going bagless Kirby?

VacuumLand – Vintage & Modern Vacuum Enthusiasts

Help Support VacuumLand:

vacuumssuck213

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 19, 2013
Messages
228
I came across on the web a Guy named jim keeler apparently he's invented a bagless cyclone for Kirby but is it worth it? To me adding this kinda kills the direct air concept but its still a Kirby and not a vacuum you can just pick up at the store so will this improve or decrease proformance regardless I found my test canister. Always wanted the little ones they clip on with the pads this should be the next best thing
 
Crappy bin with a Eureka filter screams quality.

Theses things require you to clean the filter nearly every time you use the vacuum... It's a pointless and stupid design.

I don't see why a $1.25 bag is so hard for people to buy that they would spend $50? $100? What is he asking now-a-days?

This has been a thing on Vacuumland for a long time. It's a bad invention.
 
if you're willing to spend

$99 on 2 pieces of PVC and a Eureka Optima bin, knock yourself out!


 


The 'Keeler Krap' as they're called is terrible. That design was never meant to be under positive pressure. ALL the dirt you vacuum will be forced into that tiny filter! Before this, Keeler sold a self-propelled kit in the 1980s. It was a Hoover power-drive stuck on a Kirby! There's a video on YouTube of Keeler going on and on about that bagless conversion kit! It's even filmed in a poorly green-screened warehouse to boot! There was an old thread here on vacuumland years ago that Keeler made, called 'CUSTOMERS LOVE THE KEELER BAGLESS KIT' or something like that. I doubt the Kirby experts we are would buy the junk he tried to sell!
 
keeler activity ? and kits.

Anyone seen or heard from keeler since then? I read the thread and it did seem rather one sided I would love to hear from the other side keelers customers maybe even the man himself. This kit is a unique idea not sure of the originalness of the idea if it is a eureka bin I wont be swayed one way or another unless I held it in my and same for the self proppeled kit of 1984. Honestly the pre g series models are not that heavy and don't need a self propelled device I would even dare say my classic is my light weight cleaner. But would be interesting to see one. If I'm wrong please correct me but Keller seems to come off alot of threads as the villain who's out to incorporate everything for himself. He definitely has a impressive track record from Kirby to bison and every where in-between are opinions of direct air bag cleaning just to strong?
 
What a recipe for disaster... brush, tap and clean a filter after each use?? seriously?? I'd have to walk away from the house somewhere where the dust won't just be blown all over heck and back. Not impressed.


 


The hokey green screen warehouse video is humorous. The background image is so obviously from 2 photos.


 


<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">[COLOR=#ff0000; font-family: Helvetica]WE BACK OUR PRODUCT AND GUARANTEE YOUR SATISFACTION.
WE WILL HAPPILY EXCHANGE ANY MANUFACTURER'S DEFECT.

HOWEVER, THERE ARE NO REFUNDS OR EXCHANGES OFFERED
FOR ANY UNIT THAT IS NOT A MANUFACTURER'S DEFECT, AND ALL
SALES ARE FINAL.
[/COLOR]</span>


 


We guarantee your satisfaction, unless you aren't satisfied... no refunds, all sales final - what a joke.
 
At least the bagless conversion has a really cool art deco look to it. Do you think Keeler teamed up with Henry Dreyfuss to come up with that design? Lol.
 
If you really want to go "bagless" on the Kirby or not use the disposable bags-somewhere there was a company--beleive it was "Forever bag" that made and sold cloth dump bags for G type Kirbys-would think that would be better than the Keeler dump bin with its hard to clean filter.But-at how really cheap disposable Kirby bags are-even the Filtrete ones-why bother?I have found a 6 pack of Kirby Filtete bags lasts me more than a year.With the Keeler device you and your hands-and the area you dump the Keeler bin in-will get dirty-and after all of that work getting up that dirt-you release it into the air again!With any type of disposable bags-you don't get dirty or release dirt back into the air again-esp if you are careful.
 
Mr. Keeler signed up to VL once and started shouting the odd's about his bagless Kirby unit, making out like it was the greatest invention since...well, since the vacuum cleaner!

He was completely unprepared to deal with any kind of criticism or to be challenged on his product. When he was, he became quite defensive and, at times, nasty. He couldn't offer any information to defend his product when he was questioned about it, refused to acknowledge anyone who disgreed with him that it was the most amazing invention ever (in reality, it's not really an invention. It's just a TTI bagless unti mounted on the end of a Kirby) and fobbed all of those who did challenge him as idiots.

Quite frankly, I'd have had more respect for the man if he'd put his hands up and said "yes, it has design flaws, it's not perfect but it's designed to save on buying bags and that's what it does".

Like others have said, it's a nasty, clogging, high maintence filter in a plastic tube. It's not even cyclonic, all the dirt just sits in it and sticks to the filter, requiring constant maintenance.

Whilst it would be useless to actually use it in the home, it would make for a great demo tool.
 
Wonder if the Keeler device could be used to vacuum NEW carpets that are just laid to get rid of the loose fluff-I did this once and filled several disposable bags-Next session used a Royal with a grey dump bag-much better--would figure the Keeler device could be used for that job.You are picking up mostly fuff from a carpet or rug that is new-so figure won't be much fine dirt or dust in it.And yes-the Keeler bin device could serve as a dirtmeter of sorts.
 
Too bad he couldint back up his invention with any facts or testing of how it does perform I would like to own one to see and the very least use it as a dirt meter can't be much different then a Kirby demo dirtmeter in that regard the only thing that really has me stopped and shaking my head is the 90 to 99 dollar price tag you would think if he lowerd is price gap a bit he would make more of a profit I mean how much can that thing really cost to make 20 bucks if that?
 
New Carpets

That may be handy. However, I picked up my Kirby Classic Omega for 15 bucks and its shakeout bag is very capable and a whole lot cheaper.

If I wanted to save on bags and have something new, I would buy one of the Sanitaire uprights with the shakeout bag. The entry level model is only a little bit more online.
 
In that video he never says where to clean any of it. I'm sure as heck not going to take a brush to the filter in my nice clean kitchen...lol plus how does one try to clean under the coffee table. With this he forgot to mention that you will have to hire furniture movers to move the furniture while you vacuum??? Seems like more hidden issues that come with this that were not disclosed. Just my thoughts...Mark D.
 
i just

cant understand why you would want a bagless kirby the bags are huge and take ages to fill i last changed the bag on mine in december and its still no where near full and why on earth would you want to fit that ugly thing to a nice kirby
 
In the time that it takes for Mr Keeler to dump and clean the filters in his device you could change the disposable bag in your Kirby SEVERAL times!Or if you used a dump bag in your Kirby-You could remove the dump bag and take it to the trash for dumping and reinstall it again several times in the time it takes to dump and clean his device.Again-guess his device would only be good for the new carpet fluff or large debris like paper shreds.And as some point out-it would be harder to vacuum under or around some things with his device!Guess I will stick with my orig equipment Kirby bags!
 

Latest posts

Back
Top