G5 Basic

The main benefit of a brand new one is that you can get it factory-remanufactured as many times as you want for a very low cost, so you basically get a new one essentially for that price every time it’s remanufactured, as long as you’re the original owner. Non-original owners can have a Kirby factory-remanufactured but it’s significantly more expensive. As far as buying new, you can get them for $600 - $900 cash on the last Sunday of each quarterly tax season from in-home demo, but they start very high at like $2500. You have to haggle. With that said, you can also buy a used one for like $50 bucks and rebuild one yourself. They’re ways to rebuild. I rebuilt a G5 to factory-reman standards and all in I paid about $700 grand total. I replaced a lot of things that were unnecessary but I wanted it to be a brand new G5. I did that when I could still get color-matching G5 parts. Now, all of the reman parts are black and gray.

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.

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.

You can get second-hand Kirby vacs off of marketplace for under $100. I think anyone who is even halfway serious about deep cleaning carpet should get one. Just make sure it’s been taken care of, if not recently serviced.

Start with a good template. A vacuum that is engineered from the ground up to last for decades. Then, create a lifespan-oriented criteria. I’ll list some brands below if you want the longest lifespan, but premium vacuums are divided into 2 lifespans. Brand Categories by Lifespan: - Disposable (3 months - 2 years) - Semi-disposable (1 year - 5 years) - Semi-Premium (4 years - 10 years) - Premium (10 - 25 years) - Super premium (30 - 50 years) * Note that 99.99% premium long-lasting vacs are either bagged, filter with water, etc. CRITERIA: - Premium to Super Premium - All individual parts replaceable - Parts replaceable for decades (35 - 50 years) - Part Availability is High - Part Accessibility is good - Easy to repair and service DIY - Fits your needs - Cleans well - Filters really well BRANDS: Kirby The first brand that comes to mind for the longest possible ownership is Kirby. These are much more like your grandma’s old Hoover Convertible. Built like a tank, and built to super-clean carpet better than anything else. And they do. There are Kirby vacs that are 30 - 50 years old still in service, and you can also get them factory remanufactured by the Kirby company no matter how old they are. If you are the original owner, they will do this for a very low cost. You can easily have one for 15 years without breaking it and they’re so easy to repair that when something does need attention, you can fix it yourself. There are factory videos on YouTube showing how to complete disassemble one and put one back together, how to service them for maintenance (if desired), how to diagnose problems, etc. Rainbow Rainbow is like Kirby in that they too last can last for 30 - 50 years and all parts are replaceable, accessible, and easy to repair with so many YouTube videos showing how to repair everything on them. My Mom has owned Rainbow for many years, since 2009, and I can definitely testify to their longevity. They really hold up well, and are very easy to service. They are canisters that filter primarily with water and an air-water separator, and use an H11 HEPA filter in the exhaust to catch super small particulate (e.g., 0.1 micron particles, vapor). Electrolux - Aerus Again, another American brand known for lasting decades. The classic Electrolux canister, sold as the Aerus Classic today, can easily last for 30 - 50 years due to how simple they are and because their motors are very robust. They also sell uprights. Other notable brands that can last for 30 - 50 years include Filter Queen, and Tristar. Sebo is one brand that might be able to last for 30 - 50 years, but like Miele, the brand focuses on validating them for 20 years of use. That is still a very long time, and with both Miele and Sebo, all parts are replaceable. I think you can get a better ownership experience with Sebo or Miele if you can accept a 15 - 30 year lifespan instead of 30 - 50 years. They’re easier to use and overall more well-rounded. I go for Sebo or Kirby for an upright, and Miele or Rainbow (E2B) for a canister.

The Kirby G5 is your best bet. It’s a beast of a vacuum but will out clean and outlast anything from bissell or shark by decades.

Congratulations! Kirby should last you a very long time with just general maintenance and upkeep.

Kirby G5 here. Kirbys can be had cheap used on FB Marketplace.

I always thought of Sharks as cheap vacuums. I have a central vacuum in my house and I bought a refurbished Kirby. The Kirby needed a repair so I went ahead and bought a Shark Navigator til I could get it fixed. I never bothered to take it to the shop. This Shark is amazing with what it pulls out of the carpet. Wish I would have bought one sooner.

Buy a used Kirby vacuum on FB marketplace. Go for a Heritage 2 or later G series Kirby vacuum and you'll be quite satisfied. With the G series, Sentria, or Avalir models, you can find a lot of attatchments for them. They made the same basic vacuum and attatchemts for 30+ years so they are interchangeable. You can still get parts for all of them. The Heritage 2 and older ones are great vacuums but parts and attatchments for them aren't as easy to find. They're still out there though on ebay a lot. Any vacuum store is more likely to carry parts for the newer ones. These Kirby vacuums are a bit heavy and bulky but they have so many uses and last forever. I have one from the 1950s that still works great! You can't buy a better vacuum for longevity. 

Just get a $50 Kirby at the thrift store. My mom would buy those cheap vacuums and they always just vaguely worked then would blow up for the dumbest reason. I got a G series Kirby at Goodwill for $18, a Royal for $20 and a Dyson DC46 cannister vac for $20- so if you look, you can find a nice vacuum for cheap.

Get a used Kirby off marketplace, eBay or Craigslist... Any g series will function nearly identically... It is not a wet vac, dry only... No liquid should go in the tank when using the shampooer