Love/hate relationship with my Kirbys

[mattl]

Kirby vac are still regarded as one of the best vacs out there, you just don't much online due to the cost. If you have lots of carpet they are worth every penny. I keep a Gen 5 on the main floor, a Gen 4 of the second floor and keep a few older units in the basement rec room.

 

Love the performance, HATE changing the bag.  The G 4&5 use the universal bag.  I spent 20+ frustrating minutes yesterday  changing the bag on the 5. Between the rubberized seal and the cutouts in the cardboard collar it has to be the worst design I've ever encountered. I wonder if there is an updated retrofit. Almost wish they stayed with the emptor.

 

On a related note, how easy is it to work on thee power drive? My 4 zips around much better than my 5.  Like to explore that.

 

[tolivac]

I don't have any problems changing the disposable bags in my Kirbys-tkes only moments!No harder than other vacuums I have in my gradually being restored collection.Now have the Kirby Avalir Platinum.

 

[panasonicvac]

I feel like the same

I like Kirby but I don't love them. Or I love Kirby but I just don't like using them. Overall they are good machines but I've simply used better. For the money, they're not worth it. I only look for them on the used market, that's where I'd suggest if anybody is dead set on a Kirby. Some of which I got for free but the most I've ever spent on one was $50. Then once you refurbish it, it's better than anything you'd buy in the isles of chain stores today. Kirbys aren't my favorite cause I find that they're quite a bit of drawbacks for me. They're heavy, aren't the most easiest and fastest machines to use, not very powerful for my carpeting, can't reach in some areas, needs to be maintained often, not quiet, and need to be more delicate with them cause fans are an extra thing to break. Anyways that being said, I agree with Rex that the bags aren't that much complicated to change out especially since owning a G4 and G5 myself. Actually that's one thing I will say that I do like about Kirbys are the bags, my preference being the twist style. As for the tech drive, I'm not surprised to hear that the G4 works better than the G5. The tech drive was updated since the release of the G5, they've been more problematic. But thankfully they are serviceable. Here's a video of a G5 tech drive being taken apart and serviced.

 

[rinso]

My family still has the Kirby they bought in 1952, and it still works. Back then, they only had cloth bags and were toxic dust squirters. Over the years, parts have been replaced, including the motor. A vacuum repair shop modified it for disposable bags. The only vacuum I've had that was a fussy as our Kirby, was my Rexair Rainbow. It was a real PITA as you couldn't just pull it out and start vacuuming. I seldom use it, but we purchased it in 1982 and it still runs.

 

[maytag85]

I have a ‘65 Dual Sanitonic that I use from time to time, along with my Classic 1CR. Also have a Kirby 510, but is out of commission since I took the carbon brushes out to put in my ‘65 DS50. My go to for daily use is a Dyson DC33, though the DS50 gets used once in every while for a ‘deep cleaning’ of the carpets in the rooms.

I find it interesting when people kvetch about the shake out cloth bags, but since I grew up with Bissell’s in the 2000’s which needed to have the filters cleaned off about every use, a shake out bag isn’t all that bad. Yes, the suction and airflow can drop off if you don’t empty the bag out, but isn’t as dramatic as the bagless vacuums of the 2000’s with pesky filters that need to be cleaned after about every use.

 

[ea56]

I HATE bagless vacuums! Cleaning out the filters is a PITA! Plus even after you empty the dust cup, since they at all clear plastic unless you clean the dust cup out too it looks dirty. I’ll take a bagged vac any day over bagless.

When I was about 4 1/2 years old in 1955 my Mom bought a new Kirby from a door to door sales lady. I vividly remember that day because even at that I age I already LOVED vacuums! I followed Mom and that lady all through the house while she demonstrated it. I especially remember her pointing out the slot at the top of the handle that she told Mom could be used as a saving bank for all the loose change she might come across while vacuuming and use these saved nickels and dimes to pay for the FOUR HUNDRED dollar Kirby! You could buy a nice 3 or 4 year old Ford or Chevy for about $400.00 in 1955!

Well Mom fell for the sales pitch and bought it on time with the agreement that she would make weekly payments to the saleslady who came faithfully every week to collect the $2.50 weekly payment. Mom knew that my Dad would have hit the ceiling if he knew she spent $400.00 on a vacuum.

She had a standing weekly appointment to have her hair done and her hairdresser sent a monthly bill to my Dad’s law office for payment. So Mom, went all Lucy Ricardo and made an agreement with Bonnie the lady that owned the beauty shop to pad the monthly bill with the amount that equaled the weekly payments and she gave Mom the cash every week until the Kirby was paid off. My Dad was never the wiser. I didn’t hear about this “I Love Lucy” scheme until I was teenager when she regaled us all one evening after dinner while we were still at the table about how she paid for the Kirby.

We used that Kirby from 1955 until 1987 when my stepfather bought Mom a new Riccar upright. The Kirby went through at least 3 cords during those 32 years but it still worked like new until the day it was replaced.

I remember having to lay newspaper on the floor and emptying the bag from the removable tray on the bottom of the Kirby onto the newspaper and then folding up the newspaper and throwing it away. It was really very easy and didn’t create too much dust either.

We had the floor polishing head and you had to hold onto the KIrby for dear life while using the floor polishing head otherwise it would take off and run itself all over the house until the plug got jerked outta the wall socket.

Eddie[this post was last edited: 3/10/2025-16:59]

 

[qsd-dan]

I got a G5 for free in 2008 and that started my love for Kirby. Found an Ultimate G Diamond Edition around 2013 with all of the attachments for $30 on Craigslist and gave my brother the G5. They're both still going strong. Fantastic vacuums although I vacuum with earbuds and an MP3 player as they're on the loud side.

 

[maytag85]

Direct air vacuums can be a little on the loud side, but they sure do get all the dust and dirt out of carpets and rugs without using a ludicrous amount of power.

The thing with Kirby’s is you have to set the height adjustment down one click as a time until you hear the brush roll contact the carpet. Some people just set it all the way down which not only makes it difficult to push, but will cause it to wear out belts fairly quickly. I always set the height which is usually 2 to 3 clicks down, never had a problem belts wearing out or being difficult to use.

While Hoover did make quality vacuums back in the day, the attachments were more of an afterthought since there wasn’t much suction/airflow at all in tools mode. Kirby designed their vacuums to be used with attachments/tools right out of the starting gate, was also one of the few uprights when the 505 debuted which could be used as a straight suction cleaner when the belt lifter was moved towards the off position.

Here’s the thing that’s interesting, many older vacuums like Kirby or Hoover had a cloth shake out bags, then disposable bags caught on after AirWays’s patent expired, then bagless vacuums began to catch on in the 90’s and 2000’s, interesting how some thugs come full circle. Some people might not like idea of a cloth shake out bag, but honestly it’s no worse than today’s offerings in terms of filtration. Think some of today’s bagless vacuums have even worse filtration since there’s areas where the plastic can distort allowing dust to get by.

 

[petek]

I've had/have a few but haven't even turned them on in years since we have little carpeting anymore. My favorite model was the Heritage II . I left a G3 at my mothers house for her to use years ago but it was too big and clunky for her even with the power drive.

 

[dermacie]

Matt,
Do as I did with my 25 year old Kirby G6 and change the bag adapter to the new style, it just easily twists on. I am pretty sure all the bags work with it and it’s great. All you do is use a zip tie include takes minutes. I love my Kirby my carpets and furniture look lik new still from using a Kirby.

https://www.ezvacuum.com/kirby-bag-...MIiNLH4uaAjAMVNWhHAR1NMg0MEAQYASABEgJlWPD_BwE

 

[askolover]

I have a G5 and an old 70's tradition. I converted the tradition to the new bag style and now it's simple. Both use the same HEPA bags now. It only takes literally a minute to remove and replace.

 

[cam2s]

EZ Change Bag

Kirby did update the bag about half way through the run of the Sentria. All you do is stick the cardboard collar in the holder and fold it over. Very easy change, only a few seconds.

 

[tolivac]

The Kirby is the BEST carpet vacuum -the Metal direct air uprights a close second.Royals also can use the dump bag as Kirby did.Now the dump bag holds on with Sanitaire and Bissel commercial uprights.I don't like bagless vacs either-esp with the bins-just too messy.And the filters you have to replace or TRY to clean.In the future I intend to get another Lindhaus HF6 canister.Simply a no nonesense disposable bag canister much like a Henry.Another good no nonesense canister vac-simple-not embelished-just does the job!Bag gets full take it out and put in another bag.Both the Lindhause and Henry vacs bags can hold a few gallons of dust.Almost like a small central vac.I don't wish to have my present house set up for a central machine.For those-best done while the place is being built.

 

[panasonicvac]

Lindhaus told me that all canisters are no longer being imported in the states, but dealers might have a HF6 left in stock.

 

[tolivac]

I just ordered an HF6 from ABC vacuum they have them in stock.Ordered the basic suction only model.Other suppliers still can get the HF6 that has a powernozzle.

 

[panasonicvac]

Maybe not the commercial model since it's still on their website, but for certain the Aria line won't be coming back at least not anytime soon. I reached out to Lindhaus directly last year after seeing their residential canisters were missing on the website and that's what they told me. Thankfully they did say you can still get parts for them but I'm sad to see the Aria gone as that's the best canister vacuum I've ever used.

 

[panasonicvac]

Just for fun

Here's part of my Kirby collection, I have a total of 20 currently. My all time favorite would be the Heritage II and the best model in my opinion would be the G4.

 

[mattl]

What makes the G4 so special?

 

[DADoES]

 
The theater had a Kirby for some years from the beginning, 1984.  It wore out bunches of belts and brush rolls, although it was used heavily (daily).  The janitorial crew didn't much like it, nor did I.

Kirby belts were used as tires for the film platter drives, not sure if that was OEM or replacement substitutes.