Kenmore 350 Water Softener System – 32,000 Grain Capacity Whole House Hard Water & Iron Reduction – Compact, Easy to Install, Salt Saving Technology

We had a Kenmore Elite Water Softener for about 15 years (from 2010 to 2025) and it worked great, but finally decided to upgrade to the Kenmore 420P (we don't know that the "P" stands for) in November 2025. So, after installation, which was very easy (although not all the fittings for the Kenmore 420P matched the Kenmore Elite), our water was down from about 35 GPG to 5 GPG in a matter of just a few hours. What we really like about this "upgrade" to the Kenmore 420P is that water pressure is much better and more consistent than it was with the Kenmore Elite. The Kenmore 420P is a bit more expensive (about $850) but well worth the investment. Yay!

We got this model as a direct fit plug and play unit to replace a nearly 20 year old similar model. This units plumbing fittings at the rear were about 3/16ths inch lower that the model we had installed. It was hard copper pipe and I did not want to redo the pipe. Luckily I had a spare piece of ceramic floor tile in the shop. I placed the tile on top the softeners previous platform and put the new softener in place. A perfect fit. The softener with its basic settings lowered our hard water from 125ppm to about 20ppm. Works and looks great

My water has never been this soft! I have a test kit to measure water softness. My old Kenmore water softener needed to be replaced, and before doing so my water measured 17 gpg for hardness (0–3 gpg is considered soft). With the new Kenmore softener, it now measures just 1 gpg. Installation was very easy—I didn’t even need to shut off the water. It connected directly to my old Kenmore adapter with the bypass in place.

I installed this unit as a "direct replacement" for one of the models listed in the description. It's not. The height of the outlet from the floor is 42.5 inches and not 41.5 inches as shown on the installation diagram. The 42.5 inches does not match the height of the older units either. So I had to modify my supply plumbing. A second deviation is the valve drain line connection - on my older model it was a "garden hose" style threaded connection. This model has a barb fitting for tubing which means it no longer integrates with my sanitary piping. So now I have to kludge something together. So much for a "direct replacement". Final comments are that the joint between the rotary valve and the top of the "resin tank" leaks, the siphon tube to the venturi assembly is so stiff that it cocks the venturi assembly and will not maintain the critical seal for the salt tank siphon to work - which means that the unit will not brine (and fill water remains in the salt tank). I loved my old sears/Kenmore unit - I've rebuilt is a couple of times over the two decades or more that I had it. The controller electronics failed an they are no longer available. But it was so good I purchased this unit thinking that Kenmore had its act together. Not with the unit that I got. Now I have to go through the hassle of uninstalling this 80 pound beast, draining it, scooping the salt out, getting it back into the box, and returning it to Amazon. Called Kenmore customer service and the lady I spoke with was nice and knew the product but she didn't have sufficient definitive guidance to help me fix it - it was more "try this / try that". I know you are looking at this unit to save money particularly with a DIY install that should have been easy, but I've wasted more than two days on this thing. Very disappointing.

Nice, compact, easy to program. The instructions were TERRIBLE. The QR code right in the box sends you to a video which isn't even specific to this model. It has segments to connect things which this model doesn't have and excludes CRITICAL steps needs for this specific model. Recommendations for a good experience: 1) Expect that you will need two 1" x 1" flexes. They're at Lowe's in the WATER SOFTENER SECTION. You won't find them in the regular plumbing sections. 2) The video neglects to show that the hood can be detached and moved slightly (but not removed entirely as there are wires attached), which gives better access to the parts you need to attach. 3) FIRST, attach the bypass valve to the back of the unit The video doesn't show that, and doing it later sucks. THEN attach the flexes to the bypass valve and LAST attach the flexes to your plumbing. 4) The video omits entirely that apparently you need to cut the drain hose into two pieces and manually attach it to the drain fixture under the hood. I didn't know that and the drain sprayed everywhere when I ran it. Only when looking for the source of that leak did I find the drain fixture and realize you have to attach a hose to it. Read these instructions before the video, then watch the whole video several times before you start, see where these instructions fill in the gaps, and you'll enjoy this product.

Should you previously have had a craftsman 350 such as I did? You will find it very easy to connect for the installation. At this point, it seems to be doing the job very well and I’m looking forward to many years of its service.

Bypass valve nipples are plastic. Careful with sweating in copper fittings. Otherwise very satisfied

Works Great

Bought to replace the 18 years Kenmore. Good product.

Came with a damaged part