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One of my fav Kirbys . . . I always enjoy seeing pix of the D80, that green color is really beautiful! Congrats on such a picture-perfect refurbishment.

I have both a two speed red Tristar CXL and a Filter Queen D33 - this FQ does not have the performance indicator light. The Tristar is rated at 7.5 amps but the FQ is rated at 8.3 amps (both without the powerhead), so I'd assume that although the motors are similar and might very well...

Made some progress . . . After looking at the parts blowup on VacParts Warehouse I realized the side clamps have springs. Mine seemed to be complete but with no spring action in one and very little in the other. A bit of careful and judicious bending brought back spring action and then the top...

Got the FQ! Thanks for the nice comments, I’ve been on Vacuumland for awhile but don’t post a lot. Mainly I’ve had a few Hoovers, some Compacts and a Kirby Legend II. The intent with the FQ D-33 is to replace the Legend II as daily driver. Kirbys are unbeatable on carpet but IMO the tools are a...

I just snagged my first Filter Queen on eBay! I don't have it yet but it's brown and chrome with the classic FQ grid pattern on the side, brown hose and chrome powerhead. Also has the cord reel, it's the model I've wanted for some time . . . does it sound like a D-33? My question involves the...

Just my opinion but . . . I'd say $40 is a steal for what is a very good, well made and repairable vac. Most of the red TriStars were the two speed model, the only one of the classic Compacts or TriStars to feature a two speed motor. If so there will be a white speed swtich to the right of the...

Bagless and Cyclonic Action . . . Dyson always amuses/ticks me off with their implication of being the first with bagless vacuums plus all that bragging about cyclonic action. As noted above Rainbow beat them to bagless by decades as did Filter Queen and Compact with cyclonic action. Filter...

Wheels & Compacts . . . Many early canister vacs had no wheels, even expensive ones often had runners instead. The concept was that you'd place the vac near where you wanted to clean and then use the hose to clean that area, after which you'd move the vac to the next spot. The Compact wasn't...

C4 and C5 The rear wheel area of the lower casting clearly identifies the OP's Compact as being pre-C5. His machine has a very beautiful curve at the front of the rear wheel skirt; it appears that the skirt is an integral part of the design. Starting with the C-5 the skirt shape was changed to...

A high end, high quality vac that was made by a company still making vacuums is going to be easiest to find parts for - you might look into Tristar (Compact), Filter Queen, Raibow or Kirby in addition to the old Electroluxes. Any of these should last for years and years if maintained.

Gorgeous! The upright vac is spectacular, when was it made? The bag surely looks original but not faded . . . is it a reproduction? Perhaps we could see a close up shot of the motor . . .

Interesting . . . How did the Optima relate to the Princess line? I thought that was Filter Queen's "economy" vacuum.

A handsome machine! I really like the traditional Hoover lines modernized a bit, and the bag color is good too. What year was it made in?

Very cool to own a one-family from new vac! When did Compact/Tristar go to the two-speed motors, does anyone know?

Elegant! I'd place it around the late '50s through early '60s before all the plastic wood consoles came in. A friend of mine has a very similar blonde finished Grundig stereo; it no longer works but she keeps it around because it's to pretty in her 1960 home.

Very Nice! now that you have a Prince maybe you need to find the little bugger a companion Princess by Filter Queen . . .

Now that I think about it 2cvbloke . . . I believe the three Kirbys combined must weigh more than my whole Dyane 6 back when I had it, at least if my Legend II is any guide. As for me, somewhere in storage I have a Compact complete with pink hassock storage box and floor polisher, most likely...

Dave . . . and if your avatar is a reliable guide, you're the type who chooses to do it with a Lewyt thus making you even rarer these days! Amazing golden Kirby, 2cvbloke!

Wow . . . Great Kenmore, still has the "Sears Best" sicker on the side!

Hmmm . . . So mine must be a C4 as well, it has the chrome "Compact" script on the side and I am absolutely sure "El Segundo" is noted on the plate. When I got it I wasn't familiar with Compacts so the model number didn't stick in my head. Production must have moved to Anaheim during the C-4...