Kenmore Intuition 31200 upright Direct Drive vacuum (Beltless) -Bahama

I’m really happy with this vacuum. I had a Dyson previously but it was several years old and the HEPA filtration wasn’t working as expected. We have 2 golden retrievers and I could smell pet odor from the exhaust. This doesn’t happen with the Intuition, I bought the HEPA bags and the air coming out smells fresh. They’re more expensive but worth it, because my house smells clean when I’m done vacuuming. I wasn’t sure about going from bagless to bag but I actually like it much better, I’m not having to empty the chamber each time and I hated the dust that would fly up when emptying. When I first used it on a shag area rug it was so powerful that I could barely push the machine, I thought I was going to have to return it. But I used it on our thick plush carpet and it works fine, it was just too much power for the shag. I turned off the roller bar and learned to tilt the machine when going forward and vacuum when going backward on the shag, which is no big deal since it’s just a 5×8 rug. The vacuum is heavy, I have a 2 story home so we might buy a 2nd to keep upstairs, which is still cheaper than the Miele I was considering. A powerful motor is going to add weight to your vacuum, and this is definitely powerful. The wand is super strong, even stronger than the Dyson, and the attachment is excellent for the stairs. I couldn’t believe how powerful it was even using the wand attachment. I do prefer the Dyson technology of the wand in the handle; this wand wraps around and I have to move it around the cord when using. The front of the vacuum is wide so it doesn’t fit through the legs of my dining room chairs, which my Dyson did. I trusted Consumer Reports when buying this vacuum and am not disappointed. My main concern was exhaust air quality and this is fantastic.

Anyone who knows me will tell you I am particular. Actually, they’d likely just say I’m picky – I am – and that’s certainly true about my vacuums. I want the perfect balance of cleaning performance, features, and usability for my dollar. I did all my research online because I couldn’t find the models I liked in a nearby store. It’s really hard to make a judgement call rooted in online-only research. I still feel vacuums need to be experienced… One day while starting up my research, this Kenmore Intuition 31200 was on sale and I decided to give it a shot. Not only did I save money, but this vacuum is the BEST cleaning vacuum I’ve ever used. The suction power is wholly impressive to say the least. I’m quite happy that it’s a bag vacuum despite the bagless trend. I despised dumping the dust bin from my Hoover Fusion because I always came away with filth all over my hands (likely my own fault, but still disgusting).

This isn’t a perfect vacuum. The cord wrap uses a piece of plastic that feels flimsy and switches between holding the hose and cord. Why isn’t it dedicated? Maybe I’m just doing it wrong. Also, the clean/dirty light indicators sometimes go a little wacko blinking back and forth. Not frequent or concerning.

In the end, I’m extremely happy with my purchase and will keep Kenmore on my short list for future purchases.