Vacuum cleaners

(3 of 3 customers found this review helpful)

Comment:

Very easy to operate the hard floor/carpet lever, and the hard floor function is a delight. It's great for edge cleaning and the odd nooks and crannies in our small apartment.<br />The cord is lightweight and easy to keep out of the way. We love the On/Off switch on the handle--easy to use and snaps quickly. Has great suction on pet hair (we have two cats and a dog), and the Pet device for sofas, drapes and chairs is amazing--we also use it on the wand to get under low beds and furniture. Very efficient as it just uses airflow to both spin and vacuum.<br />The wand suction control is something I have only seen on canisters. This one is quick and very useful.<br />The manual is very clear about stopping the motor when switching from carpet to hard floor and when switching to wand and accessories, to save belt life, and it has a diagram showing why that is so.<br />We love the bag access, just open the front door and swap out new for old. And the vac was easy to assemble, especially for those of us who are not very good with such things, and the bags are reasonably priced and available through Sears.<br />We really cannot get over the thoroughness of the vacuuming job. It's really very, very good, better than our old heavy duty commercial unit.<br />The tools are sufficient to our use and are ingeniously stored on the machine, but the wand arrangement took some getting used to--we think it could have had a bit more length. Locking it tight was no problem. We wish the brush had longer bristles for dusting and corners, but it did work well on both hard and soft surfaces, and we liked the way the bristles slid off for use on soft surfaces.<br />We did really like the way the vacuum hose coiled around the back and fitted into the base--so easy to use and replace. The headlight is very bright. Noiser than we thought it might be, but not enough to keep us from using it frequently in the week. Not too heavy, either. It's a good purchase and one we hope to keep. I like the existence of a bag full warning light--it's easy to forget and then wonder why it isn't picking up any more!

How long have you owned it:

A month or less

Bottom Line

Yes, I would recommend this to a friend.

(3 of 3 customers found this review helpful)

Comment:

Our old Hoover vacuum worked well when we had carpet, but when we put in hardwood floors it just scattered dust and pet hair all over because the brush could not be turned off. So being able to turn off the brush was an important feature I was looking for in a new vacuum. This Kenmore has been wonderful so far. It has very strong suction so it works great on the hardwood floors. It transitions well from hardwoods to carpet and low pile rugs, and is light enough that it can do stairs well. <br /><br />However, I only have one complaint. The switch to turn on and off the brush is a foot switch. The switch is VERY tough to move. You have to use your heal to move the switch to the off position, and then when you want to move it back, I have had to brace the front of the vacuum against the wall or a piece of furniture in order to have enough leverage to re-engage the brush.

How long have you owned it:

Three-to-six months

Bottom Line

Yes, I would recommend this to a friend.

Comment:

I researched this quite a bit and was worried because there were many people disappointed with CR's reviews. I chose Kenmore over Hoover b/c of the reviews and I thought Hoover's buttons and hose seemed cheezey. Kenmore seemed a bit more solid, but a belt broke within one week. I had also found that it cannot vacuum shaggy carpets at all; and when you pull on the hose the vacuum falls over. I will say the suction was powerful and it was excellent picking up pet hair. Nevertheless, I will return it for full refund and am considering a Miele. I have an Electrolux canister that never breaks but it is not very good with pet hair.

How long have you owned it:

A month or less

Bottom Line

No, I would not recommend this to a friend.