Customer Reviews

Kenmore Progressive Upright Vacuum with Inteli-Clean System, Slate Blue

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

To start with, the vacuum shown here is NOT the bagless model, so the other review must be ignored since it is for the wrong product.

The Kenmore vacuum is FANTASTIC. I sampled the vacuum out in a local Sears store and compared it to a top of the line Dysons and Hoover and it blew them away. It pushed much easier than the Hoover and it destroyed both of the other lines with its cleaning ability. The Dyson and Hoover vacuums only did a fair job cleaning, while the Kenmore didn't leave ANYTHING behind.

The intelli clean sensor on the vacuum has proven to be pretty helpful. I have a tendency to vacuum a little too quickly, and the intelli clean sensor helps me to know if I've gotten all the grime vacuumed up.

I never thought that I would become so partial to a vacuum because I figured that they were all the same, but there is a huge difference and when you're talking about spending a couple hundred dollars or more on a vacuum, I think it is worth it to get the best. If you really are serious about getting a good vacuum clean, go to a local Sears or other store and ask to try out this vacuum and compare it to others, and I am certain that this will win hands-down.

I purchased the Kenmore Progressive model number 35923 (the top rated Consumer Reports number is 35922). The only difference is the cord is 15 feet longer. It was on sale at my local Sears for low-mid 200's. Whoopeee. I also purchased the warranty because I have had poor luck with machines breaking down.

I don't need fancy gadgets. I don't care about color, retractable cords or even the weight. I need a machine that takes pet hair out of carpets(I have a cat and two large black dogs plus a daughter who is sensitive to fleas). And for me, if a machine gets clogged in the "L" joint clogging it and it can't be easily fixed, then I don't want it.

I have taken apart more than a few machines in my day.

I brought home the Kenmore and put it together in about a minute. I turned it on and went to work. Within 5 minutes, I sucked up my daughter's sock.

You may all thank me now, I had the safety of the warranty to protect me.

I read the owners manual. All I needed to do was pull the cord out, un-kink it and PRESTO, sock finished its path and I retrieved it from the dust bag.
In addition, my carpets are soooo clean! The amount of pet hair I pulled up is truly disgusting and wonderful to see inside the dust bag, where it belongs.

I LOVE THIS MACHINE!!!!!!!

I have purchased many vacuums, and they never seem to last, no matter how much I spend. I used to own a Kenmore vacuum and it lasted about six months before clips and other parts starting breaking off of it, and I ended up hating it! I was hesitant to buy another Kenmore (even though every appliance in my house is Kenmore), but after reading consumer reports rating on this one, I purchased it. I have had this one for 3 years(?) and it is the best vacuum I have ever used! My carpets have never been cleaner! I LOVE it. I can't rave enough about it. It still has all of the parts works great!

From personal experience, I prefer a vacuum that uses bags. It contains the dirt better. It is neater and cleaner and I feel it is much easier to just pull off the bag and toss it, then it is to mess with a filthy canister and have dirt falling out everywhere.

I read here that someone returned this vacuum because the Inteli-Clean light stayed RED. I know of two reasons why the light would stay red. One is that the sensor is dirty,(inside the bag compartment is a dirt sensor that you need to wipe off with a rag every time you change the bag,(see the manual). Another reason is just that the carpet is R-E-A-L-L-Y dirty. The first time that I used this vacuum I wanted to get the "GREEN" light. In order to finally get that "GREEN" light in every room, it took me around 6 hours of vacuuming! That is how horrible my other vacuum turned out to be. After that "initial" cleaning, it is much quicker now, and it is easy to keep up. I know my carpets are clean!

Remember, most of us do not vacuum correctly and we think that one sweep of the vacuum gets the job done, it doesn't. The Inteli-clean option on this vacuum reminds you of that and it lets you know which areas of your carpet need a little more attention.

In short, I love this vacuum. I spent a fairly long time searching through reviews of vacuums I found online, and had a very hard time coming to any sort of conclusion about what to buy. So, I turned to Consumer Reports, who rated this model #1 for 2008. I decided to put my full trust in good ole' CR, and immediately hoofed it to Sears to purchase it, sight unseen. (I had really had enough of my old Bissell.)

This thing rocks. I have that terrible dorm room carpeting in my apartment that somehow grabs and holds onto everything that touches it, and it doesn't stand a chance against my Kenmore. The special setting for bare floors has been more useful than I expected, as has the setting for lowered suction (for rugs and what not).

Yes, it's fairly heavy. But I don't even consider that a con for a vacuum this great. Plus, why not throw a bit of exercise into your cleaning routine?

I adore this vacuum, and I think you will, too. It's more than worth the {cheaper than a Dyson} price.

We purchased this unit in large part due to the Consumer Reports evaluation. This unit does suck up pet hair pretty well, and the filtering is adequate, or was when new.

HOWEVER, the unit's construction is poor -- even cheap. Unlike our 20 year old canister vac, this unit is almost entirely plastic. Within a year the tiny plastic nubs which engage the wand to the hose broke off. Now the hose end is splitting, because we have to jam the hose onto the wand in a fruitless attempt to keep things together.

The hose itself apparently uses cheap carbon steel wire, as ours in now crimped badly near the body, where the vac's own electrical cord caught the hose.

The extendable wand is a joke -- it bends in normal use (floor brush) and now won't stay locked in extended mode. And the power cord is likely to be the next failure, given the lack of strain relief where it exits the body.

Initially, the unit was great to use, given our allergies. Much quieter than our previous upright. But within a year something's gone wrong with the filtering (yes, we replaced the secondary "hepa" filter in addition to the bags!) and we're getting the same old 'vacuum stink' along with a return of itchy eyes after cleaning.

We will probably avoid Kenmore in the future, given the lack of durability. Not recommended.

We got this unit becuase of the Consumer Reports rating. It has very strong suction and works very well on pet hair. It's hose is longer than others we've had and all of the attachments are sturdy. With the telescoping wand, it has excellent reach. Only two complaints; the little power attachment is pretty much useless on couches and chairs and it lacks a true dusting brush. It has a brush attachment but the bristles are too far apart to use as a duster. Without those two deficiencies, I would have rated it five stars. I agree with other reviewers that the unit is heavy but I think you're going to get a durable unit in exchange for the added bulk.

I have owned this vacuum for about a year and feel I can write an accurate review at this point. This vacuum makes so much noise (a high pitched noise) that my dog runs and my kids cover their ears and run from the room. Almost everytime I vacuum, I end up having to unscrew the hose entry to clear a clog of animal hair. My dog sheds and for whatever reason, this vacuum bunches it all up at the top of the hose and ruins the suction. It does work well on hardwoods and carpets, but again the noise is irritating. It is also very heavy to carry up and down the stairs. I've just ordered a new Hoover commercial canister and hoping for better results.

I have the model put out about 2 years ago, but all the features and the look are identical to this model. My daughter and I have asthma, AND two cats, so a machine that would pick up anything and everything was an absolute must. Kitty litter and cat fur - gets rid of them completely. All the 'little kid crumbs' - sucked right up. Dust - what dust! Now as another customer commented, it IS powerful and will eat stuff up off the floor; many a cat toy and crayon have been consumed. But as many bits and pieces as my Kenmore has inhaled, there have been no ill effects (and it will be plopped into the top of the vacuum bag; the attachment hole on the bag is large enough to retrieve lost items). As for dust reduction - we previously had a bagless, and it was awful! It didn't suck much of anything up, and dust would get everywhere while vacuuming and while dumping the canister (bad choice for folks with asthma/allergies). The Kenmore vacuum is so easy to change/clean - I've yet to have any asthma issues while vacuuming with this machine, or when changing out a bag (which WAS a problem with my previous two machines; NOT Kenmores). For those that are sensitive to the allergens that you just can't see, the Inteli-Clean knows it's still there; no more wondering! I've got two rough and tumble kids, and cats that maul machines that eat their toys, and this Kenmore is still going strong - I'm quite impressed with it's durability. Yep, it's heavy - I have to be careful taking it downstairs, but the weight also keeps it from tipping as easily as other machines. I'm 5'3, and not very big - I've never had ANY trouble pushing this machine - self-propelled would be a waste of money; you barely have to push it, and it's off and going. I'm not certain why another reviewer had a problem with not being able to push the vacuum, other than maybe it wasn't this particular vacuum that they were actually reviewing. As another reviewer suggested - go to Sears and try it out. I took a little zipper bag of kitty litter/kitty fur with me to try out vacuums. That seemed to separate the toys from the real vacuums!

I purchased this vacuum on the advice of Consumer Reports and I'm glad I did.

Strengths:

Tools
The tools are solid. Each tool has a logical and convenient place on the vacuum. The hose is long enough to be of true use and seems strong.

Suction
Fantastic suction when using the tools or the normal upright vacuum. There are three different suction levels for the tools, but I only use high.

Logical Design
Some good design thought was put into this model. When the vacuum is upright the brushes stop. This really helps when using the tools -- no damage to the carpet. The control buttons are just where you would expect them and they also make sense.

I really think this vacuum will last us for years and $300 is fair price for the quality.

I planned on buying another windtunnel when mine got old and beat up, its still picks up but it wont stand up on its own anymore but it is 10 years old. I bought this Kenmore Progressive instead because its gear driven instead of belt driven like the windtunnel. I was tired of replacing belts. Now I know better. I would rather be replacing belts than pushing around this awkward, heavy thing. It does not seem to have edge cleaning like the windtunnel does so stuff at the wall just bounces around and you have to pull out the hose and bend over to get it. Pulling out the hose is a problem too. For some reason they didn't put the little lock on buttons on the place where the hose attaches to the machine so it pops off after a minute. Also, putting the hose back around its resting place is really hard. It doesn't pick up as good as the windtunnel and its much much heavier. Its very loud too compared to the windtunnel. Learned my lesson. If only I had learned it before it was too late to return it.