I'm such a vac addict...

[human]

It's all back together better than before.

The mail came a few minutes ago and my package from Kent was there, as expected. Everything went together without a hiccup. If anything, it was easier than anticipated. I had the axle assembly back together, on the machine, and the new hubcaps in place in less than ten minutes. The next step is to bring the machine in the house and give it a test run.

 

[human]

I think I'm back on the wagon...

So, Saturday afternoon, I was walking around a Goodwill store and spied a Kirby G7 (standard, not Diamond Edition) tucked in a corner and felt compelled to take a look at it. The $35 price tag was enough make me continue walking around the store, but addict that I am, I had to go back for a second look. On closer inspection, I found that the bag wouldn't clip into the handle and the cord and cord retainer at the bottom were both torn up. At that point, I decided it wasn't worth my while and walked away without further inspection. I didn't plug it in or turn it on, didn't check the belt or the brush roll, I just walked away.

And you know what? I feel better for having walked away than I would have if I had bought the darned thing. I have no regrets and feel no urge to go back to the store, just to check on it. The truth is, just doing the mental math, I realized that by the time I fixed the things that I saw were wrong with it, I'd have at least twice as much as the purchase price tied up in it. Compared with the last G-series Kirby I bought in late 2021, which was a Gsix 2001 Limited Edition that cost $5 less than this machine, and needed basically nothing, the value proposition just wasn't there for me. I've been down that road before and I don't need to go there again.

At the same time, I'm also not beating myself up about buying that Legend II a couple of months ago, although I've just left it in the barn for the time being. Once school gets out and I have a little more time on my hands, I may haul it up to the house and vacuum a couple of rooms with it, just to see how it performs.

I do love my Kirbys, but I know I don't have to buy every one of them that I see.

 

[human]

FrankenSwitch...

So, I've had this Legend II for almost three months, and I've never fully gotten past the idea of replacing the brown Classic cord with a proper red Legend II, or even a black Heritage II cord. I finally found one on the cheap, but when I went to install it, that vacuum had yet anther surprise in store. The 'proper' cord wouldn't fit!

It turns out somebody had swapped a Classic cord onto the vacuum, but had swapped a Classic foot switch onto it as well. But here's the kicker. Whoever did it took the extra step of swapping the red foot pedal from the original Legend II switch onto it, so it would match—even if the cord didn't. I thought for a second that it might be a foot switch from a Classic III, but the plastic isn't the right color. The Classic III's plastics are more a bright crimson than the Legend II's brick red. The pedal perfectly matches the Legend II's plastics.

Looking at eBay, that substitution makes a certain amount of sense, given that Heritage/Legend style foot switches have become increasingly difficult to find, while the older Classic/Tradition style ones are still somewhat more plentiful. The good news is I have a complete Legend II foot switch that I took off of my other Legend II and then subsequently repaired. One day, I may go ahead and swap that one onto this Legend II, but that may be a while, since I fell broke a rib a few days ago. Gotta let that heal up first.

 

[kirbyklekter]

The difference

Human,can you tell me what the difference is between a diamond addition and a standard Kirby? Do they still do this with the later model G's?

 

[kirbyklekter]

P.S.

I'm sorry to hear of your fall and broken ribs,yikes! Hope you heal up fast,any pain?

 

[human]

The Kirby G7 (aka Ultimate G) came in two versions, standard and Diamond. The Diamond edition is immediately recognizable by the diamond pattern on the bag, whereas the standard edition's bag is gray with random flecks of yellow and burgundy. Functionally, it is more or less identical to the G6 and G5 models that came before it. But that's just cosmetics. The functional difference is the Diamond Edition has a toggle switch on the back of the motor housing that manually adjusts the motor speed from the normal (high) setting to a low (delicate) setting. Apparently, it isn't good for the motor for it to be left perpetually on the low setting, and a lot of Diamond G motors got burned up as a result. The speed switch feature was only ever available on the G7 Diamond, although there was a thread a few months back where a member here fitted a speed switch and accompanying circuit board from a G7 Diamond to an Avalir.

The cracked rib has not been fun. It's slowed me down a bit for the past week, but it's getting better. It's a closed fracture; that is, it's cracked but not completely broken. Most of the time, I have minimal pain and only need naproxen to manage it. They also gave me oxycodone, but I'm avoiding taking that unless I really need it. I'm not doing any heavy lifting right now, and paying attention when the rib tells me I'm overdoing. It should be completely healed in about six to eight weeks. Amazingly, in my almost 60 years, it's the first time I've ever broken a bone.