Vacuum Cleaners Discussions

Kenmore has three new uprights.  Two top-of-the-line -- I use top of the line -- because they're teh highest priced -- are Panasonic clones that employ "direct drive" brushrolls.  Sear' sales pitch herre is, "No belts to buy."  I have yet to leanr form the indie operators here if that's reality or myth.. 

One model, the Intuition 31810 Upright bagged employs the bag air flow enhancement that Panasonic/Kenmore has been pushing as of late.

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_02031810000P?vName=Appliances&cName=Vacuums+%26+Floor+Care&sName=View+All&UnitNumber=&storeOpenDayInd=today&prdNo=11

 The other, the Intuition 31811 Upright bagless claims cyclonic technology.

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_02031811000P?vName=Appliances&cName=Vacuums+%26+Floor+Care&sName=View+All&UnitNumber=&storeOpenDayInd=today&prdNo=15

They have foot adjusted height mechanisms and dirt sensors. the Kenmore diirect-drive models have received good scores andI assume that these will also.  Both versions are priced at $332.49.

Ala Miele,the last, the Kenmore Progressive Glide 30100 upright, is basically a stick vac on steroids with a power nozzle that has a swivel connection. This vacuum also offers a 14-inch cleaning swath.

However . . .  one of the sales ploys is it's "greeness". It contains recyled plastic (???) and uses 17 percent less juice than a 12 amp machine.  This is where they lost me and made me mad.  Are we that stupid?  This machine and others of the same nature could work well using 50 percentless electricity -- 5 to 6 amps.  They are also trying to pass off this 12.9-pound machine as ultra light.  Shame on you Sears/Kenmore.  Why not just call us fools outright?

The Glide could also use a sever price drop. A hundred and seventy bucks is more than enough for this machine.

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_02030100000P?keyword=glide+vacuum&prdNo=8&UnitNumber=&storeOpenDayInd=today#ppspecs

Venson

Hi Venson:

The SEARS Intuition line is still stuck in the 20th Century for warranty: One year.  SEARS offers 2-3-5 year ESP at $30, $50. and $70.  Consumers need a lawyer to make heads/tails out of the coverage.  Pano makes decent budget models for indies who can stand behind the sales with service and parts when they fail.  With SEARS parts and repairs are a consumer hassle.  For the exorbitant prices that SEARS charges for the pano's and rip off for ESP, the high priced models are not worth the money, IMHO.

WRT the Glide for $219, SEARS is jumping on the band wagon with the other vacuum brand makers to compete against the ORECK lightweight ups [even copied the model name verbatim from ORECK].  Niceties include 4 height adjustment, LED headlight, HEPA bagged and 25 ft cord.  But bag size is a concern versus the ORECK, maybe too small to legitimately qualify as a 10 AMP lightweight upright.  As you said, more a super charged stick in this regard.  Concept behind the Glide is decent but for the price I'd buy/recommend the ORECK with certainty of product name brand, warranty and after market support for parts and service.  Having said this, the Elite Progressive Glide is still worth a scoping out and test run while watching for a price drop as incentive to take a product plunge purchase. 

Carmine D.

At least you guys get decent (what looks like anyway) stick vacs. The UK have always been slow to the idea of these.

vacmanuk wrote:

Hi vacmanuk,

This style/idea is not new.  Hoover made a stick vac back in the day that was fitted with a power nozzle from  its Celebrity canister series. It was good but didn't appear to catch on as only one model appeared and disappeared.  (I disregard the Hoover Flair that came much later as the model in mention had stronger suction and a full-size PN.) Bissell also put out a stick with PN that had a good sized bag.  It also cleaned well. Both of these machines were the clean air type and bag size was relatively generous..

Regina also added a PN to one model in its stick line that cleaned well too but was direct air in type. But the Regina Electric Broom had served as sole vacuum in many dwellings since its start.  When it first came out, a vacuum for and another for that wasn't always considered economically practical.

All of the above were powered well enough to serve as sole household vacuum especially for small dwelling spaces where flooing was the only vacuuming concern.  Eureka, also a big kid on the block, to my recall did not bother much with souped-up stick vacs at that point in time.  It did however make stick vacs that had power, though rather noisy, that might have served well enough too for the not so fussy but they were not designed to stand upright on their own.

The Kenmore Glide is also clean air.

But, hey, wait a minute! What about a jewel in the crown like the early Vorwerk direct air vacs?  The Vorwerk "something" maid.  They were definitely European, small and light and eventually fitted with PNs.  I always thought them rather impressive devices.  Though I can't say I ever knew anyone who'd bought one, we had 120 volt models here. 

The only reason I never bought one is because I only saw them advertised by way of the New York Times Sunday Magazine.  If the company had to the money to advertise in the Times, I took it as a given that I couldn't afford it.  I've also been proven right by shops who who put items in their display windows without price tags.  (If you have to ask, you can't afford it.)  All snobbery, yes, but oh to have that kind of money.

Venson

Ive lost count of the many Vorwerks Ive seen on EBAY UK. The problem with their stick vacs is that bags and filters are commonly available and parts/spares can also be expensive to buy.

The U.S seems to have plenty of stick vacs that we don't have. UK buyers don't tend to buy stick vacs, anything smaller would constitute as a dust buster with a long handle.

Venson wrote:  I did share about Panasonic's technology when it was first introduced years ago.
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As for the Glide, "What's old is New again".  A more up to date version of a HOOVER w/full-size power nozzle.  This vacuum cleaner will be a good performer.  It will be good for those in small apartments, who want a small, bagged upright.  It is about time.

Well, as for the "could use a severe price drop", this vacuum had already been up on the website before you looked at it.  It had gone down to a sale price of $162 and something cents.  Looking at it right now, it is at $199.99 reg price. How much do you think that HOOVER stick vac, from the 70's would be priced if it were sold now?  This is a good price for what one is getting.  Like I have always said, prices will drop as the product has been around for a while.  This vacuum is not even available until September, so just wait and see.

CarmineD wrote:
Sears jumped on the "bandwagon" way back in the day and you could say David Oreck helped.  Now, how did they copy ORECK's model name?  I do not recall an ORECK vacuum cleaner of the same name.

IMike_W wrote:

Hi Mike,

I personally owned the Hoover stick in mention and found it satisfactory.  The power nozzle, same as used with Hoover cans at the time, was good and probably leaps and bounds ahead qualitywise than anything you could buy now.  The machine also used decent-sized disposable bags.  However, machine plus power nozzle pulled no more than 500 watts or so. 

Bissell and Regina also offered stick vacs fitted with powerheads and,  Regina especially, was considered not a lighweight but worthy of the place of sole vacuum by many living in small households.  It wasn't high electrical draw machine either but still a good performer..

What you've overlooked here is that I have made no negative commentary about the Glides possibility of performing well.  What I have expressed is my great irritation at the sales pitch malarkey the Glide's  "green"  claims is based on.  Sitting just around 12 percent below the electrical draw of a 12 amp vac is in no way green.  Hopefully,  the public isn't that dumb.

Thus to my mind the Glide will remain a glorified stick vac.  Had this been a 5 or 6 amp lightweight vac with PN I'd have been impressed with talk of its being green.  Nonetheless,as the machine per its advertising statements has a draw two times higher 500 watts I ain't impressed and won't  be.

By the way, when I bought my Hoover stick with PN I think it cost about $69.95, the price of a good straight suction can or upright at the time.  Of course no one made note at the time how "green" it was.  For what it was, a machine for flooring only I'd not spend more than a $120 on it now -- the going rate for it's slightly less sturdy counterpart the, Navigator -- another glorified stick vac.

Best,

Venson

Mike_W wrote:

As the ORECK ads state [see ORECK web site and side banner here]:  ORECK Platinum Pilot with 360 degree GLIDE. 

That's how SEARS copied the model name verbatim from ORECK. 

Carmine D.

The beltless pano/kenmore was always a decent vac just awkward to use, the couple I had apart seemed as though the did not want you fixing the brush motor if damaged

CarmineD wrote:
It is being used as a common word and not a registered trademark.  It is not the name of a vacuum cleaner.  If you were right, then ORECK would have copied it from Dirt Devil and before that Singer.  In the middle, ORECK would have copied it also from a feature from part of an  electric iron.  I am thinking T-Fal.