On the subject of Kirby white amodel fans......

There is NO difference in the amount of airflow with the new Amodel fans. I tested it myself with a Baird Airflow Meter. Yes the blades are slightly shorter, but have you counted the number of blades? The old metal fans had 10 blades. The new Amodel fans have 11 blades which compensates for the blades being slightly shorter. The 11 blades are shorter and more curved to enable larger pieces of debris like coins etc.to be more quickly ejected into the emptor instead of rattling around inside the fan case and causing any damage to the fan.

As far as durability goes, Amodel is a lot tougher and more resilient than metal. Metal fans are actually more brittle than Amodel fans and more likely to suffer damage. Amodel is capable of bending slightly (like hard rubber) to absorb the shock of being hit by large debris. Amodel has been reported to be 300% stronger and tougher than either metal or Kevlar. The ONLY disadvantage to Amodel is that it starts to melt at around 536 degrees Fahrenheit. One way this happens is if people use the inflator tool for more than 5 minutes at a time it will restrict the airflow through the fan case causing the fan to overheat (past 500 deg.) and start to warp and or melt. There are no other disadvantages that I am aware of.


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Post# 316101 2/19/2015 at 16:16 (3,353 days old) by kirbyrama (Pennsylvania)
Checkrate/Likes Are they durable enough for broken glass to be vacuumed? What should be avoided. I just had one installed in my 519 model. I have read many posts on how durable they are.

Post# 316102 , Reply# 1 2/19/2015 at 16:24 (3,353 days old) by KirbyClassicIII (Milwaukie, Oregon)
Checkrate/Likes For starters, vacuuming broken glass with a Kirby is not recommended regardless of the fan material. ~Ben

Post# 316117 , Reply# 2 2/19/2015 at 19:38 (3,352 days old) by sptyks (Skowhegan, Maine)
Checkrate/Likes 1 *It depends...* On how large the pieces of glass are. If they are the size of kernels of corn then it's probably OK. I live in the Northeast and with all the snow there is plenty of Rock Salt that gets tracked into the the hallway of my apartment bldg. I use my Heritage II Legend with Amodel fan to vacuum all that Rock Salt up with no damage to the fan. Rock Salt is about the same size as kernels of corn. Amodel is supposed to be about 300% tougher/stronger than Kevlar but I'm not sure how much larger the particles of glass can be without damage. You can try it. If the fan gets ruined (which I doubt), a new fan only costs about $12 (on line) and is easy to replace.

Post# 316170 , Reply# 3 2/20/2015 at 09:45 (3,352 days old) by rugsucker (Elizabethton TN)
Checkrate/Likes 1 *Kirby fans* We sometimes forget that the METAL fans could chip and break and even cause a cracked fan housing. Then the GRAY fan that was good but will develop tiny cracks that will get bigger and break.(I changed one yesterday.) I have never seen a broken WHITE fan.Scratched and beat up but not broken.As above small bits of broken safety glass might not be a problem.(I might use an Electrolux with the C bag or even shop vac.)At the first VCCC Kirby visit we saw pans of nuts,bolts,screws,etc that were fed into Kirbys in the test lab.They held up well and have been improved since. I have seen cases where the lint from new carpet filled the bag,then fill tube and fan chamber.This caused friction,heat and some warping of the fan.

Post# 316175 , Reply# 4 2/20/2015 at 10:00 (3,352 days old) by sptyks (Skowhegan, Maine)
Checkrate/Likes 2 *Let's put these rumors about fans to rest:* There is NO difference in the amount of airflow with the new Amodel fans. I tested it myself with a Baird Airflow Meter. Yes the blades are slightly shorter, but have you counted the number of blades? The old metal fans had 10 blades. The new Amodel fans have 11 blades which compensates for the blades being slightly shorter. The 11 blades are shorter and more curved to enable larger pieces of debris like coins etc.to be more quickly ejected into the emptor instead of rattling around inside the fan case and causing any damage to the fan. As far as durability goes, Amodel is a lot tougher and more resilient than metal. Metal fans are actually more brittle than Amodel fans and more likely to suffer damage. Amodel is capable of bending slightly (like hard rubber) to absorb the shock of being hit by large debris. Amodel has been reported to be 300% stronger and tougher than either metal or Kevlar. The ONLY disadvantage to Amodel is that it starts to melt at around 536 degrees Fahrenheit. One way this happens is if people use the inflator tool for more than 5 minutes at a time it will restrict the airflow through the fan case causing the fan to overheat (past 500 deg.) and start to warp and or melt. There are no other disadvantages that I am aware of.