Kirby Vacuums

I hate confronting pushy salespeople. It is bad enough when you are in a store, at least you can easily walk away. But it is much worse when they are in your own home, especially when it is time to negotiate! Sadly, this is the biggest detraction to this great product. They played the “Let me call my boss and see what we can do” game with us. They must have made 5 phone calls before we came to an agreement. In the end it was worth it, though. I haven’t heard of anyone paying a lower price for a brand new G6.

We bought our Kirby several months ago after an in-home demonstration. It is undeniably a very well-made and extremely well thought out product. With features like soft rubber wheels so it won’t damage our hardwood floors, easy height adjustment with a foot switch, convenient belt tensioner, and a great drive assist mechanism, plus the HEPA filtration built into the bags, it is truly the best of breed. It really does everything that they claim it does and I am fully confident that it will last for generations to come.

I still can’t believe how new our carpets look and feel. After one use I could immediately see the difference in how it picked up the carpet compared to our old Eureka upright. I could hear the sand and grit that was being pulled out from the padding underneath. We recently got new furniture for our family room and I was amazed at the amount of dirt that came out of it. I was even more amazed and disgusted at the amount of dirt that was pulled out of our mattress! The best part is my wife no longer has sneezing fits when we fire up the vacuum.

Included in the package are the standard attachments with updated features, as well as some additional ones you don’t normally find, like the shampoo kit, a sprayer and an agitating brush. The best part is that the hose is nearly indestructible. You can twist and pull it and it always goes right back into its original shape. There are several extensions to reach high places or so you can stand while cleaning the floors. There is also an angled handle that has a suction adjustment so you can reduce the suction power for cleaning blinds or anything else you need to be gentle with. All the attachments have specially ridged and tapered ends so that they easily fit together and can tightly interlock with a twist. The attachments on our old vacuum would never stay together like these do.

The agitating brush uses the suction to spin a brush in the center of it. We mainly use this attachment for cleaning our couches and mattresses. It is more gentle so that it doesn’t damage the fabric with too much suction or too strong of a brush. It has worked well for us so far.

We haven’t used the sprayer or the shampoo kit yet. I don’t know how practical the sprayer will be for us. It is a little limited in what it can do. The shampoo kit was demonstrated for us in our family room and it honestly made a huge difference in how smooth the carpet felt. They repeatedly vacuumed an area of our family room until the vacuum stopped picking up much visible dirt. They then shampooed that area of the carpet with the Kirby shampoo formula and let it sit for a few minutes until the foam disappeared. Then they ran the vacuum over the shampooed area to pull up the dirt etc. The interesting thing is that the carpet was not as wet as I expected it to be. The Kirby actually uses very little water in comparison to most shampoo systems, in order to avoid causing your padding to rot and soaking the floor underneath. It left the carpet feeling better than when it was new and it didn’t have any sticky residue leftover from the shampoo either.

I like being able to dust our baseboards and crown molding with the standard brush attachment. It has turned the work into a lot less of an exercise and it takes less time. I also really like the attachment for cleaning our hardwood floors. It has soft rubber wheels and slots at the sides so that you can suck up dirt that is stuck right against the baseboards. I was glad to trade-in our old dinosaur, that really didn’t do much of anything in comparison.

When the salesman came to our house to sell the Kirby Vacuum to my parents, I sat and watched. I was really involved in the selling because the vacuum looked good even to a teenager. I’m the main cleaner in my house, so I actually had a big part in telling my parents what to spend this money on. We actually got a pretty good deal on the Vacuum. For $1,100, this Vacuum does the trick.

Attachments:
The attachments was one thing that caught my attention. There are so many things that you can do to modify your vacuum to fit your cleaning demands. This is a heavy vacuum, but I still find it useful to vacuum the car because of the many attachments. One attachment, in particular, a sort of thin, flexible piece, really helps in the car and in other small places and corners. Another attachment was a round brush that was really nice for reaching up and cleaning cobwebs or blinds. There’s a flat brush that is really a good attachment for cleaning stairs. I also liked the hose although it was a bit too short. Also, our hose was plastic and after a few months of use, required electrical tape. I don’t think the attachments should break when the vacuum cost over $1000. Also, you have to take the roller head off the vacuum in order to use the hose or any attachments. This is not difficult, but a little time-consuming. There are so many attachments to this vacuum that anyone can find useful.

Adjustments:
One of the key adjustments of the Kirby Vacuum is where you can change the height of the roller depending on the floor that is being cleaned. This is very helpful because my house has a variety of carpets. It also has a setting that can be used for cleaning bare floors. It’s an good way to sweep and get all dirt from the floor. We also have pets, so this adjustment really helps to get deep down in the carpet to get the fur.
Another adjustment is the way you can change the vacuum from “neutral” to “drive”. This is good because the vacuum would be difficult to move without the “drive” option.
This vacuum has so many adjustments, it can be a leaf-blower, an upright or a canister, it can also dust delicate things. Another function is that it can be set to shampoo carpets. But I found that this function did not work with my vacuum.

Weight:
I recommend not vacuuming barefoot. Many times, I got carried away in my excitement of cleaning, that I rolled over my toes. It is also quite awful for stairs. We have a lot of stairs in our house and I must say, I gained a lot of muscle by vacuuming.

Extras:
The Kirby Vacuum has a really good headlight which is useful when vacuuming in places that there isn’t a lot of light. It doesn’t have a rewind cord, so you still have to manually wind the chord. I have found many less-expensive vacuums that do have a rewind cord, and I would like this one to. The cord is really long, though, and that’s really nice. The bags are easy to change, but they are expensive. The only way I can buy a bag is ordering online, but hey are really good bags. This vacuum is really loud, but it really does the job on dirty floors.

The salesman wasn’t experienced, but the vacuum sold itself. He actually had us use our old vacuum on the carpet before he came. When he arrived, he used the old vacuum and made sure the whole carpet had been vacuumed. Then he brought out the Kirby. There were so many things that our old vacuum had never picked up. The Kirby seemed a necessity.

The most fun and impressive thing about the Kirby is the home demonstration. If you want a new Kirby, you must buy one through a salesperson, because they are not available in stores. After listening to numerous fellow homemakers extol the virtues of this miracle machine, I finally succumbed to the home demonstration. It was impressive.

If I can recall correctly, I was challenged to vacuum an area with my current vacuum, which at that time, was an old Eureka on its last legs. The Kirby man then vacuumed over the same area with his miracle machine. He sure got a lot more dirt!

He then converted the Kirby to a handheld device and proceeded to vacuum one of my mattresses. This is what sold me. The product of this cleaning was a filter full of dead skin and other organic debris. My soul screamed out “Oh my God, I need a Kirby!”. And so, I bought one, despite the excessive price tag of approximately $550 + $59 for the Turbo Brush.

– Features –

• Floor Polisher

This is a nice attachment for wooden floors. It’s basically a stiff brush that can be used to buff the floors clean. I used this one time on my hardwood floors. It did work well, but it did not work as effectively as an old floor polisher that I inherited from my mother.

• Rug Shampooer

This is a complex series of attachments that transform your Kirby vacuum into a rug shampooer, replete with special Kirby rug shampoo. The conversion process requires a good bit of strength and mechanical finesse. Although the beater brush does an excellent job of removing “fuffkies” (what my family calls that lint like debris that comes out of the carpet) compared to my Hoover SteamVac, it does not clean the carpets nearly as efficiently or thoroughly.

• Turbo Brush

This is my favorite attachment and another reason why I initially bought the Kirby. It is a handheld brush that spins just like its larger size cousin. It also makes a really cool turbo like whirring noise when it starts up. It sounds powerful! It does a great job on stairs. If only you didn’t have to drag the rest of the Kirby around, it would be the most excellent stair cleaning system I have ever seen. The Turbo Brush also has a suction adjustment. This attachment does not come with the Kirby and must be bought separately.

• Convertible to “Canister”

By removing the large front head of the Kirby and attaching a hose, you can convert the Kirby into a canister model. Well, sort of. You still have to drag along the large upright bag assembly. Alternatively, you can remove the handle by prying out a steel rod (call Arnold) and looping the dirt bag around and attaching it to a little hook on the base. This is inconvenient, messy, and the base of the Kirby itself is still quite heavy.

• Extra Long Cord

In the old days when I got this Kirby it was rare to see an extra long cord and cord wrapping assembly like this. Kirby was ahead of its time. By simply spinning the upper cord holding hook around, the entire cord becomes available with no tangling. Most vacuums these days utilize this system.

I had some trouble with the cord. I had to replace it once because it started to unattach itself from the vacuum. No doubt this was due to negligence and abuse on my part, but like I said, I am rough on vacuums.

• No Paper Bags

My Kirby has permanent dirt bag as opposed to one that needs paper bags in it. I had a choice when I originally purchased the Kirby and I chose this option. I did replace this bag once because it really was getting disgusting. There is a scraper thing that is in the bag and can be accessed from an outside pocket. This allows the user to try to scrape the dirt off the sides of the bag. To empty the bag it must be removed from the canister of the Kirby. This is where you may need Arnold’s help.

Looking back, I probably would not take this option. It seems easier and cleaner to use paper filter bags.

• On Off Switch

The switch is a pedal located on the back of the housing. It’s very convenient and easy to click it on and off with your foot. I had to get this repaired once when it became very loose and the vacuum started to turn on and off by itself.

– What Breaks Down –

• The Fan

Everything that gets sucked up into the Kirby goes directly past the fan blades. Although the blades are metal, they still break.. Trust me, I have gone through at least 5 sets of blades.

• The Belt

Eau de burning vacuum belt, we all know that familiar scent. Any vacuum will eat through belts. My Kirby seemed to be hungrier than I would normally expect a vacuum to be. Although the belt is easily accessible, when a new belt is in the Kirby, changing the attachments requires even more brute force than normal. Arnold?

• The Wands

Amazingly, the heavy metal Kirby comes with plastic wands. The salesman promised they were some kind of super duper nonbreakable polymer. NOT. When I finally got tired of replacing wand after wand (two pieces are required if you are anywhere near normal height) a vacuum repair guy sold me a set of compatible metal wands from another manufacture. These lasted. The other problem with the wands was getting them to separate. Another job for Arnold.

• The Hose

The Kirby came with a hose of reasonable length. After a few years, I had to replace the hose because it began to develop cracks. The vacuum guy (who I was on a first name basis with by this time) sold me an industrial strength “indestructible” hose. This hose lasted a long time because when the ends started to get wrecked up, you could just cut it and start fresh.

• The Floor Attachment

The new age polymer plaster attachments just did not hold up for me. I replaced the floor attachment twice before the vacuum guy sold me a compatible metal one from another manufacturer.

– Challenges –

• Changing Attachments

Ugh. This is the big problem with this vacuum. It is so inconvenient and draining to try to change attachments that you just don’t want to bother. The amount of strength it takes to spin the latch to release the belt in order the get the main head cleaning piece off the vacuum is ridiculous, especially if you have recently replaced the belt.

• Cleaning Stairs

Although the Turbo Brush is the best stair cleaning attachment I have ever seen, dragging the rest of the Kirby in tow is downright hazardous. Try pulling a bit too hard and having the metal housing, bag, and handle come tumbling down the stairs and nearly take you out.

• Primitive Height Adjustment Mechanism

When I’m at home I’m barefoot. I don’t wear shoes and I will only wear slippers if it’s cold out. So, the height adjustment on the base of the Kirby presents a problem for me. It’s an old fashioned ratcheting method that requires some (often quite hard) pressure from your toe to get it to move.

• Your Back

Call you Chiropractor right now. The Kirby is heavy. Even the normal push-pull vacuuming action requires more strength than other vacuums. Lifting it? Call Arnold.

– So, how does the Kirby compare to my Hoovers? –

• Price per pound?: ~ Hoover~

Kirby is initially cheaper because of its heavy weight. However, the chiropractor bills will eventually swing the pendulum in favor of the Hoovers.

• Price Overall: ~ Hoover~

I have both the Hoover Windtunnel and the Hoover SteamVac for less than the cost of the Kirby. And I can replace them both once and still be under the price of the Kirby plus repairs.

• Bragging Rights: ~Kirby~

It simply is a more expensive and elite vacuum. It really does exude quality.

• Retains Value over Time: ~Kirby~

Hey, Kirbys win here no contest. Some folks are downright cultish about Kirbys. Even the most “classic” Kirby can still fetch a decent price on the market.

• Stair Cleaning: ~ Kirby~, with a warning

The Kirby Turbo Brush takes it, however, it will also take out the vacuumer if it comes tumbling down the stairs. Hint, vacuum from bottom to top.

• Attachments: ~ Hoover~

Although Kirby comes with some cool attachments, the overall level of difficulty in utilizing them cancels out the advantage in this area. Hoover attachments are on board and easy to use.

• Repairs: ~Hoover~

The Hoover needs fewer repairs and costs less when it comes time for a repair. Hoover parts are more readily available and cheaper.

• Overall Cleaning Ability: ~Hoover~

I am more satisfied with the results of my Hoovers than I was with my Kirby. Sure, the Kirby is impressive, but my Windtunnel outsucks it anyday. The WindTunnel also does a better job along the baseboards. In terms of cleaning the rugs, the Kirby shampooer attachment cannot hold a candle to the SteamVac.

• Overall Ease of Vacuuming: ~Hoover~

From the attachments to the weight of the machine, Hoover is just a lot easier to handle. Unless you’re in training for the WWF, you’ll appreciate the effortlessness of the pair of Hoovers.

–Conclusion–

Well, although it takes 2 Hoovers to beat the 1 Kirby + attachments, they do it hands down and at a lower total price. In fact, you can replace each Hoover once for the same total expenditure as just the one original Kirby plus repairs.

It’s not that the Kirby is a bad vacuum. It’s very good, but you can save your money and your back by going with a pair of Hoovers. Kirby is just not worth the cost… unless you live with Arnold Swarzenegger and he does all the vacuuming.

Welcome to Blogetery.com. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!