't say that about many other machines, only the the Miele S7 and Hoover Lightweight Platinum bagged... I love all vacuums (well most), but there are only a few that I actually want to hug after using them, and it's those three!) I mean that dirt sensor has some gall, it doesn't just tell you if your floor is dirty or clean, but exactly HOW dirty it is! I much prefer it to the ones that just turn on and off with one color, especially on a bagged machine where there's not a lot of other visual stuff going on. I still need the upholstery tool for mine, and I can't find it on Ebay.... Sears wanted too much... like 20 dollars or something stupid.

I noticed that mine, as powerful as it is will not run its turbo tool, even with a new bag. The brush spins until you touch it to a surface, much like almost all others... The Hoover Windtunnel self-propelled is the only machine in my collection that runs the turbo tool properly.

Thanks for sharing this new machine with us!

Another question.... the web site (yeah, you inspired me to go check it out... I'll include a link for convenience if anyone is interested) says it has 3 motors... I know there's a brushroll motor and a suction motor, but where is the 3rd motor? I can't imagine! Also, what is an inductor motor? Apparently, it has that too!



http://www.sears.com/kenmore-elite-...2031150000P?prdNo=13&blockNo=13&blockType=G13

 

[eurekaprince]

Bobby - I myself was wondering where they needed a third motor! (Overkill?)

Believe it or not, from what I make out of the graphic on the box, the brush roll may have 2 internal motors, one on each side. Why this improves performance, I really can't imagine. If anything, it's another complex piece of the design that may easily break down. Wonder why one internal brushroll motor was not enough.....

And what is it with Kenmore and their weird attachments now? Just give us good quality on-board tools!

Can't wait to see updated test results from Consumer Reports...maybe before spring cleaning season.

 

[vacman117]

Yeah I'm not too sure what the deal is with the three motors. That might be why the direct drive system sounds a little bit different than all of my others, it's definitely not as loud. 


 


The inducer motor is supposedly designed differently than a normal Kenmore motor, which allows it to have 20% more airflow. From what I can tell there is most definitely a difference, the suction on this thing is amazing! 


 


I really hope they stick with this design for a while because I think that they really have something here...


 


Chase

 

[fan-of-fans]

Nice machines there.

At least some of the Intuitions such as the Bahama Blue model have two motors in their brushrolls also, as well as the Inducer suction motor.

There has been a lot of talk about these models here, doing a search will bring a lot of information.

I always wondered why Kenmore never offered the three speed motor, Gentle Sweep, or IntelliClean features when they came out with the Intuition line or this Elite. After they discontinued the Progressive models that introduced it, these nice features never came back.

And for that matter, they stopped including the extra wand and floor brush after the Progressive IntelliCleans also.

 

[eurekaprince]

Wouldn't it be fun to gather a bunch of us Kenmore/Panasonic fans in front of a Sears store to protest the disappearance of the "Gentle" speed on their uprights???!!!

Maybe an online petition would be more effective, though....