Is the Kirby Dual Sanitronic 50 a good vacuum?

[kirbyds50]

I am having a hard time getting it onto the shaft for some reason.

 

[kirbyclassiciii]

Jon,

The belt must be mounted onto the nozzle while off of the machine. You may need to center the belt a little after the rug guard is locked in place. Then carefully turn the lifter (to the "off" position) so it grabs the belt, and you may feel resistance doing so... this is where you must be real careful.

~Ben

 

[kirbyds50]

The polishing is coming right along, still a good couple more hours of work left before I'll be satisfied, but what little I've already done has scrubbed about 5 pounds of ugly off this thing.

 

[kirbyds50]

And KirbyKid, you are correct, this is indeed a Sanitronic 7, I never knew this model existed but can see people easily getting them confused with the D50 as there is hardly any sources for the 7 online so most people that have 7's probably think they are 50s. So, was the 7 made in the late 50s I am assuming?

 

[kirbyclassiciii]

Jon,

Kirby Sanitronic tan trim vacuum history:
562 = 1962-1963
Sanitronic VII = 1963-1965
Dual Sanitronic 50 = 1965-1967

Yours is from the 1963-1964 production season, because the Kirby logo on the nameplate is the circle logo, not the oval one (even though that logo was used in the instruction book and also was featured prominently on all packaging for this model).

The 1964-1965 season models would have the oval Kirby logo on the nameplate. The Dual Sanitronic 50's bag had ovals but in the same closely-spaced pattern as the circles. The D50 also was the first Kirby with a two-speed motor (the higher speed reserved for the hose when connected to the front).

~Ben (KirbyClassicIII)

 

[kirbyds50]

Finally got the belt wrestled on there and wow, what a difference that made.

 

[kirbyclassiciii]

Jon,

Here's my Kirby Dual Sanitronic 80 I got from Evan (kirbykid) this past Monday. I've recently put a new bulb in it.

~Ben

 

[luxman107]

Love your log cabin. We have one in the north Ga mountains. Love it there

 

[kirbyds50]

A ds80 is my next project, I see them go on ebay in good condition very reasonable. Hoping to pick one up soon, but I think the sanitronic 7 will still outperform the 80 simply because of the metal fan.

 

[kirbyds50]

So today I tried to fire up the kirby to vac the living room and it came on briefly then shut off and wouldnt come back on again. Any idea what happened guys?

 

[kirbyclassiciii]

Jon,

Either your cord is going out or you may not have properly attached your nozzle to the front of the motor.

~Ben

 

[super-sweeper]

Perhaps,

Simple things like the cord at the power plant of the cleaner becoming lose, a failure of the speed switch, or even you blowing a fuse in your home's main circuit box. Check those criteria before we go any deeper than that.

 

[kirbyds50]

I will look into those things, awfully suspicious of the cord. One design flaw of these things, you barely step on the cord while vacuuming and it pops out. Other than that, its a real good machine and I look forward to getting a 80!

 

[kirbyds50]

My dog is NOT a fan of the vacuum cleaner at all! I love this old Kirby, 50 years old and it does a better job than my newer Dyson ever has!

 

[moderneezer]

Hey, here's a question. Is the Kirby Dual Sanitronic 50 better than any of the Bissell's, Eureka's and Dirt Devil's from Walmart?

 

[sptyks]

Yes, of course it is better. If it has a new brush roll and new belt it should out clean any of those other machines. Not to mention, it is made of metal so it will definitely outlast them as well.

 

[super-sweeper]

Of course, silly! Very few compare to the almighty Kirby!