Kenmore BU1017 Lightweight Bagged Upright Vacuum - No Belt Needed!

Chattaroy: I've had this for a year. I decided to buy a cheap basic vac after going through several higher end models very quickly. This vacuum reminds me of something my parents would have bought in the 70s-80s which is capable of outliving everything. It's basic, no frills. It's heavy. It's heavy duty. It uses disposable bags. It has good suction. It handles my long hair and dog hair. It has put some muscles on my arms. I've had zero issues.

The hose is super short so this isn't great as a detail vacuum for ceilings or high places. It works fine for corners and furniture, just slightly annoying to move around. Probably not a good pick for anyone elderly. Looks like it comes with an extendable wand now though so that might make a difference (mine doesn't have one).

Only real con is that it doesn't do great at getting dog hair off my couch. The suction for the hose is so much that it sucks the fabric right up and makes it too hard to move around. The pet hair attachment doesn't do it for dog hair at all.

It's still a great sturdy simple vacuum, even if I have to brush the dog hair on the couch into a little pile so I can get it with the hose.

United States on Dec 14, 2023

kls: I've always been a Hoover person, I've had 4 in 41 years & loved them. However, the company was sold a few years ago & I've seen the quality go downhill terribly. I've been looking for a new upright because my house has mostly wall-to-wall carpet & I prefer that over the canister. I have a JRT that sheds a lot & needed something with great suction. After 4 months of doing research, I decided on this Kenmore. I waited a month to write a review because I wanted to use it several times to give a fair review. I love this vacuum! I live in a one-story home so I don't have steps to deal with. It isn't hard for me to maneuver around at all & the suction is wonderful. I've used the Pet Handi-Mate tool on my sofa, it's a tweed type material so the hair gets embedded in it. I used it in a circular motion & found that it did a great job pulling the hair out. Yes, it took some work because of the type of material but it worked great. I love that the bags are of a fabric material & really holds the dirt & dust in without blowing it back out like my Hoover had been doing. There is no smell when running it. Overall, I am very happy...

United States on Nov 16, 2023

GoodDesign: Great motor. This is the most powerful vacuum I've ever owned, but I would not buy it again for two reasons.

It is way too heavy, despite its claim of being "lightweight", to the point that no one wants to use it. We instantly go for the crappy, battery powered lightweight vacuum instead.

Next, when ordering, I had filtered all vacuum cleaners on Amazon until I got to this one. The most important feature I checked was a retractable cord. Somehow, this model appeared in my search results, despite its not having a retractable cord, and I didn't catch it until I had put it together. I won't make that mistake again, but I'm adding it here in the event the filter isn't fixed before someone else lands in the same position. The cord is very long, which is great, but I never want to wind up another super-long cord again.

United States on Oct 12, 2023

Aubrey Brennan: As other reviews note, this vacuum is NOT for the faint of build. The two engines make this HEAVY. I consider myself to be pretty athletic and it's a workout to get it between floors of the house. The PRO is that it is very powerful and does a great job with cleaning up pet hair. When you are using the sweeper fan action option it literally pulls itself along the floor. Took some getting used to that pull. Hope this thing lasts for a long time because it WORKS.

United States on Oct 11, 2023

Phil Culver: I've missed my Kenmore Upright since it died 10 years ago. I replaced it with a B****l which I hated. It finally died. Replaced that with a H****r Wind thing. It worked, it was cheap, it lasted 3 years. Finally back to Kenmore uprights and I'm happy. Did I say I was a guy? Yep.
Pros
- Heavy, means powerful motors and noise silencing. If you can't pickup a 6 month old grandkid or a 20# sack of potatoes, don't buy this. Go buy one of those light and hard to clean bagless things.
- NOT BAGLESS. It uses a bag. Best thing for vacuums. Easy to empty and you DON'T have to disassembly half the vacuum every month to clean 6 or 8 different parts like all bagless vacuums. Do yourself a favor, buy a bagged vacuum.
- Quiet. Very quiet.
- A pet brush that really works. I'm amazed at how well this works. This is due to the brush roller having plastic paddles and not a spinning fiber brush. This is a big deal if you have animals. I never used the other vacuum's pet brush because they didn't work.
- Quiet. Did I say that?
- Aluminum extension wand. Sturdy. Locks in place for different lengths.
- The single switch which goes from OFF-ON...

United States on Oct 16, 2021