Thrift Store Find: My Second Kirby

[kirbytradition7]

My Kirby Tradition (which I got 2 weeks ago from VacStars off eBay) now has a sister!

I was browsing through a Salvation Army store on El Camino Real just south of San Francisco and near the airport.

Lo and behold, there sat a well-used Kirby Classic III amongst the vacuums. It had lost its shine long ago and was quite dusty. It still had its red plaid bag. I was not sure if the handle grip was original or not, because it was shaped a bit differently from my Tradition handle grip.

I decided to give it a test. I plugged it into an outlet and turned it on, and it ran. At first, since the nozzle was still up off the floor, it spat out some old dirt. Then I adjusted the nozzle down to the carpet, and it cleaned up the mess I had just made.

I got it for just $20 (it was a 50% sale today on everything).

I got it home and cleaned it out (it was full of old dirt); I emptied out the Sani-Emptor and removed some string wound around the brushroll, more string wound around the motor shaft, and lots of dust on the outside and inside. I even took my Oreck handheld vacuum and cleaned out the Sani-Emptor and the bag!

What a steal!

 

[gsohoover]

Wow what a great find.

 

[dustin]

I wish I could find a Kirby that cheap!!

 

[louvac]

Francis,

Congrats on your find! If the handle is somewhat
"triangular-ish in nature and rather uncomfortable to hold, it is the original handle (or first rendition)for that model. They changed it back shortly thereafter to be like the Classic and the Tradition models.

 

[kirbytradition7]

Classic III Handle

Thanks for the interesting info on the handle! Yes, the handle is triangular in cross-section.

This makes the vacuum even more of a treat for me, knowing that the handle is a first-generation Classic III handle, therefore making this particular vacuum a first-generation Classic III.

 

[kirbytradition7]

A Portrait of Two Kirby Sisters

Here is a photo of my Kirby Classic III that I found at Salvation Army yesterday, along with the Tradition I got from eBay (vacstars).

 

[kirbyclassiciii]

Serial # for Your Classic III

Francis,

What is the serial # on your Classic III? Going by the bag and handle design, it is presumed the serial range would lie anywhere between #A000001 and #C999999.

Thank you,



Ben

 

[kirbytradition7]

Serial Number for My Classic III and Tradition

The serial number on the Classic III is A510679.

The serial number on the Tradition is G396086.

 

[kirbyclassiciii]

Thank You...

The approximate dates of manufacturing are:

Classic III 2-CB: October 1976
Tradition 3-CB: July 1980

~Ben