So, I got a Kirby Avalir demo done...

[jade_angel]

So, the other day, just after I got home from work, a Kirby salesman knocked on my door, wanting to do a demo of the new Avalir.

I figured, sure, why not - I get to see the new Kirby, and I get my landing shampooed. What have I got to lose?

Well, I was pretty impressed at first - it did a bang-up job on my stairs, which I've been cleaning with a straight-suction upholstery tool on either a Filter Queen or a Simplicity Verve. He must have pulled four dirty pads from each step, mostly cat fuzz. Then he broke out the hose. Well, I don't know what I was expecting, but it seemed to have pretty much identical airflow and suction to my Kirby (a Heritage II Legend). Did well, of course, but nothing to write home about.

But then, he did the "salt test" - y'know, where they pour salt onto the rug, have me vacuum, then show me how much salt the Kirby pulls up behind it? Well. That was a surprise - for the fellow doing the demo. He poured the salt, then I pulled out the Simplicity Verve - with a new bag - and vacuumed over the patch with the PN set at low height, maybe ten strokes. He set up the Kirby, went over the patch, and only got a few grains of salt on the dirtmeter pad. Wow. I mean, the vacuum that goes last *always* gets something the first one missed, but I was shocked by how little salt was left.

I knew those Simplicity PNs were good, but I didn't expect them to do quite that well. Even more surprising, though - I put a dirtmeter on my Heritage II and went over that patch afterward, and got a fairly even, though light, coat of salt grains on the pad. Kind of a disappointing showing for the Avalir, no?

I wonder why? Too soft a brush roll? Wrong height? Wrong adjustment? Heritage II brushroll is just a better fit for my specific rug? Everything I know about Kirbys tells me the Avalir ought to outperform the Heritage II, and yet, it didn't seem to, at least in that completely unscientific one-shot "test".

 

[dysonman1]

The motor in the Heritage II can turn faster than the Avalir, and create more airflow, because the motor doesn't also have to drive the transmission in addition to the brush roller and fan. The cloth outer bag is also larger, allowing the bag to expand more (and breath better). The Heritage II brush roller has chevron shaped bristles pattern, as opposed to the straight brush pattern on Avalir. The Verve has an awesome brush roller, you can feel the 'beating' effect under your feet as you clean.

A few weeks ago, we had dual vacuum collector conventions at the world's only Vacuum Cleaner Museum in St. James, MO. At the second convention, a friend brought his brand new Avalir, and we put it through testing against many cleaners, including the Sentria II and the Maytag M1200. It's a very nice cleaner, but in no way different than the Sentria II, which I've been impressed with for a while now.

 

[oreck_xl]

The Avalir was a disappointment to many forum members, myself included. Improvements that were supposed to come to fruition (such as an on/off switch in the handle, and the bag exhaust at the back of the unit) did not materialize. It does have an improved shampooer, but for the centennial of Kirby I really expected something more revolutionary. What I would really like to see Kirby do is offer 2 models - one with powerdrive (like the Avalir) and also offer a non powerdrive model based largely off the old 500 series without all the weight and bulk.

- Hershel

 

[miskini]

Also

If they could make them about 100 decibels quieter.

 

[jeschbac]

I can't imagine....

how a power switch on the handle or exhaust from the back of the Kirby could ever be considered an improvement!

 

[dysonman1]

I can't imagine the Kirby salesmen having to lug TWO machines into a home. Maybe for Kirby's ACTUAL 100th anniversary (in 2019), we will get a brand new model.

 

[kirbyg6]

I went to see my grandma on Friday and I had a go with the avalir it sounded like the brush roll wasn't working. So I took the head off and the belt had snapped I was a bit disappointed about that. But we found a spare belt that came with it so we put it on and it sounds awesome again. So one improvement I can think off is making their belts stronger so that they last longer.

 

[vinvac]

I am surprised about the Kirby Belt. I have never broken one of the new style belts and find that they last a long time.

The Avalir looks sharp and I am sure it cleans very well. However, it is not enough to make we want to buy one.

 

[kirbyg6]

Yeah maybe she puts it to low to the floor

 

[kirbyvacuum]

Love that Kirby

April 2015 I got a deal on the Kirby Avalir I just had to buy it. Used a few times I got it for 500.00. Love the color combo.I now have the G3,4,5.6,and the Ultimate two speed love that one two. I just love Kirbys from the 500 series to this new one. Got to go my Kirbys are calling

 

[jeschbac]

Belts

Been using the so-called "new" knurled Kirby belts for years and have never broken one. I'll wager Vinvac is right. If the machine is set too far down, the belt probably wears quicker. Besides, air flow is restricted. We had a thread about this in April, I think, and one of my conclusions is that with Tech Drive, it's easy to push the machine at any setting and sales people don't emphasize finding the optimal settings anymore.

 

[miskini]

Or

She tried to disengage the belt lifter when it was running. I've had the same belt on my sentria 2 for a year now, purposely trying to get it to snap.

 

[human]

Not only are the salespeople apparently not emphasizing optimal height adjustment, Kirby itself is exacerbating the issue by changing their recommended method of adjustment. Instead of starting with the nozzle all the way up and gradually adjusting downward until the pitch of the motor changes, they now advise starting at the LOWEST setting and adjusting upward. Doing that will inevitably put more wear and tear on both the belt and brush roll, thus enhancing their revenue stream for those particular replacement parts.

 

[kirbysthebest]

Usually the only way a belt will snap is if the brushroll stalls and burns through, or if the brushroll is forced to make a sudden stop as in grabbing something.  


 


I did see one lady that had taken the rug nozzle off correctly, but she she replaced it, she put the belt lifter in the run position, put the nozzle back on and then turned the belt lifter to off.  This effectively wrapped the belt around the motor shaft instead of on it.  It burned through in a few seconds. 


 


I just replaced the belt for free and re-instructed her on how to use her machine.  


 


As others have stated adjusting too low puts a lot of stress on the belt as well as extra stress on the tech drive when pushing the machine all the way down,. 


 


 

 

[human]

Yeah, I snagged a pristine looking G6 on the cheap at Goodwill last spring that had caught a AA battery in the brush roll and burned up the belt. I had extra belts on hand, so had that fixed and was vacuuming my living room about five minutes after I got it home.