31150 Kenmore Elite Pet HandiMate + Dirt Sensor + Inducer Motor

Is it heavy? Yes. Is it loud? Also yes. But does it have the suction power and accessories to help you manage the only downside to your furry friend? YES. Every lightweight/quiet vacuum I’ve ever owned failed in that department, and therefore, at its job IMO. The pet handi-mate is AMAZING. I’ve never had one, but now would never go without - so much easier for throughly cleaning cushioned furniture and such. Only criticism would maybe be how easy it is for the brush to stop rolling from flexible cushions being sucked in a bit; as well as the suction power through it sometimes leaving things to be desired. Only con: hose does not stretch easily. I’ll believe that it CAN stretch as far as advertised, but not easily and not without tipping the vacuum over. The hose with the main extender can comfortably/easily reach about 6-7’, after that you might want to anchor the vacuum somehow or just move it closer.

Vac is amazing on carpet, cat hair etc. We’ve had one of these models for years. Getting new carpet and so we got a new one too. Passed down the old one to my daughter since it’s still in great working condition. The “drive” of the unit makes it feel self-propelled. The bag is easy to change and less way less messy than newer vacs with clear canisters to empty as each use. It was a no-brained. Many other brands and pricey models were too heavy in the hand/wrist area. The weight of this vac is balanced so it makes for an easy “push”.

After about two months of residential use, I feel like I know enough about it to provide a summary: Cons: - The brush attachment is too small. - You have to take the whole electrical cord (plug) off to get at the hose - there are plenty of times when you need to just vacuum up a spill or a little dirt here and there and just need the hose real quick. Having to take the cord off to get at the hose, and then re-wrap the cord is too much trouble. - Plastic, plastic, plastic. The body, the attachments, everything is made out of plastic that in a lot of places feels cheap. The silver body just feels like it's going to crack or break at any moment. The notches on the hose attachment/extension are clearly going to wear out and fail. - The hose attachment: Speaking of those notches, that's a really poor design. I could tell right out of the box when I first assembled it, that that's a weak point. It doesn't stay in firmly, and already, after just a couple of months of use, when the hose is rotated or twisted (and when you do *not* twist the hose when you're vacuuming in corners, doing upholstery, stairs, etc.?), it just pops right out. - The pet hair attachment: It's just too touchy - you have to be really careful that it doesn't get bogged down when the carpet is more than really low-cut pile, and hold the attachment up so it doesn't make too much contact with the carpet. It works, and I use it on my carpeted stairs, it's just touchy. I disassemble and clean this part after every use, because it does get covered in pet hair, which will slow it down. - Yes, the hose is short, and that causes problems. But because it's extends like an accordion, the real problem is just that it's too stiff. If the hose extended easier, not only would the length increase, but you'd be able to feel the tension when it got towards its limit, and stop pulling - as it is now, there is *always* tension, the hose doesn't extend, and the vacuum gets pulled, sometimes toppling over, occasionally whacking you as it falls. Pros: - Again, the pet attachment is adequate - I know some people will say it's heavy, but it's lighter than my last vacuum, which was a pretty comparable upright in terms of design and features. So for me, it's actually relatively "lightweight" - The headlights can actually be useful, particularly in places that are a little dim - The dirt sensor light is useful and seems to work, although it might lag a little - The height adjuster is good and makes a difference (I *never* used that feature on my last vacuum because it didn't seem like it mattered) - Suction. I mean, that's what a vacuum is for, right? This thing does a pretty good job sucking up dirt from bare floors, which for me is great. I used to use the hose attachment on my bare floors, which is hard on your back and takes a lot longer, but this Kenmore Elite Pet Friendly 31150 does such a good job on bare floors that I can use the main vacuum itself, saving me money and pain. With the hose attachment I can get all the dirt and hair in corners and everywhere else, and while I have to adjust the height from room to room on carpets because of the different types of pile, once you figure out which height works best, it really does a good job getting things clean. The bottom line is that because of the suction, the adequacy of the pet attachment, and the other features, this is a good vacuum - definitely better than my last one, and I'd recommend it. I wish they'd fix some of the design issues with respect to the hose and plastic though.

Awesome suction power. Really gets the job done. Also like the bare floor setting. Carpet setting really delivers with the added bonus of power drive making vacuum easier to maneuver. It is heavier than the Panasonic upright that it replaced which is the only negative but the Panasonic left behind a lot of dirt. Some reviewers said they don't like the short hose but I haven't found that to be a problem because of the easily accessible extendable wand attachment.

It was time for a new vacuum, my old one smelt like pets after you vacuumed. Not good. I had a hoover before, this is my first Kenmore. I could not see myself paying more than $300 for a vacuum, just insane so I looked up the best vacuums for pet hair on consumer reports and this one ranked pretty good and within my price restrictions. It did not let me down. It lights up when picking up dirt which is really cool. I really like the power button has three settings, off, carpet, and floors. I have short hair dogs and it does a great job of picking up their hair on the carpet as well as the tile. It is also pretty lightweight, so it isn't a chore to do the job. I would purchase again.

This vacuum is very nice looking and easy to use. It has great suction and easy controls. I especially like the ability to change from carpet to bare floor with the push of a button just below where my hand sets. It's a little on the heavy side for packing up stairs but it's doable for considering the performance it gives. It comes well packaged and easy to assemble.

The vacuum was great to begin with, had a lot of power, worked well. The 2nd time using the hose attachment the pipe developed a little hole and was sucking in air which caused issues with the suction in general. I contacted amazon support who told me to contact the seller. When I contacted the seller, they told me to contact Kenmore for parts. Kenmore bounced me around 4 different phone numbers with no one being able to help me or even get me to the right department. I reached back out to amazon support who assisted me contacting Kenmore while they stayed on the line. Kenmore were meant to send out a replacement part (would take up to 3 weeks) and email me, but neither happened. We waited past the 3 weeks to get the replacement part and contacted Amazon again. Since we were out of the return period (due to when it broke, not when we contacted support) all they could do is offer a refund of $250 instead of the full $313. Amazon support were great, but I'll never buy another Kenmore product.

Have had it for 4 years; am giving it away because of moving to a house with wood floors. Always worked well, extra bags were sturdy, Hepa filter easy to replace. Good suction. Adjustable height was useful for various carpet heights. Seemed sturdy, and was good-looking. I wish it had a retractable cord, instead of the usual type you have to constantly wind and unwind as you move about. Big drawback was no handle to raise it off the ground. Instead, you have to put your hand under the vacuum and pull it off. Awkward and uncomfortable. Extra cleaning tools stored easily on vacuum.