Kirby Sentria at the Goodwill for $9.50

[divalishous]

I was bebopping through the aisles at my neighborhood Goodwill when I spied this little beauty. Then I saw the price sticker for $9.50 and thought, "too good to be true" but upon investigating the vacuum I couldn't see anything wrong with it. It didn't have any attachments but a quick search on my phone revealed they could be purchased online. I plugged it in and it runs, there is some suction but the brushes weren't spinning. Another search on my phone and I found that I could sell it for parts and make 10 times the investment so into my cart and home with me it went.
At home we discovered it had a big dust bunny clog at the nozzle and it certainly needs a new belt but the suction is powerful enough to pull my rug up off the hardwood floor. Powerful enough for me. I can't believe the deal and best yet I didn't have to deal with any of Kirby's infamous salespeople. Yay.

 

[twocvbloke]

You could sell it on ebay for a lot more as-is, let alone as parts...

Give it a wipe down, fit a new belt, pop in a new bag and you have yourself a bargain there...

 

[danemodsandy]

Lucky You!

I occasionally find Kirbys where I am, but always older models that would take some work and expense to get into good enough condition to fetch real money. You did super well on that purchase, trust me!

 

[vacumaniac]

Beyond words!!!! That is thrilling!

 

[divalishous]

I think I am going to keep it.

I found a hose to purchse online for around $35, I was just wondering if regular standard attachments will fit the Kirby hose? Does anyone know? By the way by standard I mean a couple of hodge podge pieces left over from previous purchases, maybe a dirt devil and anoth brand I bought at Walmart.

 

[danemodsandy]

Alisha:

Do yourself a favor.

If you need to use other attachments for a while, fine.

But learn what the Kirby attachments look like, and then keep your eyes open for them in thrift stores, yard sales, etc. They do turn up.

That way, your Sentria will eventually become complete, and complete machines are what collectors value most. It will be a while before Sentrias get old enough to be of interest to them, but when the time comes, you'll get the most value from a machine that is complete with all Kirby parts.

I have some collectible Electrolux machines, and all of mine have their full sets of attachments, in the correct color for each machine, enhancing their value. The hardest ones to find were the off-white tools for my late Model L - but patience paid off, and they did turn up. If I ever sell that machine, someone's going to be VERY happy to pay me for those correct tools.

Welcome to the hobby.

 

[divalishous]

Thanks for the advice.

I will definitely be on the look out for the real Kirby attachments, there are a few that I would really like to have. Right now the use of my hodge podge attachments would be because of necessity. Thanks again for the advice.

 

[danemodsandy]

Alisha:

Using what we can find right away is what we all do. It will not hurt the vacuum, and it takes a while to find all the correct pieces anyway.

So, you are now a real collector, and I hope your adventures finding all the goodies will be fun!

P.S.: What part of Kentucky are you in? I was in Louisville week before last, lecturing at the University. Stayed at the 21c downtown and had a great time.

 

[kirby]

I shure wish that I would have been the lucky one to find it! Great find!!!!

 

[jfalberti]

That is a great find

I am a long time Kirby fan, and wanted a Sentria, but didn't want to buy it from a dealer simply because I didn't want to pay the dealers price.  I was cruising eBay one day and found a like new Sentria power plant for a very reasonable price and thought it would be fun to see if I could find all the parts and see if I could build one.  With the help of several people in the club, and a few more eBay finds, I finished building my Sentria.  I have all the attachments, including all the optional ones as well, including the re-released Handi Butler, which wasn't sold very long.  It was a lot of fun, and is a proud addition to my collection.  I have included a picture of it.


 


I know you are gonna love your machine and there are a few people on here that can help you if you need parts and supplies.  This is a great bunch of people.


 


Joe

 

[cparman]

Hello Joe,

I bet you didn't pay "Kings ransom" while gathering all the Sentria components. There is however, one down side to this (perhaps not so great of a down side). If by chance you ever have the need for Kirby rebuild department to rebuild your Sentria for the current rebuild price (which is currently $175) for registerened owners you will not be able to at that price. But there is good news for non registered owners of tech drive models, the rebuild cost is $350. I believe this is correct pending any correction from others.

-Chris

 

[jfalberti]

Hi Chris,

I used to be a Kirby dealer and repair tech, so I know I can't take advantage of the factory rebuild agreement.  On the plus side, since I've been a service tech, I can repair it myself if the need arises. 


 


Kirby used to allow salespeople to return trade in Kirbys and have them rebuilt for whatever was the rebuild price for that model.  I think they stopped it because dealers were having the trade ins rebuilt and selling them to customers instead of new machines.  Don't know for sure, but that's what I heard.


 


That $350.00 isn't bad.  Cheaper than some of the stuff sold in big box stores.

 

[cparman]

Hey Joe,

Fantastic reply, I fell in luv with Kirby's over a year ago after I spent 4 hours replacing the clutch assembly in my Dyson DC14, In the end I had several deep cuts in my hands and cursed like hell during the repair so much I had to seriously con side an alternative. I called my sister (a Kirby owner since 1990), she said why don't you try a Kirby. So one thing led to another and one year later I have (5) Kirby's. The engineering behind the Kirby makes sense, power, ease of use and get this my Sentria is maybe a half a pound heaver than the DC14. I just don't get some people saying a Kirby is too heavy. Also I have a Classic III which is lighter that the DC14. I believe Kirby gets a bad rap among the "Haters". I will never go back to anything else, even my two young boys luv my Kirby's.

 

[danemodsandy]

Chris:

If you wonder why "some people" think Kirbys are heavy, imagine this:

You are a head shorter and at least fifty pounds lighter than you are now.

That would make you closer to a woman's height and weight, and the weight of a Kirby - at least, pre-techdrive models - would matter much more to you.

Vacuum collectors aside, most of this world's vacuuming gets done by women, and if they say a vacuum is a hassle to use, eventually that vacuum gets changed - or dropped. Why do you think Kirby spent all the money it did to come up with techdrive?

 

[twocvbloke]

I'm 6'2", weigh too much and I still think Kirbys are heavy (as does the weak spot in my back), I still like them though, I just try not to move the bigger ones incase I pop a rib out again...

 

[jfalberti]

Yor're right Chris

It was a lot cheaper than buying it from a Kirby dealer.  Here is a link to the post I made as I was building it, if you'ree interested.



http://www.vacuumland.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?15464

 

[gmerkt]

Kirby did something wrong with those Sentria outer bags. Every one I've ever seen had started to go pink (from the orig. gray) to some degree or another. Some, I assume from sitting in the sun, go nearly all pink except down in the folds near the emptor.

 

[twocvbloke]

A G6 bag I had for awhile had some pink UV fading too, so not just the Sentria that has that problem... :&#92

But, UV fading happens to anything that is stored in bright sunlight, even behind so-called UV blocking glass...