Kenmore 81414 Bagged Canister Vacuum Cleaning Tools, 400 Series + Telescoping Wand, Red

I’m nearly 50 and this is my first canister vacuum ever. I’ve owned upright vacuums made by Dyson, Oreck, Shark, and Hoover for the most part over the years. Dyson seems to put more money into marketing than performance these days. Shark is great until they lose suction which happens within a year or so for me. And Oreck is wonderful but overpriced. So, I did a lot of reading. I knew I wanted a canister to be more maneuverable than an upright. I knew I wanted a bagged vacuum because bagless, while convenient, ends up with a filthy machine and dirt flying when emptying it. I knew I wanted a power roller. And I knew I didn’t want to spend an absolute fortune. So, this Kenmore fit the bill. When I received it, I vacuumed with my existing Shark Rotator Professional. Then I put the Kenmore to action to see what it picked up. The Kenmore picked up about another half a bag of dust. For reference my house is a little under 1800 sq ft. As of yet I haven’t noticed any loss of power or suction as the bag fills up. I love that you can switch from hard floor to carpet/rugs with the slide of a button on the handle and also change the suction strength in the same spot. I have all sorts of flooring from tile to hardwood to deep shag rugs and it handled them all with ease. The hose length is plenty long enough to reach my ceilings and the onboard tools are easily accessible. The self-retracting cord is a nice feature too. I estimate that a bag should last me about a month and there are plenty of third party bags on Amazon that are far less expensive than the OEM ones. My one minor complaint is that the handle is top-heavy and has a tendency to fall over if you’re not very careful about how you store it. Otherwise I’m very happy with my purchase

This is the BEST vacuum I've ever owned. I have tried others that are highly rated and seemingly very popular. I keep coming back to this one. I have been purchasing this and similar models for 15+years now. Highly recommend. Very strong suction. Floor attachment works great on hard floors, it gets all the way to the edges. The head rotates so you can easily get under furniture. The stair brush attachment works great! I have even used it in the back of my SUV to get dog hair out. Highly recommend.

There are so many disappointing design choices in this model, that I was already gearing up to write a negative review. Then it died. Total cumulative usage time was less than one hour. The friendly customer support rep agreed that the PowerMate head I'd received was defective. There don't have any stock on hand. And, if they had, it would take 10-15 business days to receive it. The rep suggested that my best course of action would be to return it to Amazon. I chose the Kenmore Elite 21814 Pet Friendly CrossOver to replace our 24 year-old Sears-Kenmore Progressive 20612 canister vacuum, which had served us well until a few weeks ago. Pros: * The new model is a little quieter. * The suction control actually changes the speed of the motor. * The customer support representative was friendly and honest about my options. Cons: * The canister is a little wider and taller, so it takes more space in the closet. * The lump on the bottom to hold the canister on the stairs is a workaround for the fact that the canister isn't well balanced. I used to just set the old canister on its tail a step or two below the one I was cleaning. It had rails to ensure that didn't block the exhaust vent or pinch the power cord. The new one seems prone to toppling in that orientation. * The hose comes straight up out of the canister, which puts more strain on the hose, effectively makes the cannister even taller, doesn't swivel nearly as well (resulting in more frequent widing of the less-flexible hose). Our old model had a 360-degree swivel connection with an angle that made it much easer to tow the canister along and made better use of the length of the hose. * The handle assembly is bulkier, which doesn't matter (much) when using the wand, but it limits manueverability when using attachments. * The attachments snap into the handle assembly instead of a friction fit over the nozzle beyond the assembly. So you can't mount them in arbitrary orientations. You also can't easily use the nozzle to clean the lint and pet fur stucks to the bristles of the attachments before putting them away. And it's not compatible with the older attachments. * The dusting attachment is smaller and has stiffer, more abbrasive bristles than the old ones. * There is no longer a simple floor attachment. The "crossover" gimmick is the floor brush that fits into the PowerMate head. That brush is bulker. In the short time I was able to use the vacuum, I found places I normally use a floor brush, but the new one won't fit. And it feels like it might be a bit rougher on the floor surface as well. * There is no longer a simple fabric brush. I guess you're expected to always use the Pet PowerMate. The Pet PowerMate, in conjunction with the bulkier handle assembly, won't reach into sections between cusions as deeply or easily as the simple fabric brush would. I almost never used the old PowerMate Jr. (which was a bit larger and a lot heavier than the Pet PowerMate) because it wasn't any better than a simple fabric brush. Heck, I even used the fabric brush for carpeted stairs. * The fan blade duster is probably fine, but I don't think it's useful enough to justify the space it takes up in the attachments compartment. * The crevice tool is substantially shorter, so there are places it cannot reach as effectively. And instead of residing in the attachment compartment, it clips onto the already-too-cumbersome handle assembly. And good luck putting it back there without checking the illustration in the users manual the first several times. * I'm not a fan of the swivel mechanism where the wand attaches to the combo floor brush and the PowerMate head. The worst problem is that it severely restricts how far down you can bring the wand (as does the handle). The old model allowed lowering the wand until it was all-but-parallel with the floor, allowing you extended reach under beds, sofas, dressers, etc. * The swivel mechanism makes it hard to vacuum in straight lines when you want to. * The pile height adjustment pedal took a lot of force, and it often wouldn't advance the mechanism quite enough for it to snap into the next level. * The little rollers on the back don't seem as effective as the corner-mounted wheels on the old PowerMate heads. * On forward strokes, the PowerMate head is very hard to push, as if the front of the head wants to nosedive into the carpet. On the back strokes, it's much easier to pull but it doesn't pick up well. This was especially true on area rugs, even with the suction at the lowest level and the pile height adjustment set to high. * Comparing the underside of the new and old PowerMate heads, there's no obvious difference between the edge-cleaning abilities. In practice, however, the edge cleaning with the new model seems ineffective within 1/2 to 3/4" of the baseboard. * The dirt sensor seems to have some lag. When vacuuming up crumbs or sand, you can here ticking noises as the bits hit the sides of the metal tube. But that feedback is almost entirely out of sync with the dirt sensor light. After going over sections of carpet several times from multiple angles, the dirt sensor will often indicate each time you change directions (e.g., push-to-pull). Either it was wrong, or the vacuum didn't do a good job on the first six-to-eight passes. Neutrals: * The telescoping wand is fine, but the old wands were the right height for me. I suppose if you were taller or shorter, you might appreciate the flexibility. * Putting a light on the wand makes some sense, because you can, in theory, use it with attachments other than the PowerMate head. But it's not great angle for seeing what's ahead of the attachment. And should I have to use "carpet mode"? * The prefilters are identical to the 25-year-old ones, so they are readily available and inexpensive. The exhaust filters are larger.

You cannot beat Kenmore canister vacuums for longevity. My 30-year-old Kenmore vacuum is still going strong. I bought this vacuum so that I do not have to carry vacuums between floors at my home; now there is one on each level. I like ALMOST everything about this new vacuum. My key points: PROS: Excellent suction; simple design with less electronic gadgets to break; excellent quality hose; can use either HEPA dust bags or regular dust bags (much less expensive); very light and maneuverable. CONS: Short hose length (6ft long; old Kenmore hose is 8ft long); all attachments are cheaply made (shame on you Kenmore!); comes with a regular dust bag installed and NOT a HEPA dust bag as you would expect based on the advertising (not a deal breaker for me). SUMMARY: Despite a couple shortcomings, I highly recommend this vacuum; great value for the money!

Good Machine all be it for few minor quirks. Good suction easy to use. A tad heavy but not bad. Carrying it up 3 flights of stairs is a bit much but not bad. Lights are great for dark spaces. Tool changing is easy all be it at times not so easy maybe I am still learning. Now for the cons....cord rewinder sucks it is slow and only rewinds a few feet at a time. Also the power brush will disengage and disconnect when you use it under wide objects. Since you have to go under furniture with the handle angled because the brush will not go flat staright in is stays slightly raised if you go in straight and not on angle. Then when the handle is engled the brush release will disengage and your brush is stuck under the funrniture and the farthest point from you. Otherwise so far it is performing well and worth the money. Will be curious oof it longevity. It relaced a 35 year old Kenmore my parents purchased. Will be curious to see how long this Kenmore lasts.

J'ai beaucoup hesite avant d'acheter cette balayeuse a cause du prix. Mais je ne regrette pas du tout mon achat au contraire! Cette balayeuse a une suction extraordinaire. Elle me fait beaucoup penser a l'electrolux de ma mere, avec les meme accessoires et certains autres en mieux, comme la brosse pour le ventillateur. L'attachement pour les poils d'animaux a sauve la couverture sur laquelle mon chat aime dormir et qui etait pleine de poils. Le pouvoir d'aspiration de cet attachement est vraiment intense. Jadore l'option de pouvoir passer du tapis au plancher simplement en poussant une pedale avec le pied. Et il se remet facilement dans le moteur pour tapis. En fait, tous les accessoires, rallonges, etc, sont faciles a ajouter et a enlever pour avoir la configuration que vous desirez selon l'endroit que vous balayez. Le morceau en long pour les coins difficiles est accroche sur le manche et apres l'avoir enleve pour l'utiliser, j'ai du faire quelques exercices mentaux pour finalement comprendre qu'on le reattache en le tournant sur le cote. Je ne suis pas la plus forte des personnes, j'ai 60 ans. Il y a des moments ou j'ai du prendre une pause, les bras en l'air pour le ventilateur ou pour lutter contre la suction du petit moteur pour tapis et poils d'animaux. Ce n'est pas le plus leger des aspirateurs. Tous les accessoires sont dans le couvercle, mais en meme temps j'adore avoir tout a portee de la main. Il suit facilement, comme tous les aspirateurs traineaux, vous devez surveiller qu'il n'accroche rien sur son passage. Le couvercle ou l'on range les accessoires me semble fragile, je me promet de le manipuler gentiment, mais c'est la seule piece qui me fait peur. Le fil est facile a faire enrouler dans l'appareil grace a un bouton sur le dessus. L'aspirateur se range facilement, vous pouvez inserer le tuyau sur un bouton integre a votre aspirateur, il y a des explications plus claires sur le pamphlet ou regardez la video :). En gros, je suis tres impressionnee par cet aspirateur. J'espere qu'il me durera longtemps. Bemol, les sacs sont chers mais il me semble que vous pouvez au moins faire un mois avec chacun si vous en faites un usage normal. Il faut aussi changer le filtre HEPA de temps en temps. Je suis allergique a la poussiere et j'ai vraiment senti une difference dans l'air. Pour ce que ca vaut sur ce commentaire a la compagnie, la livraison avec Amazon c'est passee sans incident et a temps. Preparez vous a monter une grosse boite si vous ete seul(e) et pas jeune jeune lol... En resume, si vous n'etes pas une personne tres frele, je recommende absolument cet aspirateur, il est fantastique!

Just got it today, and it doesn’t work!!!!! I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS BULL!!! Oh I am so angry and frustrated I’m actually crying!!! Because I bought a Kenmore upright and the thing was junk (I’ve always been a fan of canisters) but I missed the return window and now this? There’s a massive short in the power head. I plugged it all in and the power head wouldn’t turn on at all (and yes I kno how to use it) I’ve owned kenmore canisters my whole life! I kept trying to push the head on the carpet with the handle in different angles and it would power on for a second then power off, then on, then off then wouldn’t budge at all! So $550 plus dollars, and I have a lemon that doesn’t work AT ALL! And no vehicle to return it! But believe me I’m doing everything in my Power to return this hunk of junk! I’ve lost enough darn money on here I’m not being scammed anymore. Too bad it looked nice (although right from the hop there were things that disappointed me anyway. Like the button for height adjust is flimsy, and the power head is light and flimsy, not like my other kenmore series. I needed a vacuum for the upper floor so I don’t have to lug one up and down all the stairs cuz I have a bad back, and sciatica and pinched nerves, and tight hip flexors, and here I am with no vacuum still! Need to stop making and selling junk, it’s getting ridiculous! Things were built strong and to last back in the day, and now everything is like playschool toy junk.

I've purchased and used a lot of much cheaper machines from Walmart and other stores. All of them performed just okay when new but none of them lasted very long due to poor quality plastics and pieces breaking. I remembered my mom's Kenmore WhisperTone that she has had for 25 years and it is still running great and looks great too. Here in Canada, Kenmore was available at Sears but there are no longer any Sears stores in Canada. I looked at the Kenmore site and found that I had to buy it on Amazon to avoid paying duty charges. I chose the Series 700 Ultra Plush for its features such as the HEPA bags and filter, the powerhead that steers and does carpets and hardfloors and has a LED light, the tools all fit inside the canister, it has a bag-full LED, an extending wand (that locks at 4" increments), and it comes with the small powerhead that is good for stairs and car floors and it fits inside the canister too. The bare-floor tool and the small brush tool have horse-hair bristles, not plastic. The machine looks very classy with the shiny champagne color. It has tons of suction without being too loud. The rear wheels are big so the whole thing rolls pretty easily. A word about the hose, where it plugs into the canister, it has a nice swivel joint. If you see photos or videos of older machines, the joint often is seen having an elbow, like a 45 degree bend in it and you can tell that it swivels. The photos of this newer version show the joint is straight so I was concerned that it did not swivel which I thought would be stressful on the hose. I'm happy to report that there is still a swivel joint so the hose will not tangle if you walk around the machine. The entire machine and the tools are built well and I expect that this machine will last for many years. Thank you Kenmore!