Kenmore 81414 Bagged Canister Vacuum Cleaning Tools, 400 Series + Telescoping Wand, Red

I own the same model of this vacuum from 25 years ago. I loved that vacuum more than I can say. Tried to get it repaired, but they no longer sell the parts, which is unfortunate. The newer one, though, has all the features I loved plus one that I really need, but didn't know I needed. I also own a Miele canister vacuum so I'll share some notable differences.PROS1. This vacuum has a light (and it the light is operational even when you disconnect the powered floor nozzle and use only the part made for hardwood floors). Mieles with similar price points do not have any light, and the light is really useful for illuminating where the dirt is under couches and under furniture, esp if you have pet hair.2. The suction is incredibly strong and adjustable. Could probably suck up a small cat from about 30 feet away. j/k but it's intense. Miele's has great suction too.3. The on/off switch is located on the handle, so you don't have to bend down. Miele has the power switch on the canister itself. Ostensibly you can use your foot to turn the switch on/off on the Miele, but I've had to bend down often to get it to turn on, and often the canister is far away, so if you want to turn the suction up or down or turn off the machine momentarily, say to pick something up, the location of the switch makes a big difference.4. The floor cleaning nozzle is two-in-one (one powered for carpets and one unpowered made for hardwood that just glides effortlessly and picks up everything on the first try). When I have used the (un)powered Miele floor brush attachment, it often makes smaller bits (like cat litter) shoot all over the place. Miele has a similar tool, but you have to bend down to change the nozzle head and it still doesn't pick up small bits on hardwood as well. With the Kenmore, you just use your foot to pull out the floor brush from the motorized nozzle. Easy and quick and no fussing with finding a different attachment and bending down to affix it.5. All of the attachments (including the powered pet mate attachment) are stored inside the canister with a lid. Miele's storage is flimsy and not contained, so I found that the attachments would routinely fell off their caddy.6. Power cord is retractable (same as Miele, but the button on the Kenmore is larger and easier to use).7. Both the suction tube connecting the floor wand to the canister AND the power cord are significantly longer than the Miele's. I have a very small apartment, and this still annoyed me. If you want to be able to clean without having to plug and unplug the vacuum regularly, the extra length is lovely.8. The floor nozzle on the Kenmore can almost go flush with the ground and the attachment still stays level so it can vacuum under furniture effectively even if it's quite a distance back. The Miele's floor attachment pops up (becomes unlevel with the floor) when you try to make the handle level with the floor. I do have to say, my 25 yo Kenmore could go completely flush with the ground, perhaps even lower and still remain level. So I'm bummed that the new one can't go completely flush, but it's still able to vacuum more flush than the Miele.9. Kenmore is cheaper than most Mieles.Having enjoyed most of the above features on my 25 year old Kenmore, I was disappointed by the Miele.CONS1. The canister and wand on the Kenmore are heavier than the Miele. The weight of the canister is annoying if you need to carry it up and down stairs. And although I don't have any stairs, I imagine the Miele would be easier for stairs.2. The wheels don't work perfectly on the Kenmore (they were fabulous on my older model). So while canister vacuums are always a little clumsy, I find maneuvering with the Miele easier.That's about it. I like having both vacuums, but if I had to choose one, it would no contest: I would go with the Kenmore. If money weren't an object, perhaps the top-of-the-line Mieles would match the features on this Kenmore, but for twice the price or more.

I ordered the Kenmore 81714 Ultra Plush and it came in today. I gave it quite a workout as I've been vacuuming since it's arrival. The kids and I named it Kenny. This thing is so fun. I started out on the hard floors and it handled it just fine. I wish there was a separate power head with a fluffy brush roll to dust the floors, but I do think the suction on this Kenmore is amazing enough to not need it. This is my first canister and I felt a bit clumsy and clanked it everywhere. I think there's a bit of a learning curve to it, but Kenny followed me wherever I needed to go.Then I switched out the power head for the powered pet brush for the stairs. I do not own pets, but I bought this vacuum specifically for this attachment. My old Shark couldn't suck up the sand out of the carpet that the kids track it. I think the Kenmore handled it like a champ. It was a quite a workout using this attachment as I wanted the suction as high as it would go. There's a place on the handle to adjust the suction level. This would make it easier to maneuver on the stairs, but I didn't want to sacrifice suction. I needed a deep clean after using my Shark for years. Again I was a bit clumsy and knocked Kenny down the stairs, but he held on tightly. The hose took quite a yank, but didn't break. The motor didn't skip a beat. Kenny's wheel popped off but it snapped right back on.I decided to take him for a whirl on the upstairs carpet. We have medium pile carpet. I kept the height level on the lowest one to try to get deeper into the carpet. It didn't make it difficult to push, but I could hear all the dirt and dust that my Shark was missing all these years. I took my time with him. I did have to clean hair, thread, and yarn out of the brush roll. This is not an anti-cutting brush roll like my Shark. I feel like if you take the time to clean out the roll each time you use it (we have 4 girls with long hair), then it won't get too bad.After running Kenny for HOURS on my hard floors, stairs, and carpet we needed a break. He was getting pretty hot. I never smelled anything burning or funny smells, but with how hot the unit was getting, I felt he needed to cool down a bit.Finally, I took him around and used the different attachments for dusting. The machine dusted quite well. The suction on Kenny is AMAZING. I was able to use the dusting tool for the windows, wall, ceiling, baseboards, paneled doors, etc. Then I followed around the perimeter of the rooms with the crevice tool.I'm highly impressed with this vacuum. I'm so glad I bought it. I just hope it lasts and doesn't break on me. I bought the protection plan just in case because things just aren't made like they used to be. At the end of the day, Kenny pulled up an ENTIRE bag of dirt, dust, and sand from deep in my carpets that my Shark was neglecting for the past 4.5 years even with daily vacuuming. Gross. Also, really cool to see that Kenny is performing like I had hoped.I have 2 complaints.#1 how hot Kenny got. I was a little worried for him. I understand it's a 12 amp motor and will put out some heat, but it was hot to the touch and could burn skin. I worry about one of my kids touching or the motor overheating and catching fire or melting plastics. He started getting hot on the stairs so I hadn't been running him that long before I noticed the heat. The hot air blowing from the vacuum made a spot on my leg red because I had to wedge him with my leg so he didn't fall down the stairs again. He's a champ, though.#2 I wish the opening for the crevice tool was slightly larger. I had to keep going over the same areas where the baseboard meets the carpet. I may try to find a larger crevice tool to use instead.