I really like Kirby vacuums, but I like them because they don't make big changes.  I like the classic design. 

What do you guys want them to do?  Do you want a stronger motor?  Different brush, or different tools?   Do you want a lighter or heavier machine?  Do you want more metal or more plastic?  Is it a new color you want?  What feature do you guys want?

What do you consider was the last big change?

Having more direct manufacturing dealers would be the best change to the sales model. As I understand it, it's an MLM with a few layers, all wanting to make money.  

Give a dealer an area, give them factory pricing, and market the vacuum in their area.  

I don't know how many layers they have in their MLM, but I get the impression it's at least three. 

Factory direct dealers who sell at a markup, their come-and-go dealers who recruit and train sales reps, and then the sales reps who have to try to make some commission on top of that. 

Of course, I could be wrong; I'm just spitballing. The secondary market price for Kirby vacuum cleaners is closer to the price they should be sold at than what the door-to-door sales reps have to try to sell the units for. That's not good for the sales reps or the customers.  

It's a great vacuum, but it's not worth what some people pay for them.  

It's not worth $1,200. I've heard of people sold on them at $1,800-$3,000, which is just wrong. 

If you sell them at that price to someone smart enough to be wealthy, whatever, it's a free market.  

But if you sell at that price to a little old lady on a fixed income, or someone living in a trailer, by offering them easy credit payments, you're scum.   

As far as changes, I like the more subdued colors of the Aviler and Aviler II; I'm not a fan of a lot of graphics. I almost wish they just came with a solid color bag. I want a more solid, substantial handle, and I'd like the belt release to be polished aluminum. In fact, I'd like the entire housing to be aluminum. Call me old fashion ---I hate plastic, the more metal, the better.  ...but that's just me.  

The problem with going to the Kirby Service Center, at least in my area, is they do not sell direct to the public.  They are the level 1 dealer in the MLM.  They get their units at factory pricing.  In my area their building is not open to the public.  I imagine they have a warehouse because there are a couple of loading docks, service area, and some offices and conference or meeting rooms.  It's a sizeable building.  

If you go to their website, all you'll get is a pop-up about a "free room cleaning." If you call them, and say you want to buy a vacuum cleaner, they'll send your contact information to their downstream level 2 dealers, who are their most successful door-to-door sales reps who are now recruiting sales reps under them.  You'll get one of their door-to-door salesmen at your door.  

The door-to-door sales reps are in a miserable position.  They are trying to make a commission while working for a "level 2" dealer, who are trying to make money off their level 2 pricing from the level 1 "Service Center" owner.  

I actually feel sorry for the door-to-door reps.  These guys are trying to sell a good product that has multiple layers of distribution costs that they have to sell over to make a commision.  It's a bad sales model.  

Which is why you get some reps who are actually desperate enough to try to sell an overpriced unit on a crazy finance plan to people who shouldn't be spending a huge amount of money on a vacuum cleaner.  

If you use an inflation calculator and adjust to 2022 dollars, it looks like most top of the line vacuum cleaners sold throughout the years were in the $800 - $1200 range (in 2022 dollars).  I would say that maybe a new Kirby is worth something in that range. 

I've no idea what innovations would make it more competitive without turning it into just another plastic craptastical vacuum cleaner.  Which I think might actually destroy the brand.  It's kind of a niche appliance. The Harley Davidson motorcycle of the vacuum world.  The aluminum body is probably overkill but right or wrong screams durability, it's motor and nozzle produce good airflow for an upright.  Consumer reports says 5-7 years is a Dysons average life.  People typically don't service them, they use them until the plastic gets scratched up and nasty looking, and or something cracks or breaks, and then they throw them away.  So on top of the MADE IN USA, there is an environmental pitch with long-lasting Kirby's as well.  "Save the planet and buy a USA made product that will last a lifetime!"

If they want to increase sales, they should get rid of the MLM door-to-door sales structure they are using and just go to a franchise dealerships model, or better yet sell them direct to the consumer through big box retailers. 

They could probably drop the retail price to around what a new Dyson upright cost ($700 retail) slap a MADE IN USA sticker on it and ask a little more.  Promote it's longevity, durability, reliability, and serviceability, and call it a day.  A new Dyson upright weighs just north of 19 lbs and is promoted as "lightweight" and has no self-propelled function The Kirby with light comes in at just north of 23 lbs, and at least has an aluminum upper shell.  It's much easier to change a bag out then take apart and clean a Dyson vacuum tank parts, and a lot less nasty.   

Your average Millennial probably doesn't even know the brand exists, unless their parents or grandparents had one.  Relying on financially desperate strangers knocking on doors to be your brand ambassadors trying to sell it for stupid amounts of money significantly reduces their market penetration in the younger demographics who is turned off by that approach.  ...they probably won't even open the door.  

Selling them to poor people and little old ladies with the pitch of getting a "free room cleaning," is a little scammy too.  Trying to corner an unsuspecting potential customer into a multi-hour hard sales pitch with what usually ends in an overpriced offer with predatory lending isn't a good look.  And probably turns off more customers than it wins.  

The one improvement Kirby could make would be to change their marketing strategy and sales practices.  Bring them into the 21st century.   

It's a good upright with ok attachments.  But the company needs to focus on their strengths and forget the rest.  

The door-to-door salesmen are selling these vacuums as the best, most perfect vacuum money can buy and will give a lifetime of service!

How would the consumer (not collector) feel about spending well over $1000 sometimes $2000, sometimes FINANCED, if major changes or upgrades were made year-to-year?

I get we're in a throw-away society.  But what more do you really need from an upright vacuum cleaner?

I don't think you can make vacuum cleaners the new "smart phone."  Not without losing what makes your brand great, or without losing, or maybe even pissing off, a lot of customers.  

Most of the features that are sold today are simply bs.  I guess the robotic vacuums are the "new thing."  But manual vacuums are simple machines.  It's a mature product segment.  

Make them dependable, durable, and simple to repair.  Make them a quality once in a lifetime appliance.  There's not much more that can be done to improve their basic function.   

If Kirby really wanted to make an improvement, it would change its sales and marketing model. 

Price them competitively sell them through dealers, on the internet, or retail outlets and get rid of the desperate salesman knocking on doors.  Sell them for $700-$1000 which is about what they're worth brand new, and make sure parts and service support is strong.  

I'm not a collector, just a person who likes well-built machines that work can be maintained, and more importantly,  repaired.  

When it comes to vacuum cleaners, companies are now making a huge deal out of functionally tiny differences, and then they're exaggerating those innovations to try to sell consumers NEW vacuums for relatively large sums of money.  While discouraging them from just fixing their old machine by phasing out product support.  They also do design changes that they know will eventually make repairing their old models more difficult if not impossible (planned obsolescence).

Kirby is one of the last companies that don't do this.  Unfortunately, it's not the most profitable business model.  But Kirby has been able to do this because of its direct sales and the relatively high prices consumers pay for new machines. 

As I said, I'm not a collector or vacuum enthusiast.  I like old vacuum machines because I can easily fix them.  I prefer metal over plastic.  I like simplicity.  

Honestly, going forward I think all the innovations and leaps forward will be made in robot vacuums.  If I were the CEO of Kirby I'd keep building the same durable manual vacuums, perhaps come up with a smaller model for the Zoomer and younger Milinial market, expand into high-end whole-house systems, and develop a robot vacuum system.