Kenmore Progressive "Multi-Force" series

[gmerkt]

This is an overview of the Kenmore (Matsushita/Panasonic USA)Progressive Multi-Force upright vacuum cleaners. These are bagless machines. These come in two basic models. One is the Beltless; the other is the Twin Brush. These were made circa 2007.

Progressive is a generic name that Sears has used on many of their upper tier vacuum cleaners and doesn't describe a patented design, say, as Hoover's "Windtunnel" design and name does. In this particular case, "Multi-Force" refers to edge cleaning technology. The reference here is to the two separate vacuum sources in the floor nozzle.

The bagless feature is described by the name Easy Clean which is a type of bagless design that Sears has used on a number of Kenmore upright machines. They take a common Kenmore pleated element-type, cylinder-shaped primary filter.

I don't have a history of working for Sears; I'm in the very bottom-feeding zone of the secondary market. However, I don't see many of these machines. I pick them up when I can because repair parts for these two models are very dear.

The Beltless version in the pictures below is Model 116.33912301. I've got a couple of these in blue and have seen one in red.

 

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In this picture, the twin hose sources of vacuum to the floor nozzle are shown, the basis for the "Multi-Force edge cleaning system." There is a diverter valve in the hose on the operator's left side. With the handle upright, all vacuum is directed to the hose; when the handle is moved out of the lock position, the value cams open and all vacuum goes to the floor nozzle.

 

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In this picture, you can see that the bagless canister is not accessible from the front, but rather from the back which is somewhat unconventional. Under the tool door (where is says Progressive) resides a turbo hand tool.

 

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Back of machine.

 

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Closer pic of back of machine. Dust bin is a tight fit. The empty cavity is for a combination upholstery tool/dusting brush. These are narrower than those used on most Matsushita-made Kenmores and harder to find. Replacements cost almost $20. Parts for these machines are expensive, and they seem in particular to victimize people on the most commonly needed parts. Bulb, $5.

 

[gmerkt]

Picture of the bottom which shows the Beltless brushroll. It's a fat thing, because it contains its own long, narrow motor within. Replacement cost? $138.

 

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Here's what the brushroll looks like out of the machine. In this picture, you can see the brushes and commutator. This one is a spare out of a donor machine.

 

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On to the next version of this machine

This is a long string of posts, but of necessity due to the pictures.

The pictures following are of the second version of the Progressive Multi-force, the Twin Brush. So-called because it has two counter-rotating brushrolls, long skinny things. The one in the pictures is Model 116.32735201. I've worked on many Hoover V-2 series and have never warmed up to the multiple brushroll gimmick. To my way of thinking, the more moving parts, the more there is to go wrong. Also, multiple brushrolls tend to be smaller in size due to the limited space they are accorded. The more numerous, smaller parts seem to wind debris around themselves more quickly than a single roll.

Both of these designs, the Beltless and the Twin Brush have a means of turning off the brushroll for doing hard floors. The Beltless has a three position power switch and the control is electrical. The Twin Brush uses a mechanical belt lifter in the floor nozzle to do this.

 

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Floor nozzle.

 

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Twin brushes:

 

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Front of machine:

 

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Back of machine:

 

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Closer of back of machine:

 

[vacuumfreeeke]

Are you quite sure they were made in 2007? I sold them at Sears in 2002! They had an orange one as well and the only difference between the orange and blue one was that one of them had a longer cord by a few feet and came with a 20 or 30 foot extension hose... They didn't sell well at all, especially the twin brush model (of course neither did the WindTunnel V2)... we always steered people to the purple bagged Direct Drive or Self-propelled WindTunnel when I worked there...

 

[gmerkt]

No, I'm not quite sure of the date. Since you worked at Sears, you would know better than I do. The date I quoted I read elsewhere on the internet; your experience is first hand (my sister says you can't believe anything you read on the internet and sometimes I think she may be right). If these are marked as to date of manufacture, I haven't yet figured out how to read the codes. I had an idea that these were low production (meaning, didn't sell well) but only circumstantially. Part of the serial number identifies the actal unit number, typically the last six digits or so. On these machines, the ones I've seen were all under 10K. The two Beltless models I have are in the 7K range and the Twin Brush is number 6666. I believe each separate model has it's own serial range.

From seeing the on-line versions of the owner's manuals, I've noted that they sometimes have multiple model numbers on the cover. When I backtrack and look up model numbers and find pictures, I've found that two separate model numbers might have the same appearance, e.g., two blue Beltless models that look the same. Sometimes this was only a consumer package that caused the use of a different model number, such as accessory hose or cord length as you say. Hoover used to do this with the Windtunnels and may still for all I know.

From having worked on a lot of Kenmores (in the secondary market, mind you, not for Sears), I've noted a dizzying array of model numbers. Sometimes I've worked on two that appeared exactly alike but had distinctly separate model numbers. Looking closer, I'd notice that the back castings were differing shades of gray or something subtle like that. Of course, if the difference was an accessory hose or disposable bag package, I'd have no knowledge of that just based on the machine in front of me, because those items would be long gone.

I agree that the purple bagged Beltless upright would be a better machine for the consumer. To begin with, it takes a bag. Secondly, I find the dirt bin on the Progressive Multi-force to be fussy and awkward to use. My view is that consumer products should be designed as much as possible with ease of use in mind. Thirdly, the Multi-force machines are more complicated, especially the Twin Brush. Fourthly, the Multi-force machines are more fragile in construction, partly due to the nature of their design.

 

[vacuumfreeeke]

The date code is built into the model number, but even we didn't understand it sometimes... it was very cryptic. Kenmore did that with a lot of their Progressives, uprights and canisters... we used to have to do our own signage for prices and it was just a nightmare to change all those little plastic tags just because the model number as different because of a different color or extra accessory. Often, the one with the longer cord and hose would be on sale and the other one wouldn't... I used to demonstrate the long hose by putting it on the vacuum and talking clear down past the washers and dishwashers and ending up in the housewares department )

I actually liked the look of these and wished they'd sold better. I remember once I was talking to a lady about them, and she joked about buying the blue one and the orange because she liked the Florida Gators football team! They came out at a really bad time, because right after they came out, we got Dyson in the USA and once people saw that there was a bagless without a paper pleated filter, these really didn't sell! The twin brush model was hard to push... the regular direct drives at least helped you out on the forward stroke and then groomed and lifted the pile... the twin brush always had something fighting against you no matter which direction you were going (of course it always had something working with you too, with both brushes counter rotating), and the work of grooming seemed to be undone by the brushes going in both directions...

I see yours are missing the mini-upholstery tool as well... My bagged direct drive takes that one and I'm trying to find it, but haven't been able to... I think I'm just going to get it from Sears.com if it is still available (it was a few months ago, but I kept thinking I'd see one on eBay cheaper)....

 

[gmerkt]

Oh yes, those mini-upholstery tools are still available but they are the ones I said cost $19- and some odd cents. You may as well say $20, but add shipping to that which Sears gets you for big-time. For just this one little item, shipping will likely be between $7 and $9. I don't order Kenmore parts from Sears very often but if I do, I try to accumulate a list of several items to maximize the value of the shipping. I attempt to use as many recycled Kenmore parts as I can. Certain Kenmores I take regardless of condition just to get parts. The Beltless Multi-force I used as a donor had been placed too close to a wood stove; one side was saggy and melted. The telescoping wand had been fused into one piece.

Kenmore parts, in general, are fairly expensive. The exception to this rule is most of the parts for the various models made by Phone Mate. Most of these parts are much cheaper than Matsushita parts, again, with some exceptions. They have focused on a few vital, high-turnover parts to jack the prices. Like an exhaust filter, $38, which isn't any more involved that a similar Eureka filter that costs $5.99 from HESCO. The Phone Mate machines, by the way, were made in '07 and '08, and thereabouts. Most (but not all) Phone Mate serial numbers include month and year of manufacture in the first four digits of the unit serial number. My experience with the Phone Mate machines is that they don't sell well in the secondary market. They tend to be heavy and kinda clunky. They are well-made enough, but some models have quirky little weaknesses in design that result in an easily broken part.

I've got a few of those bagged Beltless Direct Drive machines like yours. I believe you mean the later ones, most of them a sort of blue/gray color. These are a little better than the earlier purple ones. Or at least it seems that way to me. I like them. They are a premium machine, so when I get one ready for sale I place a higher price on it. Yes, they take that mini upholstery tool. Unlike the Multi-force machines which have a formed cavity for the tool, the bagged Beltless Direct Drive has the two prongs and you can get away with a similar but non-original tool. The coiled cord crowds it a bit.

Selling a premium grade used machine is just like selling a Ford versus a Lincoln, Chevrolet vs. Cadillac. It's higher priced, so it sits there longer. I sell lots of Windtunnels (and even Bissell Lift-Offs, the only Bissell I will work on) in the time I sell one Kenmore Direct Drive. Eventually, some special customer comes along who likes all those fancy buttons and features on it and it goes to a new home.

Right now I have one of those blue/gray Kenmore Direct Drives that I've had ready to sell for at least a couple of months. I've got two or three more that are waiting for refurb. Ditto a few of the earlier purple ones. Because they are slow movers, I only build one as I sell one. I don't want to get way ahead in something that doesn't move. On the other hand, just this afternoon, I refurbed three Hoover Windtunnel dual chamber bagless machines at the same go, just like an assembly line. By coincidence, they are all the same kinda platinum metallic color. The hoses are still drying out from washing, but that will be done in a couple of days and all three will be ready to go. But I know these will sell quickly; I just sold one like them this afternoon.

The Kenmore Direct Drives would probably sell as quickly as the Windtunnels at the same price. I just don't feel like letting the better machines go for less than I think they should get.

 

[vacuumfreeeke]

Hey there... I think that the original purple ones were actually better than the models they preceded... the later blue one that I have is missing some features that the older ones had... The older ones had 4 rows of bristles, the newer only has two, the older ones had an adjustable sensitivity for the dirt sensor, the new one does not (I don't personally care about this, but it's an example of them removing features over time), the older ones had a sensor that stopped the brushroll if the hose was pulled out, even if the handle was reclined (again, most people wouldn't need this as they would use the attachments with it in the upright position, but still it's a "taking away features" thing)... I also like the looks of the older one better and the rocker switch for bare floors and the slide switch for power. I prefer a slide switch over the electronic buttons on the newer style... I like a positive click when I turn on or off a vacuum, it makes me feel like I'm really doing something.... plus the covering of the buttons on the touch pad of the newer styles wears through over time with repeated use.

Of course they made improvements as well... variable motor speed, multi-stage dirt sensor, gentle sweet feature, hinged bag door, suction all the way up the bag chamber instead of just a hole at the bottom, on board storage for the turbo tool (which sucks by the way, especially compared to a Hoover WindTunnel), an anchor for the hose so the machine doesn't fall over during attachment use, but I think that overall, the older one was a more solid and proven design with better performance and reliability.

I know that mini-upholstery tool is insanely over priced, but it is something that I would use and it would make the machine complete (as far as on board attachments go, I still wouldn't have the peripherals like the extension hose and bare floor tool)...

It is my prediction that one day, we will see Kenmore vacuums cease to exist, so they are very likely something to hold on to and to get parts for while you still can. I say this because Sears has already stopped selling Kenmore branded sewing machines... I noticed they were gone from the web site and store several months ago and I asked the associate about it the other day when I was in Sears.... she said they stopped selling them about 8 months ago with no explanation and there were no plans to get them back. They sell only Brother and Singer now, and not very good ones at that (not to say that Brother doesn't make some decent machines, I have 2 and they are excellent ((Sears just doesn't have any decent ones currently)), but it's hard to compete with the quality and reliability and value for money that the Janome made Kenmore machines provided, much like the Kenmore branded Panasonic vacuums)....


Which Kenmore models were made by Phone Mate? I knew about LG and Panasonic, and I remember reading something about Phone Mate making the vacuums for Sears, but I don't remember which models those were! I'm quite sure those were after my time. I think I assumed the Phone Mate models were TTI made before I was schooled properly )

 

[eurekastar]

Those are very interesting designs.  Like so many modern vacuums, they seem to be over engineered, thus making them difficult to repair.  But they also look like they would be very effective cleaners.  The brush roll on the beltless model looks so big that it might actually restrict airflow and also prevent larger debris from getting getting swept/sucked into the air path.