To keep the Kirby Heritage II or go with a Kirby Sanitronic 80?

[jeho87]

hWell, I would like to seek some advise from others, what maybe the best decision, cause having a hard time with it.
Well, the situation is I own a Kirby Heritage II that I truly love and very thankful having it and don't wanna get rid of it cause its a blessing but I have been really thinking over getting another Kirby that I desire alot, which will be a Kirby Duel Sanitronic 80 but having issues with my parents who don't want me to get too many vacuums and consider it making the house more messy with things that we don't need they say. I really desire to collect on vacuums and use it for research and study but I believe they don't understand everything why I have such desire to collect on vacuums, especially vintage that is mostly my interest.

Well, with this situation I am in, it has basically came to replace the Kirby heritage ii with another Kirby, to basically convince them for me to get another Kirby but I don't really wanna do that ,but its like I don't have any more options

 

[sopranojam85]

I have an insatiable interest in Kirby vacuums. I love how they look, and I love the attachments. But I no longer own one, mainly from my own personal experience between using other brands. I think you should figure out what your goals are. A good tool for cleaning your residence (of which many brands can meet this need), or the vintage look/feel of a Sanitronic 80? Sure, a well maintained Sanitronic 80 can clean pretty well, but a well-maintained and fully functional Heritage II has a more powerful motor. The wider rug nozzle is a perk, though some people prefer the narrower rug nozzle in the Sanitronic and pre-Classic. Some would argue that the narrower nozzle actually helps make up for the smaller amperage motor's performance in the Sanitronic.

Does your Heritage II have the Sani-emptor, or disposable bag/fill tube? If you currently use disposable bags, are you willing to live with the consequences of a Sani-emptor and shake-out bag? Allergies are real, and no shake-out bag will filter them all out. I'm an allergy sufferer, so HEPA filtration is a must for me. Then again, it's technically possible to fit a disposable system onto a Sanitronic, but you'll take a hit in air flow and performance.

 

[jeho87]

Hey ,Well,yes my Kirby heritage ii has the emptor and I use Hepa filter bags for it. And I don't completely know and convinced yet If I will like it without the bag system with the older Kirby model D80. Always concerned it may has less protection against contaminating the air which I will not like. But I could be wrong with it possibly.

 

[kenkart]

D-80

Its lighter, much easier to use,and I think it cleans better, and you don't have to buy bags,I don't like the wide head Kirbys, in a small house they are a nightmare.

 

[sopranojam85]

I used a rebuilt Classic Omega with a new (solid black, which factory rebuilds supply) shake-out bag and sani-emptor. Yes - got lots of dirt out each time I cleaned. But, would then be several hours of sneezing/coughing fits for members of the household, myself included. Severity of this varied by season. Dogs would track oak pollen in, and cedar season was miserable all around, and got worse when I'd vacuum.

"Everybody leave the house for the 4 hours was not an acceptable "workaround" for me or my family. I eventually got a HEPA bag system for the Omega, but cleaning performance tanked. Tried a G-six. Worked as it should, but for lots of reasons, no longer have this machine.

Not sure if you have allergies, or how many people are in your household. If there's no issues with allergies, go for the D-80 or whatever floats your boat.

 

[jeho87]

I will admit it as much I believe the Kirby is a Phenomenal Machine beyond most vacuums today.
But I wanted to admit that I have exercised with my Kirby like lifting weights as I vacuum and believe its another great way to use it. [ wanted to share it]

 

[kirbysthebest]

Sophie's Choice

Depending on the condition of the D-80.


If the D-80 is in good shape I would grab the green machine.


If the 80 was needing repairs, I would opt for the Heritage II, and wait for something better to come along.


 


 


 

 

[constellation86]

You could use the bag from the Heritage on the Sanitronic 80 To keep the disposable convenience and filtration with the smaller head of the older vacuum. I have done this myself with good results.
Nicholas

 

[jeho87]

Well, I saw a Kirby Sanitronic 80 in close to new condition and seems its brand new in the box and never been used on Kijiji in Windsor Ontario for $ 400.00, which is really rare what I know to get the machine close to brand new.

 

[sptyks]

Keep in mind that if you get a D80 and convert it to use disposable bags, your airflow will be less therefore cleaning performance will be worse.


 


My advise is to keep the shakeout bag on the D80 as long as you don't have allergies.


 

 

[charleskirby66]

I get it

I have owned a couple D80s and currently own one Heritage II with another coming in about a week.  I must admit, of the vintage "pre-Generation" Kirby systems, the Heritage II holds a special place to me.  Its motor is more powerful than the DS80 motor, and is quieter than anything earlier than the Kirby Classic.  Plus, it still had the cool vintage features, such as the curved extension wand, shoulder strap, etc.  


 


The DS80 is easier to drive over carpet, however, and the smaller nozzle is a nice benefit for smaller homes/cramped quarters.  But, the Heritage II isn't that bad to drive over carpet either, just not as light and easy as the DS80.


 


That being said, I sold one of my DS80s and gave the other one to my bestie, who LOVES it.  I still own a DS50, which is my favorite vintage Kirby model, and to me it didn't make sense to keep both models since only the DS50 was "special" to me.


 


If I were in your situation, I would probably trick out the Heritage II, since you already have it and can work on collecting ALL the available attachments.  It might make "more sense" to your parents, too... tricking out an already existing system versus getting an older machine.  I would keep the bag systems on the machines that they were designed for, to keep in the integrity of the motor.


 


I might also continue sharing your interest with your parents, not to the point of driving them crazy, but to the point that they understand your interest in history, mechanics, functionality, and cleaning.  You might share that while the typical person doesn't "need" more than one pair of shoes (or any, it could be argued), we still find tens or dozens of shoes in the typical woman's closet.  Likewise, although one does not need movies or music, we still find many CDs, phonograph records, cassette tapes, and video cassettes in the average man's possession.  The point of this comparison is not to "point fingers", but instead to usher in a sense of understanding and common ground.


 


Have you ever refurbished your Heritage II?  Maybe if they saw you "fix it up" by refurbishing and collecting the accessories, they will be impressed with your hobby and stop seeing the "unusual" aspect of it.


 


Finally, you can gently and lovingly remind your parents that in this world, it is "normal" to fight, argue, be ignorant, be lazy, and be entitled.  Being "unusual" by collecting and fixing vintage vacuums, by comparison, is something you don't mind being. 



Cheers and good luck!

 

[suckolux]

Hard to beat the H2 legend in my mind.

 

[kirbyclassiciii]

Jeho87

John,

Some Heritages, Heritage IIs, Heritage II Legends and Legend IIs also had 13" nozzles (see first two pictures), but they are quite rare.

Also quite rare for the Heritage II through Legend II would be the "reusable bag system" (see picture #3) which uses the old-style Sani Emtor bottom, and is desirable for those who prefer the old way of cleaning the bag--shaking it out.

~Ben[this post was last edited: 4/17/2016-00:18]

 

[jeho87]

Heritage II questions

Hey everyone, well, I really wanna know some stuff about the Kirby and first what is the life span of a Kirby vacuum. I heard they are build to last like 45 years sometimes but does that occur for most people who believe in the Kirby and take care of it. Well, one thing for sure, that is kinda driving me alittle crazy ,is I keep thinking my Heritage two will break down soon but keep telling myself my Kirby will surprise me how long it will last and shouldn't expect it to break down in ten years , well honestly , my Heritage ii seems to be kinda in some rough shape, it has a lot of marks on the Nozzle part and tried polishing it but did not remove. And the handle of my Kirby has chip in it in the metal part, thinking maybe my Kirby fell down the stairs from the previous owner before me, that I brought it from ebay.

And don't know really know how long it was used from the previous owner since its a 1984 model, I was really assuming it was used for 17 years and the previous owner got a Kirby Sentria and sold the older model. I know its very difficult to predict how much a Kirby has been used ,even to the point we cant really tell a lot of times. But still believe its important to know if one can figure it out.

I appreciate the help as always and really wanted to bring this up. Thanks

 

[sptyks]

John,


Kirby's are made to last up to 50 years and more. I have a Dual Sanitronic 50 made in 1965. That makes it 51 years old now and it still runs like new. Yes, it has been rebuilt but that's what Kirby's are designed for, to be rebuilt not replaced like those plastic vacs you find in Walmart, which you just throw away when they break down.


 


There are many repairs you can make on your Heritage II yourself. There are many video's on Youtube that show you how to do your own repairs. Most parts are still available the Heritage II.


 


 

 

[human]

Designed to be rebuilt

The fact that Kirby vacuum cleaners--all of them--are designed to be rebuilt is what lends credence to the idea of their longevity. Since just about all of the moving parts can be easily replaced, the machine can keep running almost indefinitely. It's much like a Mercedes Benz or Volvo, whose reputation for durability is based on a factory recommended maintenance schedule intended to rebuild the vehicle's mechanical systems over time--before catastrophic failures occur. To be sure, Kirbys are by no means indestructible--prolonged abuse and neglect will kill one--so It often becomes a question of how much effort and money one wants to put into bringing a Kirby back from the dead. At some point, it may become more practical to use its parts to keep other machines going.