To answer your first question, Cleva makes those machines. Panasonic at one point used to make the upright until Cleva took over back in 2017. But unfortunately, neither model I'd recommend. The uprights are commonly known to have problems with the direct drive brushrolls. Panasonic even at one point used to make direct drive brushrolls on their own vacuums until the dealers including my buddy who was a Panasonic dealer gave them negative feedback so they quit making them. However Sears loved them so much that Panasonic continued to make them for Kenmore. They are so complicated. With so many wires, circuitry, and how expensive they are to repair, they're not even worth fixing. The canisters also have their drawbacks as well. The hoses are wire reinforced which you can't step on or they'd be crushed for good. Replacements are not cheap. They also have problems with the bags and the way the bag dock is designed, they leak out quite a bit of dust which not only goes through the pre motor filter but also through the motor thus causing the bearings to go bad. And either model aren't sealed which isn't good for users with allergies. Not to mention with Sears gone and the future with Kenmore up in the air, parts support is questionable.
Miele makes better machines. They're more solid, more reliable, and they're sealed systems. The bags are the best in the industry, they filter out better than any other bag I've seen. Expensive but I think they're worth it. They also make the best HEPA filters I've ever seen, you can either go for those or use the Air Clean filters that comes with the bags. Now for what I'd recommend, if you have carpets, you should go with an electric power nozzle. Those clean circles over the turbine nozzles. The C1 Cat & Dog is a good choice but I'd recommend finding a Miele dealer and go with the Home Care version because it has a longer warranty and better accessories.
Personally, I'd recommend buying a professional commercial grade machine like SEBO. They're like the Speed Queen of vacuums. Yes they're expensive but you're basically getting what you pay for. They can easily last 20+ years. Not to mention SEBO once made vacuums for Kenmore, in my opinion they were Sears's best models. For canisters, I'd recommend the K3. And for uprights, I'd recommend the FELIX. Both of which were rated the best from Wirecutter. My personal favorite model would be the X4 upright. And I think their best model currently is the E3 canister which if I could buy any model, that would be it. Normally they'd come with a 5 year warranty with 7 years on the motor and 5 years on the labor. But if you buy from a dealer, you'd get a 10 year warranty including 10 years on the motor and 7 years on the labor.
