G6 (Gsix)

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

I bought a used Kirby G6 for $75 off Craigslist. It's a boat anchor. But it does a good job, so I can't complain for the price.

I have a Kirby repair guy in my town. Super nice person. After I bought it, he serviced it, replaced my fan blades, gave me a new brush roller, gave me some belts and bags and spent about 20 min showing me how it all works for, I believe $100. They're good vacuums that will last forever with proper service. But they're WAY overpriced. And their sales practices are truly horrendous. On the plus side, they don't really hold their value in the used market. It's easy to pick one up for cheap on Craigslist, Offerup or Facebook Marketplace.

Buy a used kirby off marketplace , heavy but self propeled and super hi high hight adjustment

As well, a Kirby is probably the best carpet cleaning Vacuum made. It’s just antiquated.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.