I have a Kirby made in 1975 (Classic omega) that still works, but is more a novelty to me now. I prefer my 1984 Kirby Heritage, which I use weekly at least. Works great.
No offense, but unfortunately your budget is not enough. If he's a slob, and breaks expensive machines, this is his issue. Not your issue. I totally get it, if you spend a lot of time at his place, etc. I vote for spending time at your place. A basic shop vac might be okay, as long as there is no carpet. If you could find an old, used Kirby, that would be ideal. I've seen those on FB Marketplace, sometimes free. They might need a bit of fixing but build like a tank. Also very repairable. The downside, they feel like they weigh 100lbs. Or more if the direct drive is broken.
My Aunt has two. The old one is from Mid 1970's. The "new" one, 1992.
Can't go wrong with a cheap Kirby with that recent servicing. It'll be a bit heavy to push around (pre tech drive) but AFAIK that's the only compromise
I own one of these vacuums, and the brush tends to get stuck on the carpet. I’ve tried adjusting it multiple times, but it doesn’t seem to work. I’ve also replaced the belt a few times, but that hasn’t solved the problem. The vacuum works well, but it might be sucking too hard, which causes the brush to stop rotating on the carpet. Just my own experience.
Definitely not an impossible request to find something superb on a budget, especially when you are talking about used Kirby models which can be found on Facebook Marketplace or similar types of sites. Sometimes people are selling the units for a low as $10 for older models, which are still excellent, but something like a Heritage II or newer you can find with all the attachments for $100 (I would look for a Sentria or Sentria II which is from this century); new models are like $1600 and people get rid of them on the cheep because they are bulky and not trendy like a Dyson or Seebo but they are absolute workhorses and will outlive you (I have a 1952, 1975 and 1987 model than runs flawlessly along with my recently factory rebuilt Sentria II that I bought from new). If you are a DIY person, repairs are easy to do and parts are cheap and plentiful.
When it comes to carpet cleaning, Kirby is tough to beat; They are heavy and bulky but models that are newer than a G3 have a transmission that make it featherlight to push. You can also buy attachments new or used and the vac becomes a canister vac, a carpet shampooer, an inflator, and more.
You could return that Hoover and buy a much better overall vacuum in the Kirby and save your self some money ( if you are still in the return period).
Top Vacuum Cleaners on Reddit
1
SEBO
AIRBELT E3 Premium
88% positive of 202 users
Ultra-durable, 10-year warranty, but expensive with short cord.
Lafcadio-O
