Thread Number: 6098
Sears Kenmore (LG) PREMALITE upright
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Post# 68186   5/1/2009 at 22:10 (5,444 days old) by aeoliandave (Stratford Ontario Canada)        

aeoliandave's profile picture
Benn looking at this at the local Sears for about a half year now but at $425 it wasn't coming home anytime soon. When it regularly goes on Sears Sale it drops to $399. Currently on sale in the USA Sears for $200 or less. Still too much and besides, it's a bagless. Note to Self - if I ever saw one in the trash home it would come.

Just loving the Concept Car styling. Reminds me of the Chevy VOLT Concept, the Ford FLEX or EDGE in Kiwi Green and this year's Lincoln Model C in mint green


Post# 68187 , Reply# 1   5/1/2009 at 22:12 (5,444 days old) by aeoliandave (Stratford Ontario Canada)        

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Rear end of the Model C. I saw this and the new large Lincoln SUV at Detroit's NAIAS 2009. had I the means I'd want one...or the other. Lincoln stately class.

Post# 68189 , Reply# 2   5/1/2009 at 22:26 (5,444 days old) by aeoliandave (Stratford Ontario Canada)        
Presenting, the $25 Kenmore Premalite

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At some point during today's chat around the workroom the subject of vacuums came up. :-) The gals were telling about a new discount bargain place that had moved from downtown to the back of the empty Equine Saddlery factory, right beside the Dry Cleaners that also sells electric bikes with the car detailing garage out back.

Oh, says I, right, sure, cheap refurbished plastic chinavacs. Moving on, Angela, who is a tech geek and loves my robaots & toys, was telling me about a 24" tall Fembot thingy she saw there that said it did 112 motions and speech. So we went over after work. fembot gone but a long aisle of cheap refurbished plastic chinavacs like the ZING the hoover orange podvac and a bunch of Bissell uprights at $99. A bunch of Dysons marked at $250. Then!!! I spotted this!!! Two of 'em!!! With a sticker for $50!!!

Examined them both - must be reclaimed floor models from Sears Stores as all of the vacuums in the aisle I have seen at Sears - both in like-new unblemished condition. So I marched one up to the checkout gal. "Would you like to try it?" Sure, so I vacuumed the carpet runner at the door and was impressed as it sucked up the boot grit from customers coming & going...and that was on low speed.

"I'll take it!!!"

"Great, it has a white sticker so it's 50% off until next week"

"thank you, thank you"

And oh yeah, it matches the new green carpet going down in the attic. LOL


Post# 68190 , Reply# 3   5/1/2009 at 22:33 (5,444 days old) by aeoliandave (Stratford Ontario Canada)        

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Wasn't until I got home and played with it I realized just how light, powerful and versatile it is beyond those stunning looks.

electyronic controls on top of the cylinder in easy reach. Blue LED speed, brushroll and height lights along the back edge of the separate motor brushroll base. 6 blue/white bright headlight that shines over and through the brushroll bristles. Genuine bristle dusting brush & crevice tools onboard,


Post# 68193 , Reply# 4   5/1/2009 at 22:40 (5,444 days old) by aeoliandave (Stratford Ontario Canada)        

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Some info:

Compare Prices ($250 - $250 from 1 store)

On sale: 38% off
at Sears
$249.99
shopmart's Full Review: LG Electronics Premalite Vacuum Bagless Cyclonic V...
Note: There may be some slight confusion with the listing title: although LG Electronics did have some influence in designing the Premalite, it's dubbed a Kenmore product.

When it came time to buy a new vacuum for the small clothing store that I manage, I told myself that I would buy nothing less than a Dyson. I have owned two Dyson’s in the past and they work amazingly well and are incredibly reliable. However, when I was allotted a measly $200 from my company for a new vacuum, I quickly realized that my preference of having a Dyson (priced between $499-$599) wasn't going to happen unless I pitched in some major cash. I had to take into consideration, however, that I spend anywhere from 8-12 hours/day in this joint, thus I needed the same type of quality vacuum that I would use in my own home to reduce allergens. I reluctantly decided against a Dyson and went with one of its rivals: the Kenmore Premalite.

A little info about this product:

The Kenmore Premalite is a 12 Amp bagless upright vacuum that claims to be just as good as its competitors, but lighter. Much of the Premalite's materials are derived from lightweight plastics, aluminum, and magnesium: resulting in a total weight of about 15 lbs. Although the Premalite is only a few pounds lighter than my Halo UVST that I use at home, it's much lighter than any comparably priced Hoover/Eureka model that I have owned.

Features/specs:

*LED Headlight
*HEPA filter w/ washable prefilter
*4 pile height adjustments w/ LED indicators
*Large canister
*Variable motor speeds with LED indicators
*Overload protection
*30ft power cord
*15.3 lbs.
*3 tools w/onboard storage
*12 amp motor
*30% lighter than most conventional uprights



Style: 10/10

Kenmore's use of magnesium and aluminum doesn't just translate to a lighter curb weight than a conventional vacuum cleaner, the alloy accents are also very stylish. Couple the Premalite's alloy accents to its Pearl Green color scheme and you've got a modern looking vacuum that looks decidedly more upscale than most vacuums under $500.

Assembly: 10/10

Even with good assembly directions, I am doomed to mess up any type of assembly required for a product. That said, I needed a vacuum that was going to be easy to assemble. Fortunately, the Premalite is almost completely assembled right out of the box, save for the attachments, the extension hose, and the handle of which are all painless to attach/detach. There is no need for any hand-tools to assemble the Premalite other than, well, your hands.


Ease of use: 10/10

In addition to the Premalite being easy to haul around due to it being very lightweight, it's also very easy to operate and maintain. The Premalite offers a conveniently placed control panel consisting of just 3 simple buttons (one for powering up the machine, one for switching from carpet to hard-floors, and one for adjusting the power level). There are also four simple-to-operate manual height adjustments (height is indicated by LED display). One of my biggest rants with bagless vacuum cleaners is how annoying it can be to empty the dustbin. The Premalite's canister comes off of the vacuum base with the simple click of a button and snaps back on equally as easy. Because the dustbin opens from the bottom via a release lever (more bagless vacuums should do this) it makes it much easier to empty without dust radiating back into the room. The power/accessory tools are equally as easy to use. These tools snap into place with ease and can be removed with no fuss.

Performance:
Handling: 8/10

Thanks to its light and effortless steering, the Premalite feels even lighter on carpet than its measly 15-lb. mass. Even if I use the bare floor setting on very shallow pile carpets, it still glides along with minimal effort. The only gripe that I have with maneuverability is that this vacuum doesn't have edge groomers. While the Premalite still does an adequate job sucking up debris adjacent to walls and baseboards, if you really want to get these areas clean you must use the crevice tool.

Suction: 9/10

The previous vacuum that I was using in my store was a 3-year old Eureka "Big Cup." I thought that vacuum was absolutely horrible: the Premalite proved just how horrible that vacuum was. To explain, after using the Premalite for the first time I got 2 entire canisters full (the Premalite’s canister is huge) of dust and dirt that the Eureka vacuum left behind! The Premalite also keeps its suction even when the canister is more than halfway full, only showing noticeable performance loss as the cup approaches the full mark.

Tool performance: 9/10

The tools also work great with no noticeable suction loss. You can link any of the 3 tools (crevice tool, upholstery tool, and the pet tool) to either the aluminum wand (the aluminum wand weighs all but a few ounces) or directly to the removable handle, which is attached to the extension hose. I especially like the pet tool, which boasts a turbine-powered agitator that makes it perfect for cleaning furniture and stairs. The only slight problem some consumers may have with this unit is that the extension of the tools is only about 10ft with the alloy wand (even less without it). While a 10ft reach is enough for the space I use this vacuum in, I can definitely see this posing a problem for those with vaulted ceilings or for those who just need a longer reach than a measly 10ft.

Note: I have not had the opportunity of using this vacuum on hard floors, thus I can't comment.

Noise: 4/10

Next to the sound of a washing machine with a squeaky belt, the sound of a vacuum cleaner ranks as one of the worst household appliance sounds I can think of. The Premalite, unfortunately, is no exception. While it's relatively quiet when the power setting is set to "low" it's annoying loud when set to "high" and emits a high pitched tone that rivals the sound of fingernails against a chalkboard. That being said, I usually just use the "low" setting, which seems to do just as good of a job picking up debris as when its set to "high," minus the high pitched sound.

Allergen removal: 9/10

Equipped with a true HEPA filter, the Premalite is able to keep most allergens from escaping from the vacuum into the atmosphere (Kenmore claims a 99% filtration rate). With the Eureka Vacuum that I was using, which also boasted a true HEPA filter, I still got watery eyed while vacuuming. With the Premalite, I still have some issues with watery eyes while vacuuming, however these issues have become far less severe and seem to get better with each use. Note: The Premalite's HEPA filter needs to be changed annually and runs about $20 per filter.

Reliability, Price, & Warranty:

The price for a new Kenmore Premalite varies greatly. I paid $349 for mine, but have seen them recently go for as low as $329 at Sears and for even less at some online stores. As for reliability, I have used the Premalite for just over three months now and have had absolutely no mechanical problems with this machine. If you do have any problems with your Kenmore Premalite, Sears offers a somewhat stingy 1-year standard warranty for this product. Sears does offer a 2 and 3 year warranty that can be purchased for $30 and $50 respectively.

Overall: 7/10:

The Kenmore Premalite is a great upright vacuum, but it’s far from perfect. While the Premalite boasts awesome suction power, weighs a mere 15lbs. and works great at removing allergens; I'm not a fan of neither the sound of this machine nor the fact that it doesn't have edge groomers. When all is said and done, the positives do outweigh the negatives, especially considering the Premalite’s relatively low price tag. I recommend the Kenmore Premalite to anyone looking for a quality vacuum. However, if you have the extra cash, the Halo line and the Dyson line are two great vacuum companies to consider before making any final buying decisions.

-Thanks for reading!


Recommended:
Yes


Post# 68194 , Reply# 5   5/1/2009 at 22:41 (5,444 days old) by sireluxomatic ()        

Nice color; almost as nice as the orange Compact in a thread a little while ago. It's great that it matches the carpet, too.

Post# 68196 , Reply# 6   5/1/2009 at 22:53 (5,444 days old) by aeoliandave (Stratford Ontario Canada)        

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I have to agree with everything in the preceding review. With 3 suction levels at 45", 61" and a top speed of 77" this would give Dyson a run for it's money at half the price at Sears right now - it's certainly imho has Dyson beat on looks alone.

I'll consider this to be the true successor to the Fantom series of cyclonic bagless uprights. Just my opinion cause I like things to look sleek, stylish and purposeful, not festooned with gimmicky gadgetry. Note the relatively straight air path through the machine from the center of the brushroll.

Washable filters couldn't be easier to access and the aluminum wand is perfectly balanced for above the floor, and head, cleaning without fatigue.

On high speed, the best performing turbine brush of this type I've used - I couldn't stop it with my hand without serious rugburn injury!


Post# 68197 , Reply# 7   5/1/2009 at 22:56 (5,444 days old) by aeoliandave (Stratford Ontario Canada)        

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Headlight actually illuminates from the front edge out about 2 feet.

Post# 68198 , Reply# 8   5/1/2009 at 22:59 (5,444 days old) by aeoliandave (Stratford Ontario Canada)        
Not just another pretty face.

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I like it a lot and would recommend it for the style conscious. :-)
Can't beat the $25 price I got and I'm picking up the 2nd one tomorrow...

Dave


Post# 68199 , Reply# 9   5/1/2009 at 23:13 (5,444 days old) by aeoliandave (Stratford Ontario Canada)        

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It's true that the supplied hose is too short but because it is partially distended in its channel when parked it could easily accommodate a compacted 18' hose of the same material. Something I will do when I find the raw hose stock to replace or a beater vac hose to splice in.

The motor noise is quiet & effectively muffled but does emit that high pitched scream on high. Not bothersome to me.


Post# 68274 , Reply# 10   5/2/2009 at 20:46 (5,443 days old) by kenmore81 (Warwick, RI)        
Darn

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Hey Dave,I was going to say can you pick up one for me, but they only have 2. LOL Just Kidding. I wondered about these vacs myself and almost considered buying one but im not a great fan of bagless unless it empties somewhat cleanly. I had a Bissell Lift-Off and it was on of the less messy bagless to empty.
Kenny


Post# 68307 , Reply# 11   5/2/2009 at 23:06 (5,443 days old) by aeoliandave (Stratford Ontario Canada)        

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Back to the Clearance Outlet to get the second Premalite. Vacuums aisle between racks of clothes and shelves of shoes.

All of these vacuums were formerly carried by SEARS. Which makes me think this may be a black market Sears discount chain?


Post# 68308 , Reply# 12   5/2/2009 at 23:08 (5,443 days old) by aeoliandave (Stratford Ontario Canada)        

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back of the aisle Dysons - priced at $250 - could be had for $125. Except when I compare dysons to these premalites, welll...just no thanks. besides, the Premalite dirt jug hold twice as much.

Post# 68309 , Reply# 13   5/2/2009 at 23:17 (5,443 days old) by aeoliandave (Stratford Ontario Canada)        

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Meanwhile, over at Sears the Premalite is on clearance sale for $299!

I asked the Salesman why they didn't sell well and he told me the Ladies just didn't like the colour. LOL He agreed with me it was a superior upright - has one himself...can we say bachelor? - but looked too futuristic and buyers would opt for a Dyson or a more familiar Eureka/Kenmore or a Kenmore canister with PN.

Frankly, I think the Ladies missed out on a great vacuum. It's a Sleeper Keeper destined for future collectability and really should be on display at MOMA. I've got the heir and a spare. :-)


Post# 68310 , Reply# 14   5/2/2009 at 23:18 (5,443 days old) by vacuumfreeeke ()        

WOW... you are so lucky! I've played with the Premalite floor model a few times when strolling through Sears... something I don't do often since I used to sell vacuums at Sears. I was pretty impressed by it, and WOW what a deal you got. I see a bagless direct drive... I'd love to have the bagged counterpart. And I'll take two of the Progressive canisters and that blue Crossover please and thank you as well LOL.

Just curious, did you happen to notice what the canisters were going for? The progressive and or the blue crossover?

Man you are lucky!!!

I see they are selling the recalled exlpoding ergo rapido too!


Post# 68312 , Reply# 15   5/2/2009 at 23:21 (5,443 days old) by xraytech ()        

Dave,
I think you are probably on the right track thinking this place is a black market discount place for Sears.
Sees odd when 95% of the vacs there are Kenmore, and wouldnt be suprised if majority of the clothes are brands that Sears carries


Post# 68313 , Reply# 16   5/2/2009 at 23:21 (5,443 days old) by normvac (COLUMBUS, OHIO)        

Dave
It sounds like a great machine to me. It the suction is
that good. Of course you won't know until you see how the filters
fair on the long run.
For the price, you probably can't buy filteres for much
less !!
Norm


Post# 68314 , Reply# 17   5/2/2009 at 23:23 (5,443 days old) by aeoliandave (Stratford Ontario Canada)        

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Sears Canada DYSON prices today.

I'd pit the Primalite against a Dyson any day and look prettier doing it. LOL And since I have a Dyson and a few Fantoms any visitor is welcome to compare them when the Vacuum Lounge is finished.

Guess I'm gonna have to get a Miele S7 now...


Post# 68318 , Reply# 18   5/2/2009 at 23:59 (5,443 days old) by aeoliandave (Stratford Ontario Canada)        

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Bobby, I recall the canisters are marked at $80-100 and the other uprights at $120. The weeny podvacs are $30.

The only thing missing from the Premalites is the aluminum Kenmore label badge removed from the brushroll housing.

Sam, all the small appliances along the back wall are SEARS items, as well. One huge counter selling cheap jewlery, brand makeup and perfumes.

Norm, with over 200 vacuums in the house none of them are getting overused. The Premalite filters are washable except the pleated HEPA puck and it's said it's good for a year. The replacement part is $30 at Sears but I'll just keep it vacuumed clean...with another vacuum LOL Like all bagless dirtcup vacs the fine powder sticks to the central cyclone separator but a few good whacks is all it takes to drop it down in the bin before releasing the bottom over a trashcan. The jug removes as easily as a pitcher from the fridge - no twisting to unlock - just unlatch, lift out and dump. You can see the tilting clamshell platform it sits on.

The pleated Hepa sits under the hinged platform while the upper filter puck is a fine mesh screen against a 1" foam puck. Has 3 vortex cones turned sideways above the jug. The wand has a D ring cross section so only the supplied tools fit the wand or detached hose

I'm using the red Royal Pony mostly cleaning up after myself in the attic project because of it's vacuuming power, the long crushproof hose and Lux sized bag.


Post# 68346 , Reply# 19   5/3/2009 at 04:43 (5,443 days old) by arh1953 ( River Park, in Port St. Lucie, Florida)        
The workings of the womans mind amazes me

arh1953's profile picture
The Premalite is a beautiful design and color, the thought that it is more futuristic looking than the Dyson is a little strange to me. And the color is soothing, not jarring like some other shades of different makes.

Post# 68352 , Reply# 20   5/3/2009 at 08:21 (5,442 days old) by aeoliandave (Stratford Ontario Canada)        
Only mine own humble opinion...

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Let's just say Futuristicly styled in a more refined manner for the discerning appreciative of honest unadorned Form follows Function.

Free of 1950s Robbie the Robot/1968 Barbarella cooling fins, grills, bumpy lumpy body casings with all sorts of exposed catches and latches, convoluted airflow channels and ducts passing through multiple small filter stages to simply get the dirt in the jug. Don't get me wrong - I like Dyson for what it is and the revolution in thinking James began with the Fantoms but when it comes to refining those concepts into a pleasing package I think LG for Kenmore got it right for the times, while Dyson has continued down the lucrative path of injection molded plastic decorative excess that has less to do with vacuuming efficiency than with brand recognition.

So, I'm maybe overstimulated by the sheer beauty of the Premalite's sculptured carcass and that I got two of them practically new for a good price but the proof is in the hasslefree cleaning job it does - taking a back seat to no similar bagless upright. My hat is off to the engineers and designers responsible for the Kenmore Premalite.

Another thing the Sears salesman told me - pale green is the new blue. You can see it throughout any Department Store in the small appliances, towels, bedding and clothing sections. Pity the poor homeowner that now feels compelled to redecorate their entire colour scheme to keep up with the Jones' Green Revolution. I have heard that 'International Colour Designers' get together annually to decide The Color Shade of the Moment that influences manufacturers worldwide. Color is the least expensive way to put a new desirable face on old and new product.

Among others, Hoover, Electrolux & GE product marketing Folks were not so dumb as they cycled through the primary colour wheel in the 50s and 60s, troweled on garish flower & scroll deco in the 70s finally toning it down to bland beiges and browns in the 80s and 90s. The more adventurous went back to dark primary colours like red, blue, green, orange, yellow and black in the 2000s. Now we're off to the less alarming soothing Land of Pastels again. :-)

Just gaze at the soothing elegance of this year's same old Kenmore Whispertone canisters on the shelf behind the Dysons.

Dave, musing aimlessly on the big global picture...


Post# 68355 , Reply# 21   5/3/2009 at 08:41 (5,442 days old) by arh1953 ( River Park, in Port St. Lucie, Florida)        
Green

arh1953's profile picture
In spite of the excess of greens through the years here since 1961, I like the color. Mom would have loved the Premalite, any item that gave a color choice in the day was mostly green. There is a beautiful baby blue Eureka in our Walmart, a little strange looking but appealing anyhow.

Post# 68462 , Reply# 22   5/4/2009 at 18:28 (5,441 days old) by aeoliandave (Stratford Ontario Canada)        
Final post on the Premalite, promise. :-)

aeoliandave's profile picture
Busy busy bury up in the attic on Sunday morning moving heavy stuff around and then zipped out to the Mall for the last Sears Days sale day to get some new pillows & towels. Somewhere along the way - perhaps in my own driveway - a 1.5" drywall screw embedded itself straight into the right front tire, enough to puncture the core. Noticed when the car began to pull to the right. Off to the Can Tire air pump...where they have now put 50 cents on it to start it with no charity listed for the profits!!! Greedy bastards! So, off to Zehr's Gasbar where the air is still free. as soon as I pulled the screw the air began to hiss slowly. So I filled it enough to get home where I wrestled one summer wheel out of the basement and changed it over. Problem solved but I ached so much and felt the beginnings of back strain coming on further heavy haulage in the attic was not a good idea.

Looking for something softer to do I contemplated the short hose on the Premalite after using it to vacuum off the duvet cover and the carpets. With two of them now and knowing I have a 40 foot RV/boat Eureka central vac slinky hose stashed away and since I just can't seem to leave well enough alone when I know an improvement is possible...

I took both Premalite hoses, removed opposing end cuffs and joined them together. Was a teeth knashing trial of errors to screw one sticky vinyl coil into the other but with patience and selected tools and probes I was able to join them with two coil windings overlapping. The vinyl is so sticky and the fit so @#$%^&* tight it cannot pull apart before tearing the hose off the machine...and it looks pretty darn good.

A second one piece hose was fashioned from the same diamter vinyl Central Vac slinky hose.

Both Premalite hoses now have a 15 foot reach, wand to vacuum.


Post# 68463 , Reply# 23   5/4/2009 at 18:29 (5,441 days old) by aeoliandave (Stratford Ontario Canada)        

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Closeup of the join

Post# 68464 , Reply# 24   5/4/2009 at 18:40 (5,441 days old) by aeoliandave (Stratford Ontario Canada)        

aeoliandave's profile picture
How much would it have cost Kenmore to put a decent long hose on the Premalite? Perhaps they would have sold better with such a superior feature.

Well my Premalites are now all around useful as well as beautiful.

Dave - my end of this fascinating thread. LOL



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