What does this Kenmore powerhead go to?

[icee]

I found this kenmore powerhead model SP 80ps at a thrift store. It looks absolutely pristine, can't hardly find a scratch on it. It was $5, figured why not might find something that it'll go to one day. Thing is, I really have no idea what model canister it goes to, does anyone know?

 

[suckolux]

Guessing Sears rebaged Singer?

 

[blknblu]

Google is your friend


It belongs to a Kenmore 175.8690190 carpet cleaner vacuum


You can look it up on the Sears PartsDirect website.


Here is a small part of the diagram


Notice the Ryobi Motor Products on it also. Prefix 176 was used for Ryobi I believe.


 


 

 

[eurekaprince]

Indeed, that power nozzle was made by Ryobi for one of Singer's last power nozzle canisters. We had these Singers in Canada in the 1980's methinks. I seem to remember them in Consumers Distributing Catalogue stores.

Never saw a Kenmore version, but Singer had a history of making uprights for Sears, so it makes sense that they might have contracted a nifty canister from Singer for their Kenmore line-up.

 

[suckolux]

I would have guessed maybe later 80s as well.

 

[blknblu]

So I am guessing the Ryobi division has been folded into the TTI floor care group, losing the Ryobi name.


 

 

[suckolux]

anything is possible! I think they make the Craftsman power tools too?

 

[eurekaprince]

Ryobi is a Japanese company established in 1943. They began making power tools in 1968 and at some point in the 1970's began making vacuum cleaners for the US market. TTI bought the power tool division around 2000 or 2001.

 

[eurekaprince]

It's interesting to note the place that South Carolina's Pickens County plays in the history of Ryobi. At some point after World War II, the Singer Company began making sewing machine cabinets in the county (maybe due to the lumber available in the state). In 1959, The Singer Company consolidated its sawmill and cabinet operations with the woodworking operations from Arkansas and the Craftsman power tools from New Jersey to the Pickens location. So woodworking and power tools came to Pickens County because of Singer. It sounds like Ryobi eventually bought Singer's plant in South Carolina. I seem to remember that Ryobi's location was in Anderson, South Carolina. Which is where some of Ryobi's Singer vacuums were made.

 

[eurekaprince]

Indeed the website of Pickens County notes that in 1988:

1988
Ryobi Limited purchased the former Motor Products Division of The Singer Company renaming it Ryobi Motor Products Corp here in Pickens. The facility is now home to OWT Industries.

 

[eurekaprince]

And here is a New York Times article reporting on the sale of this division of Singer to Ryobi:

Still not sure when this power nozzle was made for Sears: before the sale in 1988, or afterward.



http:// www.nytimes.com/1988/07/06/business/company-news-singer-agrees-to-sell-motor-products-unit.html

 

[floor-a-matic]

It gos to a Sears CleanMore

 

[eurekaprince]

I thought the Cleanmore was a carpet washer and extractor. Was there a power nozzle canister vacuum named Cleanmore too?

 

[fan-of-fans]

This power nozzle indeed went with a late version of the Kenmore Cleanmore system. Which was a carpet washer, but could also be used as a wet or dry vacuum also. At one point bags were available and some more deluxe versions came with dry cleaning attachment kits. This power nozzle was sold packaged with it as a sort of 3 in 1 machine or possibly could be purchased separately. This was around 1994ish.

I believe there was also a version of Singer canister relabeled under the Kenmore name with a similar power nozzle some time in the 90s.

I believe Bissell bought the Singer floor care line. I think this because in the mid-90s Singer sold a turtle shaped carpet cleaner which also came under the Kenmore name with the Spraymate nozzle and later Bissell sold the same one in green with their own name on it and also supplied it to Sears with the Bissell Powerbrush head. That was the successor to the Cleanmore and could also be used as a wet or dry vac as well.

 

[eurekaprince]

Thank you for that answer, Cole. . Very interesting....

Just like the brandname Lewyt, the brandname Singer seems to be floating loosely around the world owned by whoever has paid to have the copyright on the name. The names are no longer representative of the original companies, factories and design offices. And whoever owns the name has the right to slap it on whatever product they make.

But it's interesting to note that the original Singer Motor Products plant in South Carolina that is now owned by a subsidiary of TTI (OWT - One World Technologies), now makes the Ridgid wet and dry shop vacs for Home Depot. It seems that this plant in South Carolina indeed has a history of making both power tools and shop vacs for the do-it-yourselfer and construction market.