Sears Best 1979 Kemore Powermate Unboxing and "modelling" photos!

[bnsd60m9200]

i haven't been this excited about a vacuum in a long time. although i purchased one on ebay, just a week prior, it was missing the power nozzle, tool rack, had the incorrect length hose and the lid had yellowing on it. slighty dissapointed but willing to live with it, i made a callout for the power nozzle and attachemnts here.

thanks to chad cunningham having great connections, Bill Edstrom (A007kirbyman) got in touch with me having to just have the EXACT model, nearly complete, and in much better cosmetic condition of the tank. after several emails and a few phonecalls, i decided to purchase the one Bill had for a very reasonable amount and use the ebay kenmore as a possible parts source.

i was very eager for this to arrive in the mail and very excited about it. last week it arrived from Bill via UPS.

 

[bnsd60m9200]

the box before opening.. very big box

 

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first layer of WELL packed bubble wrap off, and the powerhead and hose are revealed....

 

[bnsd60m9200]

correct original 9ft. hose. it has a small kink, but doesn't affect airflow or suction...

 

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the powermate and wands assembled .. its should be noted here that i had to make major repairs to the power nozzle before it worked properly, though was in NO WAY the fault of Bill's packing, just the age of the machine or original owner use it seemed more than anything.

i had to epoxy the door you open on the side to access the belt, it was in 3 pieces, but hidden behind the bumper (i also damaged it more trying to repair it, and at least got it repaired enough the door stays shut, tho not hinged to the front) the height adjustment mechanism didn't work, and found out was because on the wheel set on the height adjustment side, the plastic bit that the ratchet forces the power head up higher, was simply not there anymore and looks like had broken off some time ago. i cut some wood shims to size, epoxied them into place where the ratchet adjuster would've gone and filed it until it adjusted to pile heights close as i could make them without a reference of a properly functioning complete power mate to know exactly where the pile height setting should be, but i feel its within a close tolerance to factory for this powermate.

the lasty snag i hit i think may have been my own fault with the brushroll. trying to figure out how to remove the brush strips for time when replacements came along i banged one end with a hammer to loosen it like i have on lux brushrolls many times in the past. i think this damaged the pulley wheel on the powermate and as i ran it the first times, the wheel kept trying to bind up with the end cap closest to the wheel. after a first failed epoxy attempt, jb weld finally kept the pulley wheel in place. the powernozzle performs wonderfully now i am duely impressed with its deep cleaning ability

 

[bnsd60m9200]

next up is the powermate canister itself. VERY well packed

 

[bnsd60m9200]

and finally the canister is unpacked! i was so excited to finally have this wonderful two tone blue sears best kenmore. my mom had a late 1980's panasonic kenmore when i was kid, and as i collected vacs, wanted to get a kenmore because it reminded me of my childhood, but just didnt care for the awful noise or aesthetics of the panasonic powermates, so settled on this blue version some time ago as my introduction of kenmore into my collection. im glad i have it now and very much enjoy it's performance. its the best power nozzle ive used so far on vintage machines and the tank's suction and airflow is even more than a super j era electrolux.

 

[bnsd60m9200]

thanks again bill for this , after the repairs, its simply a fantastic machine to own! here is the first overall shot of the sears best powermate 2997 after the light spa tretament (it needed very little, cosmetically this machine is the least amount of work ive ever had to put into a machine, it was nice to have that for a change)

 

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closeup of the powermate

 

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closeup of the powermate canister

 

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lid open with tool rack, spare genuine kenmore bags (got those from ebay) and my custom made filter for the "maxi flow" filter made out of a cut up honeywell merv-10 rated a/c filter. the little locking tab it broken off, at some point ill fashion a repair to make it shut, but it doesn't impeded use of the machine since when it's on, the lid is sucked to the bumper by negative vacuum pressure anyways

 

[bnsd60m9200]

least but not least, fired up and ready to clean!

 

[super-sweeper]

BEAUTIFUL!

Those older Kenmore canisters are a charm, aren't they? Below is my VERY 1970s avocado and wood-grain Duo-Power canister I restored last year.it's a wonderful, versatile cleaner! Mine had all the attachments in box, even the rarely seen dusting mitts, one still brand new! One of these days, I'll have to scan my manual for Robert's 'Automatic Emphera' website, if I could just figure out how to scan it in higher definition!

 

[fan-of-fans]

Nice machine. I'd like to get a green version some day.

 

[KirbysNphones]

Very cool vac, looks like new! I also noticed you have several books on locomotives and a classic red "500 set" telephone! 2 other things I like too. (Trains and old telephones)

 

[bnsd60m9200]

alex, would you happen to have a scanned version of that manual? its close enough in year vintage to mine , id love to have a scanned copy to compliment mine.

Will. yes i have been an avid railfan and railroad historian much longer than ive been into vacuums. my specialties in railroading are EMD, rio grande, ATSF, SP, BN and pre 1984 union pacific, among other things. and yes that is a red western electric model 500 i got at a local flea market back in the beginning of last month. it works, performs great and is all original from 1967. it just not hooked up as there isnt a phone line in my room here at my folk's place. when i move out, it'll be the kitchen phone.

 

[super-sweeper]

hi again,

I have ALOT of manuals I need to scan sometime this month. The majority of which I will be allowing Robert to publish to his 'Automatic Emphera' site. copyrighted material, however, can not be posted to his site, and I will instead post them to VacuumLand for everyone and anyone to enjoy. I'll bump this manual to first priority, and depending on if Sears has this material copyrighted, you will be able to download the manual from either here (Vacuumland), or the Automatic Emphera site.

 

[singingrainbow]

That looks in great shape Will! I know how exited you were for it, and I am sure you will find the crevice tool some day!


Wonderful cleaner.


Scott