1980 sears best kenmore powermate from hans!

back last october Hans Craig (kenkart)posted finding this machine at a local thrift store for a stupid cheap price. i had gotten in contact with him about it about a few weeks after the initial post poising interest in the machine since he mentioned it being too new for what he collects. after the holiday insanity concluded we negoatiated a price to buy the cleaner from him plus shippping. in january it arrived and ive been using it since then rotating in the weekly cleanings.

hans was right. this machine might have been used a handful of times if even that. there are no nicks in the bumpers the plastic has no coffee table gouges on the powerhead. the machine performs wonderfully and the bag clog light still even works! he was also very generous and gave me two blue era appropraite packs of 5033 bags for it, even though id mentioned i have plenty of bags for the machine. im glad he did. they are better quality filter media the the 90's versions.

the only thing i had to "repair" on this machine was the fubar height adjuster on the rollerskates for the powermate pn. the plastic "tit" that notches the ratchet machnism was dead. a semmingly common problem on this era kenmore. luckily i had the heinsight to save the pair of rollerskates from my 2997 i had custom repaired when i found an original intact pair from amarillo to replace the one i made for the 2997 with. im glad i kept it because it was a simple swap instead of a multi day repair. at some point ill custom make a replacement adjuster for it as well. since finding parts for those powermates is impossible unless you pillage vacuum backshops

thanks again hans for such a wonderful machine. this color scheme was the last "woodgrain" color scheme sears had. it survived until spring/summer 1983 when the woodgrain was axed after nearly a decade.


Forum Topics & Rules Manuals & Literature	New users Click-here to sign-up

Post# 316505 2/23/2015 at 02:45 (3,349 days old) by bnsd60m9200 (Akron OH)
Checkrate/Likes 1 back last october Hans Craig (kenkart)posted finding this machine at a local thrift store for a stupid cheap price. i had gotten in contact with him about it about a few weeks after the initial post poising interest in the machine since he mentioned it being too new for what he collects. after the holiday insanity concluded we negoatiated a price to buy the cleaner from him plus shippping. in january it arrived and ive been using it since then rotating in the weekly cleanings. hans was right. this machine might have been used a handful of times if even that. there are no nicks in the bumpers the plastic has no coffee table gouges on the powerhead. the machine performs wonderfully and the bag clog light still even works! he was also very generous and gave me two blue era appropraite packs of 5033 bags for it, even though id mentioned i have plenty of bags for the machine. im glad he did. they are better quality filter media the the 90's versions. the only thing i had to "repair" on this machine was the fubar height adjuster on the rollerskates for the powermate pn. the plastic "tit" that notches the ratchet machnism was dead. a semmingly common problem on this era kenmore. luckily i had the heinsight to save the pair of rollerskates from my 2997 i had custom repaired when i found an original intact pair from amarillo to replace the one i made for the 2997 with. im glad i kept it because it was a simple swap instead of a multi day repair. at some point ill custom make a replacement adjuster for it as well. since finding parts for those powermates is impossible unless you pillage vacuum backshops thanks again hans for such a wonderful machine. this color scheme was the last "woodgrain" color scheme sears had. it survived until spring/summer 1983 when the woodgrain was axed after nearly a decade.

Post# 316506 , Reply# 1 2/23/2015 at 02:46 (3,349 days old) by bnsd60m9200 (Akron OH)
Checkrate/Likes 1 sears best kenmore powermate 2999 from spring 1980 thanks to hans craig in north carolina.

Post# 316507 , Reply# 2 2/23/2015 at 02:47 (3,349 days old) by bnsd60m9200 (Akron OH)
Checkrate/Likes 1 ready to clean!

Post# 316508 , Reply# 3 2/23/2015 at 02:47 (3,349 days old) by bnsd60m9200 (Akron OH)
Checkrate/Likes 1 "catalog photo"

Post# 316509 , Reply# 4 2/23/2015 at 02:48 (3,349 days old) by bnsd60m9200 (Akron OH)
Checkrate/Likes 1 different "catalog photo"

Post# 316510 , Reply# 5 2/23/2015 at 02:48 (3,349 days old) by bnsd60m9200 (Akron OH)
Checkrate/Likes 1 powermate pn closeup

Post# 316511 , Reply# 6 2/23/2015 at 02:49 (3,349 days old) by bnsd60m9200 (Akron OH)
Checkrate/Likes scuff plate of the powermate. in 1980 this model year, they finally elimated that useless switch to edge clean and fully integrated it into the powerhead design. leaving the empty space for a fault overload switch that protects the pn motor from burning up under too much load.

Post# 316512 , Reply# 7 2/23/2015 at 02:50 (3,349 days old) by bnsd60m9200 (Akron OH)
Checkrate/Likes suction control

Post# 316513 , Reply# 8 2/23/2015 at 02:51 (3,349 days old) by bnsd60m9200 (Akron OH)
Checkrate/Likes 1 closeup of the powermate canister

Post# 316524 , Reply# 14 2/23/2015 at 06:58 (3,349 days old) by countryguy (Astorville, ON, Canada)
Checkrate/Likes Wow, what an execellent find! It sure does look like it has never been used. Enjoy. Gary

Post# 316526 , Reply# 15 2/23/2015 at 08:44 (3,349 days old) by RainbowD4C (Saint Joseph, Michigan )
Checkrate/Likes If you ever decide to sell let me know. That would be a lot of fun to have.

Post# 316527 , Reply# 16 2/23/2015 at 08:51 (3,349 days old) by stricklybojack (Southern California)
Checkrate/Likes *Wow..* nice machine. I got one close to that but yours is really a standout among standouts, way to go.

Post# 316543 , Reply# 17 2/23/2015 at 12:42 (3,349 days old) by fantomfan (Rochester, New York)
Checkrate/Likes *Flawless! What a find!* I admire your collection. That is one fine peice of machinery there. They truely were "Sears Best."

Post# 316514 , Reply# 9 2/23/2015 at 02:51 (3,349 days old) by bnsd60m9200 (Akron OH)
Checkrate/Likes 1 exhuast and blower end. i always loved the artsy fins they integrated on these era kenmore so they stand up on end.

Post# 316515 , Reply# 10 2/23/2015 at 02:52 (3,349 days old) by bnsd60m9200 (Akron OH)
Checkrate/Likes 1 "magicord"

Post# 316516 , Reply# 11 2/23/2015 at 02:52 (3,349 days old) by bnsd60m9200 (Akron OH)
Checkrate/Likes 1 full set of attachments

Post# 316517 , Reply# 12 2/23/2015 at 02:53 (3,349 days old) by bnsd60m9200 (Akron OH)
Checkrate/Likes 1 original era approraite bag! filter media is thicker IMHO

Post# 316518 , Reply# 13 2/23/2015 at 02:54 (3,349 days old) by bnsd60m9200 (Akron OH)
Checkrate/Likes 1 the spring 1980 sears catalog and the real thing.

Post# 316684 , Reply# 18 2/24/2015 at 17:02 (3,348 days old) by vac-o-matic (Saint Louis, Mo.)
Checkrate/Likes *Score!* That is an awesome vac Will, it's a cleaning beast! I have the blue one like it and I use it in rotation to do whole house cleaning. I had one in your color back in the day before I realized I was going to be a collector and sold it to a friend who needed a vacuum. I wish I had a lot of the ones like this that I let slip through my fingers!

Post# 316909 , Reply# 19 2/27/2015 at 00:51 (3,345 days old) by bnsd60m9200 (Akron OH)
Checkrate/Likes 1 hey rick, i actually have the 2997 sears best in two tone blue as well in great shape. i got it from bill edstrom last spring. i think this era was the twilight of great vacuums im my view, and when kenmore went away from whirpool in 1985, the quality went with it. i personally stop in late 1982 when this color scheme and the woodgrain stopped. they updated the PN by then, but ive seen VERY few 1981 or 1982 powermates in the color scheme. they are quite rare. these late 70's era powermates are my favorite canisters for many reasons. they get used more than the same vintage luxes i have now. i use my tan G more than the early 80's era luxes.