was devised by Kirby to prove definitively that the Kirby can get all the dirt. After vacuuming until the Kirby can pull no more dirt

3 stokes forward and back = 1 day of cleaning, count the number of days of cleaning. Do 100+ strokes with the other cleaner, then pull dirt with the Kirby.  If the Kirby is used to remove all the dirt, and the dirt container of the bagless is clean, the bagless unit cannot pull up any dirt. The problem is the SxS test is complicated, the verbiage has to be just right, and the closing questions have to be asked at the right points in the presentation. Most Kirby dealers are not intelligent enough to master the test. I know, I trained for Kirby distributors.  But, if you can master the SxS comparison, the presentation results in high closing percentage, and high dollar sales.

That's rather an unequivocal blanket statement you made.  As many have stated before, the condition of the machine, and the type of carpet, and the kind of dirt all influence the outcome.

Josh Donnell, are you referring to the test against the Miele in the video, or the complete side by side comparison test?  If the latter, do you understand precisely how the S x S is done?  Do you mean it is unfair because the customer's machine is not new?

The point is to show the customer's machine is ineffective, and the S x S can remove all the dirt in the test area.  The dirt meter uses new filters every 3 seconds. Is that what you are saying is unfair? The Kirby is a very effective vacuum. I know there are things equal to or better, but I don't think a Hoover Elite or a Bissell is one of them, not long term.  I am not as fond of Kirbys as I used to be because of the weight and the complicated switchover.  Vacuum collectors LIKE the process of setting up for different operations, the average person who just wants to clean their home sees it differently.

A Rainbow is probably the best dirt pulling machine over the long term if it is properly maintained because of the consistent constant airflow.

the side by side test was that you actually can get all the dirt out with a Kirby and a dirt meter, then clean next to it with something else the same or more strokes, and pull dirt behind that with the Kirby. Fair?  Depends on how you look at it. Unless you use and maintain the Kirby properly, one can do the same test, even with another Kirby later.

Hyla and the rest of the water filtration vacs with separators are probably pretty evenly matched if the nozzles and hoses are in good shape.

no question. But don't forget, if going against a canister machine, all the suction seals and the hose would need to be replaced as well.  The direct-air machine with rug-lifting capability is far more easily and quickly restored to a level of dirt-removing prowess more like brand-new than any clean-air machine, whether one or two motor, canister or upright, but as the belt heats up and stretches, it loses it quickly. One absolutely HUGE factor in the dirt meter test is that the challenger with the dirt meter is used in 5 second bursts, and the belt never gets hot and stretches.  Even when the incumbent's belt is changed before the challenge, it is used continuously and heats up, with resultant stretch and loss of RPM. Even a small about of brush wear and loss of RPM off of peak is huge. It would be interesting to pit a NIB Kirby against a new Kirby that had seen 15 demonstrations. Enough curve on the bristles and stretch of the belt would have set in to make a difference, I'll bet