"I think Kirbys are quite a bit more work than any other modern vacuum cleaner to change attachments."
How do you judge "quite a bit more work" as opposed to a little bit more work?
The metal wands of a power nozzle canister are heavy to lift to do overhead dusting. The attached wands of an OBT upright are clumsy when dusting a lampshade, and have to be removed to use a tool directly on the end of a hose. A Dyson has a hose that tears easily. You cannot yank it around by the hose it will tear, and the hose is not covered under warranty, read the exclusions. The wand cannot reach anything up high with any depth, like a bookshelf. And that collapsing hose is such an annoyance, but we are talking about two different things. I am not speaking of catching a stray cobweb or picking up a piece of popcorn, I am talking about real, honest to goodness above the floor cleaning, vacuuming entire walls, cleaning under the couch cushions, vacuuming the entire couch, including the backs and sides. The Kirby hose and the wands are lighter, so light that 6 of them can be coupled together to reach very high ceilings and still be maneuvered with one hand. The suction control grip between two wands is a boon for reaching ceilings over a sectional sofa placed in a corner. The dust brush is made with real hair. The hose end swivel grip is easy to hold without any curved end in the way for dusting and upholstery. The brush in the crevice tool, the Zipp brush for removing pet hair... When you start looking at really using the attachments task by task to do serious thorough cleaning, the Kirby attachments have a lot going for them. Just a quick swipe to get a single piece of debris, no question there are faster, easier choices. When I use attachments I care about the quality of the result. I have rotator cuff problems that limit the weight I can hold up over my head, and the tension of fighting a hose that wants to collapse with restriction of airflow induces pain. Aside from the few seconds needed to change to the hose, I see no deficiencies in the Kirby tools. There is no running after a second machine, and no moving a second machine out of my way to clean around it or move furniture.
Trebor