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Canister Vacuum

Kenmore 400 Series 81414 vs Sanitaire Mighty Mite SC3683

Kenmore 400 Series 81414

Kenmore 400 Series 81414

44 reviews

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Sanitaire Mighty Mite SC3683

Sanitaire Mighty Mite SC3683

38 reviews

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Best Canisters for $300 or Less

Consumer Reports · Best Full-Sized Vacuums for $300 or Less

#71 most mentioned brand

Reddit · r/BuyItForLife

Great suction power

Versatile attachments

Designed for and works well on plush carpets

Variable motor speed control

Pet PowerMate attachment

Great suction power

Lightweight and maneuverable design

High-quality metal attachments

Ability to adjust suction power

Effective for cleaning hardwood floors

Not as durable as other models

Plastic feel to it

Parts are prone to breaking easily

Not as quiet as advertised

Poor ergonomics and attachment design

Plastic parts prone to breaking easily

Verdict

The Kenmore 400 Series 81414 is a powerful canister vacuum with great suction power and versatile attachments. It is designed for and works well on plush carpets, but has a plastic feel to it and some parts are prone to breaking easily. It is also quite heavy and noisy.

Verdict

The Sanitaire Mighty Mite SC3683 has mixed reviews, with some users praising its suction power and lightweight design, while others criticize its loudness and poor ergonomics. Some users also experienced issues with the attachments and plastic parts breaking easily. However, many users appreciate the high-quality metal attachments and the ability to adjust the suction power. Overall, the Sanitaire Mighty Mite SC3683 is a decent option for those in need of a lightweight canister vacuum with strong suction power, but it may not be the best choice for those who prioritize quietness and durability.

Reviews by Topic

Our analysis shows how reviewers feel about different topics. Please note these are not full reviews.

Quality

Hoover Windtunnel Tempo vs Kenmore Intuition vs Kenmore 400 series

They clean carpet well and can do hard floors due to their mechanical brush shutoff. As expected by the price, the build quality is not great. I find them regularly with attachment clips that are cracked/broken and will no longer hold the attachments, bag releases that will not stay in place (they still work without the release), cracks in the base where the axles for the back wheels mount. The mechanical belt tensioner design likes to chew through belts over time, so it is the only one you listed that does not have a true lifetime belt design

Positive

reddit.com/r/VacuumCleaners

Loud sounding motor with high-frequency screech

After diligently reading customer reviews for the Sanitaire, I decided to either purchase Eureka Mighty Mite (had one many years ago) or the Sanitaire. Tho I feel disappointed, with the awful noise, I like the Sanitaire's: mobility, weight, telescoping metal hose, length and quality of the cord. At this time, the only imperfect solution I have for my ears is for me wearing earplugs to protect my hearing and suggesting family members wear some, too, while I use the vacuum. I hope the manufacturers read my honest review and offer a product that supports user's hearing

Suction

Best vacuum for cat owners with carpet?

I have a cat. I have a Kenmore 400 Series. Not as crazy expensive or as powerful as other vacuums, but it does have good suction and a powerhead with height adjustment. I enjoy the heck out of it, even if I know that if I had a bigger budget, i could have gotten better

Positive

reddit.com/r/VacuumCleaners

Great small, portable Vac

Bad placement for controlling the suction. Sorry. Otherwise the design of this handy vac is great.

Cleaning Performance

Amazing suction, not ergonomical, updated 7/22

Pros: This has excellent suction, and a lever to release some suction if you don't want as much, but no idea why/when anyone would use that. Works wonderfully on hardwood floors and the stair attachment is also easy to use and works great for not only stairs, but furniture, welcome mats and flannel bedspread to get off the lint balls. The bag is huge and doesn't need to be replaced very often, even with pet hair. Transition from hard wood to carpet is also very easy

Light enough to carry, climb and reach to difficult places to vac.

That part is still way lighter than an average full size canister. I am not disappointed with the quality as some reviewers said because it can't be compared to an expensive full size machine. It is a great vac to grab and take out to the car or clean up quick messes without dragging out the larger machine. I'm enjoying the easy reach to places I ignore vacuuming because of the difficulty lugging the big canister around

Power

Somewhat angry as there is absolutely no place in the Amazon Description that states that these most important features do not come on this model! So please pay attention to what you are purchasing as per the features. Because these features were not in the advertisement, I thought I was getting a great buy but turns out not so! The following is what the Ad reads and I see nowhere that it states it doesn't come with these features that are important to me. About this item BAGGED CANISTER VACUUM: Designed to clean all areas and surfaces of your entire home, den, kitchen, car or garage quickly and efficiently HEPA FILTER SYSTEM: Enhanced HEPA filter system traps 99. 97% of debris, trapping dander and dust inside the vacuum reducing allergy-induced pollutants in the room POWERFUL CLEANING: 2-motor system excels in suction strength

Would definitely buy again.

I have 2 messy kids, 1 messy husband and 2 hairy cats. I have to vacuum everyday. Pros: Cheap. The suction power on this bad boy is amazing

Design

Just a slight design flaw for storing it away. The slot on the underside of the cannister is too low. The PowerMate doesn't sit in a flat position when it is attached to the wand so more room is needed to store the PowerMate head separate from the canister.

A nice compact vacuum, But I needed the blower function

This is an intentional design- much of the exhaust is diverted through vents behind the wheels and in a bypass in the hose connection. I assume they did this to insure the motor does not overheat but that could have been more effectively achieved with a thermal bypass switch. The manufacturer (Sanitaire/Bissell) was responsive and confirmed that the blower function is secondary and I should return the vacuum if this is a requirement.

Ease Of Use

Better for When You Need a Shop Vac and Vac

So far I am liking this over my Dyson because you can adjust the suction, it's not as heavy, it probably isn't quite as good on carpet but I have my washer/dryer in my hall and need to vacuum around it to keep the dog hair from getting under the appliances. If you have dogs and want to do carpet along baseboards this is easier than Dyson IMO. Can't comment on durability but also like having bagged over canister.

This is my second one and I still like it.

This is just a straight up vacuum, like a shop vac. No carpet head with an ineffectual spinning brush or whatever. So you just pull it around, or carry it around, and point it at the dust and dirt and dog hair drifts. Works great in my small house with a shedding dog

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