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Thread Number: 29983
/ Tag: Recent Vacuum Cleaners from past 20 years
My Kirby update - a year into ownership... |
[Down to Last] |  |
| Post# 333372 , Reply# 4 9/6/2015 at 12:49 (3,148 days old) by kirbymodel2c (Nottingham, England) | ||
Hi, Mr Matt, I'm glad your still happy with your Kirby. He looks as shiney as ever. If you want a Sentria II turbo sander Kent is selling them on ebay... at $35 and $23 postage to the UK. It's in the new style box by the looks of it but if you want one in the original Sentria II box just keep your eyes pealed on ebay. eBay item number:
181771171215
Shame about the cord. At least it's been sorted now. I have one of the first Sentria IIs and they came with the Sentria 1 colored cord from new.
I'm glad your fan is ok after sucking up that nail.
I might have to get my daily driver Kirby shampooing this week... Your Kirby Sentria II looks very smart in the pic where it's shampooing.
If ever your popping by this way let me know. Your welcome to pop in.
James.
 P.S still love your carpet.
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| Post# 333386 , Reply# 5 9/6/2015 at 15:19 (3,148 days old) by sptyks (Skowhegan, Maine) | ||
 Hi Matt, I got my Sentria 1 about 3 years ago. It was a fully refurbished machine that I got off ebay. It has been my daily driver since I got it and have never had a problem with the mains cable. I always keep the cable clamped in the upper hook and still no problem with it. You just seem to have run into bad luck with your cable.
As far as sucking up a 1 inch nail, I would not worry about that. I have sucked up many small small items with my Sentria such as screws, metal washers, small coins, etc. The new white Amodel fan in your Sentria II is extremely durable. Amodel is 300% stronger than Kevlar and much less likely to break than the metal fans Kirby used to use prior to 1980.
If you would like to read up on how Kirby and NASA collaborated to develop the Amodel fan, check out the link below. CLICK HERE TO GO TO sptyks's LINK | ||
| Post# 333459 , Reply# 9 9/7/2015 at 20:13 (3,147 days old) by dedede () | ||
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I've not had a cord problem. But kudos to you on making them fix it. If I got that much push back I'd just buy a cord online and move on. | ||
| Post# 333465 , Reply# 10 9/7/2015 at 21:35 (3,147 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina) | ||
Vacuummania wrote:
I think that many people judge them without trying to live with them for a while and give them a chance to shine. I'll admit that they're heavy to lug up stairs and conversion into a canister is a pain in the butt. To combat this, I have one on each level of my house and I generally use my lovely Electroluxes for canister work. I reply: I do the same except I live in a one-story house so no problem with stairs. When I was in my two-story apartment, my Kirby Gsix stayed downstairs, my Electrolux 1205 stayed upstairs and I also did the steps with it. The Electrolux canisters are great for the steps because they're just the right size and shape to rest on a step and remain stable. I have no doubt that was part of their design. My Kirby Heritage I was briefly an upstairs machine at my apartment until my (now ex) girlfriend 'borrowed' it after she threw her Oreck in the dumpster. I guess I can write that one off the inventory now. | ||
| Post# 333487 , Reply# 12 9/8/2015 at 10:01 (3,146 days old) by cuffs054 (monticello, ga) | ||
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I've got a very long hose with mine. It allows me to put the K in the middle of the room (think AirWay) and clean the whole room+ without moving it. | ||
| Post# 333492 , Reply# 13 9/8/2015 at 11:26 (3,146 days old) by Turbo500 (West Yorkshire, UK) | ||
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| Post# 333494 , Reply# 14 9/8/2015 at 11:37 (3,146 days old) by Turbomaster1984 (Ripley, Derbyshire) | ||
Well anyone who knows me knows that I never but never throw away or resell or give away a vac for good, once I have something in my collection it stays.
With one exception. The Kirby Heritage I bought. It was sold on within 2 months and Ive never been tempted for one since. Glad it works for you but theyre not exactly everyday cleaners for anyone who just wants the job done so they can actually go off and live life. I dont understand the hype but then I do think theres more to life than chasing attachments and hoses especially when there are plenty of machines that clean as well as or of not better than a Kirby. Personal mileage may vary and as much as I like a clean home and vacuuming there are so many other things that I want to make the most of in the small amount of time I have on this planet. Messing around with one of these for a few sofa crumbs and a bit of hose poking when another cleaner can get it done in 1/3 of the time just isnt me. Sounds harsh and I dont mean to be rude , great carpet cleaners and they groom but IMO they are not ideal in any way for above floor and general cleaning when one simply wants the job done. | ||
| Post# 333495 , Reply# 15 9/8/2015 at 11:42 (3,146 days old) by Turbo500 (West Yorkshire, UK) | ||
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I agree. Too big, too heavy, too inconvenient. I'm sure they're great when you have large open spaces of carpet, but who wants to live in an empty living room.
My mother hated ours. Our other vacuum did the same job in half the time. As a full time working parent with 4 kids, why waste time? Not to mention the price of the damn things new and the notorious pressure sales tactics that the reps will use to get a sale. A new Kirby costs more than my house costs to run each month. | ||
| Post# 333497 , Reply# 16 9/8/2015 at 11:45 (3,146 days old) by Turbo500 (West Yorkshire, UK) | ||
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| Post# 333504 , Reply# 18 9/8/2015 at 14:33 (3,146 days old) by kirbymodel2c (Nottingham, England) | ||
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Meh... | ||
| Post# 333506 , Reply# 19 9/8/2015 at 15:04 (3,146 days old) by parwaz786 ( ) | ||
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Wooah get me some sun glasses, that Kirby is B) PS Manchestervacs sell kirby cables but in purple | ||
| Post# 333511 , Reply# 20 9/8/2015 at 15:55 (3,146 days old) by Turbo500 (West Yorkshire, UK) | ||
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| Post# 333516 , Reply# 21 9/8/2015 at 16:12 (3,146 days old) by matt8808 (Teesside - North East - UK) | ||
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Exactly. For me the Kirby works perfectly. Fair enough if I was expecting to use it like a Dyson and keep swapping between the main head and tools every 5 seconds it would be a HUGE pain. But you adapt your cleaning methods to the way the Kirby works and its just as easy, if not easier IMHO. | ||
| Post# 333580 , Reply# 22 9/9/2015 at 11:27 (3,145 days old) by sptyks (Skowhegan, Maine) | ||
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I agree 100% with Matt and I couldn't have said it any better than he did.
I can sum it all up in three words. Kirby = Quality-Performance-Durability!
I have 5 fully restored Kirbys in my collection and love them all and I take turns using them. I shampooed my carpets with my Sentria back in July and my carpets have never looked better. | ||
| Post# 333720 , Reply# 24 9/11/2015 at 14:45 (3,143 days old) by kirbymodel2c (Nottingham, England) | ||
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I... | ||
| Post# 333725 , Reply# 25 9/11/2015 at 16:00 (3,143 days old) by matt8808 (Teesside - North East - UK) | ||
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haha I thought the same James! Can't beat a freshly polished Kirby. Was well worth the 45 mins I sat playing. Gave all the plastic trim bits a wipe over with a damp cloth too and checked the brushroll bearings were clear of threads ect These machines are deffo boys toys I think | ||
| Post# 333728 , Reply# 26 9/11/2015 at 17:50 (3,143 days old) by parwaz786 ( ) | ||
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I like the Kirby vacuums, although I never used one, I have a question. With all that airflow the carpet gets sucked up into the brushbar, don't the bristles wear out? I mean there's no beaters but only bristles yet its like the most powerful vacuum | ||
| Post# 333799 , Reply# 27 9/12/2015 at 11:25 (3,142 days old) by sptyks (Skowhegan, Maine) | ||
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Tayyab, A new Kirby bush roll will last 5 to 7 years depending on the type of carpet and how often you hoover (or vacuum) your carpet. There are 3 brush roll height settings on a Kirby and you would typically lower the brushes as they wear one notch every 2 years or so, then it would be time to install a new brush roll after a couple of years on the third setting. The secret to the Kirby brush roll longevity is very high quality brushes.
To see how easy this is, watch the video. CLICK HERE TO GO TO sptyks's LINK | ||
| Post# 333821 , Reply# 29 9/12/2015 at 16:24 (3,142 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina) | ||
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Long wearing
I have to agree. The only one of my Kirbys that I've replaced a brush roll on was my G5, which I replaced immediately upon receiving it. The bearing on one side had frozen up and the square plastic thingy (I know, not a technical term, but I don't know what it's really called) that holds it in place inside the nozzle had melted from friction. The bristles were every bit as good as those on either of my Gsixes. The Heritage 1 that my (now ex) girlfriend "borrowed" a couple of years ago still has its original silver brush roll and works very well. I doubt very much I'll be getting that machine back.
Given the number of vacuum cleaners I have and frequency with which DON'T vacuum, my brush rolls should last forever ;) | ||
| Post# 333824 , Reply# 30 9/12/2015 at 16:33 (3,142 days old) by sptyks (Skowhegan, Maine) | ||
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"I honestly expect the brush on my machine to last 10 - 15 years minimum."
You must not be lowering the floor nozzle down enough so that the brushes are contacting the carpet properly and therefore not thoroughly cleaning it. Otherwise, you must be wearing your brushes down to frazzled nubs which will impair the ability of the brushes to beat and vibrate the carpet.
My good friend used to work in a vac shop and he told stories of many folks who brought in their early G series Kirbys for repair because they no longer cleaned well. It turned out that the machine was about 10 years old and still had the original brush roll in it. The brushes were worn so much that they were not extending past the rugplate anymore. He installed a new belt and brush roll and the problem was solved. So it is always best to replace the brush roll before the brushes are worn to the point of loss of cleaning performance, typically around 5-7 years of average use.
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| Post# 333834 , Reply# 32 9/12/2015 at 17:12 (3,142 days old) by matt8808 (Teesside - North East - UK) | ||
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Here are two pics of the brush from the last Legend2 I restored. 25 years old.... was adjusted 80% out. Brushes protruded as much as my Sentria2's do and it cleaned just as well too... | ||
| Post# 333841 , Reply# 34 9/12/2015 at 19:03 (3,142 days old) by sptyks (Skowhegan, Maine) | ||
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Of course your Sentria brush roll looks new! it's only 1/7th through it's life cycle!
Now on the other hand, those Heritage brushes do look quite worn to me.
There's no point in continuing this argument. I will replace my brush roll in about 5 more years or so (the machine is around 2 years old now) and I'll feel good about spending $25 on a new brush roll to keep my Sentria's cleaning ability top notch. You will replace yours in about 15-20 years from now, and that's fine with me. To each his own.
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| Post# 334402 , Reply# 36 9/21/2015 at 14:39 (3,133 days old) by CharlesKirby66 (Manteca, CA) | ||
@Turbomaster1984 I just got a Kirby Heritage last week, in honor of my birth year. I also have in my less-than-year-old personal Kirby collection: 515, Dual Sanitronic 50, and Ultimate G Diamond Edition. I have also fixed up two Kirby Generation 3's, two G4's, two Dual Sanitronic 80's, another Dual Sanitronic 50, and a Kirby 519. Further, my Mom owns a Sentria II and my wicked grandmother owns a Sentria.
I have obviously driven multiple Kirby units. I can tell you from personal experience that the Kirby Heritage is the WORST performer of all the above models. As member Kirby519 shared with me, the disposable bag fill tube on the Tradition and Heritage was about the same size as the regular attachment hose, which drastically limited air-flow. With the combination of the restricted airflow and the largest nozzle in Kirby history, you have compromised performance from the typically high Kirby standard.
I would beg of you not to judge the entire Kirby line based on the Heritage model. The Heritage was a snazzy looking unit, just not the typical Kirby performance that we Kirby Lovers have come to expect. | ||
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