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Thread Number: 14723
Kenmore canister memories |
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| Post# 156006 10/19/2011 at 09:13 (4,571 days old) by fan-of-fans (USA) | ||
The first Kenmore canister I remember us having was avocado green with woodgrain and it had the Powermate and magicord and I believe the white attachments. It had the flat end crevice tool, swivel dusting brush, etc that had 'SEARS' on them. Then we had a white Kenmore Powermate canister with black bumper front entrance hose and magicord, and I believe it had black tools that weren't as deluxe and had 'Kenmore' on them.
After that one of my cousins gave us two Kenmore canisters that she no longer wanted. One was a brown straight suction that was a rounded shape and the hose went in the front. I had the manual and I believe it was dated 1983. The tools were very basic, brown hard plastic and it had plastic wands. The other vacuum she gave was a Kenmore Powermate canister in white with black bumper and swivel hose. The Powermate looked very close to the white one we had before, except for the graphics printed on it. The tools were rubber like the modern ones but they were brown. That vacuum was somewhat basic, it had the switch on top of the canister, no headlight or quick release. I had the manual for that too and it was bought in 1987. The Powermate canister had bad brushes, it sparked out the exhaust, so we used the brushes from the brown one to replace them and tossed the brown vacuum. We kept using both of those white Powermate vacs, until we got rid of them. Both still worked fine when we got rid of them. About 1997 Sears had a clearance canister on display for $99, I wanted it badly but I couldn't afford it at the time. It was the green model with swivel hose, but had the switch on the canister, exposed tool storage, and the smaller Powermate with headlight. In 2000 we got a green Kenmore Whispertone from Sears. I was so excited, and this one had the Quick release and headlight Powermate, switch on handle, Powermate Jr and cord rewinder pedal none of the others had. We still have that one. Does anyone know when the last of the front hose Powermate canisters were sold? I read on here about a red and gray one that Sears still sold in the late 1980s. My Sears catalogs show a similar canister in the section for replacement hoses. I believe the two tone gray front hose models in my catalogs were probably the replacement for that style. There were two models, one with a basic Powermate and the other is straight suction, neither have magicord. One thing I found interesting was recently Kmart sold a basic Kenmore canister called the "Guacamole" I believe for $149. It was green and white, and used a basic Powermate with the older style non quick release and the all metal wands. I thought it was cool that they were using older style parts again. I believe that model is no longer sold, they now have an orange model at Kmart. End of my rambling. LOL | ||
| Post# 156020 , Reply# 1 10/19/2011 at 11:01 (4,571 days old) by kenmore81 (Warwick, RI) | ||
 Kenmore is my favorite, I especially like the older square hose on front canisters. The last was indeed the gray/black/red "Heavy Duty". They were manufactured 88-89 or 90, but I know there were a few left overs probly on a back stock room shelf till like 1990/91, The Sears near me I seen the last one around summer 1990, it was on clearence for $125. I wanted it soo bad. It was 299.99 reg price IIRC.(see link I borrowed from YT)
The green one you saw in 1997 I also got on clearence for 95 bucks it was called Premier, I also bought the Panasonic version in 2000 for the same price when a local store was closing. CLICK HERE TO GO TO kenmore81's LINK | ||
| Post# 156044 , Reply# 3 10/19/2011 at 16:10 (4,571 days old) by vacman117 (Chicago, IL) | ||
My dad's parents had Kenmore's all through the 90's. I've noticed that is almost 'required' for all grandmas to like Sears. It's just the way it is around here. But they had an all gray, soft bag Power Center upright and a white and gray canister with the old style, half headlight power nozzle. It didn't have the cord retractor button though. I used those every time I went over there, and they even let me bring home the Power Center for weeks at a time. I ended up with with the Power Center in about 2002, and it eventually got thrown away. I got the canister about a year later and kept it for about 2 years, until sparks started to fly out of the back and the switch, so my parents made me throw it away.
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Post# 156047 , Reply# 4 10/19/2011 at 16:49 (4,571 days old) by jfalberti  (Visalia, CA) |
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My favorite Kenmore memory
Is of this one. It is almost identical to the one my mother had when I was little, and is my first vacuum memory.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO jfalberti's LINK | ||
| Post# 156058 , Reply# 5 10/19/2011 at 18:51 (4,571 days old) by RainbowD4C (Saint Joseph, Michigan ) | ||
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| Post# 158337 , Reply# 7 11/7/2011 at 09:56 (4,552 days old) by fan-of-fans (USA) | ||
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I must have driven people crazy with my talk about vacuums. LOL I remember I asked my teacher what vacuums she had and she told me she had a Kenmore PowerMate canister from 1980 and a Rainbow. She said she used the Rainbow more because it was better for her allergies.
I also would look out and watch my neighbors vacuum their cars to see what vacuums they had. LOL Our neighbors across the street had a Kenmore swivel hose PowerMate canister as did some neighbors two doors down. The other neighbor across the street had one of the early 1990s gray bottom of the line Kenmore canisters with the front hose and PowerMate along with her Kirby upright. I guess lots of people had Kenmores. | ||
| Post# 158369 , Reply# 8 11/7/2011 at 19:46 (4,552 days old) by kenkart () | ||
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I Just Wish!!! I could find the 61 Lady Kenmore with the L shaped power mate!, This was the first machine called Whisper Tone.I would trade just about any machine I have for one. Here are some OLD Kenmores! 
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| Post# 158370 , Reply# 9 11/7/2011 at 19:51 (4,552 days old) by kenkart () | ||
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A Few More! 
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| Post# 158371 , Reply# 10 11/7/2011 at 19:53 (4,552 days old) by kenkart () | ||
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Americas Cleanest Homes! Are KENMORE Clean! 
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| Post# 158372 , Reply# 11 11/7/2011 at 19:56 (4,552 days old) by kenkart () | ||
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KEN MORE! 
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| Post# 159660 , Reply# 13 11/21/2011 at 21:35 (4,538 days old) by floor-a-matic (somewhere) | ||
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I didn't know there was a KENMORE triangular dusting brush! btw, all my Kenmore canister & upright vacs (1970s-1980s) are curbside finds :) I haven't really gotten a Kenmore vac new; other than the red mid-range early-1990s w/red PN. | ||
| Post# 159661 , Reply# 14 11/21/2011 at 21:37 (4,538 days old) by floor-a-matic (somewhere) | ||
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Red Kenmore canister This is the one that my parents bought new around 1991 (my Christmas present) CLICK HERE TO GO TO floor-a-matic's LINK | ||
| Post# 159674 , Reply# 15 11/21/2011 at 23:57 (4,537 days old) by briguy (Wichita, Kansas) | ||
My dad bought my mom a new Kenmore canister for their anniversay. It was in either 1986 or 1987. I was by far more thrilled with it than mom was! LOL It replaced our Hoover Convertible that was long since falling apart. It was an ivory color with chocolate brown trim & attachments. It lasted til 1994 when we moved & mom decided we needed a new vac for the new house. She bought another Kenmore & has had Kenmore canisters ever since that first one in '86 or '87.
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| Post# 159836 , Reply# 17 11/23/2011 at 10:25 (4,536 days old) by fan-of-fans (USA) | ||
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Briguy, we had the same white and brown canister that my grandfather's cousin gave us, the manual had the purchase date in 1987. It was a good vacuum and still worked when we replaced it with a new Kenmore Whispertone in 1999.
I don't recall seeing any of the metal Kenmore canisters. I used to see the square 70s and 80s plastic front hose models at yard sales from time to time. Once I picked up an early 80s one from the trash along with a Hoover Celebrity that were both missing the hoses and attachments. One of my old neighbors used to look for stuff in the trash and once brought me a Kenmore swivel hose canister. It looked like #6 on the linked page, except it was light green with gray trim. The attachments and PowerMate were missing so I used it in the garage until the bearings or brushes started going and threw it away. Has anyone seen #4 or #7 on that page (the front hose models)? I never have seen those, and they seem like a modernized version of 70s and early 80s models. I don't recall the triangular dusting brush either, I guess it was just on the 60s ones. Our green 70s one had a white swivel brush instead. My 1991 Sears catalog still showed the white attachments for sale. I liked the white bare floor brush and used it with other vacuums. It had bristles in the center and felt along the sides, so it picked up well in both forward and reverse movements. | ||
| Post# 159837 , Reply# 18 11/23/2011 at 10:26 (4,536 days old) by fan-of-fans (USA) | ||
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| Post# 284926 , Reply# 20 6/16/2014 at 18:29 (3,600 days old) by paulg (my sweet home Chicago) | ||
Two Kenmore memories
The first Kenmore in my life is one I picked up in the garbage. Grade school... It was a vertical tank-type with a top flip lid that opened with a thumb latch.
It worked great and I enjoyed using it. The neighbor came over one day and saw me with it. She was glad I found it and would have rathered her give it to me instead. No biggie. The other case was in high-school. My friend Jerry was giving a party and needed to vacuum the carpet. He brings out a 1950's Lady Kenmore upright identical to the one shown at the recent VCCC convention in Ohio. At any rate he says, "Whatever you do DON'T hit any air vents with it!!" Why? I ask, "It'll spark" He replied. And so he vacuums. Ultimately he hits an air-vent only to see a shower of sparks from the unit. Clearly the vacuum was "hot" with some sort of serious short to the frame. Yes, a hazard... Oh well, we were kids then. Nowadays I would have torn it from his hands and repaired it for him. | ||
| Post# 284955 , Reply# 22 6/17/2014 at 00:16 (3,600 days old) by super-sweeper (KSSRC Refurbishment Center) | ||
fan-of-fans, | ||
| Post# 285185 , Reply# 24 6/18/2014 at 01:10 (3,598 days old) by super-sweeper (KSSRC Refurbishment Center) | ||
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I wouldn't know, | ||
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