I'd agree. 1CR runs circles around them. I love the 5xx platforms-- my favorite vacuum I own is a 519-- but I think that Classic platform is astonishingly powerful and effective.
I prefer my Heritage ii and I have both the 17 and 13 inch nozzles. I am trying to purchase a heritage I with the 13 inch nozzle which may take over as my daily
Great video. I didn't know about the handle spring upgrade. They made a 4 row brush roll 13 inch for the 13 inch nozzle heritages and commercial Comvac 1300. Here is an interesting fact. The handle on pre 515 vacuums the handle wasn't supposed to sit at 90 degrees upright. It was about a 22-degree angle towards rear side of the vacuum.
1CR was my first Kirby. My stepfather bought it for me at a garage sale, and it had the standard attachment kit. I still have some of the parts (including the original cord), but I’ve no idea what happened to the machine itself or most of the attachments. Classic III was my second (thrift store find), and it came with everything, including the Handi Butler, but that was eventually junked because it was broken from when I got it. I think it was just a busted fan and maybe bad bearings. I still have the Rug Renovator, Miracle Head, and all the Handi Butler stuff (including that jigsaw accessory and the sticks of polishing wax). We used the cord as an extension cord for many years as well. My third was a Heritage 1HD, manufactured in August 1983 at the Andrews, TX plant. That came with just the standard attachment kit. Fortunately, I still have it, though it’s in need of a good refurb. Motor sounds healthy, but it needs a polish, a new handle back assembly, a replacement cord, and I need to upgrade the fan and fill tube. And I will need to replace the gaskets on the fan opening and on the bottom of the Sani Em-Tor (assuming I keep that and don’t replace it with a Heritage II style Mini Em-Tor). It has never been used as a daily driver since I’ve had it. And because my home has no fitted carpeting, and because there tends to be a lot of larger debris that gets vacuumed up, I honestly have no use for a direct air cleaner. A quality dual motor, bagged clean air/bypass machine (canister or upright) works best for me. My daily driver is a ProTeam ProForce upright, which is just a cheaper commercial version of an Aerus/Lux style upright. It even has the classic combo upholstery/dusting brush tool. We’re very hard on vacuums, as we have two dogs and three cats, requiring daily vacuuming, and being a quality commercial machine, it can withstand our abuse. But if I was going to daily drive a pre-G series Kirby, I would probably choose any of the three 2HD models, as you don’t have to modify them to use modern HEPA bags, the later ones have the BPI light, and they handle just a little bit better than their predecessors because they have a wider rear axle. Plus, I think the more streamlined nozzle looks a lot better than the “winged” nozzle, and, although you could just buy these separately, the Kirby Kaddy they came with was the best design (far superior to the G series caddy), and the Zippbrush was an available option. This isn’t to say that I don’t like the G series (my obsession with Kirby’s started with a G5), or that Kirby’s aren’t still great machines, because they absolutely are , but I truly believe Kirby was firing on all cylinders during the 2HD run. And there seems to be more of these on the used market than any other Kirby.
Great story thanks for sharing! I'll say the heritage 1HD had an awesome mini emptor. It was metal and far stronger than the H2 mini emptor. Plus it had a fill tube and it's very easy to chanfe out the top adapter to a round style or F-style. Then you could use hepa bags but have a nice, strong metal emptor. Either way I understand you don't need a kirby for your home, kirbys can be great for hard surfaces but they truly shine and excel at carpet cleaning.
Yes all kirbys are amazing new and old. The advantage to old models is they are cheaper to maintain. And you can leave them shakeout bag, or you can convert them to newer hepa bags. Yea I agree, an older lady owned kirby is great, or a restored unit. I would only buy a project kirby if you're able to rebuild it yourself.
@@rovertv7902 I am capable but it would be nice to get a decent complete one. I've had my Sentria 2 for about 6 years. My first Avalir was a beater, I drove 2 hours to get to it a few weeks back and it was nothing like described. I got the usual "selling it for a friend, know nothing about it" excuse. The tech drive wouldn't come out of neutral, it was heavily corroded, half the accessories were missing including the hose, but for $125 given the distance I travelled I bought it anyway. Did the usual tech drive fix, cleaned up the aluminum going from 120 grit to 1000 grit on my 3" dynabrade, then buffed with solvol. . Blew out debris including a roach from the base unit, deburred the base plate. The shampoo unit was the main reason I wanted the Avalir to add to my Sentria 2, but when I looked at it properly it had been repaired with hot glue! Chucked it. Anyway, it is a nice looking unit now - albeit only useful as an upright which is OK. Wouldn't you beleive it, a week later a minty Avalir 2017 model came up with ALL the accessories, most not used and at less than half the distance to travel. Paid $150 for it which made the previous weeks dog look like a really bad deal! Oh well..... Funny how nice vintage units sell for more than the latest.
I put a lot of thought into this and have my own opinions about it. After using both new and old Kirbys on a variety of surfaces, I came to these conclusions: The 500-Sanitronic series are best for hard floors and multiple area rugs. The brushrolls are gentle and the airflow is perfect. For daily use, I would upgrade to the disposable bag system, Kevlar fan and ball-bearing roller brushes. If you have a mixture of flooring, carpet and rugs, the Classic-Legend 2 would be great. Again, I would do the necessary upgrades if they were daily drivers. If you have mostly carpeting and very little flooring and rugs, the Generation 3-Avalir 2 would be the way to go.
Yes I totally agree, I love 500 series machines for rugs and stairs... You can literally pick them with that tubular handle and clean rugs or even stairs no trouble. The small head kirbys are so friendly for many jobs. And yes an Avalir 2 is great for strictly carpet, they do get clumsy and heavy if trying to pick them up over rugs etc... But awesome large area carpet cleaners! Same with 1-cr through legend 2... They get a large area done quickly and they deep clean like nothing else.
@@rovertv7902 Yeah, I forgot to mention the Classic-Legend 2 are great for just carpet, also, if someone wants an older machine with no Tech Drive. Absolutely; I lock the handle on my 519 to vacuum couches and recliners. I sometimes use it on mattresses if I don't use my Diamond Edition. Having a Kirby with a smaller nozzle is a blessing, because it can get into areas the others can't. I can squeeze into corners in my house with my 519 without having to attach a hose.
I appreciate your fair and balanced review. Some collectors - floor & surface care or otherwise - tend to overlook flaws in their favorite collection periods and accentuate those in others. Case in point, some would never acknowledge the limitations of Kirby's 500 Series. Thank you for your frankness and maturity. I agree with your assessment in that each cleaner has its strengths. I also liked your implication that the Kirby R & D folks used their skills to improve design and function concepts such as putting the handle back farther on the CR-1. Thanks again for your interesting and informative presentation. Btw, what year was your CR-1 made?
@@rovertv7902 You're welcome. Here's the serial number letter code for the CR-1 from Vacuumland: Classic 1-CR (December 1969 - June 1973) R= December 1969 - June 1970 S= July - December 1970 T= January - December 1971 A= January - August 1972 B= September 1972 - June 1973
Pre-g series i prefer the classic omega or d50. For the g models, i prefer the g7 for the dual speed, and the sentria for its performance, looks, and lighter weight. G5 wins looks easily.
What will get the mirror shine on the aluminum? I just got a Sanitronix 7 that works great but nothing I use is getting it mirror shined. I've used 3m compound followed with mothers and white diamond.
Nobody is using a vacuum as a "daily driver". You don't drive a vacuum cleaner,you drive a car. Why not say what vacuum should I use as my everyday cleaner?
