nib Kenmore Powermate find
- Thread starter petek
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floor-a-matic
Well-known member
<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">A few yrs ago, I found a PowerMate Jr. NIB for only 50¢ a Salvation Army.
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<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">Somewhere in my collection it still sits unopened & unused.</span>
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<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">When were PowerMate Jrs, SideKicks & RainbowMates introduced? Late 1980s? Early 1990s?</span>
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<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">Somewhere in my collection it still sits unopened & unused.</span>
<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"> </span>
<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">When were PowerMate Jrs, SideKicks & RainbowMates introduced? Late 1980s? Early 1990s?</span>
rugsucker
Well-known member
mini power nozzle
Electrolux sidekick was first about late 80s.Had best(gear)belt as on PN.An early Elux idea was to also package for other canisters as Elux branches would service any vac while hoping repair customers would trade for Elux.There were 3 Sidekicks for this program-one for Eureka,Sears,etc-one with Hoover adapter and one with Filter Queen adapter.Second Discovery IIs could have a Sidekick adapted to go with standard atts that included unit with plug and switch at bottom of handle and strap cord for hose.Later Discovery III and others had built in plug and electric hose and storage caddy.Elux was soon selling SK with most vacs and adding to other brands was forgotten.
Electrolux sidekick was first about late 80s.Had best(gear)belt as on PN.An early Elux idea was to also package for other canisters as Elux branches would service any vac while hoping repair customers would trade for Elux.There were 3 Sidekicks for this program-one for Eureka,Sears,etc-one with Hoover adapter and one with Filter Queen adapter.Second Discovery IIs could have a Sidekick adapted to go with standard atts that included unit with plug and switch at bottom of handle and strap cord for hose.Later Discovery III and others had built in plug and electric hose and storage caddy.Elux was soon selling SK with most vacs and adding to other brands was forgotten.
fan-of-fans
Well-known member
It looks like that is an early Powermate Jr, and just like the Sidekick on the Electrolux. We have a 1999 Whispertone canister with a similar PM Jr, but it did not have the reset button on it. There was also another PM Jr that had the same innards but the cover was more rounded and had rounded release button.
When the Powermate Jr first came out, they were not included with the canisters, but were listed separately in the catalog at $50. I believe later they started bundling with canisters, and some even came in matching colors such as blue or red (but most I saw were the gray).
I found that the Powermate Jrs on the Kenmore tended to bog down easily when they touched the surface (upholstery etc). I haven't tried the new Pet Powermate that my Progressive has yet.
When the Powermate Jr first came out, they were not included with the canisters, but were listed separately in the catalog at $50. I believe later they started bundling with canisters, and some even came in matching colors such as blue or red (but most I saw were the gray).
I found that the Powermate Jrs on the Kenmore tended to bog down easily when they touched the surface (upholstery etc). I haven't tried the new Pet Powermate that my Progressive has yet.
vacman1961
Well-known member
The earlier PowerMate Jr. like the one pictured with the reset button has a gear driven belt, similar to the Electrolux Sidekick, the later model without the reset button has a rubber belt on it. The rubber belt model seems a bit quieter but the brushroll also slips on pressure, the cog driven belt model is a bit louder but the brush does not slow down or stop under pressure. I use a Power mate Jr. on my VacuFlo 766 central vacuum on the end of my Hayden Super Hose, it works great on my stairs.
floor-a-matic
Well-known member
Was there a Montgomery Wards or JC Penney version of the PowerMate Jr?
