Kirby Company sold to Right Lane Industries
- Thread starter ironman
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I think really do need to move on from the G series because in my opinion. let’s just say they do come out with an Avalir 3 they will come knocking on some doors say this is our new machine but people won’t buy it because they all ready own a avalir 2 and won’t bother buying just because of a colour change that’s my opinion
tseg
Well-known member
Plastic bagless Kirby made in China coming to a Walmart near you.
dysonman1
Well-known member
Let's face it - the door to door sales model is DEAD. Europe was locked down far longer than the US - can't see them setting sales records in Europe (that's where the Kirbys made in Texas go). They probably didn't sell anything in Europe for the past year and a half.
In the US, there will HAVE to be a different sales model post-covid. The water vacs might be able to continue since they claim to clean the air (run air through water/disinfectant) and customers call on their friends to have a demo in order to get a 'freebe' like the shampooer. With Kirby there's nothing.
The property the Kirby Company is on will be sold. Why make a QVC and Amazon (or Wal-Mart) vacuum in the US? I believe they'll paint some chrome on the plastic of some Chinese vacuum that they will try to convince people is a 'real Kirby' the way the Eureka/Lux tried to convince people it was still their grandmother's Electrolux. Light weight with on-board hose. It will make a great demo on TV. I have a feeling the Avalir 2 is the last "real" Kirby we will ever see.
In the US, there will HAVE to be a different sales model post-covid. The water vacs might be able to continue since they claim to clean the air (run air through water/disinfectant) and customers call on their friends to have a demo in order to get a 'freebe' like the shampooer. With Kirby there's nothing.
The property the Kirby Company is on will be sold. Why make a QVC and Amazon (or Wal-Mart) vacuum in the US? I believe they'll paint some chrome on the plastic of some Chinese vacuum that they will try to convince people is a 'real Kirby' the way the Eureka/Lux tried to convince people it was still their grandmother's Electrolux. Light weight with on-board hose. It will make a great demo on TV. I have a feeling the Avalir 2 is the last "real" Kirby we will ever see.
human
Well-known member
I really like Kirbys and I love the fact that they're built to old world standards--durable, uncomplicated, repairable and no freakin' circuit boards! At this point, I'm doubly glad I've got enough of them around here to last me the rest of my lifetime.
It would greatly sadden me to see Kirby become another American ghost brand--a once proud name that the Chinese will slap on anything they think it will help sell. And you can rest assured that any of those products that run on electricity will be loaded with fragile and rapidly deprecated circuit boards, disguised as innovative features that actually just serve as self-destruct devices, ensuring a rapid replacement schedule and more plastic in our landfills.
Of course, this may happen as a slow decline with a gradual and systematic cheapening of product quality, beginning with replacing metal structural components with plastic, then eliminating the Tech Drive because it isn't needed as much on a lighter weight machine, then adding a cheaper DC motor with the requisite circuit boards and maybe some superfluous LED's to make consumers think it's an innovation and keep them from noticing their new machine cannot be serviced or repaired. Eventually, it's just another Wally World plasticrap vac with a 90-day warranty.
It would greatly sadden me to see Kirby become another American ghost brand--a once proud name that the Chinese will slap on anything they think it will help sell. And you can rest assured that any of those products that run on electricity will be loaded with fragile and rapidly deprecated circuit boards, disguised as innovative features that actually just serve as self-destruct devices, ensuring a rapid replacement schedule and more plastic in our landfills.
Of course, this may happen as a slow decline with a gradual and systematic cheapening of product quality, beginning with replacing metal structural components with plastic, then eliminating the Tech Drive because it isn't needed as much on a lighter weight machine, then adding a cheaper DC motor with the requisite circuit boards and maybe some superfluous LED's to make consumers think it's an innovation and keep them from noticing their new machine cannot be serviced or repaired. Eventually, it's just another Wally World plasticrap vac with a 90-day warranty.
juju93
Well-known member
@y Kirbyg6
I totally agree with you on them needing to move away from the G-series. I feel people who currently own G-series kirby's just update to the newer model just for the minor tweaks here and there not realizing its the exact same machine. I feel people who own sentria onwards should really say something when a kirby person is trying to sell them a avalir 2. I mean really anything from sentria onwards is literally a color change and a cut out handle and a different name. Techniqually avalir 2 shouldn't even be considered a color change because its the same color as the original avalir but instead of red its now blue, which is a lovely shade of blue if i may say. They all function the same, even the older G-series. I remember many years ago when my mom had the diamond edition and the sentria had just got release and the door to door sales person tried to get us to update ours to the sentria, eventhough there wasn't much difference between the two and we stated that out. I think the only major difference was that the sentria, at the time of its release, had the Handi-Butler tool, which wasn't with the diamond model, which we also didn't care to have. I think kirby is also now trying to make more sales by doing a "disenfectent" service, where they advertise this new solution to kills germs and odors, kind of like the fresh air solution for the Rainbow. I feel like that disenfectent solution, used with the sprayer, is probably the only real way kirby is getting by during this pandemic.
I totally agree with you on them needing to move away from the G-series. I feel people who currently own G-series kirby's just update to the newer model just for the minor tweaks here and there not realizing its the exact same machine. I feel people who own sentria onwards should really say something when a kirby person is trying to sell them a avalir 2. I mean really anything from sentria onwards is literally a color change and a cut out handle and a different name. Techniqually avalir 2 shouldn't even be considered a color change because its the same color as the original avalir but instead of red its now blue, which is a lovely shade of blue if i may say. They all function the same, even the older G-series. I remember many years ago when my mom had the diamond edition and the sentria had just got release and the door to door sales person tried to get us to update ours to the sentria, eventhough there wasn't much difference between the two and we stated that out. I think the only major difference was that the sentria, at the time of its release, had the Handi-Butler tool, which wasn't with the diamond model, which we also didn't care to have. I think kirby is also now trying to make more sales by doing a "disenfectent" service, where they advertise this new solution to kills germs and odors, kind of like the fresh air solution for the Rainbow. I feel like that disenfectent solution, used with the sprayer, is probably the only real way kirby is getting by during this pandemic.
dysonman1
Well-known member
Ritello
Check this out. Putting disinfectant in the water and running the machine to 'wash the air' has always been the water-vac's "trick". All Kirby can do is spray it on everything with the sprayer. Ritello now Advertises with a yard sign that "this house is clean" (to quote the movie Poltergeist). The "tricks" of the trade.
Check this out. Putting disinfectant in the water and running the machine to 'wash the air' has always been the water-vac's "trick". All Kirby can do is spray it on everything with the sprayer. Ritello now Advertises with a yard sign that "this house is clean" (to quote the movie Poltergeist). The "tricks" of the trade.
ironman
Member
No hospitals or any institution that requires real sanitization of airborne viruses will use a water vac to filter and contain them. Water has been shown to be a horrible filter and is the reason why Rainbow had to hide a Hepa filter inside their machines so it would actually catch tiny particulates.
huskyvacs
Well-known member
Yeah that is all just a marketing gimmick and a placebo and frankly an outright lie. It's all just snake oil. The same with those UV disinfecting lamps, they do not do a damn thing but run up your power bill. It fools people that don't know anything about science into thinking their home is "clean". As soon as you open that door or windows or turn the A/C on your home is no longer "clean". You cannot sanitize a home, that's an impossible task. And people that live overly clean always are 100% more victim to simple common pathogens because they have no immune system to germs. Also I don;t know about you but I would be concerned about long term lung and throat damage breathing in vaporized Lysol. That is 100% against its usage directions. Also I fail to see what any of that has to do with Kirby.
juju93
Well-known member
It has to due with kirby because they are advertising a disenfectant to kill germs and stuff. Just look up kirby opportunity on youtube or follow the link ill attach below
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCx889PwEO6AXvrv5RfYIUsg
I feel like this is a gemmick to get people to buy the system, which it really is. Kirby is usuing that to build its value in the sales value.
As a rainbow user the fresh air solution doesn't even do anything. Granted I have my system on speed 2 of 4 majority of the time when using it to sanitize my air. And when I do use the fresh aiir I have to have the machine facing the back and when a close proximity of me for me to even smell it.
I'm really curious to how kirby is going to stay in buisness and how they're going to improve from the G-series. The real question is when? IDK about anybody else but I'm ready to retire the avalir2 as the current model kirby. All in favor?
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCx889PwEO6AXvrv5RfYIUsg
I feel like this is a gemmick to get people to buy the system, which it really is. Kirby is usuing that to build its value in the sales value.
As a rainbow user the fresh air solution doesn't even do anything. Granted I have my system on speed 2 of 4 majority of the time when using it to sanitize my air. And when I do use the fresh aiir I have to have the machine facing the back and when a close proximity of me for me to even smell it.
I'm really curious to how kirby is going to stay in buisness and how they're going to improve from the G-series. The real question is when? IDK about anybody else but I'm ready to retire the avalir2 as the current model kirby. All in favor?
panasonicvac
Well-known member
Kirby won't release a new model UNLESS they new one can be as good or even better than it's current model. Honestly, I don't mind with Kirby of still using the same basic design since the release of the G3, it can still out clean alot of vacuums on the market today. What I'm really hoping for Kirby is to release another model that's for a limited production run just like with Filter Queen that I shared earlier. I like having two or more options to choose out of, I mean one option isn't going to please everyone. Personally, I wouldn't buy a brand new Kirby. The price just isn't worth to me for what they're asking. But IF they came out with a pink "Breast Cancer" edition model, I probably would buy one. Oreck did it before, Dyson did it, etc. I have a family member who fought through that illness.
juju93
Well-known member
Then why has Kirby release avalir 2 over avalir 1. Because there basically the same machine and same color. So for Kirby to call avalir 2 a “new model” is very hypocritical of them. Then again that’s how I feel about Kirby in general, especially within the past 10-15 years. Every time they release a “new model” it really ain’t new at all. I feel like Kirby should keep the one model at a time thing, because knowing Kirby distributors, they’re not gonna wanna show two different models in peoples homes together at the same time. And a lot of people aren’t going to sit through two different machine demos.
ironman
Member
Im not even sure Kirby even had a real ‘modern’ engineering department over the last decade. Likely fired all those old dudes years ago and just farmed out minor engineering and design stuff. An all new machine was never going to happen, and likely still wont happen. I’m just expecting them to cut cost, cut complexity, cut out executives, cut out dealers, and etc. I wouldn’t be surprised if a pre-G3 model is resurrected for the sake of its simplicity and the current G3-variant ceases for good.
ralph123
Well-known member
Not that it matters, but Rexair was sold off back in 2019 to Rhone Capital. It hasn't seemed to effect Rexair in a negative manner. Perhaps new ownership of Kirby will spur some innovation.
From the wikipedia "On 26 February 2019 Newell Brands announced it would be selling its Rexair business, the maker of Rainbow vacuum products, to private-equity firm Rhone Capital. The Rexair business had about $123 million in net sales in 2018, Newell said. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rexair
From the wikipedia "On 26 February 2019 Newell Brands announced it would be selling its Rexair business, the maker of Rainbow vacuum products, to private-equity firm Rhone Capital. The Rexair business had about $123 million in net sales in 2018, Newell said. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rexair
ironman
Member
Rexair has been sold 4 times in the last 15 years or so and last time it was sold was for around half the amount it was sold over a decade and half ago. I think most people believe Rainbow quality has been declining in the process..
juju93
Well-known member
How ironic that in 2019, the same year that rexair was sold, we also got the launch of the SRX.
ironman
Member
SRX is still basically the 20+ year old e-series with a sliding water basin right? I heard the SRX is more problematic than previous Rainbows.
The company that bought Rainbow recently was a company that previously owned them years back and was able to rebuy Rexair at a considerable discount.
The company that bought Rainbow recently was a company that previously owned them years back and was able to rebuy Rexair at a considerable discount.
juju93
Well-known member
The SRX is its own platform. Its nothing like the E-series. Yes the SRX model has had its issues but what product hasn't. Nothing is perfect and that includes the SRX design. For some like myself, it cleans and works great with no issues. For others thats a different story.
juju93
Well-known member
So does anybody know when this new take over of kirby will start kicking in, in terms of selling the machines and or futrure models? And has anyone heard anything from kirby themselves or someone who works for them?
ironman
Member
Somebody should just call Kirby HQ and see what they say.
