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I wondered that myself....

Kirby with an onboard hose? That's definitely a radical departure from what we have now. Perhaps TOO radical. Sounds like this machine may have alot more plastic on it. Definitely the end of Kirby "as we know it." Could mean the death knell sounding for Kirby. Scary....
 
HI Karl i feel the same way if Kirby goes any more plastic we will be in trouble. As it is i personaly like the 500 series, Dual 80 ets. I must say the g series cleans carpet better. I dont like the looks of the Santera but would love to have one as i have the G3,4,5,6,. I would love to have them go back to the small head. A Dear friend of mine gave me a Kirby 561 i had to pay shiping only what a NICE LIGHT vacuum and with a new four brush roll it really works well.I take it you are a kirby man two. Ok take care Douig
 
I'm very interested to see it, I love the idea of a variable speed control switch on the handle. Only time will tell and see if this is actually the new model.

More plastic won't be an improvement. The updated Sentria already has a polymer base pan, although it's not really "plastic, plastic". They claim it's the same stuff used on manifolds on exotic automobiles such as Porches, so it can't be cheap crap. They also claimed they tested the new base pan and it out-performed the existing base pan. And it also cuts down the weight of the machine by 1 pound.

~Alex
 
Yes, Doug, I too am a die-hard Kirby enthusiast. It all started back in the '50's when my grandmother traded in her G.E. airflo tank for the one I still have today. Since then, my father always insisted we have a Kirby in the house. In our house growing up I had a Kirby 560 and Hoover Dial-A-Matic 1149. I too like the weight and maneuverability of the 500 series, I've always felt the G-series and Classic line a bit clunky. I don't see why they couldn't have offered a 12-inch nozzle on the G series. I have the Sentria, and as soon as I got it compared it with my Generation 3. No noticeable difference. I wanted to see Kirby make some sort of styling change, but I didn't mean on board tools. That might even mean a hardbody, clean-air design. For a Kirby, YIKES! Variable speed control switch on the handle will evoke memories of the Bison.

- Karl
 
!!!!!

This has done got me scared. I may die if kirby changes to on board tools and more plastic. One thing I really like about kirby is changing the hose and nozzles. I may just cry myself to sleep tonight.....
 
Yes, it definitely increases the versatility of the unit, but I think corporate feels that this way they can "dummy down" the cleaner for people too stupid to figure out how to use the attachments. I was very sorry to hear that Kirby has already discontinued the turbo powered Handi-Butler after just reintroducing it with the Sentria. Glad I was able to get one. It will stay NIB.
 
I hope they don't make too many changes.... or at least the not bad ones. Part of what is so great about Kirby is that their design is basically the same after all this time in a world when everything else changes so rapidly. On board tools will add to the weight of the machine, and if you still have to connect them, they aren't saving that much work... If they eliminated the ballooning bag and metal body of the machine, I think I will join those of you who will "just faint". I hope they keep the transmission, though I know many of you don't. Maybe they could offer a larger model with a tranny and one with the smaller nozzle without.
 
My grandma has a G4, and DREADS having to go get the hose and tools out of the closet when she wants to clean the couch, of course that is when I am extremely to busy to do it, because I do ALL of her vacuuming :p, anyways, she will be very excited to hear about this. And I am sure she will be looking into it when it comes out..
 
Is it really that hard to walk to a closet and get a hose? I mean if the new model still requires the use of the belt lifter and lifting the headlight to insert the hose, I don't think much would be gained by a new design unless the totally ruined the Kirby and made it a clean air upright. I read a Kirby review once that said if you are too lazy to perform the simple steps needed to attach the hose, you should probably have a maid instead of attempting the cleaning yourself.
 
I second that! But unfortunately in today's society "sheeple" need ease of use, they practically need to be spoon fed. Even most maids are too lazy to remove the front nozzle to attach the hose, and IMHO a Kirby is too good for them! It's anyone's guess what this onboard tool design will look like, although I don't think it will require removing the front nozzle anymore. It may have a side suction port like the Hoover Elites & PowerMax cleaners had.
 
On board tools and a Hard Bag

Years ago I emailed Kirby asking why they dont make a hard shell for the bag (this was when HEPA filters were starting to be all the rage) I got a very nice response back, and it said that they do not believe in making a hard bag case as there is no need. According to testing they had done, it showed no difference in filtration then their current high filtration bags. Who knows if this is still true but I certainly cant picture a hard bodied Kirby.

On board tools- I have found that friends of the family or family members who have owned a Kirby love them. They are not in anyway vacuum nuts but they appriacte it for what it is. A well built machine that cleans well, is versatile, and will probably last for 20+ years. They also have realized that if they dont want to change the nozzle to use the hose, that they should buy another small vac for hard surface cleaning or quick clean up. I will admit I never use the hose (I have central vac) but I can see how it might be frustrating to some. I havent used the smaller head Kirbys but I dont find the Heritage-G-series models to be overly bulky or difficult to use.

I think that Kirby is a pretty smart company, they build a quality product and when they release a new machine, its an improvement on the previous one. While these may not be huge changes, they are still ways in which their product is better. I cant imagine that after all these years, they would radically change their design so that it was "dumbed down". Todays Kirbys minus the tech drive are not all that much different from the ones 50 years ago, why ruin something that has proven to be a success for so many decades? I guess we will have to wait to see what happens when the new model is released. Lets keep our fingers crossed that its something great!
 
What am I missing?

I have looked at this site several times now. There aren't that many posts on it. But I cannot find the item about the onboard hose. Can someone point me to the right place.

Chris
 

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