Hello!

[kc_kirby]

Just a point, the Riccar Brilliance is 21 pounds, the Kirby is 23 pounds. That's only a two pound difference. That's not a significant difference. Is that Riccar going to be any easier to lug up and down stairs as a Kirby?

 

[fantomfan]

I've had about a dozen Kirbys.

Of course, they clean well and are still one of the best for carpet cleaning. Personally, I'm a bigger fan of the ones made BEFORE the Classic. Then, they got too heavy and bulky for my liking. The old ones clean just fine and have fantastic suction and airflow. The only stinker (pardon the pun) is the shake out bag. I have found a way to dispose of the dirt in those fairly cleanly though. It's not a problem unless you have bad allergies.

 

[djub85]

For curiosity's sake, what other vacs do you have?


 


I don't have any uprights or any experience with them, so I can't be of much help with the Kirby. One of my Electrolux machines from Ebay came in a Kirby box, if that counts.

 

[human]

Kirby convert here

I picked up a Kirby G6 from beside a dumpster a little over two years ago and now I own four. They are indeed very well made machines, made to last and made to be rebuilt so they can last a lifetime. Sure, you can pay through the nose for a brand new one, but they're quite affordable on the second hand market. I recently picked up a pristine G6 with its attachments for $50 at a thrift store. Belts and bags aren't that expensive if you buy them online. Your best source for those supplies is eBay. Although the fans are vulnerable, Kirby makes them of a special plastic called Amoled, co-engineered with NASA, that's tougher than Kevlar. You can even retrofit older machines with these new style fans as well. It's entirely possible to take a 24-year-old G3 and upgrade it with just about every technical innovation that has been added since.

For what it's worth, I don't consider myself a Kirby snob; rather, I appreciate their superior design and they work admirably for my needs. I'm also a fan of Electrolux canisters and pre-TTI Hoovers, but these days, Kirby is my brand of choice.

 

[martin187]

I do agree that it is a matter of preference...

however I feel that the people who complain about the attachments are weak. All you have to do is turn the knob, flip a lever, put the hose on the hooks and flip the lever again. But maybe that is just me, i have been using one in the house since I was born.

 

[nycwriter]

Hi Shaun! Welcome!

My two cents.

I live in a smallish apartment in Manhattan and use two vacuums: a 1969 Kirby Dual Sanitronic 80 and the latest model Aerus Lux Guardian Platinum canister.

I love my Aerus -- eight speeds and unbelievable suction -- but the power nozzle in my opinion doesn't come close to the kind of deep cleaning and carpet "grooming" that the Kirby can do.

So I use the Kirby on the rugs, and the Aerus everywhere else. Yes, it's easier to drag out a second vacuum than it is to use the Kirby attachments.

Also a word about the pre-1970 Kirbys. They have much narrower nozzles and are therefore much easier to maneuver around smaller homes.

 

[human]

It's called 'muscle memory'...

I agree that removing the nozzle and attaching the hose can feel awkward at first but after the first few times, you literally get the 'feel' of it. One thing that may be somewhat counter-intuitive at first is the belt lifter actually INCREASES tension on the belt when you remove the nozzle and then relaxes that tension when you lower the belt back on to the motor shaft.

NYCWriter--I use a similar combination of vacs at my house. I use a 1969 vintage Electrolux 1205, sans power nozzle, for the hardwood and vinyl floors (most of the house) and my G-series Kirbys (I've got three of them) on the carpeted rooms. I recently acquired a hard floor plate for my Kirbys but I have yet to take it for a test drive.