Kenmore Vacuums

For most of its life Kenmore was the Sears house brand. The name passed to Edward Lampert's company when it bought Sears out of bankruptcy, and since January 2019 Kenmore vacuums have been designed and sold under license by Cleva North America of Greenville, South Carolina. Older owners notice the change: some say current machines are not built like the Kenmores they grew up with.

The four bagged models listed here follow a pattern Kenmore has kept for decades: two motors, one for suction and one driving the brushroll, plus HEPA bags that keep dust sealed in. The Intuition uprights are the entry point. The now-discontinued BU4022 ($170) has bags that seal and eject at the press of a button, and the BU4017 Lift-Up ($190) is a plainer version with a detachable pod for stairs. The canisters step up to the Pet PowerMate, a floor head with its own motor that digs hair out of carpet: the 600 Series ($280) is the basic model, and the Elite Ultra Plush 700 ($460) adds a nozzle built for thick, high-pile carpet.

Owners give the Intuition credit for air quality and longevity, with reports of five to seven years of service. They say the No Touch bag works as promised, but that hair wraps the brushroll and the machine feels top-heavy with the pod mounted high. Canister owners with heavy-shedding dogs and cats say the PowerMate out-cleans bagless uprights on carpet and the bags hold a season of fur. They also describe the 600 Series as heavy, at 24 pounds, with a stiff electrified hose. A visible minority report units failing early, including power cutting in and out where the hose meets the canister.

Before buying, check which Intuition model the seller has. Kenmore's floor-care store lists at least seven bagged Intuition variants with different model numbers and features, plus a version with a brushroll designed to resist hair wrap. Price the proprietary bags too, since every bagged model listed here depends on them.