We had one in the late 70's, early 80's. It was considered the "Rolls Royce" of vacuums at the time. At the time, Kirby sold vacuums through home sales. I remember it being twice as heavy as most Hoover and Eureka vacuums and it didn't handle well because of it's weight and shape but it did have great suction.
I LOVE KIRBY! My mom bought a Heritage II in 1984 for $1100.00. It still works perfectly. Since then, my dad has insisted upon getting several new vacuums. A 2002 Hoover, a 2012 Dyson, and a 1997 Wet and Dry vac and none are even close to as powerful as a Kirby. When we vacuum the mattresses, you can feel the suction on the other side of the mattress! Try it out!
I completely agree that Kirby are kick-ass vacuums. My mom's 50 year old Kirby is still going strong. But these days with the resurgence of bedbug infestations in peoples homes (these pests do not discriminate socially) I would NEVER pick up a vacuum placed out at the curb like this unless you know for sure why it was thrown out. You might be asking for trouble, unless you have access to a Vikane chamber to gas the hell out of it before using.
My grandma had one just like that. I don't know what ended up happening to it, but I can remember using it all the time and how easy it was to push and use.
My parents bought that exact model of Kirby vacuum when they were new, and are still using it now. Definitely has gotten their money's worth out of it over the years.
My dad had one of these, my mom threw it out. I had a grey one, I think it was a heritage 2, all the attachments, perfect working order, got it for 2 bucks. Mom threw it out. Now I know how much they cost... HNNG.
ha ha plug it in to see if it works why wouldn't it its a Kirby you can't kill a Kirby unless you kill the motor or something but it can be replaced. one mans trash is another mans treasure and you cant complain you got it free.
Had one just like it. They last forever if given just the slightest maintenance. I have a Classic I, a Classic III, a G4 with tech drive, & an odd ball blue one. Its not a Tradition, but resembles my Classic I. They all run great & look great after a lot of polishing! I do like the mirror reflection on them.
cord are cheap and they are the easiest cord on the planet to change. if you can plug something in you can replace this cord. its a 30 second job, pure genius in design
I gave mine to my dad I bought 2 in 2014 the 100 year anniversary model all black paid check saved a lot on interest it was like getting 2 for one I got 2 one up stairs and one down kind of miss my old one
I’ve seen many comments on here of people tells me you what to do when lowering the nozzle the one thing they forget to mention is that your meant to raise the nozzle before you turn it off. If you don’t it’s the biggest cause of premature belt wear
The coin slot is how they used to pay for the vacuum. They would put a quarter in the slot each time they vacuumed, and the Kirby man would come around and empty it, back in the old days.
In the mid 1980's we had a call from a door-to-door sales man selling those exact same Kirby cleaners. I couldn't understand why anyone would want a spray gun attachment for a vacuum cleaner and the sales man said you can use it for spraying roses.. hahaha. Even more of a laugh was the price he was trying to sell it to my parents for... Over £1000 .... That was 30 years ago!!!
Yeah, great find! I think Kirbys are overpriced, but they work. That "massage" thing could be used on a brave dog. My mom used to vacuum the dog and he loved it. Gets the dirt and loose hair off him, maybe some fleas. I've bought used Kirbys on line for gifts. To know how low to go with the ratchet: Start at high notch with vacuum on. Lower one click at a time till the sound changes, then do one more click.
for the massage cup I was also told if you flip it inside out, and attach it as a blower, you can use it to blow out clogs in your sink. but i'm not so sure that is a clean and effective method to clean a sink clog.
The recommended procedure to adjusting a Kirby is to lower the nozzle one notch at a time until you hear a change in the sound of the motor, which indicates you have the nozzle at the right height.
That guard piece is to put on the front end when you're going to use it as a blower which you can do to keep your fingers out of the impeller you really don't want to get your fingers caught in there or your hair
I should not have said vacuuming because that vacuum you put the hose on the bag and you take the bag off and you can also use it as a blower Kirby very versatile
I have a FilterQueen vacuum and they have a massaging brush but they say you can also use it for getting loose hair and dandruff of your head or use it when your pets are shedding really bad.
We had a heritage 2 growing up it was what I learned to vacuum with and got to use the shampoo error on it and it did a good job did the heritage 1 have a shampoo error system
Heavy vacuums, but they work great. Been keeping my eyes open for one for a descent price...can't afford a new one they cost as much as a used car LOL.
I have one just like it. I am getting it ready to sell on Craig's list. It's my 3rd Kirby and I have always been a loyal Kirby owner. Unfortunately it has become too heavy for me. I also am a fan of Shark. We have the original Shark that looks like a Dustbuster that you plug in, but let me tell you our little Shark has not lost any suction and is great for our travel trailer. So I bought an upright Shark Navigator Lift Away Deluxe. I have to say the suction is almost as good as the Kirby. I think the Kirby is slightly better. If this Shark does as good as the one in our travel trailer, I will be perfectly happy. I hate to sell my Kirby, but we just don't have room for it. Great trash find. very nice machine. If I were you, I would keep the Kirby and sell the Kenmore. Cool video. Have a Great Day!
This is a pre techdrive model, you are supposed to lower the floor nozzle until it makes that really deep noise but it is harder to push that way, btw how quickly did that dust bag fill up?
***** If there is one rare accessory to obtain for your machine, it is a 13" wide nozzle (143382S)--the one that resembles a 500/Sanitronic series nozzle. It's said to have better distribution of suction than the standard 16" wide nozzle.
i'd say i'm jellus but i got a g6 witch is years newer and came with a brand new hose the brush roll could use replacement oh and all the attachments ;D i wonderd what the slot on the back was to
man people are so stupid, throw that kirby away??? why? that vacuum can still fetch 100 bucks on ebay in that condition or they could have kept it for another 20 years. i have had the same machine for 15 years my mom bought it used at a vac center for $100. minor repairs and it will last forever. i suggest you check the motor brushes for wear they are cheap to replace if worn. i suggest you use that as your primary vacuum they would great and parts are readily available.
I can't believe someone threw that away... stupid, wasteful, unappreciative people. Take care of it; not even Kirby's newer models are built like that anymore
@Kirby vacuum Lover I am not saying that newer Kirby models aren't well built; they are certainly superior when compared to other vacuums on the market. However, that does not change the fact that the Kirbys of today are not as well built as the models of yesteryear. Kirbys have had 4-5 major "periods": the earliest, most primitive models, the transitional and innovative period beginning with the Dual Sanitronic 50, cosmetic and motor revisions beginning with the Classic 1cr, the first "modern" Kirbys beginning with the Generation 3, and the current Kirby beginning with the Sentria. The noticable difference in build quality began with the Generation 3. It was the first model with Tech Drive, and because of this, was pretty much a redesign over the previous model, the Legend II. The hoses were noticeably cheaper, not thick and sturdy like the Legend II and older. Fans since the Generation 3 are made out of Kevlar, and are not as durable as the metal ones in the Legend II and older. I should know, the metal fan on my 1965 Dual Sanitronic 50 is still going strong, and my mom's 1992 Generation 3 has needed 1 replacement so far. I'd rather have a heavier machine with all metal construction than a lighter machine made with more plastic components.
TrueBlueMu Royals are rubbish compared to a Kirby. Royal cant do have the things a Kirby can do. Kirbys can: Become an Air Pump A sprayer (paint walls, fences) Portable Shampooer (Upholstery, Stairs) Canister vacuum Hand Portable vacuum Carpet Shampooer Straight Suction upright Turbo Accessary System (Sander, Scourer, Polisher) And of cause the famous DEEP cleaning upright. The newer Kirby (Avalir) can also Shampoo hard floors, shampoo tiles and clean grout lines, can also polish hard floors to a bright shine. The newer Kirbys (G3-Avalir) are self propelled. So less effort is needed to move the vacuum across the floor This proves that the Kirby IS much better than a Royal
@@vacuumcleanercollectorfixe1499 Even though a Kirby can do all of that, that doesn't make a Royal rubbish in comparison. Royals are in fact some of the best vacuums made. I have a Royal Classic Edition model 9089 from 1989. I also have a Kirby Heritage II and previously had a G3 that I sold a while back. I've had the Royal for 4 years and the Heritage II I just got recently but the Royal is still the easiest vacuum to use. The self propelled Kirbys are more annoying than they are convenient if you ask me because of how much heavier they are than the older Kirbys and they don't push as smoothly. I never liked the G3 in comparison to the Royal, so it pretty much just sat in the closet while I used the Royal frequently. I much prefer the Heritage II as it pushes and maneuvers better than the G3 did, it's much lighter, and it's quieter. My Royal is one of the most powerful, effective vacuums I've ever used and nothing pushes as easily as it does. The roller brush propels the vacuum across the floor and it maneuvers very easily with the wheels it uses. So no, the Kirby is not a superior machine. They both have their advantages, but one is not significantly better than the other.
