Kirby

[marcusprit]

Well in my opinion they should cater for small to medium size homes with a 12 to 13" brushroll. Why only cater for large homes? I can't see why they are so against offering a full sized Kirby and a compact Kirby. It makes sense to me.

 

[marcusprit]

I wouldn't call Sebo a disposable plastic screaming nightmare. They are extremely well built ,very reliable give great performance and are user friendly. Some kinds of plastic are very durable. In fact Kirby are using more and more plastic on their machines including the fan that can be damaged by coins or screws.

 

[turbo500]

Why only cater for large homes?

Funny you should mention this, I have a D80 which is tiny in comparison to my in-law's ultimate G and no heavier than a Dyson. I think the main issue would be that if Kirby started offering a smaller, lighweight machine with the same performance, nobody would buy the larger model.

It was really only with the G3 that Kirby became excessively large. We had a Legend 2 when I was growing up and that was fine being used in a standard 3 bed British semi-detached (not that my mother used it much, prefering to use her much lighter Panasonic).

I actually don't think the tech drive does Kirby any favours. Before the tech drive, it didn't need tech drive.

 

[marcusprit]

Well I think you've just proved my point Turbo. If they produced a lighter model with the same performance no one would buy the larger model.And they would increase their sales too. Just my opinion

 

[tolivac]

I think there is some point to making the Kirby for smaller places-the solution could be simple-just offer a narrower floor nozzle head as opposed to the larger one.I think you are going to see the size of homes getting SMALLER-not larger.Cost of the bigger place-more maintenance,and more energy required to heat,cool,light it.As it is-larger homes in my area are not selling.The "For Sale" signs in front of them have weeds growing around the signs!Some have been up for sale for a few years now!In general all of the DTD vacuum companies should offer the prospect a wider choice!And yes,not all "plastivacs" are the same.The "plastivac" term is used for the really cheap ones-or "dumpster" vacs.And in current Kirby operators manuals they suggest you do not pick up large,heavy,or sharp items so as not to damage the fan.But of course this falls on deaf ears-or eyes-the large number of Kirbys at the vac shop waiting for fan replacement.The items that caused the fan to blow are hung in a plastic bag on the handle-things like nails,coins,Barbie Shoes,Pebbles,.22 shell cases-list goes on.Other direct air vacs wait at the vac shop for fans-Sanitaires and Orecks-older Hoovers.

 

[marcusprit]

I agree the size of homes in the US will be getting smaller so Kirby need to take note of this.

 

[kirbyloverdan]

I am a Realtor

And home sizes will NOT be getting smaller same as large SUVs will NEVER go away Americans LOVE large homes SUVs and Kirbys .

Where are you guys getting your home size shrinking statistics ?

When I sell a home people never say oh we are looking for a smaller home it's the opposite they want and need more space in their next (larger) home .

Dan

 

[marcusprit]

It makes sense. It is going to become very expensive to heat larger homes plus with global warming we need to cut down on energy use. So in future smaller homes will become the norm in my opinion.

 

[kirbyloverdan]

Not in

America they won't

Natural gas is at an all time low we have an over abundance of oil being found here in the US gas prices are falling .

The newest trend is intergenerational families living together that alone requires large homes with plenty of space .

Kirby does not design a machine with out looking into statistics and they know the trends in which to build their machines for .

Dan

 

[marcusprit]

So they don't care about the future of our planet in America? Maybe they will care when extreme weather conditions become very frequent and your large homes are ripped to shreads

 

[kirbyloverdan]

I'm not getting

Into the whole global warming aka climate change stuff that's your belief and I will have mine .

This is a discussion about the new Kirby let's stick to The new Kirby .

Dan

 

[rugsucker]

REAL customers

Just an hour ago a nice older couple came in my vac shop wanting to sell me a Kirby G-5 as they as did not have even ONE call after putting it on the local radio 'swap shop' at a low price.It came from a mother in law who no longer wanted it.They have had it "in the way" for a year and do not use it as it does not have "on board attachments".They know it will clean well and last forever but do NOT want it because of weight and attachment bother.
Also,I hardly have a Kirby wand left in my store as customers frequently walk in with cracked Generation wands needing replacement.Fragile wands are one of many true facts as stated above by our friend in Germany.
Real customers,real stories.
Rolls Royce-It might be worth noting that if 2 people go in a RR showroom,one wanting a convertible and one wanting a stretch sedan,they are not forced to each take the same and only model.

 

[marcusprit]

Well said rugsucker

 

[nycwriter]

Dan ...

... you are absolutely right about home sizes in America not getting smaller.

The most recent statistics bear that out.

And frankly, with how well-insulated today's homes are (especially the newest windows), along with high-efficiency heating and cooling systems (regardless of the ups and downs of the cost of fuel), you'd have to downsize into a tiny apartment in order to save -- what -- even a hundred bucks a month?

Not going to happen.





http://money.cnn.com/2014/06/04/real_estate/american-home-size/

 

[kirbyloverdan]

Thank you

Matt ,

Hence the reason at this time Kirby will not make a compact sized vacuum it will be lighter and more user friendly but that's it .

Americans love "large" I don't see that changing anytime soon .

Dan

 

[marcusprit]

Judging by sales Americans like Dyson

 

[nycwriter]

Rex ...

"As it is-larger homes in my area are not selling.The "For Sale" signs in front of them have weeds growing around the signs!Some have been up for sale for a few years now!"

I'm not familiar with your area, but as a real estate investor I can tell you that inability to sell homes has a lot more to do with their location ... marginal schools ... depressed area ... and LACK of size and amenities.

In many neighborhoods, in fact, the opposite is true: the homes that aren't selling are the 1940s-1960s era homes that are three bedrooms or less, fewer than two full bathrooms, with only two (or worse, ONE) car garages. Sadly, these homes that just a generation ago were considered "family" homes are now barely considered "starter" homes, and unfortunately do not fill the bill for how Americans live today.

Even small families (one or two kids) need at least one extra bedroom for the home office/man cave/guest room (since these days most people no longer live in their hometowns and need that extra space for visiting family members).

Two-car garage is mandatory (since most families have at minimum two vehicles), and unless you have space (or the inclination) to build a "shed" in the backyard, you'll need a third garage stall to keep all your lawn and garden equipment, including the snowblower.

And if you have kids, two full baths is absolutely essential anymore ... preferably with at least a powder room near the living area for guests.

The thing is, in terms of NEW homes, thanks to advanced building techniques (in most cases), extra square footage is relatively cheap. Builders of developments today won't even bother with anything under 2,000 square feet anymore.

And forget about those empty nesters looking to "downsize". Developers of the "acive lifestyle" "over-55" communities often START the homes at 2800 square feet, with some of the upscale developments topping out at 4500. Why? Again, it's how we live. Grandma and Grandpa want spare rooms for when the kids and grandkids visit, since most families these days are flung all over the country (if not the world). And developers are wisely planning ahead for the possibility that owners in the future will need plenty of extra space to maneuver wheelchairs and walkers: extra large rooms ... extra wide doors ... spa-sized bathrooms.

 

[marcusprit]

I stand corrected. I don't know how we manage on this side of the pond

 

[turbo500]

I don't know how we manage on this side of the pond

Quite easilly.

Until I moved into my current house in April, I'd never had a garage or a utilty room, that includes the house I grew up in with a family of 6. It was never a problem and infact we were lucky to have the space we did.

It's all about what you know and what you're used to.

 

[marcusprit]

I was being sarcastic. We manage just fine. Americans need bigger homes because they are bigger people haha just joking