My parents owned a Kirby back in the day
We had the full home demonstration and my folks bought the whole she'bang, even the carpet shampoo-er thing.
So when I was looking for my first real vacuum, I had a friend come over and give the Kirby demonstration. I was really impressed of course, until I found out how much they cost.
This was long before the internet, so I did my own consumer research, learning by calling repair shops, about what vacuums held up. Again and again, Royal was at the top of the list.
So that's what led to my first purchase.
Couple things to look for in a Royal....IMO.
You want the wide wheels front and back.
You want the 10amp motor.
You want the hose kit with all the attachments.
You want the model that has the foot plate on the back for instant adjustement of the beater-brush height and the amount of suction that the carpet will get. Earlier models like my 6amp have a knob that has to be turned by hand.
You want the "later" model with the double wall bag......the bag will be a sort thick light tan material on the inside.
You can buy either Hoover or Royal Hepa bags. Some Royals, like mine with the round cover on the front take a bag that has it's own paper tube built in. Others, like the later ones with the square cover on the front, have a built in tube, so the bags just have a porthole in them.
So give them a good look on ebay and CL in your area. They're light to ship and the handles easily remove (but the cord runs up through them so you don't actaully detach them) and can be laid in the box for a smaller shipping size.
The bodies are easily polished to a mirror shine using "Simichrome" metal polish and a soft towel. 15-20min and they look like brand new, so don't be afraid of buying one that's sort of dull and ratty looking. And even if you find one that's sort of filthy, don't worry about it. You take a garden hose and blast out the bag, and let it air dry. It'll look like brand new. Then pop the beater bar cover off, slip off the belt and take the beater bar out (mind which direction it's arrow points (to your left if you're vacuuming)and use a razor knive to cut off all the hair and crap, and do the same thing with a stake knife for all the stuff that piles up on the belt shaft next to the fan blades. 10min later you have a perfectly clean vacuum, ready to rock-and-roll.
Here's the model I'd recommend. This has the thick bag, wide wheels, bigger motor, longer commercial cord, foot adjuster for beater bar height, and the square rubber plug in the front where the hose will go if you buy a hose kit. This one will also have the built in tube inside the bag.
