Kirby G4

[vintagecanister]

I found this at a local thrift store for $18.00. It was in pretty rough shape, well.....filthy. I gave her a bath and some polish and she looks pretty dang good!

I had never used a G series before with the power-assist transmission. I absolutely LOVE it. I didn't know what I was missing.

 

[jfalberti]

I have a G4 too

And I really like it. I also have an Ultimate G Diamond Edition that I like even more. They are great vacuums.

 

[vac_whisperer]

I have a G4 and a G5

And i love them. They are the best vacuums in my collection.

VW

 

[crevicetool]

Steve,

I too have a G4. I find that I vacuum much slower with the Tech-Drive as it requires SO much less effort to move the machine back and forth. Before, with an upright - as opposed to a canister/power nozzle set-up, I just wanted to get done and not spend the proper amount of time vacuuming.

But, don't you love how the slower you want to go it does what you want. Or, it will go as fast as you want too....I love it!

You got a GREAT deal there. You did a good job too.

Rick

 

[eurekastar]

Very nice!!!

 

[vintagecanister]

Thanks guys........

I agree, Joe, they are GREAT. I guess I won't know about the diamond until I find one in the rough, too!

Rick, you are SO RIGHT about the tech-drive. In fact, I am engaged to the G4. I'm totally in love. I usually vacuum like Mario Andretti, but this does make me slow down a bit too. It's the effortless thing that allows, I believe. Not having to get so much effort and momentum going.....it makes a HUGE difference.

I've vacuumed three times all ready since 2 PM. I may sleep with it tonight as well. =0)

 

[crevicetool]

eeeeeewwwwwwww!

 

[bimmer740]

I totally agree with Rick, I vacuum much slower with my Kirbys then I do with other machines. The Tech-Drive is just miles ahead of any other self-propelled vacuum that I have ever used. It certainly makes Hoover's self-propelled set-up look like something that was created out of total spontenaety. I really love my Diamond Edition and Ultimate G!! It just doesnt seem right to vacuum the carpet with anything else, they just dont seem to be "completely clean" in my mind unless I use a Kirby. Best of luck with your new machine!! The G-Series really are wonderful vacs.

 

[gmerkt]

Not too long ago, I got my first taste of the G models, having gotten a G6 and G4 in fairly close succession. Both needed a bit of work, but it's all behind me now. It's just amazing how loud a vac can be with just one fin on the impeller missing.

Anyway, these machines look sorta like a 1939 DeSoto and are just about as heavy, but the self propulsion is pretty dreamy. If you get into some heavy country and have to push hard, they really power on through it.

I'd hate to pay the original price for one, but they're a well-made machine. They're like new cars in the respect that some fish has to pay full boat when new or we'd never get them second hand.

When you think about the vacs that are sold on the same basis as the Kirby, like Rainbow, Vortech and so on, only the Filter Queen seems like a product of comparable quality and I prefer the Kirby. I will never understand how people go ga-ga over Rainbow.

 

[twocvbloke]

I sill have to work on my Generation3, the motor and what not is fine, but the condenser assembly (pretty much only a 220-240v version feature) is shot so needs repairing, and thus means I can't use the thing without risk of burning out the power switch or wearing the carbons out too fast...

I used to have a G5 though and I absolutely loved it, the TechDrive was the best feature for sure, but I usually see that the Kirby only needs the TechDrive to push the weight of the TechDrive around, but it's still a useful feature if you haven't the strength to push a non-TD Kirby about...

 

[kirbyvacuum]

Love the G series

Hi All i also love the g series. I LOVE Kirbys in general. I have a G3,4,5,6.They make vacuuming a joy we have very thick rugs i also have the Heritage 2 much harder to vacuum a very thick rug still love the Heritage however the g series is very easy to use. Have fun Doug

 

[kirbylux77]

I love using my Kirbys....

I have a G4 80th Anniversary Edition, & a G6 2001 Limited Edition & they clean great. Nothing beats a Kirby when you want to use an upright & want to really get the rugs clean....

My only pet peeve with the G series is I wish they made the brushroll bristles stiffer. As much as my Heritage & Heritage 2 are hard to push, I like the really strong brushing action from the brushroll. However, I also haven't tried the new pet owners brushroll with the stiffer brushes, so perhaps it would be better if I upgraded....

Just out of curiosity, guys, who here owns a Sentria, & how well do they clean compared to the other G-series models? I have been thinking of adding one to the collection...

Rob

 

[kirbyduh]

I...

use a pet owners brushroll in my G3, even though I don't have pets in the house. I LOVE the stiffer bristles, they really lift my carpet nap and I firmly believe it improves performance. The bag fills up more quickly since I installed the new brushroll! I highly recommend them to people who want stiffer bristles on their G3/4. If you want stiff bristles on G5 and later I would get the oblique angled brushroll.

 

[briguy]

Steve, nice find, I have a G4 that I found at a garage sale for $5.00. Was clogged & so filthy, but it polished up nice & it's recently my daily driver. I didn't realize a stiffer pet lover's brushroll was available. I think mine does well, but could lift the nap a bit better.

 

[vintagecanister]

Thanks for the info.........

on the Pet Brushroll, guys! I noticed that, too, that the suction is awesome, but I wished the bristles were a little stiffer for better grooming.

$5.00, Brian......WOW! =)

 

[eurekastar]

The Sentria's oblique brush roll has much stiffer bristles and does a much better job of setting up positive agitation of the carpet too. You can use it in the G4, but the magnet will be on the wrong side of the nozzle. If you don't care about the brush roll light being lit, then the Sentria brush roll will work very well for you.

 

[uprightman]

REALLY glad to hear about your G4

Steve: My FIRST Kirby was a G4. I LOVE that vacuum. Very happy that you found it at such a good price! She cleaned up mighty fine as well!

One feature that I've noticed is that when lowering the nozzle, and you hear when the brush makes contact with the carpet - it's just right, no "guess work"; with my older models, I have to keep listening for that "contact point", or judge by the effort it takes to push it along.

The TECH-DRIVE feature is great. In fact, my G4 is on "permanent loan" to an aunt of mine who's balance is a little off from having been on the bad end of a "hit and run" car accident. She still wanted to use a Kirby, but her model (a Heritage II, I think) was getting a little too much for her. The G4, while I HATED parting with it, has done the trick for her.

Very happy to hear everyone having had a good experience with this machine...I've wondered why it rarely gets a mention in the forums.

By the way -- before I passed on the G4, I called the Kirby parts toll free number (1-800-437-7170) to order a new brush roll - just so Molly wouldn't be "inheriting" my dirt. The new brush roll style DOES seem to have stiffer bristles - plus, it has a set of "tufts" on either side of the brush roll to get better side cleaning (closer to the walls, etc.) than was originally available.

I'm really glad to read that you (and the others) have enjoyed using this vacuum. CONGRATULATIONS!

 

[twocvbloke]

Just a note, if you do want the BPI LED to work, just get a G5-on nozzle and put the G4 trim onto it, they're the same thing, just set up differently with the BPI light (that said, I preferred it on the same side as the user, rather than the opposite side, myself)...

 

[kirbylux77]

Problem solved.....

I figured out a solution to get better brushing action out of my G4 without replacing the brushroll. Just set the brush wear setting on the endcaps to '3'. Yes, it will make the brush wear out more quickly, but I don't care about that when I buy my brushrolls used, & pay around $5 to $10 from the dealer's scrap-pile whenever he parts-out a Kirby. Sure beats paying $50 for a brand new brushroll from the local Kirby distributor!

Rob