Kirby - G4

I feel the same way. As much as I love my Dyson v7 for going over the house quickly, it’s not fun to clean (and doesn’t hold much) compared to my Kirby g4.

The Kirby is a lot of fun - it’s like vacuuming your carpet with a jet engine. They do need tune-ups though. The silicone seal in the fan chamber eventually wears out, and the handle actuator sometimes needs adjustment. Vintage Electrolux machines are always a hit (they actually still make the same body style, just without the good smooth motor). Hoover constellation is fun: floats like a hovercraft. Zero-G uses the same technology in a modern machine. I miss mine. It was the reproduction model from the 2000s. Hoover fitted it with a beefy 1400w suction motor and it had gobs of power. I’m praying to the vacuum gods I can find a New Old Stock one. There’s of course the Hoover Convertible (decade 80 too) and eureka F&G machines. Hoover Concept I and II are excellent cleaners. There’s some really neat Kenmore cleaners too. Whirlpool was their manufacturer then they switched mainly to Panasonic.

I love my barn find Kirby G4 but it’s an OLD machine - not its age, the design of it. The Generation machines were developed in the 1980s when clean-air vacuums are starting to take hold of the market. The SEBO X1 is just about as old yet the X series is still running strong because of the design. Here is one of the most expensive vacuum cleaners that: doesn’t have an onboard hose, doesn’t really clean bare floors in upright mode, needs belt changes all the time, hard or sharp objects can damage the fan, it requires training on the height adjustment and tech drive, it’s huge and doesn’t fit under furniture, and it’s loud. Comparing, a SEBO costs less, requires less maintenance, is far easier to use, cleans bare floors well, has onboard attachments, etc. It’s not a convenient vacuum cleaner to use and convenience is worth a huge amount to average users.

Owned Dyson DC07 for 3 years. Small canister, constant clogs, half dozen fiddly covers and latches to remove for clearing a clog. Switching to hose was a real chore, dumb design. Shark Vertex Duoclean, 1yr 7mo so far. Good power, great design, canister lifts away so the vacuum can go under furniture, switch to hose with a button press. Single door for cleanout. Kirby G4, 30 years so far, handed down from parents. Ultimate power, ultimate weight. Suck the dimples off a golf ball, never a clog. Bulky, heavy, indestructible. Switch to hose is a bit clumsy. You can get a used G3 or G4 on marketplace or Craigslist and have no concerns about it lasting decades. TLDR: Shark Duoclean for lightweight day to day. Kirby for monthly "deep cleaning".

I bought a used Kirby G4 25 years ago and love it.

I’ve got 2 G4s and a G6. I’m quite fond of them but I would never spend that money buying them new. They can be had used for a fraction of that. I think I spent ~$250 on my first G4 from a Kirby vacuum shop, freshly refurbished. The second G4 I bought for $20 on marketplace and also had it refurbished for ~$200 at that shop. The G6 I got for free at a garage sale, replaced the belt, bag, and cleaned it out and have been using it as is. They get used and abused at a movie theater and my house. I’d like it if they had a tube to do edges and corners with but it’s not that big of a deal. The G6 power drive is better than the ones on the G4s

For carpet, it’s hands down the best. It has the most of everything a vac needs to super clean carpet. Airflow, agitation, etc. 132 - 150 CFM is monstrously high, and that is measured where the carpet intake is. On other vacs, the airflow is about 1/4 - 1/3 of that at the carpet intake, and they don’t agitate as well. I keep a Kirby around for deep-cleaning carpet but daily a Miele C3. The Miele C3 with the SEB 228 nozzle is impressive on carpet, but it still isn’t like monstrously powerful.

I see the appeal of a stick. I have a V15. It’s about 3 yrs old. It’s primary role is for in-between cleans, small messes. Touch-ups. But, if I am going to vac our main living areas or the entire house, I can get the job done a lot faster with my Miele. If I am going to deep clean the carpet, I don’t pre-vac with my V15. I use my Kirby. If I am going to detail a vehicle, Miele. If I am going to use attachments for deep cleaning, Miele.

A rebuilt Kirby with TechDrive. They’re effortless to push/pull since they are self-propelled. They are known for their incredible carpet cleaning performance and durability. They are old-school, metal, heavy duty beastly uprights that will suck the color out of the carpet. They are sealed system HEPA vacuums with massive bags. I wish the attachments stored on-board, and I wish the suction was adjustable because it’s so powerful but I’d rather have too much power than not enough. They’re easy and inexpensive to maintain, but they’re very different from modern vacs. Again, they’re old school, and come with a brief learning curve. Once you get the hang of it, it’s second nature.

Kenmore canisters for carpet are very good. For hard floors, they’re awful. Obsolete. Deal breakers. Etc. Why not buy a refurbished Miele or Sebo, or if you have wall to wall carpet in most of your home and rarely use attachments, definitely go for a Kirby, or a Rainbow if you have a mix. Goodvac dot com for Kirby parts, Rainvac dot com for Rainbow parts. Miele parts and Sebo parts are easily accessible. Hyla parts are not, in contrast, but they too last a long time. I think they’re easier to use than the Rainbow but they don’t clean carpet very well at all. Kirby is about the best you can get for carpet.

A bagged eureka or sanitaire upright would be a good upright. Very easy to maintain and virtually no tools needed for most repairs. Parts of arby's available can I do a great job on Carpeting and floors ( Depending on the model). Try to find one that has a 7 Amp motor. Use Hepa type  bags. A Kirby would also be a good option.. The newer models have what's called Tech Drive which kind of compensates for the weight of the Kirby .

I love my sanitaire vacuum but I still use my Kirby as well. It mostly depends on the job i'm doing. 

Kirby. You can usually find them cheap second hand. The newer models will be self propelled. Though Kirby is a hefty built vacuum. Honestly anything with a bag should be good. You will have much less maintenance with a bag.

My husband bought a v15 Dyson with all the attachments. It's nice but emptying the bin after every other use is annoying. Cleaning the after filter is messy and annoying. Blowing out the cyclone part of the filter is messy AF. And for people who live in apartments or similar would be impossible. However my Kirby is self propelled and I get about 2-3 months on a bag. Belts last forever and it has huge amounts of suction. Like it lifts the carpet up kind of suction. And I don't have to worry about running out of battery or hurting the battery.

I don’t know if you’ve considered self propelled vacuums. The Kirby is the one I have, a professionally refurbished one so I paid around $200 (every part that could be replaced or repaired was and the machine was polished and sanitized), but it’s not the only one out there. It’s heavy, but the self propelled feature makes it very easy to use. Plus, it’s great for people with allergy and lung issues. I have a primary immunodeficiency that causes lung issues and an autoimmune condition that saps my energy. No fragrances needed, because the filtration in the OEM bags keeps the odors in that well. The only thing that’s a pain in the butt is if I have to carry it up or down the stairs, but the tech drive makes it very easy to push and pull. Maybe others on here can suggest other self propelled vacuums that also have great filtration. I don’t sell vacuums, so my knowledge on all the brands out there is limited.

I have two Kirby’s, one from the the mid 00’s and one from the 90’s. I also have a Dyson Ball animal from 2010-ish. All three of them are still going strong. The only drawback is the weight.