The Kenmore Intuition Vacuum is a corded upright vacuum. It offers versatile overall cleaning performance on a wide mix of surface types, a reasonably lightweight construction, and an easy-to-maintain design. That said, its bulky body can make it somewhat tricky to maneuver in tight spaces, and it can incur some recurring costs over time. Still, if you're looking for a relatively affordable, yet versatile, upright vacuum, this is a good option.
Our Verdict
The Kenmore Intuition Vacuum is great for bare floors. It clears small and large debris like rice or cereal without much of an issue on this kind of surface, and its suction performance doesn't seem to drop noticeably as its dirt compartment fills up. However, it isn't the most maneuverable, and its dirtbag is disposable, so recurring costs can add up over time.
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Easy-to-maintain design.
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Easily clears bulky and small debris.
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Consistent cleaning performance.
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Bulky design.
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Moderately high recurring costs.
The Kenmore Intuition Vacuum is decent for low-pile carpet. While it struggles slightly when it comes to fine, baking-soda-like material, it sucks up pet hair and larger material like sand quite easily. It also has a simple design that's easy to maintain and reconfigure but does incur some recurring costs in the form of its disposable dirtbag.
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Easy-to-maintain design.
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Outstanding pet hair cleaning performance.
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Consistent cleaning performance.
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Bulky design.
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Moderately high recurring costs.
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Struggles slightly with fine debris.
The Kenmore Intuition Vacuum is a good choice for high-pile carpet. It does a good overall job of cleaning up pet hair as well as fine and larger debris, such as baking soda or sand. It's quite easy to maintain, too, and the parts that do need to be serviced regularly are quite easy to access. Unfortunately, its bulky design can be a little tricky to maneuver.
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Easy-to-maintain design.
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Outstanding pet hair cleaning performance.
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Consistent cleaning performance.
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Bulky design.
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Moderately high recurring costs.
The Kenmore Intuition Vacuum is a very good choice for pet owners. It does an outstanding job of cleaning pet hair on both low and high-pile carpet, though it struggles a little bit with this kind of debris on bare floors. It's quite easy to maintain, and it comes with a turbo brush to help clean fur from upholstered surfaces. It's also equipped with a HEPA post-motor filter and a HEPA dirtbag, so you shouldn't have to worry too much about the spread of allergens as you clean.
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Easy-to-maintain design.
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Equipped with a HEPA filter and HEPA dirtbag.
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Outstanding pet hair cleaning performance.
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Bulky design.
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Moderately high recurring costs.
The Kenmore Intuition Vacuum is inadequate for cleaning stairs. While it can be reconfigured into a semi-handheld vacuum, it's still quite heavy, and its short vacuum hose can make cleaning hard-to-reach areas a little tricky. Still, it offers very good overall cleaning performance on a broad range of surface types, and its integrated carrying handle makes it a little easier to move around.
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Easy-to-maintain design.
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Can be easily reconfigured into a semi-handheld vacuum.
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Bulky design.
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Short vacuum hose.
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Moderately high recurring costs.
The Kenmore Intuition Vacuum is an upright vacuum that isn't meant to clean car interiors.
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Easy-to-maintain design.
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Bulky design.
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Moderately high recurring costs.
- 7.5 Bare Floor
- 7.2 Low-Pile Carpet
- 7.3 High-Pile Carpet
- 7.1 Pets
- 6.0 Stairs
- 6.4 Cars
- 5.2 Workshop
- Updated Aug 26, 2022: This vacuum's suction force has been retested with a more accurate manometer. The test results for the 'Maximum Suction' and 'Normal Suction' fields have been updated. All relevant scores and text have been updated.
- Updated Aug 05, 2022: Converted to Test Bench 1.1.
- Updated May 03, 2022: Converted to Test Bench 1.0.
- Updated Dec 08, 2020: Review published.
- Updated Dec 01, 2020: Early access published.
- Updated Nov 24, 2020: Our testers have started testing this product.
- Updated Nov 20, 2020: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
- Updated Nov 09, 2020: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.
Check Price
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Kenmore Intuition Vacuum, model number BU4022, only comes in one color variant: 'Green'. You can see its label here.
If you come across a differently-equipped variant, please let us know in the discussions so we can update our review.
Compared To Other Vacuums
The Kenmore Intuition Vacuum is a fairly basic upright vacuum. It does a very good overall job of cleaning debris on everything from bare floors to low and high-pile carpet. It's also quite easy to maintain, with a relatively simple design that puts its components within easy reach. Unfortunately, it has a few recurring costs, and its bulky design can be hard to maneuver.
If you're looking for alternatives, take a look at our list of recommendations for the best upright vacuums, the best multi-surface vacuums, and the best vacuums for carpets.
The BISSELL CleanView and Kenmore Intuition Bagged have different advantages, and you may prefer one over the other depending on your needs. The BISSELL is a bagless vacuum with slightly lower recurring costs and marginally lighter construction. It also struggles less with cleaning pet hair. However, the bagged Kenmore performs better overall on bare floors and high-pile carpet, has an allergen-trapping HEPA filter, and is easier to maintain.
The Kenmore Intuition Bagged is slightly more versatile than the Hoover WindTunnel Tempo Bagged. The Kenmore is slightly lighter, has lower recurring costs, and cleans most kinds of debris more effectively on all surface types. It also comes with an allergen-trapping post-motor HEPA filter and dirtbag. That said, the Hoover does a better job of cleaning pet hair on bare floors.
The Kenmore Intuition Bagged is much better overall than the Sanitaire PROFESSIONAL Upright. The Kenmore is better-built, has a slightly larger dirtbag, and is more maneuverable. It also does a better job of cleaning all surface types. The Sanitaire, meanwhile, is slightly lighter and has a marginally longer range.
The BISSELL PowerForce Helix and Kenmore Intuition Bagged have different advantages, and one may suit you better depending on your needs. The bagless BISSELL has lower recurring costs, a lighter design, and performs better on low and high-pile carpet. Meanwhile, the Kenmore is better-built, easier to maintain, and performs better on bare floors. It's also a little more maneuverable thanks to its 'Lift-Up' design and pivoting floorhead.
The Miele Dynamic U1 PowerLine is better overall than the Kenmore Intuition Bagged. The Miele is much better built, far easier to maintain, and has a much longer overall range. It also performs better on carpeted floors and is more maneuverable, though it's substantially heavier than the Kenmore. The Kenmore is also slightly easier to store, incurs fewer recurring costs, and comes with an allergen-trapping HEPA filter.
Test Results
The Kenmore Intuition Vacuum's build quality is passable. It's mostly made of plastic, except for its metal wand, rubber wheels, and handle. It feels quite sturdily made overall, but some smaller internal mechanisms, like those inside the bag container door, feel as though they could break over time. Thankfully, it's easy to assemble, as its components clip together intuitively.
The Kenmore Intuition Vacuum is quite easy to maintain.
- Dirtbag: To access the dirtbag, you need to press the release latch for the bag compartment door and then push the bag release button inside. The dirtbag should be replaced once it gets full.
- Pre-motor foam filter: The pre-motor filter is located in the bag compartment. It can be removed after unclipping the filter cover. It can be rinsed under cold water if you notice some debris build-up, but you can also wash it in soapy warm water if need be.
- Post-motor HEPA filter: The HEPA filter is located near the front of the vacuum, behind the chrome filter cover. It should be cleaned under cold water once a year.
- Brushroll: The brushroll cover can't be removed. Instead, you need to flip the vacuum head over and remove any trapped debris periodically, either by hand or with scissors. The brushroll itself is somewhat tricky to remove, as you have to undo 13 screws.
You must leave any part washed under water to dry for at least 24 hours before using it again.
The Kenmore Intuition Vacuum has some recurring costs.
- Dirtbag: The dirtbag needs to be replaced once it gets full. It can be purchased from Kenmore's website in packs of six.
- Filters: The pre-motor and HEPA filters are washable and reusable, so no replacement interval is specified. That said, you can replace them if you notice a drop in performance despite regular maintenance. Both filters can be purchased as a single kit from the manufacturer's website.
The Kenmore Intuition Vacuum has decent storage capabilities. Its power cord can be wound around the right side of its body, and there's on-board storage for two of its three included accessories.
The Kenmore Intuition Vacuum has a great dirt compartment. It's quite spacious, so it shouldn't need to be replaced too often. Four indicator lights gradually turn green as its dirtbag fills up, and all four turn red once it has reached maximum capacity.
- Vacuum body
- Vacuum head/nozzle
- Hose with handle
- Wand
- Bag compartment door
- Pre-motor foam filter
- Pre-motor foam filter cover
- Post-motor HEPA filter
- Post-motor HEPA filter cover plate
- 6x Dirtbag
- Pet HandiMate attachment
- Dusting brush
- 3-in-1 combination tool
- User guide
This vacuum has a sub-par range. Its power cord is reasonably long, allowing you to clean large spaces without swapping outlets, but its very short vacuum hose can make cleaning hard-to-reach spots quite difficult.
The Kenmore Intuition Vacuum is adequately portable. It's a little on the heavy side overall, but it feels fairly lightweight in your hand. Its integrated carrying handle makes it easier to carry from room to room or up and down stairs.
The Kenmore Intuition doesn't have a battery.
The Kenmore Intuition Vacuum has a couple of quality of life features. There's a readily-accessible power button as well as a brushroll on/off switch to prevent you from scratching up bare floors on top of the vacuum's main body. A suction control vent is farther up, near the handle, allowing you to decrease its suction if you find it too difficult to push around on carpets. Its head also swivels to improve its maneuverability in tight spaces and is equipped with a headlight to illuminate dark areas.
The Kenmore Intuition Vacuum has a couple of tools and brushes. There's its Pet HandiMate turbo brush to remove stuck-on pet hair from fabric surfaces, a hard bristle brush to dislodge stubborn debris, and an extension wand to help you get to hard-to-reach areas. Its 3-in-1 combination tool serves as an all-in-one upholstery cleaner, crevice tool, and dusting brush for gentle surfaces.
The Kenmore Intuition can be used in a semi-handheld configuration thanks to its 'Lift-Up' feature, which allows you to unlatch its body from its upright portion.
The Kenmore Intuition Vacuum delivers superb performance on bare floors. It easily clears debris like cereal and rice on this kind of surface, with very little drop in performance as its dirt compartment fills up. That said, it may take an extra pass to fully clear pet hair.
The Kenmore Intuition's performance on low-pile carpet is impressive. It sucks up pet hair without an issue and does an excellent job of clearing larger debris, like sand. That said, it may struggle a little bit with fine material, such as baking soda. Thankfully, its performance remains consistent as its dirtbag fills up.
The Kenmore Intuition Vacuum has great performance on high-pile carpet. It sucks up pet hair without an issue and does a very good job of clearing both fine material, like baking soda, as well as larger debris like sand.
This vacuum has mediocre maneuverability. It rolls well on uneven surfaces, and its rotating head makes it a little easier to maneuver in tight spaces. While you can turn its brushroll on and off, there's no surface height adjustment, so it can occasionally have trouble climbing over electrical cords and rugs. Its bulky body can make it difficult to clean under low-lying furniture like couches and tables. Thankfully, it's 'Lift-Up' feature and on-board tool storage allows you to clean on top of furniture effectively, in spite of its very short vacuum hose.
