Thread Number: 22907
Panasonic/Sears canisters |
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Post# 256283 , Reply# 2   11/14/2013 at 11:08 (3,815 days old) by suckolux (Yuba City, CA)   |   | |
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I have had a couple, lower line model and top of the line both. I don't think as good as they used to be, what is? But for the money, they clean well, the plastic feels flimsy on some parts, but none ever broke on me, I am gentle of course. There is about half the exhaust leaks out the cord hole and half through the hepa filter on my two.I still honestly enjoy using them more than my Miele, god I am going to be shot.
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Post# 256289 , Reply# 4   11/14/2013 at 12:08 (3,815 days old) by suckolux (Yuba City, CA)   |   | |
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Post# 256307 , Reply# 5   11/14/2013 at 18:09 (3,815 days old) by fan-of-fans (USA)   |   | |
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Been using them for years.
The quality is as mentioned, not as good as it used to be. Compared to other plastic vacuums, they are better than most from big box store machines, IMO. A lot of people complain about the electrical problems in hose/wands. I have never had a problem with them shorting out or anything like that on the ones I've had, and I still have a 1999 Whispertone that gets used pretty often. What I did have happen on one Whispertone was the tab that holds the receptacle in the hose handle broke, so the receptacle got pushed back. This caused the power nozzle to work intermittently. After I glued it back in place, it worked fine. The new motors are a big problem from what I've heard. The older ones used two stage Lamb/Ametek. In the early/mid 1990s, lower end models went to single stage Lamb/Ametek. During the 2000s, cheaper models went to Panasonic and Sip Cinderson Ltd motors, which sometimes die after a short time. If you look at Panasonic brand vaccuums, they probably all use Panasonic motors. I have the current TOL Progressive I bought used at Sears in 2012. It runs fine and is built okay. I would compare it to the late 1990s units other than the motor. But I did have a problem where the cable in the telescoping wand broke somewhere and only the vacuum motor would work. It was under warranty so I took it back to Sears and they replaced the wand for free. I am a little leery to adjust the wand now that this happened as I don't want it to break again. |
Post# 256311 , Reply# 6   11/14/2013 at 18:43 (3,815 days old) by piano_god (British Columbia, Canada)   |   | |
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Just some slight input on the Miele discussion that's developed...
As for the Kenmore machines, they're better left on the shelf. As Sears continues its downward spiral, their machines have continued to be cheapened out more and more. In Canada, where canister vacuums rule the landscape, the shear amount of wire harness and lower wand issues that burn out is appalling. In fact, I am surprised they haven't been recalled...
The melting end cap issue on the brush rolls continues, though the newest have been revised to prevent build-up of debris... |
Post# 256380 , Reply# 12   11/15/2013 at 17:58 (3,814 days old) by fan-of-fans (USA)   |   | |
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As I said I never had a problem with the connections burning out in the hose or wand. I am surprised it happens so often on these. Sure if you are constantly attaching/removing the hose from wand or wand from power nozzle without turning off the vacuum first, it will spark and could burn, but the instructions have warned about that for years.
I think more often the problem is the connectors get moved around and don't make good contact anymore. It isn't noticeable really unless you take the handle apart and then you see where the connector is loose. I suppose also if that connector moves around while vacuuming it could cause sparking and the plug to get burned out. The loose connections seem to happen more on the gas pump style handles than the older metal curved handles. Maybe they are designed differently. |
Post# 256602 , Reply# 20   11/17/2013 at 09:52 (3,812 days old) by suckolux (Yuba City, CA)   |   | |
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Post# 256609 , Reply# 21   11/17/2013 at 11:20 (3,812 days old) by mark40511 (Lexington, KY)   |   | |
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of the Sears canister vacs......but with my experience (even if they are babied), yet used a lot.....and correctly - they ALL short out on my after a couple of years.....Granted, I vacuumed my 1300 sq ft home about 5 times per week for 2 years before the connections shorted......I never ever once had a problem with the motor themselves....The OTHER thing I hated was the fact that it was NOT sealed.....I guess if you use a really good bag, it's ok.......but why is it so difficult to seal a vacuum?
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Post# 256611 , Reply# 22   11/17/2013 at 11:37 (3,812 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada)   |   | |
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My personal experience with the highly-rated Sears Kenmore Progressive ("Elegance" in Canada) is as follows: I bought the hunter green version (model 27210) with telescopic wand in 2001 for myself. Great performing machine and lots of conveniences such as a 7 foot hose and 30 foot cord. It is pretty much the same machine as the less deluxe Panasonic CG902.
But in 2005 the original Kenmore motor blew for no good reason. I had treated that motor with kid gloves all through those years - frequently changing the bags and filters and monitoring the red warning light which warns of stress on the motor. Because I loved the vac so much, I decided to spend $140 dollars to replace the motor with a compatible Panasonic motor - rather than buying a whole new vac. Well, that replacement motor is still going strong in my mom's apartment. Considering I spent in total about CAD$750 on this vac over a 12 year period, I think I got a great deal! |
Post# 256612 , Reply# 23   11/17/2013 at 11:41 (3,812 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada)   |   | |
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Post# 256652 , Reply# 25   11/17/2013 at 13:24 (3,812 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada)   |   | |
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Just another note to throw into the discussion: the original Kenmore Progressive telescopic wands were made of heavy chrome or steel. It has always been extremely difficult to separate it from the hose handle. The connection is VERY tight. I noticed that several years ago, Sears changed to an easier-to-use aluminum wand with a more comfortable disconnect button. I wonder if these lighter wands have looser electrical connections. If so, the conundrum is: how to create a dependable electrical connection across vac parts that are still easy to separate. I wonder if Miele owners have the same problems.
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Post# 256699 , Reply# 27   11/17/2013 at 17:47 (3,812 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada)   |   | |
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Post# 256788 , Reply# 30   11/18/2013 at 10:39 (3,811 days old) by mark40511 (Lexington, KY)   |   | |
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The Electrolux Epic 6500 that I bought USED off Ebay.......they have quick disconnect, and so far I have had no trouble at all with them shorting out. I think I have had it perhaps 2 years or so.......Although I MUST say, as far as using it compared the the Kenmore Canister........(although I do LOVE the Epic 6500) I think I liked the Sears canister a bit better....(but not by much)...also, like the bag changing better on the Electrolux.......The bag changing on the Kenmore was EASY..........BUT............The collar system was somewhat flawed because (whether you had a Cloth high quality bag, or a paper bag, it's NOT the bags themselves that would leak, it was the was the bag met the collar/hose. It's like it barely touched when fully connected......So I think during cleaning some of the dust you would see in the BIN itself was not from the bags leaking, but from the collar/hose/bag connection barely touching and some of the dust getting past that .....My theory anyway..........The Electrolux bags are idiot proof and don't leak at all from what I can tell.......
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Post# 256798 , Reply# 31   11/18/2013 at 12:03 (3,811 days old) by Durango159 (State College, PA)   |   | |
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My experience with the Kenmore/ Panasonic wands is that it is better to have a separate set of wands for the bare floor brush and not constantly be utilizing the quick release at powerhead. Primarily I've seen the connections burn up at the quick disconnect and I think everytime that convenient feature is used, the connection gets weaker. It's almost better to find a non quick disconnect wand system where it is a single cord leading from power head up wands and having connection lock into hose. I think the older style gray colored hose has a good sturdy lock and would have no problem with a long term connection from hose to wands.
The Kenmore Intuition TOL model greatly sees more problems because that power nozzle bare floor brush connection that is built into the power head doesn't last long. I've seen the tiny wheels and primary connectors on the bare floor brush break off and while this is all happening the electrical connections get loose too. Eventually the bare floor brush doesn't even lock back into the power head again without a really good fight!! I've used the Hoover Windtunnel Anniversary canister S3670 for about 2 years. I had no problem with the power head. That Windtunnel power head on that model was Maytags design back around 2000 when the first Windtunnel power head canister hit the market. So as flimsly as that plastic looks, it still holds up well over time. The wheels on that power head are the bad part and don't work well for rear or front. The hose, wands, tools and circuit board are the disaster in my mind on that unit. The tools go along with many other big box store vacs on the market. All these very teeny slim designed tools with crevice tools that can barely reach down the sides of a car seat, upholstery nozzles that have no means of agitation and take 3 times as long to cover a step or sofa cushion because of size. It's ridiculous!!! With new technology one would hope that most peoples dreaded chore of cleaning becomes more efficient but the attachments these days VOID that hope!!! The hose on that Hoover Windtunnel Anniversary is the clumsiest, hardest maneuvering material ever with that awful wire shrinking the air path inside the hose since its not spiraled into the design and actually more of a long hard plastic line going all the way down. The handle is uncomfortable to use as the seem of the 2 pieces just feel quite uncomfortable. As for the canister mobility, I've noticed with machines with the 4 small independantly spinning wheels that they get stuck on everything. When all clear they work well, but roll up to door jams, cords, area rugs and those small wheels on this Hoover, Riccars and Mieles I've used can't do the job, the older machines with large rear wheels can!! Enjoy the new Panasonic MCCG902. I'd get a separate set of wands with 10" all bristle bare floor brush for floors. This will help wand connections last longer and also clean better on hard floors than the short, stiff bristle Panasonic floor brush with bristles that don't really flex to sweep all dust from floor into air path. The canister body on these machine is a good sturdy design of the original Kenmore Progressive line, very different from the current Progressive canister line. |
Post# 256872 , Reply# 33   11/19/2013 at 00:50 (3,811 days old) by Durango159 (State College, PA)   |   | |
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Actually I really think that you're going to love using that Panasonic!!! I'm a fan of the larger rear wheels, I find they get over door jams and their own cord better than small wheels. Lots of air flow on those machines, all the tools on board. Both motors are pleasant sounding and fairly quiet. The power head is very quiet. Cosmetically I think the entire machines looks great. If I was to be "knit picky" and find things to criticize it would only be a couple issues as follows:
1) Powerhead will not stay completely flat to floor when handle is all of the way down. It will lift up a little in the front going a fair ways under beds. 2) Small or no suction duct channel for belt side edge cleaner. Sometimes dirt can clump up in that area and you may see dust on top of power head housing in that area cause there's not much an airway to suck that stuff in. 3) Bare floor brush has very short cut bristles that tend to not dust floor as thorough and lack of bristles along side can allow front plastic of bare floor brush to scrape on floors 4) I don't believe suction unit wheels are rubber coated. 5) Long term durability-- motor, wand connections That's really it!!!! Again, I think everyone would agree that there is no perfect machine. We can all find something about ALL machines on market whether it's weight, color, noise, attachments, maneuverability, etc, etc. But for the price point of this machine especially, it's essentially a no brainer design to go and get one. I can't think of another machine anywhere near that price range with that nice of an attachment set or cleaning performance. Consumer Reports has consistently rated this machine and other Kenmore/ Panasonic styled machines as great cleaners over the past few years. In fact lately Consumer Reports has gotten cheap with their reviews and they only post in the magazine the top ranking machines and this model has been posted in all those issues!!! Truly a great machine, I know you'll love it. As bad as I've played out that power head to be above with the "knit picky" remarks it's actually a great head!! Very powerful agitation, dual row chevron design, low profile, quiet, 4 position height adjustment, serpentine belt, brilliant headlight, motor/ belt protection system, brush roll on/off switch, quick disconnect wand system, heavy duty chrome wands, wrap around furniture guard, very sleek and mean looking, great color, wand lock and release pedal. It's a great system. Plastic on machine is a good grade too. I like mean looking machines. For some just of the look of how the front looks, it looks like a work horse and this one is a perfect fit for that. Some other machines I love the look of are Hoover Decade hoods, most Hoover headlight equipped power nozzles, Eureka RotoMatic power head, CenTec CT20DX heads, Riccar Brilliance. Some websites complain about the filtration of Kenmores and these style machines. They're not Miele systems or priced at Miele either though. But there's no dust cloud escaping, you can use HEPA bags, they have a thick pre motor filter with nicely designed compartment for that filter and a HEPA exhaust filter. I'm an allergy sufferer that has problems with some vacs, and I've never had a problem with one of these units, and that's with primarilly running them with the classic yellow paper bags and not the HEPA ones. I've seen this model with both styles of hoses. I'm curious which one you have. I hope it's the gray colored, more curve style hose handle as shown in this picture below as opposed to the straighter hose as shown on the full vacuum picture in your thread for the Panasonic MCCG902. |
Post# 256873 , Reply# 34   11/19/2013 at 00:52 (3,811 days old) by Durango159 (State College, PA)   |   | |
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