got the kirby demo today, anything better????

[Deuce Lee]

so i was working from home, some guy knocks on the door, handed me a bottle of dawn dish soap. he said he had something to show and it was just going to take a couple minutes. i was hesitant but as soon as he handed me the soap, i was thinking "aw shoot, what the heck did I just do?".

so much for a couple minutes. two hours later, i just had the new kirby sentria demo done on my house. first time i've ever seen a door to door salesman for vacs. never seen a kirby in action before. i didn't buy it so the guy and his manager was kind of upset. :cool: i don't like making impulse purchases. honestly thought i was very impressed. fairly light. moves very easy. sucked the living heck out of my carpet. took out a load of sand from my carpet that I never suspected it was there. cleaned my sofas extremely well too. It was probably 3-4x the price i'd ever consider paying for a vac but I was thoroughly impressed!

anyways, what do you guys think? taking the price out of the equation, what's a better performing vac? taking price in consideration, what's a better value that will actually clean deep down and have as much suction as the kirby?

[Paul McGaha]

Deuce,

We've had one about 20 years. Super good vacume cleaner. My wife uses it to shampoo the carpets also. She shampooed the family room today,

It is a pretty large purchase. My wife told me she didnt agree to buy it at the first price they offered to sell it to her, She said no thanks and they dropped the price, She said no again and they dropped the price again. She finally bought it at a markedly less price than where the salesman started at.

There's a vacume cleaner store near us that actually has a few used Kirbys on hand. So you might consider buying a used one also. They are really nice machines.

PHM

[Deuce Lee]

Thanks for your input Paul...

Yes if you know how to play the game, you can get it significantly less than what they start the price at...The best price you'll get is right before they leave the door. Ebay actually has them used for a fraction of their price. Ofcourse you're not going to have their "lifetime" warranty anymore but if it works when you got from the seller, it should continue to work as long as you take good care of it. That's my philosophy anyways.

I've never seen so much stuff being sucked into a vac...def looks like it works real well...

I've never used a dyson or other "high end" vacs but after seeing how lame my eureka boss is, I'm interested in buying a better vac now.

[Greg Bender]

Deuce,
I agree with Paul ,if you decide that a Kirby is your best option. We bought one years ago and paid too much. Was over a neighbors house and they showed us there Rainbow and a few monthes later my wife found a mint used Rainbow for cheap.The Kirby has been in the closet ever since. The rainbow is a canister type but it uses water as filtration and it works.
Look around for a used one of either and you will be much happier with the outlay of money. Parts are always available and there both on the Bay and CL.
Greg

[Deuce Lee]

Thanks Greg. I'll have to look more into that Rainbow. Glad to hear it from someone who's had both. Was that kirby that you used the newer Sentria version? I've never used the old one but this newer one is very easy to handle, fairly light and sucks like a beast. The filter is suppose to be very good too.

I heard that the Rainbow was a PITA to clean up and maintain...not the case?

Anyways, i'm pretty sure I'm going to go used. The bay has the buyer protection guarantee so if they say it works and it doesn't when I get it, it's going back and I'm getting my money back.

[Lee Schierer]

We bought a Kirby years ago, it was built like a tank and handled like one too. LOML didn't like using it. When we moved into this house we installed a central vac system and it cleans better than the Kirby, is easier to handle and is quieter too. We compared suction and noise levels at Drainvac (http://www.thinkvacuums.com/drainvac/vacuums.htm) to decide which to get for our house.

[Michael Weber]

Had a home demo from a "Filter Queen" vacuum salesman many years ago. Really nice but we almost had to physically throw them out after about an hours or so of high pressure tactics. When they quoted us the price and we said we weren't interested he ask, "whats the matter, can't you afford it" That was when we escorted them to the door. They did leave a check for the monthly payment for the couple who had arranged the demo that had previously purchased one even though we did not buy.

[Jeff Monson]

We have gen2 kirby that is about 20 years old, I have replaced a couple of brush belts, and a few good cleanings. Other than that it has been a wonderful vacuum. It is not light, so going up and down steps is a pain for my wife. We would buy another one in a heartbeat. The self propel system is great too, one word of caution, turn off the self propel when doing area rugs on hardwood or laminate floors, the tires will do "burnouts" on the solid surface and leave marks that cannot be removed. We learned this the hard way, but I cant really blame the vacuum as the self propel system is just trying to do its job.

[Deuce Lee]

We bought a Kirby years ago, it was built like a tank and handled like one too. LOML didn't like using it. When we moved into this house we installed a central vac system and it cleans better than the Kirby, is easier to handle and is quieter too. We compared suction and noise levels at Drainvac (http://www.thinkvacuums.com/drainvac/vacuums.htm) to decide which to get for our house.

this new sentria model seems like it's a little lighter and it handles very easy with it's self propelled system. LOML will probably not use it much either but i'd like to be able to do a deep cleaning once a month or so. I'd even volunteer to do it. I already do it enough right now as it is. i'll have to research more into that central vac. it's new to me and i still haven't fully grasp the idea yet. I'm thinking it'll be easier to install if you were building new? thanks for the link!


Had a home demo from a "Filter Queen" vacuum salesman many years ago. Really nice but we almost had to physically throw them out after about an hours or so of high pressure tactics. When they quoted us the price and we said we weren't interested he ask, "whats the matter, can't you afford it" That was when we escorted them to the door. They did leave a check for the monthly payment for the couple who had arranged the demo that had previously purchased one even though we did not buy.

sucks (no pun intended) to hear that. yeah they tried those tactic on me too. it doesn't work on me. i don't like to nor do talk down on people but when they start doing stupid stuff like pressure me to do something I don't want, i'm pretty good at giving them a taste of their own medicine.


We have gen2 kirby that is about 20 years old, I have replaced a couple of brush belts, and a few good cleanings. Other than that it has been a wonderful vacuum. It is not light, so going up and down steps is a pain for my wife. We would buy another one in a heartbeat. The self propel system is great too, one word of caution, turn off the self propel when doing area rugs on hardwood or laminate floors, the tires will do "burnouts" on the solid surface and leave marks that cannot be removed. We learned this the hard way, but I cant really blame the vacuum as the self propel system is just trying to do its job.

good to hear. yeah i'm going to pick something up for sure. my eureka is def not doing the job grabbing things deep in the carpet. it was def an eye opener for me. the suction power of the kirby vs mine was a excellent point that i do need something better.

[Harry Hagan]

Back in 1957 it wasn’t uncommon to have door-to-door salesmen come knocking on your door. I say salesmen because, according to my mom; “Women just didn’t do that.” She let me answer the door when a peek through the window revealed a salesman lurking on the doorstep and usually had me sit in on the sales presentations because, “You ask good questions.”

I was only five-years-old but had already developed a distain for poor presentations and wasn’t the least bit shy about challenging a bogus claim when mom gave me her “Go get ‘em tiger.” nod.

One day a Kirby salesman shows up and did a great presentation. The man was a pro. He demonstrated how to clean drapes, make foamy soap to clean upholstery, polish wood floors with a special attachment, but his sales clincher was to have the housewife vacuum an area with her machine and then use his machine on that same area. Back then Kirbys had a vertical bag attached to the handle that you emptied by unzipping and shaking it out.

After mom cleaned an area with her clunky old canister vac, he made a big deal of showing us the pristine empty bag on his new machine before he showed us what a real vacuum could accomplish. By the time he’d finished and showed us that mom needed a new vac because his bag had additional dirt in it; I was on to him. I thoroughly cleaned out my mom’s old canister vac and repeated the process telling the salesman that we’d buy the Kirby if her canister remained empty. If it had additional dirt that meant her vac was better than his, right?

We had a good laugh after he left and decided that although her clunky old wore-out machine was “better” than his new Kirby—we liked the guy, it was an OK deal, and she called him back a few weeks later to purchase a new machine.

[Myk Rian]

We are on our second Rainbow. First one lasted 30+ years.

[Bill Bukovec]

" i didn't buy it so the guy and his manager was kind of upset."

I don't do business with people, who come to my home, unannounced, suck up my valuable time and then get upset with me when I ask them to leave.

We have a Dyson and love it.

[John McClanahan]

My wife saw no reason to spend big money on a Dyson. Then I brought one home that I found on sale at Target. It was a display model on sale for $209. For the first month all she did was complain that it always needed to be emptied. Now she wouldn't part with it for anything.

[Eduard Nemirovsky]

another word for Dyson. We have it from days it come on market - 6-7 years?. Last year called for small part and was surprised that I don't need to pay for part - only S&H.
Our new dog shedding a lot, no problem with this vac. Plus - it is no bag. Much easier and simpler, cleaner.
Ed.

[Deuce Lee]

My wife saw no reason to spend big money on a Dyson. Then I brought one home that I found on sale at Target. It was a display model on sale for $209. For the first month all she did was complain that it always needed to be emptied. Now she wouldn't part with it for anything.


another word for Dyson. We have it from days it come on market - 6-7 years?. Last year called for small part and was surprised that I don't need to pay for part - only S&H.
Our new dog shedding a lot, no problem with this vac. Plus - it is no bag. Much easier and simpler, cleaner.
Ed.

I appreciate you guys vouching for the dyson. i'll have to do some personal digging and visit some box stores and check them out but this review (http://reviews.ebay.com/DYSON-OR-KIRBY-VACUUM-Which-is-the-best-vacuum?ugid=10000000003855053) doesn't give me much faith that it's better then the kirby if you're talking about suction. Not saying that i'd compare a retail kirby vs a retail dyson ($2,000 vs $500) but after the demo, I wouldn't mind paying $500 for a used kirby vs the new dyson if this review is legit...it seems like it's legit


" i didn't buy it so the guy and his manager was kind of upset."

I don't do business with people, who come to my home, unannounced, suck up my valuable time and then get upset with me when I ask them to leave.

We have a Dyson and love it.

i agree, i told him i don't do impulse purchases. i also go for quality stuff when I buy my tools (i.e. makita, milwaukee, dewalt, etc...) but i don't feel i necessarily have to pay 3x the price for a festool miter saw when my makita will work nearly as good.

again, i'l check out the dyson. thanks for your input.

[Bruce Volden]

Had a home demo from a "Filter Queen" vacuum salesman many years ago. Really nice but we almost had to physically throw them out after about an hours or so of high pressure tactics. When they quoted us the price and we said we weren't interested he ask, "whats the matter, can't you afford it" That was when we escorted them to the door. They did leave a check for the monthly payment for the couple who had arranged the demo that had previously purchased one even though we did not buy.

About 10 years or more ago we had a gal show up, gave a demo, gave the hard sell yada yada...

Both my wife and I thought there wasn't a vacuum on earth worth the $1500 they were asking. (PS still don't)
We said we were poor but could trade her our Chevette (140,000 mi.) for the machine. She called her "boss" and we had a new vacuum in less than 15 minutes!! They got to pay for new tires and brakes and a throw out bearing for the tranny---we still laugh about it today!!

PS---there is still NO vacuum cleaner on earth worth $1500!!! But there are many worth a Chevette:D

Bruce

[Paul McGaha]

Just curious (I think due to this thread) I asked my wife today if she would buy another Kirby when the one we have wears out. She said yeah she is. I think she'll be looking for a used one though. Try to get one with low miles on it at a sharp price.

A Kirby has it's pros and cons. It is hard to lug it up and down the stairs, and our house is 3 level. I'd say it's heavier than most vacs.
On the plus side it will get your carpets very clean. It's got the shampooing feature. Last a long time. We're over 20 years and it's still going strong.

PHM

[Kevin Stanbary]

Another shout for Dyson. We've had a DC-14 Animal for almost 2 years and clean up after 3 dogs and 2 cats (all short hairs.) It does every thing we ask it to. Lightweight, easy to move around (notably up and down steps), easy transitions between hard floors, carpets, accessories. The 'powered' brush makes getting cat hair off the upholstery a breeze. If I had one complaint it would be the power switch. I'm constantly bumping it when moving it around while using the hose. Outside of that, very highly recommended.

[Ryan Mooney]

Its all about the airflow. From the data I've seen (and I don't claim its accurate - but I'm a data hog) the kirby does move more air than most of the competitors and thus should work better. The price is pretty darn hard to swallow though, we're dealing with incremental improvements here so.... yeah.

As for better... I replaced all of our carpet with hard floors and throw rugs and I can definitively say I don't miss vacuuming all the floors one bit :p. A broom works pretty darn well and I can take the rugs outside to beat the dust out of them. Having pulled up a few carpets I've come to the conclusion that no vacuum really gets them 100% clean and that they are generally pretty disgusting on the underside (having 2 dogs with free access to the back yard doesn't help at all either - that's what finally threw me over the edge :D)

[Ron Jones near Indy]

We also have the same Dyson as Kevin, the DC-14 Animal. We also have 3 dogs inside--we can debate our sanity another time. Two and short/medium hair, and 1 has long hair. Dyson does a great job. Dogs have a very large fenced in area in the lawn and track in soil, mud, grass, etc. What we don't manually pick up is gobbled up by the Dyson. We are well pleased; would buy one again without hesitation. Instead of a $2K Kirby, I'll spend $500 on a Dyson and buy machines, tools, wood and/or gasoline.

[Dave Lehnert]

I paid $35 for my recon Hoover vac at a closeout store. You guys make me feel cheap.

[Dan Hintz]

The wife and I each went through our share of Dirt Devils, et. al. before we met each other. A year or two after we got together, the engineer in me sprang for a Dyson... I'll never go back. We both love the Dyson. Little sucker sucks and sucks and sucks.

[Rich Engelhardt]

My wife gave up on vacs.
(including a used Kirby we once had).

Her weapon of choice in the "war on dirt" is one of the Ridgid shop vacs we bought at Home Depot's Black Friday sale for ~ $25.00.

She says it's the best thing she's ever used.

[Gary Max]

Bought myself a Dyson two years ago----used for $150.00----at a moving sale. Best money I have ever spent on a Vac.

[Rod Sheridan]

Here's an interesting comparison of the Kirby and Dyson

http://www.greatvacs.com/education/KirbyVsDysonVacuumReview.html

Regards, Rod.

P.S. We have a 12 year old Kirby, best vacuum I've ever used.

[Ben Hatcher]

I have a Kerby G6. I think I paid 700 vs the 1200 they were asking. It works great though it is heavy and fairly noisy, neither of which bother me. I don't like that the bare floors tube and handle are separate and the head needs to be removed to use it, but there's a big advantage in usability with that design. The hoses are larger, don't clog, and are much longer than could be stored on board the vac. To clean well, a vac needs air flow. Just like DC's, air flow means power. The more amps the motor draws, the bigger and heavier it is going to be.

Consumer reports did a comparison on a bunch of different models, including this Kirby and the Dyson Animal. The kirby got the highest overall score at 72 pts and was rated as excellent in every cleaning category, but was rated below average in noise and maneuverability. The Dyson Animal got 67 points, above average in all cleaning categories and average in noise and handling. So, it seems like there's a bit of diminishing returns in vacuums. The Kirby probably cleans better, but does it clean 2-3x better to justify the price? I suppose that is up to you.

Also, the price they list for the Kirby is $1350 but several reviewers claim to have paid MUCH less than that.

[David Weaver]

" i didn't buy it so the guy and his manager was kind of upset."

I don't do business with people, who come to my home, unannounced, suck up my valuable time and then get upset with me when I ask them to leave.

We have a Dyson and love it.

Ditto. I would've had a pretty short response to any salesperson who thought that they had the leverage to get upset about someone not buying something they didn't ask about in the first place.

I know plenty of people who have bought kirby vacs used, some for as little as $50. Buddy of mine had one given to him. They are good vacs, but they'd have to sell direct from the factory without the layers of profit taking before I ever thought about it.

I did a little research a couple of years ago and decided I liked the SEBO brand of vacs, but didn't like their markup here - one of the few things I've seen that's lots more money in the US than in the UK, even after they pay VAT. Found a commercial badged version of the identical vac branded "prochem" for half the price of the SEBO. Probably similar in cost to a dyson when all was said and done, but made in germany (I was determined to get something made in the western world), more compact and easier to get under things.

[John Coloccia]

You can get factory refurbished Kirbys for less tan $500. Personally, I'm glad to have hardwood floors. Just two more rooms to go and I'll be 100% free of carpeting forever, I hope.

[Ben Hatcher]

Here's an interesting comparison of the Kirby and Dyson

http://www.greatvacs.com/education/KirbyVsDysonVacuumReview.html

Regards, Rod.

P.S. We have a 12 year old Kirby, best vacuum I've ever used.

I wonder about the methodology that they use on their sand/dirt pick up test. 50 swipes is far more than anyone will actually do in practice. I'd like to see how much dirt both pick up in normal vacuuming, which for me, would probably be 1-1.5 passes over a given area.

[Paul McGaha]

Love the look of hardwood floors. Probably our favorite looking floor. I think we will always have carpet though. Because I know we will always have a lab running around (and laying around) and doggies are hard on a wood floor.

PHM


You can get factory refurbished Kirbys for less tan $500. Personally, I'm glad to have hardwood floors. Just two more rooms to go and I'll be 100% free of carpeting forever, I hope.

[David Weaver]

Their vacuums are good, but their sales tricks are sort of just party tricks that would work with any vacuum.

They use the same goofery on HSN and other such places to try to show a vac is somehow 10 times better than anything that's ever been made. It's a pretty simple principle, the brush agitates the carpet, and the flow of air moves the dirt. I'd imagine most of the "improvements" over the last 50 years don't amount to much in terms of dirt from the carpet.

[Dan Hintz]

Here's an interesting comparison of the Kirby and Dyson

http://www.greatvacs.com/education/KirbyVsDysonVacuumReview.html

Regards, Rod.

P.S. We have a 12 year old Kirby, best vacuum I've ever used.

I stopped reading about 1/3rd of the way through that "comparison". The guy is a vacuum salesman, and the Kirby obviously has a very hefty markup on it (translation, reps/sellers make a fat wad of cash on every sale). Despite his attempt at making the tests seem very impartial and scientific, they were anything but.

I don't care what kind of vacuum people choose, and I could care less which vacuum won, but I really hate reading that kind of poor testing methodology under the guise of being impartial...

[Van Huskey]

I didn't read the entire thread but if you decide on the Kirby there is SERIOUS wiggle room, I learned this wehn I dealt with the loss of wages claim for a Kirby salesperson and got a lot of insight into the business model.

That all said the positve is repair, they can be repaired easily and run for a lifetime, many of the "new" vacuums aren't built that way. The other side of the coin is newer vacs are very good and much cheaper.

My vote, get rid of the carpet. Then your need for a "good" vac goes to almost nil.

[Joe Angrisani]

I stopped reading about 1/3rd of the way through that "comparison". The guy is a vacuum salesman.....

Should have kept reading, Dan. He doesn't sell new Kirbys. The engineer in you should have seen past the pre-determined opinion in you.

[Dan Hintz]

The engineer in you should have seen past the pre-determined opinion in you.

There was no pre-determined opinion, as I had never heard of Kirby until I read this thread... and no matter what I own, there will likely be something better out there, so I went into the link thinking it would be an impartial review. It was the engineer in me that flew the flag when I started reading his testing methodology (or lack thereof). As I said, I could care less if the Kirby or the Dyson won, I just want to see an impartial and scientific comparison... I didn't see anything like that in the link.

No one else finds it interesting that Tom Baird, the manufacturer of the Baird meter used here, used to work at Kirby? Kirby eventually bought out Baird's estate when he passed away and killed all of their product lines... it seems they didn't appreciate the tests he was running. There's also little evidence as to what that Baird meter was actually testing... CFM, SP, what? My guess is flow as Kirby likes to push a tube that's 4 times the area and uses a motor with nearly half of the power... probably not much SP behind it. But now we're getting back to the arguments we've seen here time and time again about how to properly install a good DC system for woodworking, and I have no interest in getting into that fray again.



He doesn't sell new Kirbys.
I think that's irrelevant. Since they're really high-priced new, that also leaves a lot of room to sell them for a high price when refurbed... either way, it means large profit margin.

[Paul McGaha]

You convinced me Dan, I think that you, should not buy a Kirby.

PHM

[David Weaver]

... and no matter what I own, there will likely be something better out there

You're right about that. I see CR doesn't like the sebo (though they have a slightly different model than the one mine is rebadged from). I see also that they rank #1 the vacuum that I replaced, the windtunnel anniversary hoover. That was an OK vac at first, but within two years both the power switch and the self propelled switch were shot and the suction was shot even with a new set of filters. The main filter cost as much as a dozen german bags on my current vac, which makes you wonder what the advantage to bagless is.

Someone will always come up with a bunch of metrics to make you unhappy with whatever you're happy with. I kind of like my low ranked vac, and a lot better than I liked the "#1 ranked" vac.

[Jerome Stanek]

That is why I have a Sanitare

[David Weaver]

That sounds like a brand of toilets.

[edit] just looked it up, looks like the old eureka vacuums. they were simple and cheap. My mother's had one for about 25 years now as her "upstairs" vac so that she doesn't have to lug a filter queen up the steps.

[Ron Natalie]

I used to have some friends who sold for Kirby. While they're not bad units, they're heavy and the added "cleaning ability" is largely hype.

For a third of the money you could have one of the consumer brands that's as reliabile and works as well (if not easier on your arms).

Dyson, Riccar, Electrolux, Miele are all good brands.

We've got central vac now (with the hide-a-hose, one of the great inventions of the century) so I don't even worry about it.

[Greg Portland]

Miele cannister & Sebo uprights are the best options IMO. Find a vacuum where the entire system is HEPA rated (not just the filter) or just get a whole house vac where some dust in the garage is not a big deal.

[Roger Feeley]

Bless the folks that buy those things new. If it weren't for them, I wouldn't have two Kirbys. I got the first one for $2 at a thrift store. It was missing a belt and beater bar. I put about $40 into it and it works great. The second one I found at a Habitat ReStore for $35. It is self propelled and also works great.

You can go on Ebay and find these things used. There is an online dealer and refurbisher of Kirbys called Greatvacs.com. When my daughter needed a vacuum, I hooked her up with them and she got a nice Kirby for under $300. It arrived with some shipping damage and they were great about shipping parts.

In other words, let someone else by it new and you get it used. Kirbys are built like tanks and last forever and parts are easy to come by. You can do most repairs yourself but you won't have to. I expect my two Kirbys to last a lifetime.

Yes, they are heavier but not by that much. Ours weigh in at around 12 lbs.