Here is my son's email to me - recommendations?:

"Dad,
We're in the market for a new vacuum. Could you ping your buddies for a couple recommendations? We're leaning towards a canister model since we have a lot of tight spaces. We'd also like to spend $300 or less (much less) and we need something that does a good job on bare floors as well as carpet. We're looking at a Kenmore Progressive canister model that has a power hand tool.
Thanks for your help!
~Chris"
I will await all y'all's good advice.

the kenmore is a good choice. this one (link) WAS available at a lower price and has the classic look i like. panasonic makes the kenmore cleaners. i havent tried the newer *progressive* series, but this older style is known for giving good value and quality for the money.

I spent a few minutes in the vacuum department at Sears the other day - you can't help it, they put it right by the door - and I was pretty impressed with their offerings in canisters and (bagged) uprights. The only thing I don't like about the Sears canisters is that the hose doesn't swivel in the wand or machine ends. After a long bout of vacuuming, the hose tends to get twisted around itself. Why have they never fixed this? Everyone else seems to have figured it out...

I was also in the vacuum department at Sears this weeakend and was looking over the latest Kenmore cannisters (my mother had three of them over the years) and all of the models I examined DID have swivel hoses at the machine end -- I'm not sure about the attachment wand end. In fact, I was impressed that most of them swiveled 360 degrees. The picture below is a screen capture from the "product spec" page of the Kenmore 25914 Progress cannister. I've provided the Web page link below as well (scroll down to "hose type" and "hose swivel degrees").

It's the wand-end of the hose that needs to swivel, IMHO. I've used lots of Sears vacs over the years in client's homes and always ended up with a knot in the hose after a few rooms. The machine-end of the hose you linked to looks like it might swivel, which would help a lot. Many of the KM vacs I've used had a swivel at the machine end, but it wasn't a completely free movement - it stopped at 6 o'clock and then had to go back the other direction. Hopefully that's figured out, now for the business end of the hose!

Thanks for the input. We ended up getting the Kenmore 25614 with the telescoping wand.

Yes: the hose can swivel freely 360 degrees, in any direction, where it meets the machine.

So far, we're pretty happy. And my boys (Mark's grandsons) who are 9 months (Holden) and 2 years (Calvin) old love it.

Thanks again,
~Chris

I've used the Progressive model (extra long hose; "side-kick" type motorized tool, etc) and like it very much, though it IS noisy. And I wish the power-nozzle were a bit narrower. But Sears periodically reduces the price on these when newer models are coming out at year's end, so watch & maybe you can find one you like. Good value for the $.

Vacman