Kirby questions - bag smells and shampoo system ect

[matt8808]

A few years back I bought a brand new Ultimate G Diamond Edition from our local Kirby dealer. After around 3 years I sold it as it was becoming impractical. We had 2 hairy smelly dogs and the machine used to stink to high heaven. Once the bag started to fill with the hair it would start to fester and whatever room the Kirby was being stored in would then start to stink too. A new bag = no smell, but it was costing a fortune replacing the dust bag all the time. You name it I tried it, but I couldn't neutralise the smell coming from the machine as the bag filled over the weeks. So I sold the machine and switched back to a bagless machine where the smells would be sealed inside the machine when not in use. The smell issue was purely the smell coming from the machine when it was not in use. Other than that I thought the machine was great!

Anyway, fast forward a few years and we no longer have dogs. The house has been fully updated since too so there is no trace of doggy odour - new flooring ect ect

I'm considering buying a Kirby again - a brand new Sentria II.

I have 3 main questions -

Firstly, to the Kirby owners who don't have pets. Once the bag has been in your machine for say 5 - 6 weeks of daily use, do you find any stale bag odours escaping from the machine when not in use?
The machine would be stored upstairs when not in use and I don't want to go forking out mega money to find the machine stinks out the room where it is being stored again. I'm hoping the previous smell issue I had was purely down to concentrated amounts of dog hair festering?

Secondly, how effective is the Kirby shampoo system on normal carpet soiling? For example a cream carpet that has discoloured slightly from dirty shoes? I never really used the shampoo system on my ultimate G as I also have a commercial style extraction machine. I just can't see how the foam system on the Kirby can really clean a carpet? Thoughts, opinions or even better pictures of befores and afters please! The whole idea of it sounds much more appealing than the method used by an extraction machine due to quicker drying times - but I'm just not convinced about the promised end results. Obviously if I were to take the plunge again I'd only ever be using the genuine Kirby shampoo.

And thirdly, carpet care - Are they really 'the best'? My two current daily drivers are a DC39 Animal and a Sebo X4 Pet. Would a Kirby be much better than the Sebo for the carpets?

So that's my 3 main concerns - bag smells, shampoo effectiveness and will it be any better than what I already have?

On a final note before it is suggested - I know fine well I could pick up a slightly used machine for a fraction of what the Kirby dealer would charge for a new machine - I'd rather pay more and have one nobody else has touched.


The only reason I sold the Ultimate G is that I couldn't see us ever not having dogs. Now that we are doggy-less I'm kicking myself!

I've been thinking a lot lately about if I can justify buying another one, so figured who better to ask than you guys!

And for all the Kirby lovers out there here's a pic of my Ultimate G all spruced up before I sold it...

 

[kirbymodel2c]

Hi,

Hi Matt, I wish you lived closer you could of popped in for a cuppa and I could of talked to you about the issues you have raised.


I'm going to bed now and don't feel like writing allot more lol.


If I have time tomorrow I'll try and give a better reply. I'm glad you would only use genuine Kirby shampoos.


 


Hopefully chat later.


 


James

 


 


 

 

[moojuiceuk]

I've got a reconditioned Gsix and I'm in a house with no pets. I've never noticed the bag smelling after a few weeks of use (and thats with a smoker living here, and I don't smoke). I would imagine a scented capsule popped in the bag would certainly help if you were worried about bag smells.

I personally wouldn't spend £1k+ on a new Kirby when a second hand Sentria I or Ultimate G diamond could be had for much less (after all, there's almost bugger all difference). I would also say why bother if you already have a Sebo X4 pet? My mum has an X4 and a Jack Russell dog. Having compared both machines, the Kirby will always bring the pile up on a carpet way better than an X4 (due to its rather conservative auto height adjuster) but the Sebo is easier to move about & quicker to deploy hose attachments.

As for the shampoo system for a Kirby, I've never bothered with the one that came with mine as it's got no facility to suck up the wet suds afterwards, as demonstrated by this video:



I purchased a Bissell Big Green for wet shampooing and it not only cleans deep but also sucks up most of the water leaving the carpets pretty dry. Absolutely brilliant machine. Really need to do a video and full-on review one day.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/BISSELL-Green-Deep-Cleaning-Machine/dp/B006LW2NJW

 

[sptyks]

Something is wrong

with the Kirby shampoo system in moojuiceuk's video above. It looks like one or both filters in the tank are partially blocked or installed incorrectly.


 


I own a 2009 Kirby Sentria with shampoo system so I know how it's supposed to work. My shampooer lays down foam nice and even for the full width of the shampoo head. The foam should completely disappear within a few minutes and be completely dry within an hour. When the foam dries, it becomes a very fine powder which is almost invisible. The Kirby shampoo fluid is specially designed so that the powder attaches itself to the dirt in your carpet. The final step is to vacuum your carpet with a NEW or ALMOST NEW bag installed for maximum suction so as to suck up that fine powder and the dirt which is attached to it. You should see a great improvement in the cleanliness of  your carpet.


 


There is no need to own a seperate shampoo machine when if used properly, the Kirby Sentria Shampoo system does a fine job. That is one of the main reasons to own a Kirby, is that it is multiple machines all in one.


 


Click the link to watch a video of the proper use of the Kirby Shampoo system.

[this post was last edited: 2/6/2014-21:43]

http://https//www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLEanEDASPs

 

[sptyks]

I forgot to mention that I have never experienced any smelly odor emitting from my Kirby bag after several weeks. We have one cat and no dogs. I use the new 6 layer HEPA bags and have never had any odor problems.


 


I have never tried it, but I believe GoodVacs.com sells bottles of fragrances, for those who have pet odor problems. You put a couple of drops on a cotton ball and place it between the inner and outer bags of your Kirby. there are a few fragrances to choose from.


 

 

[kirbyclassiciii]

The video that moojuiceuk is showing us actually belongs to James S. (mrxr2)

~Ben

 

[matt8808]

I've got a price.....

Well I phoned our local Kirby dealer today to enquire about pries.

She started rambling on about how the sales people are self employed and how I'd need to have a home demonstration first ect ect and the machines are usually around £1200 but I may be able to strike a deal with the sales person.

So I basically said 'cut the cr@p'... I explained I'd bought the Ultimate G Diamond from them a few years back and that I would say now what I said back then...

"I want to buy the Sentria II machine DIRECT, cutting out the sales pitch. I want a brand new unused machine still in the box, with ALL the extras - shampoo system, Zip brush ect ect and I'll pay cash - give me your best price because I won't be haggling"

She asked me to hold and there was a Ilot of mumbling, then she came back and said I'd be looking at £970.

They also have them in stock (I'd had to wait a few days for the Diamond Edition)

I thanked her and said I may be down on Wednesday (that's my next day off work)...

This is what I was expecting. I paid £995 for the Diamond Edition so the price is still pretty much the same.

Sooo.... hmmmmmm.....

Decisions!!

 

[dysonman1]

The Kirby shampoo system won't remove spilled beverages from the carpet. It cannot help actually remove any kinds of stains, those have to be washed out with an extractor. What it can do, is remove discoloration from foot traffic. You have to remember why it was developed. To allow the salesmen to gain access to the home by offering 'free shampooing'. Basically, it's like applying shampoo to your hair, letting it dry, and trying to comb it out.

Depending upon what the dirt inhaled smells like, the bag would have to eventually stink like the dirt. When the Kirby is used to clean the vestibule at work, it takes two days to start stinking - and that's only asphalt dust from the parking lot. But stink it does.

One of my favorite reasons to like a Rainbow is because it never smells, since the dirt is never stored in or on the machine.

The current wholesale price of a Sentria II in the USA to the factory distributor is $625 (including shipping). For cash, it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to find one to sell me the entire package for $800. Including the rug renovator and zip brush.

 

[madabouthoovers]

£970? for the whole lot? that's cheaper than they were in 1994 when I had a go at selling the G4 for a dealership in Wolverhampton at the time.


They must be desperate for sales if they are selling the Sentria2, with all the trimmings for under a grand. The question is will they actually honour that price when you go back on Wednesday? - or will some gaffer have decided that suddenly they don't have any stock to sell you?


 


Back in 94, you want to have seen the cars that the management had parked on the depot car park - Mercs, top of line BMW's etc, to show us potential "salesmen" what we could get if we sold a lot of Kirbys. Commission some successful sellers earnt was enormous. I didn't do very well, and left quite quickly - I just didn't like the pushy sales techniques they taught us, and customers were rude and cold towards me, because of Kirby's bad reputation from being on consumer programmes back then.

 

[matt8808]

Well I paid £995 for the Ultimate G Diamond with all the trimmings back in about 2006 so I'm not worried about them bumping up the price if I go down on Wednesday for one as it is pretty much the same price.

Obviously it would be more expensive if I'd faffed about with the demonstration from the sales man.

I've basically cut out the middle man trying to earn his extra slice of profit.

 

[kirbymodel2c]

Hi,

<span style="font-size: large; font-family: book antiqua,palatino;">Hi Matt, Let us know how you get on.</span>


<span style="font-size: large; font-family: book antiqua,palatino;">I got the whole package last year.</span>


<span style="font-size: large; font-family: book antiqua,palatino;">Why your at the distributor ask how much the kirby odorific or homefresh is as well as the shampoo,heavy traffic,spot remover are.</span>


 


<span style="font-size: large; font-family: book antiqua,palatino;">James</span>

 

[madabouthoovers]

Well, we look forward to the pics of it, when you get it - there aren't that many Sentria 2's about in the UK yet, and the blue and brown colour scheme wont appeal to many either. Personally I love the colour scheme, very 1970's. I just wonder if Kirby will be replacing the entire G platform this year though to mark the 100th anniversary, thus if they launch a new platform you may want one of these in a year or so's time. The Sentria is, as you know, based on a design going back to 1990, and is long overdue a replacement. Even the classic platform only ran for 20 years (1970 - 1990) before the G platform came out, so the G/Sentria series Is now 24 years old.

 

[kirbyclassiciii]

Compare the lifespan of both Kirby designs (the Classic/Legend and G3/Sentria II) to the first one they'd used since the first model to bear the designer's surname in 1934 (model C), despite alterations to the motor design in the years 1956 to 1970.

~Ben

 

[sptyks]

The reason the Kirby "G Series" platform has lasted so long is that if something works really well, DON'T MESS WITH IT!


 


The Kirby Sentria II has incorporated all the engineering changes over the last 24 years making it the Best performing Kirby home maintenance system ever developed.


 


 One of the major developments is the new Amodel suction fan which is the most indestrucitble fan ever made. It is made of a new polycarbonate substance that is stronger and more durable than metal fans. I know this means nothing to all you folks that have bypass air machines, but it is very important in Direct Air cleaners like the Sentria II.


 


The Tech Drive power assist transmission has undergone many changers over the years making the Sentria's transmission the smoothest ever.


 


 

[this post was last edited: 2/7/2014-19:49]

 

[turbo500]

sptyks, don't you think you're being a bit unnecessarily rude? Dysonman1 has just been singing the praises of a Rainbow, well known its reliability I understand. His comments regarding the Kirby are hardly praising of cheap, unreliable vacuums but just pointing out the flaws in the Kirby. I find it very hard to believe than any member of this site has ever come across a cleaner without it's flaws and it's great that we can discuss both the pros and cons of all the cleaners we've used.

It's also very rude of you to imply that he does not know what he's talking about. I'm sure Tom has used his fair share of Kirby's and therefore legitimately formed his own opinion based on his own experience.

I grew up in a house with a Kirby and, quite frankly, you couldn't pay me to one anyone one. I find them completely over-rated, excessively heavy, stupidly expensive, inconvenient, loud and awkward to use. The dry foam shampoo system does not do a great job on carpet at all - I've always found spray/extraction uprights with a stuff brushroll to be the best for washing a carpet.

And before you say it, I don't care how reliable they are. My 1978 Hoover Senior is still going strong and cost nowhere near as much as a Kirby. It's also very common for Miele, Sebo and (in the UK) Numatic vacuums to last 20 years plus. I'd much rather spend £250 on a Sebo or Miele and spend the other £750 on, say, a holiday.

And as for your patronising comment about "not meaning anything to those who use bypass air machines", I would ask that you please remember who you talking to. This is a vacuum cleaner collectors forum. We have all used many many many vacuums of all different types. Collectively, we are the experts.

 

[sptyks]

Well turbo500, you are certainly entitled to your own opinion as I am to mine, so I guess we will just have to agree to disagree.


I do not wish to cause any problems so I have deleted the sentence you found so offensive.

 

[dysondestijl]

Under a grand???? I thought these where at least double that??

 

[man114]

Having 5 Kirby's and 2 Rainbows I can see Tom's points here. Having a dog & 3 cats and having used many different vacuums I concur that a Rainbow never smells, unless you put fragrances in the water (or leave water in the bin & store it, which should never be done). What he didn't really mention is a Rainbow can actually effectively be used to shampoo because it can wet pickup.

In regards to Kirby, I have mixed feelings about them, I have various models up to the G6. My largest gripe is they are on the heavy side. Newer bags eliminate a lot of the odor issues but not entirely. They do clean well and are reliable, can't say I ever had an issue with that. I find them more awkward to use tools on than a canister or other uprights. The shampooer is mostly useless, and based on how many I see at thrift stores even for newer models it doesn't seem like a lot of people use them. If I use a Kirby I use it to sweep the floor and nothing else, the older machines are heavy to push before they added the drive. The only one I really ever use is a classic 3 to vacuum the carpeted half of my garage which receives little dirt is not that wide and it doesn't take long to vacuum. I couldn't tell you the last time the G6 was used. In contrast I use my Rainbows twice a week with a Dyson or Fantom for a quick run here or there.

 

[sptyks]

Kirby Shampoo system

I always have great results with my Kirby shampoo system.


The only people who have used the Kirby shampoo system on the G series and found it to be ineffective are those who did not set up and/or use it properly. If those people took the time to watch the official Kirby instruction video and take the time to make a couple of practice runs with the shampoo system, they would have had good results. Most of the problems can be attributed to the suds screen not being inserted properly and/or failure to vacuum the shampooed area with a new or almost new bag installed. I have found that the results are much better when vacuuming with a new bag installed in the Kirby.