A New Kirby Dual 80 Arrives!!

[maytagman806s]

Kirby D50 & D80 Machines

Hey Charlie..

Just wanted to say you have beautiful machines. I by chance, ran across a beautiful Sanitronic VII at a flea market in Bay City, MI this past fall that was used a total of 10 times. Jeff.. I may have told you about this one. Anyway, I took this machine to my Kirby salesman who has been selling for 53 years or so, and he showed me a poster that has every Kirby manufactured from the first to the Diamond G. I was verifying that the machine was indeed all original due to the fact that it still had the id tags attached to the handle.

Being one of the oldest Kirby salesman in the Detroit area, he agrees that this machine has all the original parts on it. He also commented that the bags between the VII and D50 are identical, and even the D80 bag is the same as the 50 except for the obvious fact the 80 bag is dk green in colour.

If you are looking for a part number for an original bag, it is Kirby OEM #190065. These bags are still available and have not yet been discontinued, but I wouldn't wait too long, older parts are being cancelled left and right. The ones that are not, Kirby is following Maytag's lead with Hoover. Offering several genuine-but-generic oem parts. Jeff can explain this better then I can. If you are looking for a D80 Bag, that number is #190067. If you need any replacement part numbers, just ask. If I cannot get them for you, then Bob will look it up and tell me if the items are still available. I know I have a picture of my D80 and may have one of the VII, and I would be happy to share some of them.

By the way, does anyone in the Kirby fan club happen to remember the Supersweep? I happened to run across one from Oscoda, MI. last summer that was rough but complete. I have since restored the machine, but rather then try to replace the original outer vinyl bag which was disintegrating, I chose to replace it with a D80 bag assembly. It is now a beautiful Hunter Green instead of Olive, but that one is kind of camera shy and doesn't like it's picture taken.

 

[maytagman806s]

Correction

The D80 bag has the Kirby logo in small ovals according to Bob not round circles like the 50. But he still tells me that the 50 bag is identical to the VII.

 

[petek]

Geeze another person from Brighton and with a vac collection I'll have to drop in on when I'm back that away. You don't happen to live up off the Pleasant Valley Rd area do you?

 

[mrcleanjeans]

Kirby Derby

the 562 and Sanitronic VII absolutely have circles all over the entire bag, the Dual 50 has ovals all over the bag, and the Dual 80 is not only green, but the ovals are spaced way apart from each other, just like in the photo.

 

[air-waycharlie]

Dual 80 Bag

Okay folks I'm getting conflicting information here! First to clarify something with the Kirby bags.

Yes, you can still buy genuine Kirby bags from Kirby or any wholesale supplier, ie: HESCO, ESSCO, Star, etc. The newer bags made by Kirby are a better quality in that there is less dust leakage. However, and this is the BIG thing, on the tan and green bags, the Kirby name is in an oval and the ovals do not touch each other--this is the current, correct, replacement, genuine Kirby bag. The original styles are NOT available from Kirby or any other supplier.

On the correct original bags when brand new, the Kirby name is in a circle on the tan bags, (562, Sanitronic VII, Dual 50), and the circles all touch. A member of the VCCC has a new, in the box, never been used Dual 80 and the Kirby word is in ovals that are touching. This is the only bag that has the Kirby word in an oval and they connect, similar to the early original tan bags. When the Classic 1CR debuted in 1970, the bag was plain other than a identifying patch that was sewn on the upper left.

A word of note here, according to one of our Kirby devotees, the green bag with the Kirby name in the oval used on the Dual 80 that had the ovals touching each other was only used in the first year of production and then they went to the ovals spaced farther apart. One last thing, the bags used for the Classic and Classic Omega including the 1CR, 1CB, 2CB and 3CB, had at least three different types of bags in similar designs but some had a slight texturing, some were smooth and the colors varied slightly. By the time the Classic III rolled around the red plaid was introduced.

 

[air-waycharlie]

Hey Culligan Man............whoops I mean MaytagMan

The Kirby numbers you give for the bags are the correct current numbers as I have ordered several over the years. But, they are the current production and not identical to the originals as I mentioned in the other post.

Thanks for the info!

 

[drmitch]

Charlie, you find the coolest vacs!

 

[mrcleanjeans]

the Triple-Cushion-Vibration station

my grandfather had a Dual 50 that he bought in the mid 60's,and the bag had touching ovals all over it,and he never replaced that bag until the 1980s,in which,it's true that the
genuine repacement bag had the ovals far apart.Also the instuction booklet that came with it showed ovals all over the bag.And the Dual 80,which was launched in 1968,had 1st premiered in late 1967 to the dealers,as its original book said Oct.1967 in its corner and showed the stiffly coiffed woman vacuuming her living room with glee,and the ovals were spaced,though I believe you Charlie about the oval-plastered bag.They probably were using up old stitch-patterns.But I promise you that NO original Dual 5O EVER had circles on the bags.I've worked on countless Kirbys for three decades,and even worked in Kirby shops.

 

[fnelson487]

Bags! Bags! Bags!

It's amazing what you learn on these forums!! I have an original 519 (obtained new in the box), 561, Dual 50, Dual 80, Omega, Classic III, Tradition, Legend II and a G5 (I think that is all). I didn't realize all the differences in the original bags. Most of mine (except the 519) have been sent back to Kirby for a rebuild with the most recent bags. I looked back at an original Dual 50 manual and, indeed, the book shows the bag with Kirby in ovals closely touching. The Dual 80 book shows the ovals spread apart. Shown below is my almost brand new 519.

 

[fnelson487]

Here they are after Charlie and Terry rearranged them

In chronological order - minus the 519 which was left on its pedestal

 

[air-waycharlie]

Ovals and Circles

David,

You are right! I went to my trusty Kirby Service Manual from June of 1972 and looked at pictures of parts and the Kirby logo in the circle was only used with the 562 and Sanitronic VII. The Kirby logo in the oval started with Sanitronic Dual 50.

Fred and I talked this evening on the phone about this and he and I both agreed that Kirby was probably trying to use up some old material so that probably accounts for the odd 80 bag with the closely spaced ovals.

Thanks for make that clear. I will probably keep the earlier tan bag on my 50 since I have a "correct" replacement. It does look very cool. When I use the older models, I always bojack them so I don't have to clean out the cloth bags. With two cats the only way to get them clean is to turn them inside out and then go over then with a power nozzle or rug rat.