The Kirby vacuum cleaner guide. This guide covers different Kirby models and tools that come with them from shampooers to zip brushes. It goes over the different features in the different models and explains why Kirby vacuums are our most popular selling vacuum cleaner.

Great Vacs started selling online in 1998 and since then we have sold over 10,000 high end vacuums online alone. Being one of the largest high end vacuum dealers online we get on average 100 emails a day. Most of which are asking what is the best kind of vacuum and asking for general vacuum knowledge. So we are excited to write this guide because this is an email we get asked a lot, What is so great about the Kirby vacuum?

WHY THE KIRBY VACUUM IS SO POPULAR

The main reason the Kirby vacuum is so popular is its superior engineering. We live in a disposable society. Most of our customers who buy a Kirby are tired of buying a plastic vacuum that has to be replaced every few years. I have seen tons of Kirbys that are over 30+ years old. Think about the money you would save. If you spent 200 dollars per disposable plastic vacuum and went through say 10 of them in 30 years, or you spend 350 to 600 on a nice reconditioned Kirby vacuum, then properly maintained it and it was your only vacuum...quite a savings. The Kirby vacuum is not a disposable vacuum and is sold new in the 1500 to 1800 dollar price range and even at that it's a bargain.

Dont believe us? Check out our pile of trade ins. Almost every one of these were thrown away and are worthless. Even the makers of these vacuums dont want them back. They want you to buy a new vacuum every few years and throw your old one away. Our Thoughts are to Buy Once and Buy Right.

THE BEST DEEP CLEANER?

What really sets Kirby vacuum apart from other cleaners is what we call the "Funnel vs. Straw Theory". This theory is why a Kirby vacuum with a 7 amp motor will blow away a vacuum with a 12 amp Motor

FUNNEL VS STRAW

Please look carefully at the 2 pictures below.

Picture 1

Picture 2 

Picture 1 is the back of a Kirby vacuum head. If you look at the suction hole it is in the middle of the head. This allows for the same suction all the way across the vacuum head.

Picture 2 is a picture of the bottom of most of your average plastic upright vacuums you would find at your local superstore. If you look carefully you will see the suction tube going into the end of the head on one side. If the average vacuum head is 14 inches wide that means that you have good suction on about 3 to 4 inches. On a vacuum like that the large chunks are swept in by the brushroll and the dirt and sand are ground down into your carpet.

So what are the advantages to a funnel design vacuum? I see two of them. One is you actually vacuum up the dirt instead of storing it in your carpet. The second is you can add years of your life to your carpet (and save money on carpet).

Kirby Vacuums have tons of really neat features. They have a tech transmission that allows you to push with the vacuum with one finger (G models). From models Generation 3 to the new model they have close to the same cleaning ability but have added some other neat features (some of them are as follows). With the Kirby G4 vacuum they upgraded the filtration to the micron magic (1/3 of 1 micron), then with the Kirby G5 vacuum they added the kevlar fan (supposedly shatter proof), then with the Gsix kirby vacuum they improved the airflow on the mini emptor and came out with the HEPA filtration (1/10th of 1 micron), on the diamond they put a 2 speed switch to LOWER your power (for delicate vacuuming).

PROS AND CONS OF THE KIRBY

Kirby Vacuums also come with several tools and accessories. The tool caddy comes loaded with tools (13 in total I believe) and a crush proof hose. You can also get them with the carpet shampoo system and zip brush (kind of like a powered upholstery tool, works great on couches, stairs, and pet hair) to name a few. The best part about the Kirby vacuum is that it is the most powerful home vacuum that I have seen. Unlike a lot of other vacuums that only have suction on one side the Kirby has suction all the way across the powerhead and actually seals down to your carpet and creates a "vacuum". Most other vacuums should be called sweepers because thats all they do. However there are some downsides to the Kirby, actually only 2 I can think of. They seem to be heavy if you are carrying them up and down the stairs a lot. However easy to push (you can push Kirby G models with 1 finger). The vacuum itself seems to be around 25 lbs and most plastic uprights are about 20 to 23 lbs. and the hose is not the easiest to put on and off. Once you get familiar with it you can do it in about 15 seconds.

CONCLUSION

So to recap. The vacuum, if taken care of can last 30 + years. They can come with HEPA filtration (the best). They have superior engineering and are the most powerful home cleaning vacuum I have seen. They can come with kevlar fans, a tool for just about every job, and a carpet shampooer. This sums it up. As we sell just about all high end vacuum models, what vacuum do I use in my house as my personal vacuum? I could have any vacuum I wanted and I use a Kirby vacuum.

Thank You

Great-Vacs

SERVICE@GREATVACS.COM