Kirby Sentria

[maggie~hamilton]

Hello, a collector in Germany has sent me photos of the new Kirby Sentria and I will post them here. (Can you attach multiple pics to one post?) This is the first time I ahve seen one. The machine does not look as radically different as I had thought it would. I had heard that all sorts of changes had been made such as onboard attachments etc., when as far as I can tell the only real changes are some minor aesthethic considerations. It pretty much looks like just another in the "G" series.

 

[maggie~hamilton]

Sentria pic #2

Sentria pic #2

 

[maggie~hamilton]

Sentria pic #3

Sentria pic #3

 

[maggie~hamilton]

Sentria pic #4

Sentria pic #4

 

[maggie~hamilton]

Sentria pic #5

Sentria pic #5

 

[maggie~hamilton]

Sentria pic #6

Sentria pic #6

 

[hoover1060]

hmmmm

it looks like they tried to "retro" it some...
Kinda cool looking....
I have a G6 that I use often and quite like, they are good performers, even if they do weigh a ton!

 

[maggie~hamilton]

P.S. on the Sentria

and on the Kirby in general, actually. It really amazes me that an $1800 vacuum cleaner would come with such crummy,cheap-looking attachments.

Of course, Kirby has had plastic attachments ever since 1949 (previously the wands were made of that rubberized fiber stuff like Lux crevice tools were made of), but in the 1940s plastic was a revolutionary new, futuristic wonder-material so I suspect this was actually quite a feather in Kirby's cap to be probably the first manufacturer to use this material.

I have an article from a Plastics Engineering magazine in 1949 I think is the year, maybe 1950, that explains how the new attachments are made and the differences between them and the earlier ones. If there's any interest, and I can get around to it, I'll scan and post the article onto my Kirby web site.

I do actually have a Sentria box! That's what the beautiful 513 that I just got was packed in. The nearly-new 513 was a trade-in on a new machine. I told the seller, frankly, the people would have been better off keeping the 513!! haha It certainly is prettier, at any rate! I think the Gens are ugly and kinda scary looking. I wonder how many toddlers have been traumatized by them!!

 

[chestermikeuk]

Different!!

I like the look better than the G4,, to square, G6 too yellow, picked up a G5 for peanuts and its great...

Any pics of the whole handle which has had a complete re-design??

That handle at the bottom favours a smiley mouth.

I like a bagged vac to have a proper solid "Blow Up In Your Face" bag, the G6 onwards with the slim bags dont do it for me, its looks too base heavy and the plastic emptor base reminds me of a spacemans boot, too clunky..

 

[maggie~hamilton]

Kirby Sentria

Interesting to note that the Handi-Butler has been reintroduced with the Sentria! Wonder how many thousands of them will be found, brand-new in the box, in 2046 just as we still can find oodles of them from the 500/Sani/Classic machines!

 

[gansky1]

That is a beautiful design - I love the red accents.

Word has it that the Handi-Butler is air-driven now so we might be finding them at the thrift stores much sooner!

 

[skip]

Hi To All:

Charlie Lester can You believe there are 2 listed on ebay at this moment. I love the new design I'm definately going to get one, but I think I will go thru my dealer because Kirby Will not honor the warrenty or the rebuild warrenty. the last pics You posted Charlie is from one of the item auctions.These are the item numbers for the 2 auctions

270006402674
290006422147

I heard that Scott Frezter was asking Ebay to pull the auctions off but so far nothing has been done

Skip...

 

[vinvac]

Welcome aboard Charlie

I have been waiting and watching for a picture of the latest Kirby. Kirby will always be my favorite. I have the G6 Diamond Edition and I love it. It has the Micron Filter bags and they leak nothing. We removed wallpaper from the kitchen when we moved here. The walls behind were unfinished drywall. So we had to patch and plaster then sand to paint. I used the Kirby Turbo sander from my Heritage with the Diamond Edition. There was not a drop of plaster dust on the floor, trim work or in the air while using the sander. When I checked the bag in the vacuum even the fill tube looked like new not a drop of plaster dust escaped that bag.

Thanks for the pictures Charles. I would agree though the older models with the larger bags still are my favorites.

 

[urarachu]

Meh.

It's interesting, but I think there are prettier Kirbys.

There are also much fuglier Kirbys too

Another day. Another G series. It's better than the rumored "all-plastic" model!

 

[urarachu]

LOL someone called the fix-it shop today asking if we do warranty work on them. I wanted to lie just so I could see it.

 

[skip]

Kirbys are one of my favorites of all time and Again I love weird looking things and the Sentria is very weird looking to me, so I have to get me one, there are just certain Kirby's that appeal to me not all of them but in my collection I have the model 511, 561, Dual 50, Dual 80, classic III, CR-1, gold plated Tradition, Gold plated Hertiange II, Legend II, G3,G5,and G7 utimate G and soon to be Sentria.

Skip...

 

[vac-o-matic]

Kirbys

Out of my dozen or so Kirbys, my favorite is my restored Classic III. When I vacuum with it, I change the bag over to a Legend II conversion, quiets it down, and I like being able to throw the bag out! I had a new Classic when they first came out and loved it, but when the Classic III came out in red, I had to have one. There's just something about chrome with red accents....for me anyway!

Rick

 

[eluxomarty]

Sentria

I like the look of this vacuum! It would have been cool to see the old round Kirby logo with Sentria below it like the old Sanitronic logo on the belt lifter.

 

[tolivac]

Kirbys are my all around favorite was well.I really would like to see Kirby redo the tools.I just don't think the all plastic friction fit tools are appropriate for an expensive vac as these are.the Handi-butler is great-but how bout the version that uses the Kirbys motor for real power instead of air power.The older Haindi Butler shafts ran from the belt driven head on the Kirby powerplant--and the older handi Butler scroll saw attachment could even be used on the shaft.It used standard universal tang jig saw blades available anywhere.Guess the present Kirby designers are afraid of things that cut?the new Handi Butler has Brush type cleaning tools only.no grinding or cutting tools-but who says you couldn't try the Dremel tools in the Handi-Butler?Anyway the new Handi Butler could be used on OTHER vacuums as well!Just attach it to the other vacs hose.The LED headlight on the Sentria is striking and better than what they had-it shines on the floor and the blue tint light helps dirt stand out.Now I suppose I will have to concentrate on collecting the older Kirbys-more of the 500 sereies. and of course the 1C.
Just thought I would point out some thing about the G3 that could be "Traumatizing" to a toddler or your ankles-put the hose on the G3 and put the Tech drive in "Neutral" as it should be for hose use-now start it and jerk the hose--better do this in a long hall and no people, pets,or objects in the way--The machine will go back into gear and take off like a drag racer and jerking the hose from your hand unless you grab it tight-than you can play "tug-o-war" with your Kirby-no Kirby salesman points that out.From G4 and later-the tech drive pedal switch was modified so it can't go into gear accidently.