Kirby is a excellent vacuum. Cleans well. A number of really good vintage vacuums that are exceptional.
Like rainbow.
Kirby is not for everyone. Hate it for stairs.
There are many videos demonstrating older premium and luxury vacuums and how they compete.
Kirbys have some virtues though in my home with mostly hard floors, area rugs, hallway runners ( Kirbys and hallway runners are a workout ) and above floor cleaning they are a lot more work to use than a good canister vac. I have an Avalir I play with but it's just plain hard work.
But a Rainbow? The only Rainbow I have is literally the weakest vacuum I have. It is a good running E series and literally every other canister vac I have from the 1970s on has more suction and airflow. I took it to an experienced Rainbow tech to have a look and there was nothing wrong. "Just how they are" was all he could tell me. And having to hold a trigger to use the power nozzle is unpleasant. I don't understand the need either.
Having said that our 1982 vintage Kenmore Sears Best 4.1 soldiers on refreshed with a modern motor intended for Pro-Team Supercoach backpack vacs ( direct drop in replacement for the original motor and boy does
that wake them up ), a pleated dome shaped HEPA pre motor filter, a HEPA dust bag from Numatic and the power nozzle was recently rebuilt with the brush roll, motor and silent ribbed belt from a Titan T7 power nozzle. The T7 is literally the old 1981 vintage Whirlpool geared belt power nozzle updated to a modern brush roll and ribbed belt, but all the mounting points are unchanged so the new parts drop in to the old bottom housing and fit perfectly. Probably the best vacuum in the house ( and the house has Mieles, Sebos and Lindhaus ). Long cord, ten foot long hose, three position switch on the hose handle turns the vacuum and power nozzle on and off ( no pedal on the front of the canister body), varibale speed control on the rear of the lid, beautiful attachments and a good power nozzle. Does everything I need, never breaks and doesn't make me work hard to use it.
We also get great service out of an Electrolux Silverado with a modern synthetic AERUS bag, their activated charcoal pre motor filter and a ten foot long aftermarket hose. Timeless vacuum that cleans as well as any new vacuum. Another fantastic old vacuum is our Lux 1R D820 with the Ze3 power brush from Japan. It might be the finest vacuum ever made at any price. It is certainly one of the most powerful vacuums in the house yet is quieter than even a Miele. The Ze3 might be the quietest power nozzle made and as goofy as it looks with no wheels on the bottom, just a flat chrome plated sole plate, it cleans better than some fancier power nozzles from Germany. All the above are great equipment our younger members have probably never even seen much less used to clean their homes.
