Do you like Royals or Kirbys better? With the latest being the 70s.I love both,but the Royals were lighter,quieter,even more old fashioned looking,more maneuverable so Royals win in my book.

its ALL about Royal...

I love them both, especially since I now have a couple Kirbys in my collection, but I STILL prefer Royals, and Royal "rebadges," especially ELECTRO-HYGIENE!! I think they're both about equal in power, but as David said, the Royal (and E-H) are lighter, quieter, and more maneuverable. One of the selling points I used back in the day was "get the power and durability of a Kirby for about 1/3 (or maybe it was 1/4) the price. And when they were brand new the Electro-Hygiene had the same warranty as the Kirby, but the Royal did not.
Jeff

So true,I adored my Electro-Hygiene 903.The red was more striking than the 880 ,which is the same but in blue and a few less attachments.The 903 was my very favorite upright that I've ever owned!

70s/80s Kirbys.

Primative and Hi Tech at the same time, what's not to like? :P

I found that the commercial Royal at our church is the noisiest thing I have ever heard! I am all for Kirby, whether that be a 2-C or a G-3! :-) I think the Kirbys in general are quieter than some vacuums, especially my Heritage. That thing is pretty quiet!

~~K~~

My Royal 801 is very quiet. I do love the design of the Royals, but it would be hard to choose which I like better. I like the power pedal and height adjust of Kirbys... and their ballooning bags... but I like Royals metal handles (Kirby handles always seem cheap to me) and the round design... and who doesn't love that "Adjust-o-rite" height indicator?

True,today's Royals ARE loud,but remember,I'm referring back to the 70s and before when Royals were 3 amp.machines

Well, the only experience I have had with a Royal was with a newer one and it is loud and akward to use in my opinion. I would LOVE to find one of the older ones as mentioned previously. I kick myself for not buying the one that sat at a garage sale about four years ago with ALL attachments. It was only $15.00 but, in keeping true to my heart, I went with the Kirby 516 sitting next to it. Speaking of older Kirby's, I Was watching "Walk the Line" this weekend (you know, the Johnny Cash flick) and during a scene where Johnny argues with his wife in their new home, in the background, there sat an older Kirby 500 series with one of those bojack paper bag systems on it. Just an interesting little tidbit for you all.

I could list why kirby is better but I would be here all day!
Saying that royal vacuums are nice looking well the ones that look like the kirby uprights anyway.

We don't have royal over here in the UK only Dirt Devil.
I do like the early 90s Dirt devils not a fan of the new ones:((

james

I'm a Royal guy. Personaly I would like a low amp model with a navy blue hand grip, bag, and adjusto-rite plate, but they never made one of those. I did have a dark blue model 996 which was 7 amp and I sold it because of the noise. I think I could get a 6 amp 992 or 994 that looks the same but I'm in no rush to get another one.

I must say that Kirbys are better when using tools though. That belt lifter on the Royal just takes too much time and effort by comparison.

My problem with Kirbys is that there are very few I like the looks of. I would love to have any models from the model c to the 505, the Legend II (small head version) or a G4 or G5 but thats it. The other Kirby models just don't look quite right to me, but most Royals look just fine, which gives them the upper hand in my opinion.

James: Finnaly another person who likes the early 90s Dirt Devils. Not many people do, which is too bad.

Being a Hoover guy, this is a difficult decision. I guess I would say Kirby since they are made close to home in Cleveland. However, Royal was too, right? I guess with me it would be a tie. They are both beautiful machines and that includes the wonderful Elector-Hygiene! Who would not love all of the chrome?

--Tom

I truly love both machines.. but the Royal is lighter, easier to handle and cleans equally as well as a Kirby. I think Kirby has a better hose coupler than Royal, but both have good tool suction for an upright. Tool usage was probably the best selling point for those who did not want to own two vacuums.

Unless of course, you are lucky enough to own a Royal that has the removable nozzle like the Kirby... then you have the best of both worlds..

Royal had the better tools as they were all metal, Kirby however offered a much better warranty and the rebuild program...

Oh my... do I have to choose....

Morgan

You've a Vacuum Collector, Morgan ;]

You can have both.

Royal...None of my Kirby's seem to pull themselves across the room....i love Royals! THE POWER, THE POWER!!

Guys I have to say, Kirby has a strong hold on me. Grandma's 509 and another 512 in the family plus all the ones I have
rebuilt and sold over the years. As well as the ones I've
used. Then again, Royal was there in Cleveland too. One Aunt
had a 401 (?) with all the attachments (that I never got to
use). Started my cleaning business, cleaning offices 5 nights
a week with a Red Classic and changed half was thru for
a fairly new 80's Royal. Loved it for weight, ease of movement, when one's in a hurry. Usually once over got it!
Never had tools for it to know how the suction compared with a Kirby. Always wondered, the Kirby was quick and good power
when you did!
Norm

I like 'em both-hard to say for me.Have a good selection of both Royals and Kirbys.

If your kirby's are not pulling them selves across the floor 1* the belt might be worn or 2* Its time to ajust the brush roll to the correct level so that the brush roll has the correct amount of contact with the carpet then they do pull them selfs across the floor unaidded!:-))

Also there are quite a few royal's that look not quiet right.
Like the upright models with no light/hood. Also the rear of the kirby's looks alot more slimlined/smoother looking than all the royal's I'v seen.

Don't get me wrong I do like royal alot and there better than alot of other vacuums that have come on the market past and present. In all there still a very classy stylish vacuum:-))

James:-))

Regardless of choice, I think fans of both brands are lucky that the vacuums they like are still in production using quality metal. Many vacuums we dissuss have no modern version and were completely discontinued years ago, where Royal and Kirby still exist, and even continue to support older models. I think thats one of the coolest things about both brands.

With regard to Royals being streamlined, the design of the cleaner makes it harder to streamline because of the rear hight adjustment, the oil filler, easy access carbon brushes, and an easy access motor fan.

I think it realy has a lot to do with what market these vacuums are aimed at. Royal has a large commercial line of products where Kirby does not, and commercial vacuums rarely look nice. I find it hard to imagine a Kirby Sentra or G series lasting very long in a commercial environment.

Kirby Definately Kirby very quiet and strong machines gotta luv em. Royal however is a nice machine but is pretty noisy for a vacuum.