Are We Ever Going To Get Any Decent Bagged Upright Vacuum Cleaners In The UK?

[glenste]

New Regulation

I gather that the EU have voted through new regulations to reduce power usage for vacuum cleaners. Wattage is to be reduced to a max of 1600 in 2014 and further reduced to a max of 900 in 2017. There will also be minimum performance requirements for pick up, noise and durability.

Hopefully this should bring about some new designs which might even feed on good cleaners from the past that were efficient and low energy users, machines like Hoover Juniors & Seniors and also cylinders like the Electrolux 330/345.

I look forward to seeing something new soon!

 

[turbo500]

The problem with Kirby is that they can cost anywhere between £800 and £1500 to buy new. They're also heavy, loud, impractical and too big for the average british house. It amazes me that people are still buying Kirbys.

 

[vintagerepairer]

New EU regulations

There is plenty on the Google which backs up the comments made here about wattage and regulation, but nothing can I find which says the proposals have been voted through. Can anyone enlighten me further?

 

[vintagerepairer]

Kirbys

It amazes me that anyone in the UK ever bought them. I have no doubts about their ability to sweep & clean carpets when used as a basic backwards-and-forwards upright cleaner, but everything else leaves me scratching my head. Price, size, convenience, not to mention the horrendous running costs.

 

[madabouthoovers]

I suppose Kirbys were intended for the American market with large homes with wall to wall carpeting. I'd never buy one new - they are like cars - second hand gets the best prices, and they do last a lot longer than most plastic vacs. Shopping around for bags and belts etc, you can find them a lot cheaper than from the Kirby dealers. How many Dysons would still be going after 32 years like my H1? and I can still get parts for my old Kirby - ebay is a great place for aftermarket bags and belts, even genuine ones at great prices.

 

[alexhoovers94]

I love Kirbys

Kirbys are great, they are a bit big but they do a great job in either the carpet or hose mode.
Oh and by the way an Oreck or Hometeck is NOT better or anymore convenient than a Hoover Junior, and I don't know why everyone classes the Hoover Juniors as a stick vac because they are not, they are uprights!

 

[madabouthoovers]

Hoover Juniors are very cute, but I do find that mine have a habit of eating drivebelts, so much so, that I don't use them much now. I find that the seniors fare better at length of belt life. The older juniors with the round belts are worse than the flat belt versions - anyone else find that? - or do mine just need new spindles?
In any case the Junior does give great pickup for its minute 250W motor!
Even Kirbys are only 650W - a far cry from the 2100W power guzzling hoover purepowers of today.

 

[kirbymodel2c]

Well

Well Kirby's are built a hell of a lot better than the vacs you buy from stores.
There quieter than allot of the modern screamers you get.
As well as great performance at a fraction of the wattage.
Value for money is different to different people. Esp when you consider the true versatility of the Kirby.
People have got use to paying bugger all for there vacuums like most household appliances. Esp when you use to pay a months wages on allot of vacuums at one point.
I mean what is a average months wages now in the UK...

Also there not as heavy as some people might think esp if you don't over fill the bag.As well as carried in the correct manner)

James)

 

[madabouthoovers]

The pre-generation models (Pre 1990) are the best in my opinion, they are lighter as they lack the tech drive assembly, and reasonably quiet. OK they may be a bit harder to push than a Generation model, but they are so simple and easy to maintain, cost peanuts to buy now, and parts are not expensive.
They are still a quality upright bagged cleaner - tried and tested, and changed very little over the years. They are like Volvos, they just seem to evolve!

I also think that those who have never used a Kirby should reserve their critism of them until they use one.
The Kirby has been hard done to mainly through the sales method, which can be less than ideal, but buying one second hand, (even a hardly used Sentria) you can get a real bargain that someone else has taken the main hit on.

They, to me are still the best bagged traditional upright you can buy.
The Sebo X4 and Miele S7 are very good buys too for those who like plastic vacs (I have both so can speak from experience). Also, the S7 is not much different in weight to a Kirby.

 

[nycwriter]

Size of British homes ...

... seriously, how small are they?

Plenty of apartment-dwellers in Manhattan find them perfectly appropriate.

Unless you're living in a 275 square foot studio with NO carpets, why NOT a Kirby?

 

[ultraperformer]

@sebo_fan

No I hadn't seen SEBO's K3 Premium and D4 Premium, thanks I will check them out.

 

[turbo500]

@nycwriter...

Here is a picture of my living room. Using a Kirby in it is near impossible. My house is a back-to-back, 2 bedroom terraced house. This tall, narrow style of housing is VERY popular in the UK, especially in old mining and mill towns in the North.

I actually grew up with a Legend 2, though it barely got used as my Mum hated it. She would also use our old Panasonic in favour of the Kirby as it was lighter, quieter, more practical and much quicker. We had a 4 bed, semi detached house over 3 floors and the Kirby was still too big and awkward to get around everywhere, especially in the dining room trying to get around the chairs and table and on the L-shaped landing going between bedrooms.

Of course, there are other factors to take into account, such as:

- The size/shape of the house (lots of corners? No good for Kirby!)
- The type of flooring (low pile, stuck down, hardwearing carpet and laminate flooring is becoming more and more popular, especially in rented houses. Again, no good for Kirby)
- The age, gender and abilities of the user - imagine an 80 year old lady lugging a Kirby around!
- The income of the user (I certainly couldn't afford to buy one new! I'd only be left with about £350 in which to pay my rent, bills, buy food and travel to work with for the month!)

 

[alexhoovers94]

I think you a quite right chris, but....

I live in a three bedroom semi-detached house and it is a little big for my house but certainly useable, if my house was amaculate and everything was in it's place then it would be just fine at manouvering around things. For a similar (same...) job I would rather just use one of my Hoover Turbopower 1's. Even in American homes are Kirby's still not clunky and heavy to use? No mater how big of a space I was cleaning with a Kirby I would still think it was clunky.

 

[nycwriter]

Chris ...

... LOVE your living room!

 

[turbo500]

... LOVE your living room!

Thanks Matt .

My house is pretty small, even by british standards, but it's an old victorian terrace. At one point, the whole of england would have been convered in rows and rows of these small houses. Some have since been demolished, but there are still lots around, especially in the north.

All over England there are rows and rows of these style houses

 

[turbo500]

Even smaller (these are just down the road from me)

 

[nycwriter]

LOVE it!!!

How very English!

 

[turbo500]

How very English!

It's like that everywhere around where I live. Infact, some new houses were built down the road from me a few years ago and were built to specifically look like the old houses

 

[alexhoovers94]

I am from the north also...

We have houses like what Chris showed too but they are usually on main roads. Mostly on housing estates where I live (mine isn't council owned) houses look like this.

 

[kirbymodel2c]

Well...

Actually a Kirby cleans low pile carpet,carpet tile etc VERY WELL,and a Kirby can clean smaller house just as well as any off the shelf vac,esp with it wide range of accessories. Lots of Kirbys have been sold to smaller home owners.
My friend Ken who was a factory distributor even sold a few to people who lived in caravans)

We have a 3 story house that is quite narrow and is more full of furniture than most house.(Mum loves the packed house look)A kirby manages wonderfully. My friends Pete and John have had a Kirby Legend II in their small two up two down house for years.
The G series floor head are only around 1 and a half/2 inches wider than a Dyson DC07,Electrolux Vitesse,Vax mach 7 etc and the optional small nozzle was available on the pre G series.

Age can be a factor with any vacuum, again most 70/80 year old ladies I get in my shop struggle picking up the X series Sebos....Not to mention Vax mach 5/6/7 ,some Dysons, Miele uprights etc.

Also a Kirby is easier to use shampooing carpets than the Bissell Pro heats etc.
Some of the TOL Bissells cost £399.

I think vacuum cleaners are a question of personal choice.
What some one loves others will hate.

James)