Is Kenmore made by Whirlpool? [Unraveling The Mystery]
Kenmore and Whirlpool have a deep connection in terms of sales, marketing, and production. Hence, you might be wondering if that is Kenmore made by Whirlpool and the mystery behind this brand and its naming.
Many home appliances have a branding of “Kenmore” but these are not produced by a single company.
Kenmore is made by Whirlpool but Whirlpool makes only a few of the large spectrum of Kenmore home appliances. Other reputed companies make Kenmore products as well.
Let’s get into digging to know which products of Kenmore are being made and distributed by Whirlpool. This would help you to avoid any confusion about the product quality and branding while purchasing.
Brief Overview Of Kenmore Home Appliances
Before getting into the relationship between Kenmore and Whirlpool, you need to know a bit about Kenmore. Kenmore is a brand associated with home appliances and has been a common household name for the last ten decades.
- Business Type: Kenmore produces home appliances mostly for kitchens and laundry rooms. The products are washers, dryers, dishwashers, microwaves, ovens, refrigerators, air conditioning, and more.
- Business Area: The USA and Canada are officially affiliated with Kenmore to sell their products and offer after-sales service.
- Quality Assured: Kenkmore is well known for its reliability and performance. Household users have provided good reviews of the appliance’s longevity, quality, after-sales service, and importantly the pricing.
- Ownership: Kenmore is not an independent manufacturing company. Rather, it’s an exclusive brand owned by a major American and Canadian retail giant named “Sears”.
Sears, once an iconic department store and retailer, introduced the Kenmore brand in the early 1900s. At that time, Sears contracted with different worldwide reputed heavy industries and produced home appliances.
The appliances meet Sears’ rigorous standards for quality and performance which won the trust of the consumers successfully. Sears used the brand name of Kenmore for the sale and distribution of the appliances in the marketplace.
Whirlpool And Kenmore Partnership
Kenmore is a brand name whereas Whirlpool is an independent home appliance manufacturing company.
Kenmore uses Whirlpool’s expertise and technology to provide top-quality appliances under its brand. It’s to note that only a few Kenmore appliances are made by Whirlpool such as washers and dryers.
Meanwhile, Whirlpool benefits from an extended reach in the market and the consumers through the widespread distribution and reputation of the Kenmore and Sears brands.
Unfortunately, Sears has ended its 100-year-long business partnership with Whirlpool. Sears took this decision due to a pricing dispute with Whirlpool.
Whirlpool had to increase the unit cost of the appliances but Sears had difficulties selling the appliances in a competitive price range.
Kenmore Appliances Made By Whirlpool
Since Sears no longer is associated with Whirlpool for selling appliances, it becomes difficult for consumers to claim a warranty if any issue arises.
As a result, the only way to get your Kenmore appliance up and running is to get the compatible part for repair or replacement.
To do that, you must know if your Kenmore appliance is made by Whirlpool or not. Here’s a list of home appliances made by Whirlpool and sold by Sears and other retailers under the branding of Kenmore.
- Refrigerators
- Top-load Washers
- Front-Load Washers
- Dishwashers
- Dryers
How to know if your Kenmore Washer or Dryer Is manufactured by Whirlpool?
Kenmore puts a 3-digit code in front of the model number of all the home appliances. You can determine the manufacturing company of your Kenmore product using these codes. The codes are 106, 110, 154, 198, 880, 664, 665, and 689.
You can get access to these codes by looking at the product information labeling on the appliance. These labels can be found:
- On the top case
- Under or behind the lid/door
- On the back case
- On the front panel etc
However, you can refer to the official manual book to look into the model number. Afterward, surf the official website of Whirlpool and use the model number to ensure that the appliance is made by Whirlpool or not.
Kenmore Appliances Made By Other Manufacturers
Apart from top-load washers and compatible dryers, other home appliances of Kenmore are manufactured by other companies. Here’s a list showing Kenmore products and their manufacturers.
- Dishwashers: LG, Samsung, Bosch
- Front Load Washers: LG
- Refrigerator: Electrolux, LG
- Vacuums: Panasonic, Cleva, TTI
- Air-Conditioners: Frigidaire, LG
FAQs
Check out the following answered questions to discover expert insights regarding Kenmore appliances.
How to tell if my Kenmore product is Whirlpool-made?
It’s easy to determine if your Kenmore home appliance is made by Whirlpool Corp. Check out the product info labeling on your appliance, record the first 3 digits of the model number, and cross-check the number on the internet.
What brand owns Kenmore?
Kenmore is not owned by a single brand, rather it’s owned by a mega-retailer company named Sears which associates with LG, Whirlpool, Electrolux, and more to produce a wide range of home appliances.
Is Kenmore still a good brand?
The performance and quality of a Kenmore appliance depend upon the manufacturer. Since most Kenmore washers were manufactured by Whirlpool and LG, these made the Kenmore a good brand.
Does Whirlpool make Kenmore still provide a warranty on appliances?
All Kenmore appliances including Whirlpool-made ones come with a limited one-year repair and replacement warranty. Since Sears has terminated business with Whirlpool long back, you may not claim a warranty for a Whirlpool-made Kenmore appliance.
Final Words
Knowing the origin of production of your Kenmore home appliance is crucial for many reasons. One of them is to claim a warranty or get a compatible replacement part for repair.
That is why questioning Kenmore made by Whirlpool is reasonable. Whirlpool makes a few selected appliances for Kenmore having unique codes on the model numbers.
This helps you track the manufacturer to get compatible spare parts for any kind of repair if needed.
