I actually disagree with you in some ways.
With exception to the red Kenmore Progressive 25512 or 25513 model that is in the front, the others are older, original generation Progressive. Also there is one rectangular unit which have been very old. The motors on all of these units would be reliable for years.
House cleaning companies like the versatility of a canister vacuum for easy attachment usage and long hose reach that doesn't retract and restrain during use the way most upright hoses do. The bare floor brush and sturdy metal wands on canisters are great for thoroughly cleaning hardwood floors. The Kenmore power nozzles have their ups and downs, usually the wheels go but that is a cheap fix. A good cleaning company will go through the vacs on a regular basis or even after each home to clean the brush roll, so hair ruining the endcaps shouldn't be an issue.
A power nozzle equipped canister vacuum is a hard hard find but still desired by some in the commercial market!! I've done house cleaning as a side job for years and I use Hoover canisters. I've taken my own PowerMax, Windtunnel and sometimes Dimension 1000 canisters on many many jobs. I even had one job that I brought my Hoover Celebrity to.
Yes in a business they could invest $700 or so into Riccars or Meiles but again employee abuse is gonna be the end of the machines deaths before motor issues. Especially on the Riccars and Mieles with the electronic speeds available I wouldn't be surprised if employees ruined the electronics on the machine bodies or hose handles quick. A Rainbow would get ruined by not using proper water amount plus they're a bulky machine. A Filter Queen is poor at maintaining good airflow once the cone gets a layer of dust. Kenmore, Hoover and Riccar bagged canisters, etc. maintain their power much longer over a Filter Queen!! Not to mention to that the box style machines like Riccar and Kenmore above is just easier to work with than a taller round body like the Filter Queen. This in terms of for doing stairs and general quick maneuvering. All of the attachments on the Kenmores are under the lid so their not awkwardly place on top of the unit exposed for bashing into things or falling off like on a Rainbow or Filter Queen would have!
None of the Kenmore models in the pictures above are TOL. None of them would even have variable speeds. All of those models were middle of the line with strictly the convenience of finger tip on/off for brush roll and entire unit. Also these machines have the brush roll overload sensor which is something that none of my Hoovers have. So if an employee sucks up a sock in a Hoover they may not shut the brush roll off as quick as I can. But the Kenmores have that protective function built in.
My guess is that employees would abuse these machines to death quicker than motor failures and other severe issues would occur.
A smart business owner using these would have separate wand sets with a large bare floor brush. That would be a larger and better performing brush over what comes standard on Kenmores and would keep the power nozzle wand attached at all times so that the quick release isn't getting abused.
