This is just wrong

[electrolux~137]

The machine is grotty, looks like it sat in inches of mud, it's all tarnished, the motor is likely frozen, the light housing is missing and the lightbulb cord cut off and the stump taped up, the belt cover is missing, that's not the original cord, and the bag is a mess. Yes the bag is original but the bottom is all messed up and I'd bet my last dollar the holding spring inside is rusted and no longer snug.

Why on earth this machine in this condition would be worth $450 to anybody is surely a mystery to me.



http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270634423151

 

[arh1953]

Bleah

And it actually sold for $430.00.

 

[tolivac]

I wouldn't give ANYTHING for that machine--looks like it was fished out of the BOTTOM of a dumpster full of demolition debris!That one--sadly -needs to go back in the dumpster!

 

[scvacuumguy]

Please send that customer this way. I have a number of used Bissell and Dirt Devils to sell. Some with motors working, some with bad motors- some have decent brushrollers, others have none. Let them know that I'll save them money by only charging them $165 per machine, which is generous considering you can probably make one machine for every two.


yea- I feel really bad for the person who will have to soak this Kirby in WD for 2 months.

 

[ohio_tuec]

I don't - there's a sucker born again every minute lol. It would have never fetched that kind of price without the original duvetyne bag. Messed up though it may be, they make these vintage Kirbys worth a FORTUNE! I only wish there was somebody with talent out there who could fabricate them. I've got so many 505-512's but not one with the original bag.

- Karl

 

[eurekastar]

Speaking of duvetyne

What exactly is that material made from? I don't know enough about fabric to be able to tell. The outside of my 4C has the appearance of a heavy gabardine. The inside of the bag is like felt. While I'm guessing it is some kind of fancy cotton, it gives off the faint smell of an old wool blanket when I vacuum with it.

 

[electrolux~137]

That sure is a beautiful Kirby. I have one of the bags you described with the fuzzy inner lining. I have a feeling Kirby tried the fuzzy stuff to improve filtration but surely when the bag began to have dirt deposited in it and the fluffy stuff got clogged up, it was a failure. All the other older Kirbys I've seen with original bags have had the same type of fabric - duvetyne that has a subtle striped texture on the outer surface. You can see that faint striping in this photo:

 

[eurekastar]

Charles, that bag in the photo surely would have given the Kirby a really nice elegant look. It looks more like an expensive upholstery. I did a google search of duvetyne and really didn't find much, except that it can be made of silk, cotton, rayon, or wool. So then I did another search on felt and found that it is usually made of wool. Surely Kirby would not have made a bag out of wool? It does smell like every wool blanket I've ever had, but I'm sure it has to be cotton. I think wool would have been too expensive.

 

[unimatic1140]

post test

 

[crevicetool]

This here one is workin' too.....