We bought a Kirby Generation 3 in 1991 and they say that these vacuums last forever as long as you take care of them, but I am wanting to upgrade it to a newer vacuum and don’t know if I should just keep the one I have or replace it?
The vacuum is going to need some repairs soon to it’s drive/neutral switch (.00+) also I’d like to have a vacuum that isn’t so heavy to lift/carry. Then there are the bags…I would like to switch to a bagless vacuum someday but don’t know of a good brand that has simular power to the Kirby we have now.
Keep the Kirby. I have a G4 and just updated the Fan Blade to the newer one. It works really great. I got a Eureka from Sam’s Club for $200 that was highly recommended when my Kirby fan broke (from sucking too many computer screws!) $45 including labor to fix the fan at the local Kirby shop. also changed the Roller Brush & Belt (Ebay $27). and of course the new Micron HEPA Filter bag ($4). and the now the Kirby works better than the new Eureka (I returned it to Sams, it sucked!). 14 years of Abuse and NO TLC I would say the Kirby rules. Now I just bought a used G3 at the swapmeet for $10 and I am updating it myself to use as a shop vac. (Call around or visit the local Kirby shops. sometimes the technicians are nice guys and are dedicated to keeping customers happy with Kirbys. I found a shop in Kaimuki, Hawaii that was very helpful and even replaced some worn out parts for free. Even though I was not the original owner!)
So heres my shortlist:
1. Update the Fan Blade
2. Change the Roller Brush
3. Buy the new HEPA filter bags
4. Fix your switch
and you will have a Kirby that is almost as good as the new one. If you want a lighter one go to the Kirby Dealer and buy one of their "overstock or refurb" Sentrias it is 2 lbs lighter.
I own a dirtdevil bagless and it works great….I like the fact of no additional costs for the bags.
Kirby are far too expensive for what you get. A Hoover, Kenmore, Eureka works just as well for 1/4 the cost.
Hi ,you have the right Idea.You own a Kirby vacuum ,the Cadillac of vacuums.When I was married we owned a Kirby. The wife traded in and up to a better one at the time.I think you should do the sane and you will not regret it.The bagless thing sounds great till you own one. Mind was the dirtiest vacuum cleaner I ever owned. It had a tremendous amount of dust leaks. I gave it away to my son who was single and needed a vacuum.
You have one of the best free standing vacuums. You’ll hear a lot of hype about newer vacuums, lighter vacuums, bagless vacuums… but, remember that is because of two things. The corporations that built them market them as the best. And, people that buy them want to believe what they bought is worthy of the money they spent.
The Kirby you purchased is an excellent machine. You should spend the money to repair it. It’ll last you many more years. The new vacuums, in my experience and the repair people I’ve talked to, tend to break down much more often and often aren’t even worth fixing when they do.
There is an exception to what I’ve said. Central Vacuum systems have gotten much better in the last few decades. They are lighter (you only have the hand wand), more powerful recently than before, and from where you stand to vacuum, much more quite. However, they are also very expensive systems – especially if your house isn’t already plumbed for one.
if your interested in a great vacume i know of the one you need…
i bought my first Rainbow in 1982 and had it for 20 yrs . it was the best vacume for the money that i ever bought.
then i bought another one in 2001 and had it another 6 yrs before i sold it to a friend as we were moving to austraila and the plug wouldnt work here … USDA is 110 volts and austraila is 220-230 volts so it would have been too much power for the rain bow…
any way the rainbow is bagless as it uses a water pan to catch the dirt,dust etc and only clean fresh air is released in to the room… not the microscopic dust particles that can come out of a up right with a bag… it has a 2 way air intake… one sucks the dirt up and the other can be used to ectract water spills off the furniture,floors etc and also take the dust out of your pillows too using a simlpe garbage bag and holding the wand inside the bag on the pillow and sucking all the dust and air out of it. then reverse it and place the wand in the bad again and on the pillow and put fresh clean air back in to the pillow and puff it up like new… its really a versitile vacume cleaner.. you can even use the external air to blow dry your hair as it blows out warm clean air and wont dry your hair out like your normal hair driers.you can dry boots with it too. also when you are done with extracting water up off the floor you can dry the hose and wand using the exit air… the best thing i liked agout it was it was light weight on or off the wheel base and you can place perfumed liquids in the water and the exit air would smell up the room like the scent you put in the water…
type in rainbow vacume/USA in to yahoo search and then choose number 3 on the list. this will take you to the right product…. click on photo galery at the bottom to view the product… and then call this toll free number
1-866-822-8864 granted you are residing in the USA…
hope this helps kurby is their competion but i always like rainbow as it is bagless… and not so heavy…
cheers
jo