Kirby definitely takes the 'VW Beetle' approach to vacuum cleaner design but they do build an excellent product. It truly is one of the last vacuum cleaners left that you can literally buy for a lifetime. Some may argue that you pay for a lifetime, but when used with reasonable care, one can expect the thing to last for several decades and thus offer a better total cost of ownership proposition than buying a new $69 plasticrap machine at Wally World every year or two. It would be interesting to know how many tons of plastic each Kirby keeps out of the landfills, versus buying plasticrap vacs. Now THAT would make a good marketing campaign--Kirby as an environmentally friendly vacuum cleaner choice. Of course, they'd have to come up with a green color scheme to go with it.
What Kirby really needs to redesign is the way they sell their wares. I have never and will never let a Kirby sales goon on my property, much less inside my home. And why would I, especially when you can skip the strong-arm sales tactics and get one second hand in like-new condition for pennies on the dollar? In some ways, Kirby's biggest competition is the second-hand market for its products.
