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I went onto Craigslist and found a Kirby Avalir that was used only a handful of times. It is in a town about 100 miles away from me, but I have a large client there and travel there twice per month for work. The seller was asking $475.00, but I offered $350.00 and she accepted. It turns out she is a former employee of my client and we know each other! Small world.

I have wanted a Kirby for quite some time, but have never wanted to pay the crazy-high prices for a new one. My mom had one growing up that she used for years, which I believe she inherited from my great-grandmother. I live just over 100 miles from the Kirby West manufacturing facility. When I worked for a large health system years ago, one of our doctors and I toured the facility to observe the manufacturing process to have a better understanding of how to treat workers who sustain workplace injuries at the plant. It was pretty cool to watch the manufacturing process from start to finish.

I considered the Hoover Anniversary WindTunnel self-propelled, but the reviews all seemed to be pretty poor. I had WindTunnel back in the 90's that was a great machine, but it seems like their quality has diminished over the years.

I think I will keep my Shark Rotator Pro, which comes with a separate base on which to rest the canister when you lift it away from the brush head. It has all of the attachments I use to clean my hardwood floors, shutters, windows, etc. I suspect this will be much easier than fiddling with the Kirby attachments - though I do plan on trying them all just for fun!

Thanks for your help everyone! I can't wait to pick up my new Kirby on Tuesday!

http://clovis.craigslist.org/app/5761670304.html
 
All good suggestions, but I'd start from the other end.

What is your carpet, fiber, etc and what does the manufacturer suggest?

I ask because a lot of people on the net have been complaining in the last 5 years or so because some new carpets, particularly the new frieze (similar to shag carpeting) made of microfibers, make the vacuum cleaner very hard to push because the fibers loop around some of the power brushes and slow them down -- the combination of brush speed and diameter seem to matter more than brand of vacuums.

Some manufacturers, for example Mohawk, who makes some of their carpeting with the DuPont Sorona / SmartStrand / Triexta, had to put up web pages with recommended vacuum cleaners for their carpeting, but I'm pretty sure I've seen people complain about other brands too, it's just that SmartStrand was a fairly popular choice in the last few years.

For example, see https://www.mohawkflooring.com/flooring/carpet/guides/carpet-care-maintenance and the link below.

Either way, I wouldn't change the carpeting to keep the vacuum, just get a vacuum that can clean the carpeting if you have SmartStrand or similar -- the carpet is really very nice and soft and the fiber is very stain resistant and easy to clean. My next carpet will be made with it (I've bought a few rugs made with it to test, it's very nice, but some vacuum cleaners are harder to use than others).

Cheers,
-- Paulo.

http://https//www.mohawkflooring.com/assets/files/selectingvacuum21413.pdf
 
Kirby is my first love

So you made a good choice. 

What I would suggest, depending upon how much you trust your cleaning person.  Demonstrate the way you use the machine: adjusting the height, turning the tech drive on and off.  Making sure that Tech Drive is turned off if the motor is off. 

 

A Kirby will last a lifetime if treated right, otherwise it's like a Rolls-Royce that you took swimming.  It won't last too long.

 
 
.
I didn't mention Kirby because i didnt't think you would accept a used machine.
So ya, you done good! A lightly used Kirby or Riccar/Simplicity vacuum at a good price represents for most a great value vacuum purchase. A slight learning cure, don't park it with the brush bar lowered, read owners manual regarding puting the vacuum in and out of self propelled mode etc. and you are good to go. I believe they also offer a pet hair brushroll and a soft bristle one for delicate carpets.
 
I have the Kirby my Aunt Doris used from the time she got it as a first anniversary gift from Uncle Joe in 1950. She used it until she had to go to assisted living after her stroke in '09. She never had much trouble from it, and sent it in to the Kirby place to have it reconditioned every few years. I still have it packed up at the present.

I have a Sanitaire upright (red with dirt cup) I've had since '97, and always pleased with it. I've not used it recently as I want to get a new bag for it due to mold getting in it. I've been using the Kent Euroclean canister with power nozzle (Eureka VibraGroomer) in the meantime, which works well.

My carpet is all low pile, as I do not like thick carpet due to allergy issues. I would never buy residential grade carpet as it doesn't hold up well for many years, unless it's very expensive. My mom got Lee's commercial multi-level loop carpet (Nylon) put in the house in '68, and it stayed until '05 when I took it up. Some fading, but no bad wear. Some neighbors had to get new carpet three times in that length of time.
 
Westtexman, I am glad you found a Kirby.  Let us know how the housekeeper likes it.  Have always been pleased with mine, I hope You will too. 
 
I'm sure the best, most rugged vacuums disappeared as carpet & rugs were no longer mile-high shags... But I actually broke down & bought a Hoover Dirt Devil carpet scrubber for my den & have plans if I can ever levitate stuff off the basement & kid's room floors to use it in those only carpeted rooms...

 

My vacuum is just an ordinary Kenmore canister... To me, the worst dirt (said to be a pound, per every sq. in.) is what needs scrubbing to get out if I can't get around to vacuuming regularly...

 

 

-- Dave
 
Kirbys,Royals,Metal uprights,Sanitaires.another good contender is the Tacony tandem air uprights-Ie a direct air motor combined with a clean air one.All of these use bags-better choice for clean-and long machine life.So much easier and cleaner to replace bags in any of these!Try to use synthetic Filtrete bags if you can.Other choices--Simplicity-Riccar lightweight "Freedom" line uprights.These handle like Orecks but are MUCH more powerful!And just out a CORDLESS Simplicity Freedom upright.The run time is about 45 min.LOVE this machine-just got it yesterday.It has the upgraded higher power motor.Bet a maid would like this-No cord to fuss with and find an outlet for.Another cordless machine I like is the Volt cordless powernozzle.You can use it with just about any central vacuum or canister one.For fun--even used my Volt with my Kirby set to hose mode!Run time on this is about an hour.You can use the Volt with any hose end that fits the Volts wand-and the hose doesn't have to be electrified.
 
I'm intrigued by the idea of a cordless vacuum! Does the power of the suction stay consistent for the entire 45 minutes to an hour of the battery charge, or does it slowly diminish as the battery runs down?

Bryan
 
Yes the power stays constant until the battery pack runs down.Uses a lithium battery pack.The charge time is about an hour.This generation of cordless Simplicity vacuum uses a motor that runs faster than the first machine that came out.Thus slightly shorter run time.With the older motor the vacuum could last an hour.
 
I buy genuine Kirby HEPA bags on ebay much cheaper than from our local vac places.  My mother and I usually split a large pack.  My 2 Kirbys are terrific.  The old blue Tradition I restored actually cleans better than the newer G5 but I prefer the self-propelled function.  Glad you found one.  I think you will be pleased.
 
Up until just a few years ago, I was always a Eureka upright vacuum enthusiast. They were the same as the Sanitone machine featured earlier. They, along with earlier hoover uprights, cleaned carpet extremely well and the belts and bags were fairly easy to change. They are still excellent vacuums, but self propelled models were very difficult to come by and few were ever made for those models. So the self propelled Kirby vacuums are excellent choices, since they clean very well and are easy to use without struggling to push them. The bags are a little easier to replace, but the belts a little more difficult to replace. The belts don't break when they need to be replaced, they just loose tension and slow down the brushing and last longer. So it evens out for me anyway. I have never actually used the attachments to connect a hose for straight vacuum on a Kirby because it is a great deal of trouble. I have always had a canister vacuum too, which proves to be much easier. My canister vacuum of choice is Electrolux. The bags on those are incredibly easy to change and they have good suction and an automatic cord winder.
 
Simplicity

Is my current daily driver. A very good performer. And when it needs annual maintenance, my local dealership will provide a loaner.

Malcolm
 
Thanks Guys!

I picked it up today. It is in really good condition. It has a few scratches on it, but seems to have been gently used. I played with it a bit on a small rug, but I really don't want to use it on the carpets until I have fresh bags for it. I will stop by and get a couple to get by this week, and then order a large pack on eBay (thanks for the tip, Greg). I am loving it so far. I'm glad to be a part of the Kirby family!

Bryan
 

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