Quick Answer: Kenmore hasn’t manufactured anything since Sears’ 2018 bankruptcy — Transformco now owns the trademark, and current owner’s manuals confirm Kenmore water softeners are built under license by Water Channel Partners, a trading name for EcoWater Systems LLC, the same Berkshire Hathaway-owned manufacturer this site separately reviews at $3,600-$10,000 installed. The Kenmore-badged version of that same manufacturer’s hardware — the 32,000-grain Kenmore 350 ($552-$803), the 40,000-grain Kenmore 420 ($699-$1,148), or the carbon-filter Kenmore Elite 520 Hybrid (~$935-$1,121) — sells direct on Amazon for a fraction of EcoWater’s own dealer-quoted price, because it skips the installation and service contract, not because it’s a lesser product.
Kenmore shows up constantly on this site as a reference point — the clip-style bypass valve, brine valve, and injector parts covered in our bypass valve, float valve, and injector guides all cross-reference Kenmore’s part numbers alongside GE and Whirlpool. What we haven’t covered until now is the brand itself, or the fact that “Kenmore” hasn’t been an independent manufacturer in years.
Kenmore lineup at a glance
| Model | Grain capacity | Flow rate | Best for | Approx. price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kenmore 350 | 32,000 grains, up to 90 gpg hardness | 7.2 GPM | 1-4 people, single-tank compact | ~$552-$803 |
| Kenmore 420 (Ultra Flow Valve) | 40,000 grains, up to 120 gpg hardness, 10 ppm iron | 9 GPM | Up to 5 bathrooms, higher iron tolerance | ~$699-$1,148 |
| Kenmore Elite 520 Hybrid | 31,000 grains, up to 100 gpg hardness, 3 ppm iron + carbon filter | 8.0 GPM | Softening + chlorine/barium/radium reduction in one tank | ~$935-$1,121 |
The Sears bankruptcy, in brief
Sears Holdings filed Chapter 11 in October 2018. ESL Investments — the hedge fund run by longtime Sears chairman Edward Lampert — won a roughly $5.2 billion bankruptcy auction for most of the company’s assets in 2019 and moved them into a new entity, Transform SR Brands LLC, commonly known as Transformco. Transformco now owns the Kenmore brand and runs it as an independently managed label inside its broader portfolio, while the KENMORE trademarks themselves are held by Sears Brands Management Corporation, a shell entity under the Epiq Liquidating Trust — a level of corporate remove that explains why nobody at “Kenmore” is actually engineering a water softener. Transformco licenses the name out to manufacturers across categories: outside companies like Whirlpool, LG, and Electrolux build Kenmore-badged major appliances, and for water treatment specifically, the job goes to Water Channel Partners.
Water Channel Partners is EcoWater, under a different name
Kenmore 420 Water Softener with Ultra Flow Valve
- Rated to reduce hardness up to 120 gpg and clear-water iron up to 10 ppm — the highest iron tolerance in Kenmore's current lineup.
- 1" Ultra Flow valve body for less pressure drop than the entry-level 350's smaller valve, at a real price premium.
- Built by the same manufacturing operation (EcoWater Systems, trading as Water Channel Partners) behind this site's separately reviewed EcoWater dealer line.
Softener salt and resin on time, every time — Amazon Prime ships them free in two days, and you can try it free for 30 days.
Current Kenmore owner’s manuals and warranty PDFs hosted on kenmorewatersolutions.com — covering the 350, the 420 Ultra Flow, and the Elite Hybrid 520 alike — name the manufacturer as Water Channel Partners, 1890 Woodlane Drive, Woodbury, Minnesota. That address and name is a trading name for EcoWater Systems LLC, the same company this site reviewed separately in our EcoWater water softener review: a business unit of the Marmon Group, which Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway acquired in stages starting in 2008. EcoWater’s own in-house brand sells exclusively through authorized dealers and Costco’s referral program, with no published price anywhere; documented 2026 dealer quotes run $3,600-$10,000 installed for its ERR/ECR refiner lineup. The Kenmore badge appears to be how the same manufacturer reaches a direct-to-consumer, Amazon-and-big-box channel without undercutting its own dealer network’s pricing — a different label on broadly the same manufacturing capability, sold through a cheaper distribution path with the dealer install and service contract stripped out.
That’s not a knock on Kenmore specifically — it’s the same “who’s actually behind the name” pattern as Pentair owning Fleck or Rheem’s Home-Depot-exclusive line, both covered elsewhere on this site. It does mean a buyer comparing “Kenmore vs. EcoWater” isn’t really comparing two competitors — they’re comparing two price tiers and service levels from the same manufacturer.
What you give up at the lower price
The gap isn’t free. EcoWater’s dealer price includes professional installation, an in-home water test, and an ongoing service relationship — a technician who shows up if the unit misbehaves. Buy the Kenmore-badged hardware on Amazon instead and you’re on your own for installation (or hiring an independent plumber) and for diagnosing problems yourself; Kenmore’s warranty covers installation costs only in the first year, after which a service call is entirely on you even for a covered part. Our water softener installation and water softener not working guides cover what that DIY path actually involves.
Who should actually buy Kenmore
Kenmore makes sense if you want EcoWater-grade manufacturing without the dealer visit or service contract, you’re comfortable installing it yourself or hiring an independent plumber, and you want a published price instead of an in-home sales consultation. It’s the wrong call if you specifically want a dealer relationship, professional installation included, and ongoing service — in that case, request the EcoWater or Costco dealer quote directly rather than assuming the badge difference reflects a quality difference, because the hardware behind both is built by the same manufacturer. For the broader field of brands sold this same direct-to-consumer way, see our water softener brands compared guide.
The bottom line
“Kenmore” stopped being an independent appliance maker when Sears went bankrupt in 2018 — Transformco owns the name, and for water softeners the actual manufacturing is licensed out to Water Channel Partners, a trading name for EcoWater Systems. That’s the same manufacturer behind this site’s EcoWater review, where the same basic softening-and-filtration capability costs $3,600-$10,000 installed through a dealer. The Kenmore badge gets you that manufacturer’s hardware — the 350, 420, or Elite 520 Hybrid — for roughly $552-$1,148, no dealer visit required, provided you’re willing to install and service it yourself. Compare it against our best water softener pillar guide if you’d rather see how it stacks up against Fleck-based DIY builds at a similar price point.
Last updated October 3, 2026.