Kirby – it’s definitely more than a vacuum

[oldskoolguy]

They say that the Kirby is more than just a vacuum, and that’s true: it’s a machine that can sometimes be a miracle! I’ve had a few times where the Kirby has been a miracle. The most recent was today. My brother was coming home today for spring break, and since the last time the basement (where his bedroom is) was cleaned, my parents’ now thrown away Oreck Magnesium was clogged, the carpet needed to be vacuumed. I started out with my trusty 80’s Kmart Hoover Custom Convertible vacuuming, then when I was about to do his bathroom rugs/mats, as I was trying to move his thin Chicago Bears mat, I noticed the backing was practically glued to the floor! Cut to the chase, after scraping away rubber backing from the tile, it looked bad. I set up my Kirby Sentria to work with the tile brush for the first time in maybe a year and a half, and got to work. I didn’t have much tile cleaner left and I didn’t have any pretreatment either, but I was able to remove any and all remaining traces of rubber backing and the marks from the backing being stuck. In the end, the bathroom tile looked Iike nothing happened!
How about you? Has your kirby – new or old, vintage or modern — seemed to be or make a miracle?

 

[juju93]

Ive had kirby's growing up

When I was a child my mother had a G4 and then updated to the diamond edition and both machines did great on wall to wall carpet and for other household uses. Fast forward many years later and many downsizing, we now use dyson cordless and they do pretty good to. What I'm dying to know is more on the "AVALIR 2" that was mentioned in another thread. Im dysing to see more pics of said unit.

 

[pr-21]

I use the Floor Polisher brush as a carpet fluffer to brush up the nap. Does a great job. Helps to keep


pathways from matting down if done once a month or so.


 


 


PR-21


Bud

 

[kirbynut]

I swear by the Kirby Shampoo system. My Grandmother has lovely blue variegated wall to wall carpet. For about 10 years it never saw a carpet cleaner. When I moved the sofa I could see what the carpet should look like, the rest of it had a brown hue. I did one shampoo with my Kirby and the carpet looks blue again not blue-brown. I should have took pictures but I didn't I was just so excited that the carpet came clean. Now I have a Kirby system dedicated to her house since it gets a lot of traffic. I can spot clean the areas that have heavy traffic in the morning and its dry by lunch time. My Kirby saved my Grandmother money because she was going to have the carpet replaced since is looked so bad.

 

[huskyvacs]

The Kirbys that use the power tool attachments are more than just a vacuum!

I use my Ultimate G when I brush my Husky. Hose first so I don't die of sneezing to death and then I go over the entire room with the brushroll. It can suck up cantaloupe sized wads of fur sheddings and never miss a beat, and the key thing is - it never clogs...unlike certain...umm.."other" vacuums out there. ;-)

Also I just got a Heritage II 2HD that was flooded out, and not a thing wrong with it. Didn't take it apart or anything, plugged it in to make sure I didn't blow $50, and it still runs and operates just fine even though it was wet to the point where mostly all the screws are rusted and the safety switch on the brushroll was jammed. Some of the bag has a rough spot on it too where it looked like it had an electrical fire on the cord at one point in the past. It does have a slight high pitched whining to the motor though like a sewing machine on maximum speed but it seems to be okay and the suction is fine.

Also have a 1950's Kirby someone used to vacuum up drywall dust with, and a 1CR that was a goodwill find 8 years ago that needs a new fan or bearings.

 

[human]

I love my Kirbys and have been somewhat fascinated with them ever since a Kirby salesman did a demo of a Classic Omega in our living room when I was nine or ten years old. We didn't get the machine, but it definitely left an impression. I've got four of them in my possession and another that's nominally mine, although I have my doubts whether I'll ever have custody of it again. All but one are G-series machines. I've got a G5 that's a motley collection of parts from various G-series models, but that gives it character. Then there are the twins--two Gsixes, one of which I rescued from a dumpster (needed a bag and a belt) and the other I snagged from Goodwill for $50 with a standard accessory kit. The latest addition is a beautiful Sentria that I grabbed off of eBay. I paid more for it than I should have but it was still a good deal, given what they generally go for. Since acquiring it, I've gotten a Shampoo System to match the Sentria and a Turbo Sander in Gsix livery. The machine that's not presently in my possession is a Heritage 1HD that my on again, off again girlfriend 'borrowed' about five years ago. She's been making noises lately about getting some sort of cheapo plasticrap vac because she thinks the Heritage weighs too much. Like most of today's consumers, weight for her apparently does not equal substance. I didn't discourage her but I did make her promise not to pitch Kirby in the dumpster like she did her Oreck, so I guess there's an outside chance I'll be getting it back eventually. Either way, I'm pretty much Kirby'd up these days.

 

[kirbyclassiciii]

You're not kidding...

The Kirby can indeed do a lot more than simply vacuum as either an upright or a canister... I mean, on the older machines there were a lot of options, like the Handi-Butler.

~Ben