Any better brushrolls for Kirby?

[ecaden1]

So I have been collecting vacuums for quite a while, and although I have many brands that I like, Kirby has allways been my favorite. I like the old ones the best before they switched to the wider track, but I also love using the more modern ones with tech drive as well. About the only brand that is not junk past the 90s if you ask me. One of the only things I have never liked about them are the brusrolls. For such an expensive quality machine, they kind of suck. Now yes, they work and it isn't like they will just fall apart, but compared to other (even budget) machines from back in the day, they just are not that great.
Hoover had the "Beats as it sweeps as it cleans" burshrolls for many years, Eureka eventually had the Vibra groomer brushrolls, which also had a nice beater bar and replaceable brush strips. Even the cheap eureka machines with the cheap wood rollers at least had the beater bars on them.
Kirby brushrolls have always been wood just like budget machines, with no beater bars and non replaceable brushes, so when it wears down you have to replace the whole thing.
Not to mention that for the longest time, Kirby brushrolls used a rod and a bushing where most others switched to ball bearings.
I am aware that they eventually came out with the 4 row brushes and all of that, but even those are nothing to write home about.
Are there any (official or not) brushrolls that are any better than the non spectacular ones that came with the machines?

 

[rowdy141]

There are different grades of bristle offered by Kirby. Standard, Firm, and (I think) Softer.
I haven't seen any alternatives to Kirby-supplied.

I think the need for a Hoover-like Beater on a Kirby Brushroll was/is considered unnecessary. When you watch videos of users demonstrating a Kirby's ability, the leading 3" of carpet in front of the nozzle is often vibrating like crazy. You can see dirt (or demo sand) bouncing out of the carpet pile before being sucked into the machine.

"...when it wears down you have to replace the whole thing."
That's Kirby's built-in obsolescence.

Every 5 years there's an attempt to make obsolete all machines and spare parts that have gone before. They don't want FrankenKirby machines with a blend of old and new parts. They discontinue the supply of spares as soon as legally allowed.

o Brushroll Sleve, Bearings, No LED, Left, Right...
o Brushroll Head - Narrow, Wide, Contoured, Angular...
o Light - Bulb, LED, Board-mounted...
o Beltlifter/Rugplate - Different every single model
o Trim - New colour, new shape
o Emptor - Square, Oval, Mini, Boot, Flanged, Sloping...
o Hose-ends - Uniquely redesigned for every model
o Inner bag fitting - Oval, Round I, Round II, F-Type...
o Bag Tie-strap. Discontinued. Don't wash your cloth bag, buy a new one.

These aren't the 'last forever' machines they're thought to be. Trying buying a Maroon Cord for your Legend II, or an LED circuit board for a Sentria II, or even a Bag-strap for your Avalir. They want to sell you a new machine as soon as you've paid for this one. And don't think you can keep and use your old tools and shampooer with your new model. They won't fit!

 

[bnsd60m9200]

to actually answer your question, no. kirby doesn't allow 3rd parties to make brushrolls for their machines. only cwp makes brushrolls for them and generic ones are still usually unbranded cwp anyways. kirby's never needed beat bars for agitation, and clean plenty deeply with the brushrolls they have.

not sure how you're surmising just because the brushroll design is old, that its inferior for cleaning ability unless you're measuring actual dirt removal from the carpet and weighing it.

 

[dysonman1]

So glad I can order Kirby repair parts from the supplier going back decades and decades. Sure, you can't get a LII cord in Maroon, but black is available. I never replace a Kirby cord for a customer with the original color. How would I know in 3 years that I put a new cord on it?

In 40 years of fixing vacuums for a living, not one customer ever commented on the color of the repair part I used.

Come to think of it, the Kirby Company will rebuild any Kirby vacuum they ever made FOR THE ORIGINAL OWNER, at the price specified when it was purchased. I know a woman who bought a D80 in 1968 and just had the factory rebuild it (for $69) last year.