81714 Bundle Ultra Plush Lightweight Bagged Canister Vacuum with Pet PowerMate, HEPA, Extended Telescoping Wand, Retractable Cord, and 3 Cleaning Tools, 700 Series, Gold

I love this vacuum cleaner. I grew up with my mom and grandma using Electrolux canister vacuums, and they were able to keep their carpet in mint condition for decades. When we got new carpet in our house, I did my homework and decided to give this vacuum a chance. PROS: I love that I can easily move between carpets and hardwood using only the controls in the handle. I fear I have now become dependent on this feature! I have vacuumed our fairly large house very regularly for the past year and I somehow haven't had to change the bag (so I have never actually seen the bag light come on, though I have checked the bag many times). I have kids, and the pet attachment works really well for cleaning under the couch cushions, in the car, etc. I also like how far the arm extends - good for cleaning cobwebs off my ceilings, and I even used it to retrieve a lost ball over the fence! The suction is also great (so great that the brush roller did completely suck out the fibers on one of my mattresses... oops). There is an auto stop safety feature that has saved me a few times - but it did confuse me the first time it happened because I thought the vacuum had died. CONS: Whoever designed the wheels for this vacuum had never vacuumed before. They are very large and only move in one direction, making the vacuum harder to maneuver than it needs to be. Swivel wheels would be much better. I love the light on the front of the vacuum head, but it only comes on when I am in carpet mode. I would like for it to come on when I am doing hard surfaces too. I also wish there was a light on the handle for when I am cleaning out my car using one of the smaller attachments. I don't love a few of the attachments, though I do like how they are all stored within the vacuum. It's neat that the crevice tool is stored for convenience on the vacuum handle but, BUT I don't understand why the tool has holes in the sides, as it loses suction. All said, I do not regret buying this vacuum. It is actually a delight to clean my house with it. And it is still going strong after 1 year of frequent use.

Many Repairs and Less Than 3 Years in & It's a Goner I've written snippets of this review in my head through gritted teeth (yes I know if it's in my head it's not THROUGH gritted teeth please allow me some poetic license, it's been a day) while using this god-forsaken POS over the last 2+ year. While vacuuming, I'd alternate this therapeutic writing exercise with fantasizing about the unfiltered diatribe and possibly bodily harm I would visit upon this "machine's" designer if s/he ever had the misfortune to meet me. Today I've been moved to actually sit down and take time out of my day to put fingers to keyboard. Where to begin? I struggled from the onset with the decision to purchase this machine when my Dyson Animal (rival POS) did me the favor of catching fire, giving me license to relieve it of its duty. But that's another review; back to the matter at hand... I'd had a kenmore canister vacuum, similar to this one before the Dyson. So I was prepared to be underwhelmed. I finally relented and bought it because the beater on the carpet attachment is electrified whereas the one on the f-ing Dyson is "air driven" which is about as useful a you know what on a bull. I was not prepared for the hate-at-nearly-first-sight this vacuum provoked. It is HEAVY. It is BULKY. It does not really ROLL without a LOT of yanking (and correlated cursing). Rather than turn, it ROLLS OVER. Did I mention it's HEAVY? Oh, another special feature? It has a light at the base of the wand, near the floor. This is in theory a useful feature. It lights up the area of floor just ahead of where you are vacuuming. HOWEVER, this light stands nearly 2 inches off the level of the wand itself serving to prevent the floor attachment from fitting into SO. MANY. PLACES. So, turns out, this light's actual function is to taunt you as you vacuum, letting you see clearly all of the dust and pet hair that you will have to go get on your hands and knees to clean. Did I mention it's BULKY? What, else. Oh, I have dogs. They get hair on our microfiber sofa. The microfiber is great long term--really does clean up from just about anything. I've even put all of the covers through the washer and dryer and they come out looking brand new. However, the microfiber is a pet hair MAGNET. So one of the main jobs I got this vacuum for was to vacuum my sofa regularly. I was lured in by the electrified beater on the rug attachment AND the upholstery attachment. The upholstery attachment does work pretty well, but it is small. And I have a life outside of vacuuming, so I'd like to get the vacuuming over with. For the big areas of the sofa--about 90% of the surfaces, I'd prefer to use the larger rug attachment. It does FIT directly onto the handle without the wand. It even makes the electrical connection so the beater spins. However, the handle does not have the clip that secures this attachment, SO, you can push it but you CAN'T PULL it. It falls off. This is more than mildly annoying. My old Kenmore allowed this. Not sure why this one is designed without the clip. Let me see, what else does it do? Oh, yes, it BREAKS. Often. I've replaced several parts on it in the last 30 months. Less than two years in, I had to replace the entire hose assembly to the tune of $140. I suspect this broke in part because of all the yanking moving this thing requires. Maybe it wants to be carried? Did I mention it is HEAVY? The front swivel (I use this term loosely--it operates more like a brake) wheel is constructed of brittle, cheap plastic. I've replaced that TWICE. Maybe they should sell them In convenient 6-packs. Of course that would assume the vacuum will last more than 5 years. It has not. ' Not sure what you call it, but the plastic "collar" piece that helps the wand stand up straight when sitting in the rug attachment broke. So, the wand flops, sometimes whips around whacking anything in its path. Basically, most of this thing is plastic and most of the plastic breaks. That brings us to today. Today, near the close of my vacuuming session, the "check bag" alarm sounded. I opened the compartment, replaced the bag and noticed a flat plastic piece on the floor next to the machine. I looked inside the compartment and couldn't spot where this errant piece may have come from. I tried closing the canister and it became immediately apparent that this piece was the clip that holds the canister closed, creating a seal that, you know, creates a VACUUM. I figured it must have popped off and I'd need to pop that bad boy right back on. NOPE. This piece rotates on two little plastic pins that fit into corresponding plastic rings that are part of the entire canister assembly. Yup. That's right. PLASTIC. Did I mention that all of the plastic breaks? One of these tiny rings cracked. So, my replacement part this time, apparently, is the entire VACUUM CANISTER. The way this is built, the failure of an 1/8" piece of plastic has rendered this sucker D-E-A-D. So, that's where my tale ends. For now. Marooned in a vacuum-less house with two shedding dogs and two teenaged boys. I'm dreading what comes next--the search for a suitable replacement. What will it be? Join the Mielle cult for a cool $800?

Although I've used other vacuum cleaners, I've bought 4 of these Kenmore Canister Vacuums over the past 40 years, and I think they are the best available, although they aren't perfect. But they get better with every generation. (I don't know why people buy upright vacuums; it makes no sense. They are harder to use and they only do one job - they can vacuum carpeted floors. Their hose attachments are a joke. I think people buy them because Grandma used them. Well, this Grandpa is telling you to use a canister vacuum, preferable one of the Kenmore units. An upright has a beater bar and can vacuum carpet. These canisters have a beater bar for carpets; PLUS they can do any hard floor better than an upright of a broom, they can do any hard floor easily and well, they can do upholstery, they can do cars. Plus, there is less weight to move back and forth on every square foot of your house. No-brainer: use a canister vacuum and let granny keep her old and obsolete upright.) OK, here is why Kenmore vacuums tend to be better: - Suction control is on the handle. Easy and effective slowdown of the motor when you need to clean a lightweight item. (An expensive brand puts this control down on the canister itself; not very handy. Other brands just have an adjustable hole on the suction wand, not really very effective at all.) - Parts are available from Sears, still. If you are moderately handy, you can easily get parts for these from Sears (on line) and keep them going for many years. - Same bags are used in all of the models over the years; easy to get the bags. (Bagless vacuums are silly and dirty!) - Three filters: the bag, a filter inside the machine, a third filter at the air exit point. Keeps the dirt in the machine, not back in the house. - Upholstery power unit attachment: This little guy is great for power-beating upholstery, cars, lots of things. You won't use it all the time, but it's really handy when you need it. - 9' long hose makes things easier. - 26' cord; I only plug in the the electric outlet once per floor. - Button to retract cord. Retractor works well and it doesn't retract by accident. - Plenty of power; Any more would be too much. -This particular model seems to have better plastic parts; they all work more smoothly than past models. -This model has an interesting "steering" feature for the power head. By turning the wand, the head steers left and right. Handy little feature. -This model has lights on the power head and also on the wand (this lights the floor even for the non-power attachments. Very handy when you are vacuuming and one of those pesky solar eclipses occur.) Drawbacks: - This is rather heavy. Durable but maybe too heavy for some folks. It doesn't bother me, probably because I am a man of average strength. But it is noticeably heavy when I carry it on stairs. However, it is still WAY easier to move all over the house than any upright. - The unpowered floor tool on this model is very loud. The wind rushing through it makes more noise than even the powered carpet tool. Odd. Conclusion: While it has a few detractions that keep me from giving it 5-stars, I believe this model is the best of the brand, and any Kenmore with a power head is better than any other vacuum out there. It works very well, has many good features, and this model seems to be the most polished of all the Kenmore canisters. If you pay more for a vacuum than this one, you are getting much less for your buck.

I have had this cleaner for 4 months. In our house was 5 cats, 1 dog and 4 adults. This vacuum cleaner is the best I have ever owned. It took 4 months before I had to change the bag. The reason for 4 stars is that it is hard to maneuver, the wheels could use some changes. I would recommend it without a doubt.

Before purchasing this recently, I have/had used a Kenmore Intuition canister vac for 15-20 years. That one went through several repairs near the beginning of its life, but following that, has performed well for many years until a couple months ago. (After getting the new vac, I had the old one repaired. So I now have an upstairs vacuum and a downstairs vacuum.) I have no shortage of dog hair, so my vacuums get a workout. I'm a reader and believer of Consumer Reports Magazine. This new vacuum came in second in their ratings of canister vacuums. A Miele canister vac came in first, but costs right at three times what the Kenmore does. That's a no-brainer to me. That extra ~$800 will pay for a fair number of Kenmore repairs or even replacements. I believe Panasonic makes canister vacuums for Kenmore. My old one and the new one are on three wheels (vs. four). The canister body does not maneuver well. When you pull it with the hose, it seldom goes the direction you intend. I'm used to this after 20 years, but it is a pain in the butt. I can't imagine why Panasonic hasn't changed the wheel arrangement in this many years. It's like they've never tried their own product. The canister body does have some weight to it and is not very quiet, but I think this is probably due to a fairly large and powerful motor. So that's not necessarily a bad thing. I do not care for the new attachment method for the nozzles. They have made sure that you cannot buy knock-off nozzles when the current ones wear out by making them very specific in the way they attach. In addition, the attachment is bulky, so the hose-end/handle will not fit into some tight places that the old one will. I definitely prefer the nozzles and attachment method of the older vacuum more. Miscellaneous: The new vac does not include an upholstery nozzle, which the old one did. The vacuum is powerful, and still includes an LED light on the distal end of the wand. I think that's a great feature for being able to see cobwebs and such things in low-light areas. The carpet head has its own motor and still performs as well or better than my old unit. All in all, I'm pretty satisfied with the new vacuum. For the money, I recommend it.