Thread Number: 31250  /  Tag: 80s/90s Vacuum Cleaners
Royal 886 or Royal Classic 4000?
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Post# 345677   2/28/2016 at 09:16 (2,951 days old) by william (Philadelphia)        

Vintage Royal upright model 886 or Classic all metal 4000? And why?

That is the question. Hello all, Bill here and today is my first day on your site.
Which one should buy?
I am looking for help on a recommendation on a purchase of a Royal upright built and assembled in Ohio that has better features and build quality. I have been looking on ebay for the right one to come along and have found these two. I am concerned about build quality and long for a vintage model from back in the days when they built them well and right with pride. Research here and elsewhere indicates an opinion in favor of the Royals from the early to mid 1990s until 2002 when production went overseas. (yuck!)

I like these two models. Who can advise me on the differences on quality between these two models? Was the 400 made here or China. The box apparently says "Made in Cleveland" but you never know! Please choose and tell me why you think so.
Thanks!
Bill


Post# 345681 , Reply# 1   2/28/2016 at 10:40 (2,951 days old) by toastermike (Milwaukie Oregon)        

toastermike's profile picture
Either model would be a great cleaner. From my experience, comparing the two comes down to the motors. I believe the 4000 has a 10.5amp motor and they are extremely powerful but also extremely noisy screamers! I have an earlier 886 from 1987. It has a 6 amp motor that I find to be great balance between excellent power, quietness, and weight. My 886 is one of my favorite Royals to use because it is effortless and relaxing to use.

Post# 345692 , Reply# 2   2/28/2016 at 12:24 (2,951 days old) by william (Philadelphia)        

Very helpful answer. Yes. You are dead on regarding the amps for both. Anyone know the year that the Classic 4000 was produced? Hope it was made in the USA and not overseas.
Bill


Post# 345696 , Reply# 3   2/28/2016 at 13:04 (2,951 days old) by sptyks (Skowhegan, Maine)        

sptyks's profile picture

I believe the Royal 4000 was made 1995 - 2001. I think this is the last Royal to be made in the USA, as production moved to China in 2002.

 

You can read more here:

 

www.vacuumland.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-...


Post# 345706 , Reply# 4   2/28/2016 at 14:22 (2,951 days old) by KirbyClassicIII (Milwaukie, Oregon)        
william

kirbyclassiciii's profile picture
Bill,

I would suggest getting the 886 as the 4000, like everyone else here says, is plain too loud.

Inbetween these two, may I also suggest the following? List below:
Model 992, 993, 9000 or 9005 (1988-1990)
Model 9089 (1989-1990)
Model 994, 995, 996 or 9700 (1990-1995)
Model 9100 (1990-1995)

~Ben


Post# 345743 , Reply# 5   2/28/2016 at 22:13 (2,951 days old) by hygiene903 (Galion, OH)        
Agreed!

hygiene903's profile picture
If the choice is between the 886 and the 4000, I would definitely go with the 886! I think you'll like it.
Jeff


Post# 345765 , Reply# 6   2/29/2016 at 07:53 (2,950 days old) by william (Philadelphia)        
Favorite Royals

Thank you Ben and Jeff! I was hoping to hear from both of you and I did!
I value yours and others opinions. Ben, thank you for your list and Jeff thank you for your opinion. Consensus is 886 so that is what I ordered!

It is interesting. As I learn from this site about build quality, I had thought Royal was tops but there are many Kirby fans out there. Am I missing the something?!

I also purchased Royal's blue canister vac the 4250 after considering the TriStar Compact. I love it. Heard 4600 was better but don't know. Hope I made the right decision...Also I purchased a Prince 501 from I believe 1978. It has the red and grey bag. Bill


Post# 345788 , Reply# 7   2/29/2016 at 11:59 (2,950 days old) by sptyks (Skowhegan, Maine)        

sptyks's profile picture

Bill,

 

Here's a good analogy for Royal and Kirby vacuums:

Royal = Cadillac of vacuums

Kirby = Rolls Royce of vacuums

 

Most people would agree that nothing equals the Look, Feel, Build quality, and Cleaning ability of Kirby vacuums.

 


Post# 345889 , Reply# 8   3/1/2016 at 06:15 (2,949 days old) by william (Philadelphia)        
Cadillac and the Rolls

Very Interesting. I would have thought the value relationship would have put off more people. Considering Kirbys cost $1000 or more, people are willing to spend that much? Royals I think are several hundred but could be mistaken.
Bill


Post# 345937 , Reply# 9   3/1/2016 at 12:48 (2,949 days old) by sptyks (Skowhegan, Maine)        

sptyks's profile picture

Bill,

 

Kirby's are sold only door to door for $1500 - $2000 but the salesman will offer an attractive financing program if the buyer screams "I can't afford that".

 

Royal's are sold only at vacuum stores that are also Royal dealerships for $500 - $750.

 

Kirby's come with an extensive assortment of attachments including the famous Kirby rug shampoo and hard floor care system.

 

Royals do not come with any attachments but an attachment kit is sold separately for around  $100. 


Post# 346005 , Reply# 10   3/2/2016 at 01:56 (2,949 days old) by tolivac (Greenville,NC)        

Royal upright attachment kits.You can get a deluxe kit for like $150 that has metal wands and colored,more deluxe tools-like what was on the Royal canisters.Or you could get the "economy"set that had white plastic wands,white hose and lightweight generic plastic handtools.This would be like $75-80.I have both.Both have the metal hose adaptor that goes into the front of the floor nozzle after you take the belt off the motor shaft.

Post# 346048 , Reply# 11   3/2/2016 at 11:00 (2,948 days old) by william (Philadelphia)        
Kirbys and Royals!

Thanks guys for your valuable information! Thanks to Sptyks for the
many insights on Kirby. I learned a lot from you!

Tolivac, I wonder where I could source now the deluxe attachment kit. Is it still available for the Royal 886? Perhaps the kit works with all Royal upright fittings. I should think they would make it that way.
Bill


Post# 346059 , Reply# 12   3/2/2016 at 14:25 (2,948 days old) by kirbylux77 (London, Ontario, Canada)        

kirbylux77's profile picture
Bill, if it was me, I would choose the Classic 4000.

Why? Well, the 4000 would have a bit more power than the 880, as that's when they started increasing the motor's power & also made changes to the metal fan design. Also, as Ben, KirbyClassicIII pointed out in another recent post, the carbon brushes for the 880 are now NLA, whereas they are still available for the drop-in motor the 4000 uses. Assuming here you are buying this vacuum to use for daily cleaning & not for collecting purposes, the first thing you are going to want to do with the 880 is change the carbon brushes, with how old it is it may just very well be due for them. Considering you can still buy carbons for the 4000 & also buy a spare set to have on hand in the future & be able to maintain & repair it, that would be my choice.

As for the attachment sets, be warned that those are NLA from Royal, & have been that way for a while now. I was able to find a set available from The Henry Company though, as well as carbon brushes for the drop in motors. If you want the attachment set, you had better jump on it QUICK, because I guarantee you if you don't, you will not be able to find it elsewhere very easily.

Rob


vacpartsplusstore.com/catalog/ind...

vacpartsplusstore.com/catalog/ind...


Post# 346271 , Reply# 13   3/4/2016 at 11:47 (2,946 days old) by william (Philadelphia)        
Got last Deluxe Kit

Bought the deluxe upright Attachment kit. With initial 10% off got it for 80 bucks!
Thanks to you! Now all I need is to find a carbon fiber replacement brush roll for the 886. Wondering why they switched to wood.
Bill


Post# 346390 , Reply# 14   3/5/2016 at 14:49 (2,945 days old) by sptyks (Skowhegan, Maine)        

sptyks's profile picture

Bill,

 

I don't think I've ever seen a carbon fiber brush roll for any of the Royals. Just about every high end vacuum including Kirby uses wooden brush rolls. Wood is used because it is not only light weight but offers an anti-slip surface for the flat rubber belts that Kirbys and Royals use.

 

The exception would be the high end Riccar and Simplicity vacs which have metal brush rolls and use a serpentine or toothed belt. Carbon fiber bush rolls are used in Dyson and many other bagless vacuums that used toothed belts.

 

Kirby and Royal used to paint their brush rolls silver/gray but they were still made out of wood. All Royal and Kirby brush rolls are now unpainted natural wood.


Post# 346537 , Reply# 15   3/6/2016 at 18:35 (2,944 days old) by william (Philadelphia)        
Mine is silver grey...

Wow. Very interesting! Boy, I am learning fast here. Hmmm. Well I just bought the Royal 886 off eBay and it came with a silver grey roll. I didn't scrutinise it but it has hex ends. Maybe it is! Looked like metal. I just like premium quality so I presumed that carbon fiber was the way to go.
I will have to check and get back to you on that!
Thanks for all your help!
Bill


Post# 346554 , Reply# 16   3/6/2016 at 23:18 (2,944 days old) by KirbyClassicIII (Milwaukie, Oregon)        
william

kirbyclassiciii's profile picture
Bill,

Your 886 would be made after at least 1992 but before 1995.

~Ben


Post# 346557 , Reply# 17   3/7/2016 at 00:13 (2,944 days old) by kenkart ()        
The big difference

Between Royals and Kirbys is the weight,The old Kirbys before the Classic were great,but since they made the head wider and especially since the G3 came out they are WAYYY too heavy,the Royals don't have the self propelled feature and they are not as easy to hook up the attachments to, but they are LIGHT!! easy to push and really clean, but of course, I don't like the new Royals, I just wont have a Chinese vacuum and that's what they are, Kirbys are very high quality, and made in the US, but are just too big and bulky for small homes in my opinion.I like the D-50 ond D-80 Kirbys best and my all time favorite upright is my 1958 Royal 801, its quiet, light, and cleans well.

Post# 346560 , Reply# 18   3/7/2016 at 00:52 (2,944 days old) by chicagomike (Plover, WI)        
What are the other Royal model #'s and MFG dates?

chicagomike's profile picture
What are the other Royal model #'s and MFG dates besides these below?

Model 992, 993, 9000 or 9005 (1988-1990)
Model 9089 (1989-1990)
Model 994, 995, 996 or 9700 (1990-1995)
Model 9100 (1990-1995)
Model 886 would be made after at least 1992 but before 1995.


Post# 346621 , Reply# 19   3/7/2016 at 11:56 (2,943 days old) by KirbyClassicIII (Milwaukie, Oregon)        
chicagomike

kirbyclassiciii's profile picture
Mike,

The 886 and 887 were both introduced in 1987 and originally came with light blue trim. This is what the 886 looked like before 1991.

~Ben


  View Full Size
Post# 346624 , Reply# 20   3/7/2016 at 12:40 (2,943 days old) by KirbyClassicIII (Milwaukie, Oregon)        
chicagomike

kirbyclassiciii's profile picture
Mike,

Here's a list I created about Royal upright vacuums and the years made:
www.vacuumland.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-...

Please forgive any errors.

~Ben


Post# 346651 , Reply# 21   3/7/2016 at 15:22 (2,943 days old) by sptyks (Skowhegan, Maine)        

sptyks's profile picture

Hans,

 

Just FYI I bought a Royal Everlast 8300 made in 2008. Yes, it was made in China but you could not tell the difference between my MRY8300 and any Royal made in the late 90's in the USA. The quality of materials and workmanship is THAT GOOD.

 

This machine has a 10 amp motor, and yes it is a bit loud, but it deep cleans as well or maybe even better than my Kirby Sentria.

 

 

 

 


  Photos...       <              >      Photo 1 of 5         View Full Size
Post# 346979 , Reply# 22   3/10/2016 at 14:37 (2,940 days old) by william (Philadelphia)        
Thank you Everyone!

All,

I really appreciate your input on the Royals. As a new member here, I am learning fast and furiously from this thread and from this wonderful site altogether.


Ben, thank you for sharing your list as it is confusing with so many models over the years. The combined skill and knowledge base on this site from so many collector experts is amazing. I unwittingly am slowly becoming a collector myself as I have bought three models in 45 days! All do to the excitement generated from learning on this site from you all! I hope my wife will understand....!
Bill


Post# 347173 , Reply# 23   3/11/2016 at 18:02 (2,939 days old) by chicagomike (Plover, WI)        

chicagomike's profile picture
Ditto what William said, thanks for the info on the models/years!!

Post# 347185 , Reply# 24   3/11/2016 at 19:06 (2,939 days old) by KirbyClassicIII (Milwaukie, Oregon)        
william

kirbyclassiciii's profile picture
Bill,

You're welcome.

~Ben



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